Chicken and Biscuits

My mom included this recipe in the cookbook she made for me a few years ago, but I honestly don't remember having it for dinner as a child! I've considered making the recipe several times, but this is the first time I've actually attempted it. The end result turned out quite different, due to the fact that I scaled down the recipe quite a bit and left out the stewed tomatoes it called for. I also tried to make it a bit healthier by browning the bread crumbs and chicken in olive oil instead of butter. We also had fresh broccoli and a spritzer of fresh orange juice, sprite, and vodka - woohoo! What a party!

The verdict

Today marks Mike and I being together for three years, so I wanted to make a meal he would especially enjoy. He most certainly did! He went back for a large second helping. I was afraid to really brown the chicken because I thought it would get rubbery when I baked it, but it could have stood a little more crispiness. I give this meal 4 stars for taste and 3 stars for health. Considering this was my first try at this recipe, that's not too bad!

Chicken Tacos

Mike and I found a really good deal on chicken breasts at Winn-Dixie, so we froze some whole and Mike hooked up the KitchenAid and ground the rest. We've had chicken tacos before, but never with ground chicken - only sliced. I seasoned the meat with cumin, coriander, paprika, and red pepper (I used to but the packaged taco seasoning, but it has way too much salt). We rounded out the meal with fresh green beans and a fruit salad with a homemade lime dressing.

The verdict
Mikel liked the tacos so well he said he'd be fine if we had them this way all the time. When Mike picks white meat over beef, you know it must be good! I liked the chicken as well because I can enjoy tacos practically guilt-free! I give this meal 5 stars for taste and 4 stars for health, because of the cheese, sour cream, and canned refried beans we had.

Pepperoni-Garlic Pizza

Tonight I made my favorite homemade pizza crust, sliced garlic very thinly and paired it with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni (on half). This crust recipe is sooo good! It has beer and baking powder in it so it doesn't need any time to rise, which makes it easy. We also had broccoli and for dessert, chocolate covered straberries!

The verdict

This meal is a once-in-a-while meal for us, due to the amount of cheese we consume with it. I don't think I'll ever make a different type of pizza crust again! Try it, you'll love it. I give this meal 5 stars for taste and 2 stars for health.

Honey-Lime Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Red Potatoes

I got two pork tenderloins on sale a couple of months ago, and this is the second one. I tried my mom's honey-lime marinated pork tenderloin recipe that was one of our favorites growing up. I paired it with rosemary roasted red potatoes, which is a recipe I found on the Internet when I was looking for a copycat recipe for those great potatoes at Boston Market. To round out the meal we have steamed pole beans and a fruit salad of strawberries, apples, and peaches with raw sugar on top. To drink we have fresh-squeezed orange juice made with oranges from my grandmother's trees.

The verdict

This meal was GREAT! As soon as I tasted the pork I remembered why my mom always made this recipe when tenderloin went on sale (that's the only way she buys it too, lol). I think the key to this recipe is quality, fresh ingredients. The potatoes are my second-favorite way to have them, behind mashed potatoes, of course. I was surprised to find strawberries at the grocery store today as it's a little late in the season for them, but they were very good. The orange juice was amazing, as always. It's almost worth the labor it takes to squeeze them. I give this meal 5 stars for both tase and health!

Down Home Chicken

Tonight I tried a new chicken recipe from Taste of Home magazine. It has a sauce made from lemon juice, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce. I decided to make white rice and black-eyed peas, which I hardly ever make because they take so darn long to cook.

The verdict

The chicken came out okay...I think I'll try it one more time before I decide on it. I wasn't crazy about it, and it was too complicated to make unless it was really good. It did give me a chance to use up the bag of peas in the freezer, though. I give this meal 2 stars for taste and 3 stars for health, because we had white rice instead of brown and I'm not sure if black-eyed peas count as a vegatable.

Chicken Meatloaf

I was TIRED after visiting camp today, so I just pulled some ground chicken out of the freezer and threw in an egg and some breadcrumbs for a meatloaf. I also wanted to use the rolls I had bought at the Yalaha Bakery while my mom and I were house-scouting in the Leesburg area Thursday. I used lima beans from the freezer to round out the no-thought-required meal.

The verdict

I had never thought to use anything other than ground beef for a meatloaf, but my friend Sherri made one with turkey on Sunday, and Mike and I both thought it was quite good. This chicken meatloaf was good as well, and I plan on adding it to my recipe rotation as a healthier alternative to beef. The rolls were delicious! I'd heard good things about it, but I'd never been to it before Thursday. The architecture and decor were very German, and I understood why after I took a look at the menu (which featured things like stollen, roggenvollkornbrot, and frankenlaib). Mom and I split a chocolate cheesecake tart at the bakery, and it was to die for. If Mike's grandmother (who came from Germany as a teen) ever comes to visit once we move to the area, we have to take her there! I give this meal 4 stars for taste, because I wish I had used the rolls earlier and I want to tweak the meatloaf recipe more, and 5 stars for health. Hopefully I'll figure out this camera soon so the pictures will come out better.

Burgers and fries

My first real post for my food blog! This is actually the meal we had on Friday night, but I had no time to being this blog that night because I was busy getting ready to visit camp the next day.

This is my take on a classic American meal, and it also happens to be one of our favorites, especially now that we have our own meat grinder. We've been trying to use up some stuff in the freezer, and there were two patties allllll the way in the back, so Mike threw them on the grill while I put some water on to boil to make my homemade french fries. Of course, I discovered we were out of Idaho potatoes, but since I had already put water on to boil, I decided to try using red potatoes instead. Throw in some frozen broccoli and we've got our first meal for my new food blog!!

For dessert, we finished off the rest of the blueberry pie I made for dinner at Ken and Sherri's on Sunday.

The verdict

The fries turned out surprisingly good. I may even make them with red potatoes again! My mom found the pie recipe recently and tried it for Memorial Day, and it was GONE in the blink of an eye! Seriously, if you have a lot of fresh blueberries you need to use, you've got to try it! I give this meal 5 stars for taste, and 3 stars for health, since the fries were homemade with olive oil and we had a big portion of veggies.

Welcome to my newest hobby!

Since we just got a digital camera, I have decided to try creating my own food blog! I'm not saying I'll update this every day (or even more than this one time!), but I've been wanting to start one of these for a long time, so I'm very excited. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I do cooking for it!