Honey-Glazed Chicken Legs

3 out of 5 Stars

These unfortunately didn't taste quite as good as they smelled, but they were okay. The recipe said to cook them in a roasting pan, but I don't have one so I used a baking dish. I don't know if this was the reason, but these had to cook 30-45 minutes LONGER than the 30-35 minutes the recipe called for. The picture below was when I took the drumsticks out around 35 minutes. Then I cut one or two open and they were definitely not done. Anyway, it was alright.

Micro Nacho Potatoes

3 out of 5 Stars

These were okay. One ingredient was a sprinkling of chopped green onions and I only had a few that were from last week and were unfortunately bad, so these were sans green onions (the green is bell pepper). I added a dollop of sour cream for dipping (not pictured). The potatoes were a little rubbery, so I must not have timed it right. Also, you're supposed to cook them in a microwave-safe baking dish, but I didn't have one available (I have 2 - one was dirty in a dishwasher and the other had the chicken in it). I just used a plate, so that probably added to the consistency too.

Pan-Seared Steaks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

4 out of 5 Stars

This was pretty good! I've actually never pan seared a steak before. The recipe called for beef tenderloin steaks, but I unfortunately couldn't find any so I used chuck tender beef. (Is that the same thing?) It cooked a little unusually I thought - when I turned it the first time in the pan, the steaks were a little "concave", if you will. Anyway, the combination with the roasted red pepper sauce was a nice new taste!

I served the steaks with loaded baked potatoes. Steak and potatoes, how can you go wrong?

Side note: In hindsight, this was stupid, but just in case anyone doesn't think about it either - To make the sauce, you use a little jar of roasted red peppers and you need to drain them first. So I walk over to the sink, hold back the peppers with my hand, and pour out the liquid. A minute later my hand is burning! So moral of the story, use a strainer when you drain these, not your hand!

For some reason, I thought the steaks looked a little like big portabella mushrooms.

Frosted Fruit Salad

2 out of 5 Stars

This is a little strong for me. The fruit tastes good, but the lemon yogurt mixed in with it is a little much for me. I'm not a huge fan of lemon so I might like it better with another flavor of yogurt. It's a just, um, too strong. I don't know how else to put it.
Also, I'm a texture person, so the texture of the yogurt in with the fruit wasn't my favorite.

This Week's Recipes are Posted!

Well it's that time again for a new week of recipes! Last week was a great success and I'm looking forward to another 7 days of deliciousness! This week actually has a LOT of recipes. I'll be trying a few for lunches, not just dinners. I am trying to eat more nutritiously and while I've enjoyed my salads, I would like to change it up now and then so as not to burn out or get off track. Also, many of the side dishes with dinners will be new recipes as well, unlike last week.

Check out the recipes over on the right side of the page! I'll review and report back throughout the week!

Happy eating!

Buttery Lime-basted Catfish (well, actually flounder)

5 out of 5 Stars

This dish was sooo good! It tasted like something you would get in a restaurant! It was unbelievably easy too! The recipe called for catfish, but I used flounder because that's what I had. It was really tasty. After making the sauce and brushing it on the fish, there wasn't much left to pour over the fish after it was cooked, so I made up a little more - definitely glad I did! You will absolutely want to try this. It is crazy easy and crazy good!
I didn't have a lot on hand for sides, so I served white rice, leftover steamed veggies, and toast sprinkled with a little of the butter lime sauce.

The sauce on top of the fish might look a little thick in the picture, but it wasn't. It was just the right consistency!

Beef and Black Bean Chili

5 out of 5 Stars

This was really good! You wouldn't believe that this is a 20 minute chili! It's as good as any slow cooked chili I've ever had! I had added a dollop of sour cream, but I'd already stirred it in and eaten a few bites before I remembered to take the picture! The sour cream was really yummy with it! The recipe also mentioned topping it with cheddar cheese, but I opted not to tonight.

When I eat something really hot (temperature-wise) and rich like this, I like to cut it with something light and cold, like a side of applesauce. Well, we didn't have any applesauce so I sliced up an apple to eat on the side. Believe it or not, it really was nice with it! This was sooo easy and very delicious, especially for something so quick.

Side Note: One of the ingredients is a can of black beans and it tells you to drain them and then mash them. I actually don't have a masher, so just in case any of y'all don't have one either, I found simply using a glass works just fine. I simply mashed the beans with the bottom of the glass.

Happy eating!

Skillet Chops and Rice

2 out of 5 Stars

This wasn't my favorite. I think the chops should have pan seared for quite a bit longer than the recipe called for. The directions say to pan sear them for 2 minutes on each side, remove them, add the rice and other ingredients to the pan and then put the chops on top of the rice mixture, cover and cook for a few more minutes.The picture in the cookbook definitely had a caramel-colored pork chop like one that had been pan seared for several minutes, but according to the recipe, it is cooked mostly by steaming during that last step. It wasn't awful, but it was very plain jane. I served it with leftover honey glazed carrots and steamed vegetables. Eh.

Broiled Flounder with Pineapple Salsa

4 out of 5 Stars

This dish was pretty yummy! I had actually made it one other time a few months back, but didn't use flounder. I can't remember what type of fish I used before, but I do know that I like the flounder much better. It was more flavorful. I really like the salsa! It was super simple and is a great topping if you like sweet and spicy flavors. Just to give you an idea, Eric is not too big on sweet with savory flavors, so this salsa on fish wasn't his favorite, and may not be yours either if you don't care the sweet-savory combo.
I served it with steamed new potatoes and Green Giant steamer honey glazed carrots. Honey glazed carrots did not sound very good to me, but they were really tasty! The meal as a whole went well together I thought.
We followed it with a small slice of our Blueberry Pie from yesterday. I have to say that it was even better today. I don't think I had given it enough time to actually set up before we had some yesterday. After having it tonight after it set, I have to move it up to 5 Stars!

Good Ole Throw Together & Chris Sikorski's Blueberry Pie

5 out of 5 Stars

This was really yummy! "Good Ole Throw Together" was a beef, pasta, and tomato dish that reminded me of something I've had before, but I can't put my finger on it. It's not all that pretty, but it was really easy and had a lot of flavor! I topped it with a few flakes of fresh grated parmagiano reggiano cheese - yum! I definitely recommend this one-skillet dish, especially for a really tasty weeknight meal. I microwave-steamed some frozen mixed veggies to go with it that was actually a really nice pairing with the dish. I didn't do this tonight, but I think some garlic bread/toast would have been really yummy with this!

4 out of 5 Stars

For dessert and as our weekly little not-so-healthy freebie, I made "Chris Sikorski's Bluerberry Pie." This tastes like a creamy cheesecake with blueberries mixed in! Really yummy! I'm going to keep each serving pretty small though - lots of cream cheese and sugar!

A couple of changes and few announcements...

Due to some changes in some of my goals recently, I'll be making a few adjustments to the blog. I have decided that while I want to cook through my cookbooks trying all of the recipes, I also really need to start eating more nutritiously. Unfortunately, the current cookbook that I'm working through definitely has some recipes that while I'm sure are delicious, are not so waistline-friendly. What I've decided to do is actually start working from another cookbook simultaneously. This second one is a light cooking cookbook that Eric and I bought a few years ago and is all in all much more conducive to a healthier lifestyle. I'll also continue to work through the current book, but I'll be much more selective of which recipes I choose right now. Because I still want to try them all though, I'm likely going to limit the less healthy recipes to the weekends.

I would also like to announce that I'm planning to start two blogs that stem from this one. If you are interested in this one, you may also be interested in the others, as they all are working around some of the same ideas, but the focus of each is unique. I thought doing this might give some variety and also some other topics of interest - different strokes for different folks.

This one, Bringing Something to the Table!, is for you if you enjoy recipe reviews, photos, and comments. This will continue to be a recipe review forum as I cook my way through my cookbooks (and try to complete recipes that have ingredients in common so as not to purchase a million different grocery items every week).

The second blog will be what I'm calling, Conquering the Triangle. What this is is my attempt to create  shopping lists for a week's worth of meals that meet all three corners of the working person's cooking triangle - healthy, easy, and budget-friendly. I think we can all agree that you usually have to pick two. I'm going for gold in an effort to Conquer the Triangle. If you would find this to be helpful, head over to this one!

The third blog will be for those whose main focus is healthy eating (and I know there's some of you out there! It's just that time of year.) I have researched many a diet as I'm sure many of you have. I'm not interested in fads or impermanent, unhealthy solutions to weight loss. I'm looking to drop unhealthy pounds and get more fit over all. I'm also not wanting to just count calories, for example. I think we all know that you can keep your calories low, but that doesn't necessarily mean your eating nutritiously. I want to give my body what it needs to function optimally. The decision I've come to is to try to work toward the Mayo Clinic's healthy weight plan. I know we've all heard of the food pyramid. The real Mayo Clinic plan (yes, there is a fake one out there that basically tells you to eat practically nothing but grapefruit and claims to be Mayo Clinic-endorsed) is based on having the the right numbers of servings and portions of the  different types of foods your body needs, as well as physical activity, and thus creates their food pyramid.  This blog, To the Top of the Pyramid, will be my log of trying to make this more of a lifestyle, while hopefully being helpful to others who may be wanting to do the same thing.

These all work together if you would like to follow them all:
In Conquering the Triangle, I will create the shopping lists of healthy, easy, budget friendly meals mostly from my cookbooks. In Bringing Something to the Table, I'll review the recipes and log where I am in terms of cooking my way through my cookbooks. Finally, in To the Top of the Pyramid, I'll track my progress and the effectiveness of the Mayo Clinic plan for me. It ties back to the first because all of the shopping lists will need to fit into the MC food pyramid.

Whew! There you have it! A couple of changes and a few announcements!

PS - The new blogs will be up and running shortly. I'll post when they're up!

Crocked Cajun Roast

5 out of 5 Stars

Hi Everyone! It's been a little while since my last post, but hopefully you'll enjoy this latest review.

This recipe is wonderful! For you slow cooker fans, this one's for you! I cooked the roast for the full 10 hours in the crockpot - falling apart tender! I thought it was going to be spicy, but it wasn't at all. It tasted like a traditional roast, but with the mildest creole hint that made it so rich and flavorful! I definitely recommend this recipe!  It is sooooo easy: you simply rub down the roast with the seasoning, toss it and a few ingredients in the crockpot, set to low and you're done for 8 to 10 hours. (The recipe called for 1 onion, but I only used a half because that's what I had!)
We enjoyed this sliced and served with mashed potatoes and black eyed peas (we had a TON of peas leftover from the New Year's Day tradition, so we froze them. We'll probably be eating black eyed peas as a side with every meal until next New Year's.). We poured some of the au jus from the crockpot over the potatoes as a gravy - delish! I'm not for sure yet, but I have a sneaky suspicion the leftovers will make some pretty tasty sandwiches tomorrow! You'll definitely want to give this a try!