What's for Dinner: Week 2

Continuing my resolution, we cooked at home 4 nights last week (with one minor hiccup), wahoo! Although, I would say the first week was more successful from the *taste* standpoint [I think Alex would agree ;)], but hey you win some and you loose some, right?  

(my actual photos, hence them not looking as perfect as some you'll see on the sites linked below!)

[Sunday]  Fontina, Caramelized-Onion, and Pancetta Pizza
Review: I'm normally a huge homemade pizza fan, and this recipe was pretty good, but not my favorite. I think we might have skimped on the amount of Pancetta, which caused the onion to overpower! It was good,  but I think next time I would try prosciutto (my favorite!) or ham.
Recipe: Here
Ranking (out of 5): 3/5


[Monday] Tortelleni Soup 
Review: This is not a new recipe in our home...it's a favorite! We originally had it at my Sister-in-law's a year or so ago, and from that day we have fallen in love. It's super easy and delicious, and make's for great leftovers.
Recipe: You can find tons of different recipes on line, but Marina's is my favorite and I haven't found it online, so if you're curious-

Ingredients: two packages of tortellini (in the aisle with the cheese at the grocery), mushrooms, garlic, yellow or white onion, two stocks of baby bok choy, tortellini and a box of chicken broth (we use 2 boxes because we like a lot of leftovers).

1. Sautee mushrooms and onion, add garlic after a few minutes

2. Put chicken broth in a big pot bring to light boil, add tortellini (cooks in Broth)

3. Once tortellini is almost done add the washed baby bok choy.

4. Optional: Add parmesan cheese & red pepper chili flakes to finished product

Ranking (out of 5): 5/5 (always...thanks Marina!)

[Tuesday] Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Review: I'm a HUGE fan of the crock pot ever since I purchased it a few months ago-especially with working. I was a little nervous leaving it on while I went to work the first time, but all worked out as planned! Anyways, this was a very yummy recipe, but I think next time I would follow the recipe just as stated (I tried to make it a little healthier and omit the cheese and some other things, but I think it would have made it better).
Recipe: Here
Ranking (out of 5): 4.5/5 

[Thursday] Cilantro-Lime Chicken Wings Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken
Review:  Well, well, I had all intentions of grilling Cilantro-Lime Chicken Wings (which we've also cooked many of times and we love), but sadly when I went to prepare the chicken I realized it had gone bad (guess I missed the date when picking that one out at the store), EW! So, I had to throw it out and run to Albertson's and get a Rotisserie chicken and throw some Pillsbury rolls in the oven and Rice Pilaf on the stove. It was a good save, but small disappointment!
Recipe: I'll have to check with the Albertson's chef and get back to ya!
Ranking (out of 5): 1/5 (my score for having the rolls and rice pilaf on hand!)

What's for Dinner: Week 1

As I mentioned, it is my (ambitious) goal to cook healthy meals at home 4 nights a week this year. I'm happy to say that I was successful last week--we cooked at home 3 nights, then at my Sister's one night mostly credited to my Mom's expertise (still at home, despite not being my home)! When searching for yummy recipes, I start at Cooking Light usually, but have found some keepers on other sites, too.

Note: These are professional photos, which can be found on the recipe sites below...but mine looked close :)

[Tuesday] Curried Chicken & Rice Soup
Review: Delicious and perfect for this time of year. It was really easy to make, and made for great leftovers. Only complaint would be that the Curry spice was a bit expensive for my budget, but now we have it and can find other recipes with Curry in it. Definitely a keeper-Alex has already requested it again!
Recipe: Already shared the recipe, but it can be found here.
Ranking (out of 5): 5/5

[Wednesday] Lettuce Wraps
Review: These were a little more involved, and again called for some ingredients that I did not have on hand; partly this is because I'm still building my pantry from moving in and becoming an aspiring cook ;) The finished product was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I used ground turkey instead of chicken in effort to be more healthy, and also couldn't find butter lettuce so had to use iceberg, which doesn't make for too good of a "wrap". This recipe was decent and pretty healthy, but I think next time I'll try an alternative.
Recipe: Here
Ranking (out of 5): 2/5

[Friday] Grilled Chicken with Rustic Mustard Cream
Review: This recipe surprised me, as I was a little weary and thought it might be too boring. I don't know what I was thinking, though, because it was so yummy. I had planned to do the prep and have Alex get his grill on, but traffic had other plans for him, and we were going to miss our movie, so I put my grillin' cap on and BBQed the chicken myself...a first for me on our grill, so I was proud. Anyways, it came out great! I made it with the roasted tomatoes  (just the red grape tomatoes) and the flavors were delish.
Recipe: Here
Ranking (out of 5): 5/5

[Saturday] Roast Pork with Peach Glaze
Review: Admittedly, my mother was the hands behind this dish, I mostly took part in the eating of it. But, I will say that I was extremely skeptical when she called me and asked me to pick up peaches from the store- I said "oh, so we're having a peach dessert", and she says "no its for the Pork". I was a little weary but I am a sucker for sweet & salty things, so I gave it a shot! And boy, thank goodness I did. It was yummy, and the pork was cooked to perfection (of course my mom has a little more practice than me, so probably a good thing she did this one). Now that I know about this recipe, I'll definitely try it one day soon, but it is a bit more difficult and pricey-probably on a weekend when I have some more time. We served this with corn bread, salad and corn on the cob.
Recipe: Came from my mom's Cooks Illustrated book, but here is a copy cat recipe
Ranking (out of 5): 4/5