Rigatoni with Tomatoes and Vodka (p 193)

This was so good...and just shockingly better then a vodka sauce that comes in a jar. Considering how easy it was to make, I doubt very much I'll ever buy a jarred vodka sauce again. Of course I'm finding that about most sauces. They sound complicated, but when it comes down to it, they really aren't. In checking my cupboard, there really is only one jarred sauce left. I was thinking about using it (along with a few of the tomato based leftovers from this week) just to clear out the fridge and open a bit of space in the cupboard.

Polenta with Sausage and Asiago (p 240)

This tasted very good. I'm still uncomfortable with polenta, because I don't know if I am getting the texture right. I almost thought it might be better just to make it like a cornbread with all the stuff in there in it. Any time you have big chunks of Asiago in something, it can't be too bad.

Jamaican Jerk Burgers with Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise (p 182)

Josh and Lindsay came over to have this. It said to make it on the grill, but since my grill is basically falling apart that didn't happen. Probably would've been better though. With the marinade that went on the burgers (it had brown sugar in it) it quickly gave off a quite a bit of smoke (window had to be opened) and quickly blackened the outer layer of beef on the burgers. It tasted pretty good. though. The may was really simple to make, just a bit of chipotle a small bit of orange juice and some mayo...how simple is that? And it tasted really good.

Falafel with Cilantro Yogurt in Pita Bread (p 259-260)

Movie night ended up not happening, however, I still made the falafel. I don't know if I made these right. It said I was supposed to be able to form patties of sorts out of the mixture...it was far too liquidy to do that. Though I was able to get a flour side down, brown, warm solidify the falafel a bit more. It turned out really good though. Spicy, tasty and I'm guessing good for you (no bad fats, not a lot of salt).

Chicken Paprikas (p 333-4)

I made this last night. It used a lot of paprika (5 teaspoons of sweet and 1/2 teaspoon of hot), which is how, I understand, paprika is used. It turned out very well, good tender flavorful chicken with a thick spicy sauce of onions, peppers, and garlic. The only draw back here, is that it said to slice the red peppers, which I know Shannon doesn't like large pieces of bell peppers. So I cut them down a bit. It worked well.