Meatballs and Spaghetti for Romance (also includes Simple Tomato Sauce)
The sauce it self was just ok, but combined with the meatballs they were pretty good. To make the combination of the two, they ended up being sort of stuffed into the pan that was a bit to small, so it was a bit crowded. Even so, it ended up tasting pretty good. Though it did use an excessive amount of pots. And so I suppose for valentines, it'll show how much effort you put in, but for a week night meal? That can be a bit too much washing up.
Black Beans and Rice with Chicken and Apple Salsa
So I didn't make this quite as pretty as the picture, but it ended up being a pretty simple meal. It still took a while to cook down the liquid, but it was ok. there's still lots of leftovers, so, I guess the final ruling will depend on how quickly the leftovers get eaten.
Olive Oil Pancakes (José Andrés)
This was actually pretty nice. I did have to end up adding more buttermilk and olive oil so that they were a bit more liquidy. I couldn't say how much, because I added some of one then the other until it looked right. I don't even think the chocolate was necessary (though fits with what I saw on Made In Spain), so I may try it again without the chocolate. I do have to say that though I do like honey, it does seem a bit odd to add honey to pancakes over maple syrup. Though since maple syrup isn't really a European thing, it does make sense.
Chili (Saturday)
I started a bit later then I wanted (slept in) and even though I vaguely followed my working recipe, I didn't even use it. As I look down on it, I see that I missed coriander, red pepper flakes and dried leaf oregano. Though I suppose should have followed the part about cooking most fo the beef in another pan (getting rid of some of the rendered fat), but it still worked out. It cooked in the oven for around 4 hours (250º for the first 2 hours, 275º for the rest). Since that leads to a nice even cooking all the way around the pot. It's like doing it in a slow cooker I suppose, but then I get to use my pot, which I like better. I did reorganize my spice drawer, so I now realize how much I have left of stuff (chili powder and cumin gone, choipotle powder almost gone). It turned out pretty well, and had a nice spice, but wasn't too strong for Shannon (she just finished off a bowl of leftovers). And I was able to feed Joseph for a few days (he took home a pretty big bowl).
Egg Sandwiches (after racing to meet with Blue Gate to pick up some eggs, this sounded so good)
I used some goat cheddar (from Avalanche Cheese purchased at The Cheese Shop) and some of the leftover deli meat (shaved turkey) and some wonderful eggs. It really hits that spot for me.
Pounded Chicken Sandwiches
This certainly shows you what is just kind of balanced on the counter. As I pounded the chicken breast out to split between the two of us, I had some dishes in the sink settle, and some tape on the back ledge of the counter fall down. It is always fun to pound the hell out of something.