Cajun Sloppy Joes (RC Cook's Country February / March 2012)
Ok, so a consistent ingredient in all the sloppy joe's I make is mustard. Mustard in one form or another (yellow, spicy, Dijon, powder, etc). It ads a nice tang to the sloppy joes. So without that in there? yeah I don't like them as much. Even adding mustard on top didn't really make it taste right. And clearly, that is not what this was going for, but that being said, these were ok. I do like to have a bit more spice to 'em and I think I even added more then the recipe required. So, they were just ok. I still prefer the random way I make mine, over this.
Spicy Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry (RC Cook's Country February / March 2012)
This turned out pretty good. Trying to increase the ingredients and find things that are good for us, but still palatable to the both of us (we both have our own idiosyncrasies). The simple way to prepare the broccoli and with everything else, it just made for a nice dish. It came together pretty quickly (considering how late I started (damn you Skyrim)). Served over a nice bed of rice worked out pretty well.
Italian Sausage and Potato Frittata (RC Cook's Country February / March 2012)
This was quick and simple and felt very familiar to me. I was able to make it right quick and with the Graziano sausage in it, it added that spicy bit from there that I love.
Spicy Carrot Sandwiches (p26 Food & Wine March 2012) with Classic Hummus (p29 Cook's Country February / March 2012)
I was expecting to be both hungry after having this, and this not actually tasting good. I was surprised on both counts, when it was both filling and delicious. I admit, I jacked up the spices in the hummus and carrots, but even so, it was a super simple set of ingredients that produced a nice set of flavors. A lot of vegetarian dishes are not like this.
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco (p14 Cook's Illustrated March / April 2012)
So anytime that I make something with something alcoholic in the dish, I am always afraid that Shannon won't like the taste of it. This used an entire bottle of wine, so my concerns were elevated quite a bit. But with the combination of La Quercia Pancetta, pasta and Pecorino Romano, it already had several marks in it's favor. It turned out quite well (I used baby greens as opposed to arugula, since that's what was available). I'd like to try this again when I can get some of Larry's greens from the farmer's market.
Filipino Chicken Adobo (p7 Cook's Illustrated March / April 2012)
Shannon and tart don't generally go together very well. I was concerned about this with this recipe. It worked very well for me (Joseph seemed to enjoy his leftovers for breakfast this morning), but the sauce was a bit strong for Shannon. So she used quite a bit less sauce then either of us. Between this, and the Old hen tacos, it gets me to a chicken and an old hen away from being through the chicken from Foxhollow.
Braised Old Hen Tacos
I was tired, I didn't pay as close of attention as I should have. The chicken was a bit tough. Even so, shredded, and topped with a couple of suggested cheeses from The Cheese Shop (which worked out very well), these simple tacos were ok, and the only reason they weren't better is my own fault.