Journal

2013 - Week 8 Cooking Results

Tuna Noodle Casserole (p18 Cook's Country February / March 2012)

So this is was a challenge.  Between the time that it took, and trying to be helpful to Brandon as he was fixing our table, and trying to make dinner in a timely fashion.  Helpful won out over timely as we ended up eating at 10:PM.  I used a bottle of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde to spice it up a bit.  It turned out well, we both liked it and even though we were eating very late, it was still a good meal.  The leftovers disappeared quickly.

Pasta with Roasted Onions, Radicchio and Blue Cheese (RC Cook's Country February / March 2013)

Delayed until next week.​

Hearty Spanish-Style Lentil and Chorizo Soup (p19 Cook's Illustrated March / April 2013)

So I had some Spanish Chorizo sitting in the freezer from...a while ago.  To get this to all come together on time I really should've started when I got home (but I napped instead), This was probably not the best idea for a weeknight dinner, since it does take a while to make, but the final product was very good.  I imagine that if the chorizo doesn't exude that magical red liquid, then this wouldn't turn out so well, but if you get some of the good stuff, you are pretty much set.  We were both happy with the dish, but not so happy with the lateness of the hour.

Foolproof Spaghetti Carbonara (p11 Cook's Illustrated March / April 2103)

So I've never really had that much of a problem making spaghetti carbonara (besides, even failure of this tastes pretty good), but this was an interesting way to do it.  The bacon that I had taken out of the freezer was a bit thick, and I think ended up being to much, so I trimmed the bacon back a bit ​(it was surprising to me too) and went from there.  I rendered enough fat off to generate the sauce and it came together well.  It did seem a bit complex, but it worked, so maybe someone would need this, but maybe a bit of overkill if you've done it successfully before.

Bison Burgers

Topped with a bit of bacon (bought at Big Boy Meats), and fried in the bacon fat, it was nice to have the bison grace our table again.​  The bacon itself was pretty good, prefer crooked gap's better (though the big boy bacon was cleaner cut).

Quick Ground Chicken and Bean Tacos

This was a little milder then I intended, but still ended up working out pretty well.  Combined the chicken, beans, spices, onions, tomatos and tomato paste together to form the base of the ​taco, then topped it with your normal things.  Quick to do, made for an easy Sunday night.