Bored, bored, bored, bored BORRRRRRED!!!

In response to my last blog, here is a quick update on how the meals turned out:

Zucchini Spaghetti with Saffron Stock (Rachel Ray)

This meal is definitely one of those meals that you read the recipe and the ingredients, think to yourself This sounds so yummy and tasty, but then you follow the recipe to a T and when you taste it.....it's just "Meh!"  There's not as much flavor as I anticipated.  I've made it before, and I remember the exact same result!  Not sure why I thought it'd be different this time...maybe because it was a dish I made in my "early days."  Or maybe I thought I just had missed something.  But either way it just didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped.  If you don't already have Spanish saffron on your shelf, I'd say it's not worth it.

And as for the Chile Rellenos....unfortunately those didn't happen because Kroger's poblano peppers totally sucked.  Instead I did stuffed bell peppers, which turned out great!  Here is the recipe:

1 lb ground beef
2 T chopped onion
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
salt and pepper, other seasoning
1 cup prepared instant rice
4-5 green bell peppers

Boil peppers in an inch of water for 5 minutes.  Cut off the tops and discard the inside membranes.  Spray a glass baking dish and stand peppers up inside the dish.  Brown the beef and saute the onion in with the beef. Drain beef and return to skillet.  Add tomato sauce, corn and rice and cook until heated through.  Season as desired.  I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.  Once the mixture is heated and has simmered for awhile, spoon the mixture into the peppers until almost overflowing.  Top with grated cheese and bake on 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is just beginning to brown.

Ginger Cilantro Tilapia
Now THIS was a true winner once again, except this time I prepared the sauce and threw it into a skillet with some shrimp.  I had planned to serve it over pasta, but because we had just had pasta (the zucchini spaghetti) the night before, I ended up using it as filling for tacos instead.  I made some Jasmine rice and spooned a bit of that onto a corn tortilla and then added the shrimp with the sauce.  They were awesome!  For those who aren't sure about fish, you really should try this dish because the sauce has a strong enough flavor to take any "fishy" taste out of it.  Tilapia isn't fishy at all in my opinion, but some people are sensitive about seafood!


Monterey Chicken

Because my hubby is out of town (as if you didn't already know that from my pouty Facebook postings), I haven't made this dish yet!  I plan to make it for his homecoming Thursday night. :)  Stay tuned.

The Best Pork Chops You Will Ever Taste

I think it might be a slight exaggeration....or perhaps this person has never had good pork chops.  But they were VERY good.  The recipe was super easy to throw together and I could see myself actually modifying it and changing it up a little.  I served it with bacon-wrapped asparagus and homemade garlic mashed potatoes.  Which, by the way, I have found after many different types of potato usage, that Yukon Gold potatoes make THE BEST mashed potatoes, hands down.

You Won't Be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta

I haven't gotten around to making this one yet....We actually don't have any vodka at the present and I'm waiting for Shane to get back in town anyway.  I've made this dish many times and I would highly recommend it.  It's incredibly easy.  However, read, read, and reread the recipe before and during the cooking process because I guarantee you WILL miss something the first time.  Do NOT use chicken broth instead of chicken stock.  I did this one of the times I made it (in desperation since I had nothing else to make) and the sauce was SO watery.  Also, you absolutely HAVE to let the vodka reduce.  If you don't strictly follow the recipe, the sauce will be too thin.  Homemade vodka sauce is not as thick as the store-bought stuff to begin with, but it really is a trick to get it just right.  Another trick is that I use more than the amount of heavy cream listed on the recipe.

Please try the vodka sauce if you never have had vodka sauce before....it is excellent!

A super yummy wine to try: