October 31, 2009...Halloween!!!

So...over the past 2 weeks, I have been experimenting with ingredients I had never previously cooked with. As silly as it sounds, I had never tried to cook an entire pork loin (or any pork loin for that matter). The result...YUM! I LOVE pork loin! It's so easy to cook and you can do so much with it. I am definitely searching for more of RR's recipes that include pork loin from now on. I've also been making dishes with tarragon. I've always liked the flavor of tarragon, but never used the fresh herb in a recipe before. My fiance and I loved (and devoured) Rachael's chicken casserole with fresh tarragon. Mmmmm... Another new ingredient I've recently tried is tamari, which is aged soy sauce. In some of my earlier blogs, I used regular soy sauce in recipes not realizing that there was much difference between the soy sauce packets I've saved in the junk drawer (you know you have one too) from all the Chinese food take-out we used to eat. Well, now I can say, there is a difference! Tamari has a richer quality as opposed to just a saltiness like soy sauce packets have. I went back and made the Orange BBQ make-your-own take out using the tamari instead of soy sauce packets and it made a huge difference. I highly recommend it.

Here are the recipes I've made over the past 2 weeks including tonight (Halloween):
Oct 31...Deviled eyeballs (LOL...a nice twist on traditional deviled eggs)
Oct 30...Reuben stuffed potatoes
Oct 29...Orange BBQ Cashew Chicken
Oct 28...Honey mustard chicken tenders
Oct 27...Baked Shells Casserole
Oct 26...Philly Cheesesteak Lunchbox roll-ups
Oct 25...Not Your Mama's London Broil
Oct 24...Jerk Chicken (yes, again....my fiance LOVES it)
Oct 23...Split dog foot longs
Oct 22...Florentine Dream Burgers
Oct 21...Rollover pork loin black bean chili (a new favorite)
Oct 20...Indian Curry Roast Vegetables
Oct 19...Roast Pork Loin with Oven roasted veggies
Oct 18...Chicken casserole
Oct 17...Inside out sausage chops (not really a fan of this one, sorry)
Oct 16...Tuna casserole (not as good as the chicken version!)
Oct 15...Maple glazed pork chops with scallion smashed potatoes and escarole
Oct 14...Hot Reuben dip (and leftovers!!!)

Playing Blog Catchup!!!

I know, I know...I've been MIA for awhile, but I promise I've been cooking and have the pictures to prove it, LOL! I haven't posted on my blog in awhile because I have decided not to post the daily blogs separately, but rather to post them as an entire month so that the blog is easier to read. I will still post the daily blogs and the pics of the food, however, I will be posting them in a calendar format...For example, October will be one post with 31 sections (one for each day). The pictures will be posted chronologically on the left hand column of my blog, as they are now. I was told by a "professional" blogger that this will make my blog easier to read. I will post the food photos daily and the blogs will probably be posted weekly or bi-weekly under the month they coincide with.

For now, I'll give you a brief update...I've been in Florida for a few days and have whipped up some yummy meals in between traveling, wedding planning, and attending my bridal shower! This challenge is getting tougher, but I'm still dedicated and have been learning sooooo much!

Oh, and best news of all...my fabulous bridesmaid, Jody, bought me the plastic whisks I have been dying to cook with!!! Oh my gravy! I'm going to be whisking up lots of yummy sauces and gravies soon!!!

Florida Fun!

Prav and I had so much fun in Florida! I attended my bridal shower and got some great RR cooking tools! My friends and family gave me plastic whisks, food warmers (awesome for entertaining) and a new set of RR cooking knives! Yay! While in Florida, my mom and stepdad enjoyed the benefits of this challenge. I was their personal chef! I made South Beach inspired burgers for them (how appropriate, right?) and pigskin paninis. I am working on my knife skills now that I have a few sets of knives that are actually meant for cooking with and not cutting steak with, lol. :)

Here are the recipes from the last 2 weeks:
Oct 13...Ragin' Cajun Chili
Oct 12...South Beach inspired burgers
Oct 11...Pigskin Paninis (for game day, of course)
Oct 10...Pretzel-crusted chicken & zucchini strips with honey mustard dipping sauce
Oct 9...Super-sized healthy breakfast sandwich
Oct 8...Double chicken dumpling soup
Oct 7...Spanish Chicken and Rice (very cost-conscious meal...love it)
Oct 6...Oven glazed apple lemon chicken with cordon bleu potatoes (a favorite!)
Oct 5...Thai lettuce cups
Oct 4...No fry stir fry
Oct 3...Crispy Chicken Sticks (so easy!!!)