What's For Dinner?

Last week I didn't cook much... we were still finishing off the casseroles that I had made for Daniel so that he wouldn't starve while I was out of town.

Towards the end of the week Daniel started complaining about being tired of eating the same thing over and over again. This was a comical remark considering that years ago when we were first married, he would beg me to cook normal, plain dishes like spaghetti with sauce from a jar. It seems that he has gotten used to eating new things on a regular basis and was ready for me to start cooking again.

So this week I have gotten back on track. I made Vegetable Lasagna, Fajita Burgers with Parmesan Corn-on-the Cob and Steak Sandwiches with a side of Sweet Potato Fries. Daniel is happy and I am happy to be back in the kitchen.

In other cooking-related news... I had a major flop with a recipe for Peach Crumble that I tried last night. TOTAL.FAILURE. First of all, the peaches were white peaches and not very flavorful. Secondly the dessert tasted more like oatmeal than dessert. I was SO DISAPPOINTED. I don't repeat many recipes, but the Peach Cobbler recipe from Pink Parsley is so ridiculously good I may never try another type of peach cobbler again.

Flank Steak on Texas Toast with Chimichurri and a side of Sweet Potato Fries

Daniel gave it 4.88/5 stars. Recipe from Food52.

 Fajita Burger with Parmesan Corn-on-the Cob
Daniel gave it 4.82/5 stars. Recipe from GoodLifeEats.

Veggie Lasagna

Daniel gave it 4.72/5 stars. Recipe adapted from The Way The Cookie Crumbles.

Brown Butter Peach Crumble

Daniel didn't try it, but I was not a fan. Recipe from The Culinary Couple.

 

Menu Recap

Last week's meals were as follows:

Monday Dinner: Tomato Florentine Soup with fresh Bread {Recipe adapted from Good Life Eats}. This was a great recipe. Unfortunately my camera setting was messed up so some of this week's pics are kind of crappy. Daniel gave it 4.42/5 stars.

 

 

For dessert I made these Outrageous Oreo Chocolate Brownies {Recipe adapted from Erin's Food Files}. Daniel gave it 4.7/5 stars. I was a little disappointed that the Oreo flavor wasn't stronger.

Tuesday Dinner: Stuffed Bell Peppers {Recipe courtesy of my friend Laura}. Daniel gave this 4.5/5 stars which is high considering it was a vegetarian dish.

 

Wednesday Dinner: Daniel and I went running {getting in some last minute training for my upcoming half marathon}. Afterward we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Buena Vistas, and split the Mex Tex Fajitas.

 

 

Thursday Dinner: Blackened Chicken with Rice and Sauteed Zucchini {Recipe courtesy of my mom}. This is a family favorite and one of the first meals I made for Daniel when we were dating. Daniel gave it 4.75/5 stars. 

 

Friday Dinner: We met up with Daniel's family at Cheddars in Smyrna, TN. I had the Smokehouse Burger and Daniel had Salmon. It was a great visit with family.

 

Saturday Lunch: We spent the rest of Easter weekend at my sister's place in Hermitage, TN. My parents came up from Arkansas and my brother dropped by as well. My brother-in-law made us Grilled BBQ Chicken and Corn on the Cob. My sister made a Strawberry and Almond Salad. Scrumptious.

Saturday Dinner: Some of my extended family came over to my sister and brother-in-laws for Pizza and Games. I made a Meat Pizza and two Supreme Pizzas. My brother made an Alfredo Pizza. And my aunt provided a Veggie tray.

 

Sunday Lunch: My B-I-L made a Potroast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy {my sister is a lucky woman}. 

 

Sunday Dinner: We picked up a pizza from Papa John's after we made it home.

Menu Recap

Last week's meals were as follows:


Monday Dinner: Greek Chicken Skillet – we gave it 3.5/5 stars. {Recipe from Good Life Eats}
 

Tuesday Dinner: I had a migraine, so we opted to eat at Zaxby's.

Wenesday Dinner: Rotini Lasagna and Italian Salad – I generally make my meals from scratch. This particular time, I decided to take the easy road and use a bottle of spaghetti sauce. This was a huge mistake. I found the pasta dish to be incredibly bland. The salad made up for it – the spiciness from the red onions and the saltiness from the kalamata olives redeemed the entire meal. Daniel didn't mind the bland pasta. I gave this recipe 3/5 stars. {Recipe from Sing For Your Supper}


Thursday Dinner: Mexican Pizza – Great meatless meal. Daniel hates tomatoes and he didn't pick them off AND he said that he couldn't tell that there was no meat in the dish. We gave it 4.5/5 stars. {Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats}

  
For dessert, I made Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Nutella Cookies. These cookies were gone within 24 hours. We gave the recipe 4.5/5 stars.
 

Friday Dinner: We ate at Geno's Pizza for Date Night. We are all about the pizza this week. We shared a 12-inch Geno's Special. Yum-o.


Saturday Dinner: I was going to make Shrimp Quessadillas... unfortunately I was short on tortilla shells, so I opted to make a Chipotle, Shrimp and Mushroom Pizza instead. I just made up the recipe as I went along with ingredients I had on hand. Daniel gave it a 3.5/5 stars because he isn't a big fan of shrimp or mushrooms. I gave it 4/5 stars. {Recipe here}

Sunday Lunch: We went to Red Robin in Huntsville and split the Chips&Quesso and a A1 Peppercorn Burger. 


Sunday Dinner: Chicken Stuffed with Sundried Tomatoes, Olives, and Cheese with a Side Salad. This was incredibly easy to make {less than 20 minutes start to finish} – Daniel and I both gave this meal 4.5/5 stars. {Recipe from Elly Says Oopa!}

To Me, Christmas Is...

Daniel and I have never been big on Christmas in terms of the grandiose gift giving. My brother would tell you that we are too cheap and my sister would probably be nicer and say that we are just frugal. The truth is I have always had a hard time buying into the "buying" that seems to follow Christmas.

So instead of expensive gifts, we give our time; we give our love; and generally we give homemade cookies. 

This year I narrowed down the baking to three recipes: Brownie-Covered Oreos {found at Picky Palate}; Peanut Butter-Pretzel Treats {based on this recipe found at Simply Modern Mom}; and finally Mexican Wedding Cookies {also called Russian Tea Cakes by some, from the Joy of Baking}. 

I had seriously considered adding a fourth recipe of Chocolate Gingerbread cookies from Goodlife Eats, but I decided to nix it at the last moment. I'm glad I did because 10 hours of baking was ENOUGH.

After it was all said and done, I was tired. 

I think Sophie was worn out from watching me bake all day.