Scallops with Dried Mushroom Cream Sauce

By Emeril Lagasse

Special Ingredients:

- scallops
- dried morels (or wild mushrooms)
- white wine

This was my second time cooking scallops, and they turned out perfectly. Emeril's technique steps are very good. I've been adding shrimp to my scallop dishes. They go well with the scallops, and good protein for leftovers. I made more sauce and served with rice, so there would be tasty leftovers. The recipe calls for morels, but I used dried wild mushrooms and they worked well. I was worried to use too many dried mushrooms, but the cream mellows them down. Overall wonderful dish to satisfy my scallop craving. I've been using decent wine from Trader Joe's for cooking, but this french wine comes through as sour and tangy. I want to find a better wine to compliment the sauces.

Will I make it again? - yes. I like dried mushrooms, and will follow the technique for scallops with other recipes.

Thai Style Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

by America's Test Kitchen
http://www.emomrecipes.com/recipe/476

The tastiest chicken in a stir-fry. You cook vegetables and chicken separately. And the stir-fry the noodles in the same sauce, also separately. Unique flavor, and a tasty stir-fry.

Will I make it again? - yes. Very good recipe for a stir-fry.

Ultimate Shrimp and Grits

by Tyler Florence

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/ultimate-shrimp-and-grits-recipe.html

An excellent recipe of shrimp and grits. A lot of recipes use bacon and I was worried it may be too overpowering with the shrimp. Andouille sausage is very tasty in this. Next time I would cut it into smaller half-moon pieces.

Will I make it again? - no. I am not a fan of sweet savory dishes, and the grits are too sweet to go with a savory topping like this.

Pizza Night

1st pizza:
- shrimp and pineapple

2nd pizza:
- fennel, mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, capers, onion, garlic, mozzarella

I love pineapple on pizza, and it goes very well with shrimp. So i try to make this combination every time I make a homemade pizza.
I've been craving the fennel, and get pizza with fennel every time I get a chance, so I wanted to try make it myself. You have to cook the fennel in the pan first, so it's soft on the pizza. This pizza turned out amazing. The capers really brightened up on top of all the savory flavors, which I will make the must item on the pizza going forward.

Crust and sauce can either make or ruin the pizza. I simmered home canned tomatoes with tomato paste and dried herbs. It worked well. I bought a premade crust in a hurry, and did not like it. I will be on a search for the best premade crust in town.

Scallops and Shrimp Provencal

by Ina Garten
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/scallops-provencal-recipe.html

Special Ingredients:

- scallops

- white wine

- shallots

This was my first time cooking scallops, and they turned out wonderful. I mixed in shrimp with the scallops, and that was a great combination, and shrimp work in the recipe very well. Scallops turned out perfectly and were soft and delicious. I substituted onion for shallots which tasted a little aggressive in the dish, so shallots would be worth spending time to get for the dish. I added the lemon to the sauce at the end, but it played off of the white wine too much and made the sauce a little too lemony. 

Would i make it again? - yes. I loved the scallops, and also in a combination with the shrimp. I would like to make scallops more often.

Chicken Tagine

from Just One Pot

Special Ingredients:
- eggplants
- apricots

A nice stew with a mix of vegetables, served over couscous. This recipe drew my interest with apricots. I used dried apricots, but did not care for them. They were ok. Chicken cooked very nicely, and I liked eggplant because I've been craving for it lately. Overall good dish with vegetables.

Will I make it again? - probably not. I don't have a craving for cumin and cinnamon flavored.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

From Just One Pot

Special Ingredients:
- bacon
- mushrooms
- pearl onions
- white wine

This is a perfect way to cook chicken. Bacon adds the rich flavor edge, pearl onions and mushrooms are always my favorite, and wine makes the very tasty sauce. Ultimate comfort food.

Will I make it again? - yes. Made several times, and this is my go to recipe to cook chicken.

Chicken with Tarragon

Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine Sauce
from
Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook

Special Ingredients:
- tarragon
- white wine
- pearl onions

Chicken was well cooked and moist. Pearl onions are always my favorite, worth taking the time to peel them. Tarragon sauce was pretty good, but the tarragon sweetness plays off the chicken sweetness to much. It has much stronger effect with the porkchops. 

Will I make it again? - Maybe. Fairly simple way to cook the chicken well.