Julia's American-Style Potato Salad

by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/julias-american-style-potato-salad-358335

I keep trying different potato salad recipes in search of the best one. This one was pretty good. Although I don't like vinegar in the salad, I liked the idea of soaking potatoes with the vinegar. Some reviews said the liquid did not absorb, but I had no problems, probably because my potatoes were a bit overcooked. The vinegar gave a sour bite, but not too much. Next time I will add the bacon which may offset the sourness even more.

Special Ingredients:
- potatoes
- onion
- celery
- eggs
- bacon
- vinegar
- chicken stock or potato liquid

Will I make it again? - maybe

One Pot Chicken & Potatoes

http://letthebakingbeginblog.com/2014/05/one-pot-chicken-potatoes/

I often crave for a chicken simply baked on top of potatoes, but all such recipes are for a whole chicken. Finally I found the recipe that gives good directions how to bake chicken pieces on top of potatoes and other vegetables. You can add more spices and more vegetables to make it your own and use what you have on hand. I added celery and peas at the end. The carrots were hard, so next time I would sweat them in a pan before putting in the oven with everything else. The quartered onions were a bit large. I would cut them in rings so they can be found in pieces, but smaller and could tell apart from the other white vegetables. Chicken toasted nicely, but the 1hr 20 min were too long. I would temp it after an hour for doneness. Great comfort food and great staple recipe.

Special Ingredients:
- chicken
- onions
- potatoes
- paprika (optional)

Will I make it again? - yes, for sure.

Fish Piccata

by Melissa d'Arabian

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/fish-piccata-recipe

This is a great simple recipe to cook fish on a weekday night with all ingredients that you would have on hand. Simple recipe but tastes pretty special. I did not have actual lemon, so I used the lemon juice from a bottle (2 tablespoons) and that made the sauce too sour. Although the fish toned down the sourness, next time I would omit the lemon juice altogether.

Special Ingredients:
- fish
- capers
- white wine
- lemon

Will I make it again? - yes. Great simple work night recipe.

Seared Scallops

by Alton Brown

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/seared-scallops-recipe

Good basic recipe explaining the technique how to cook scallops. Mine did not crisp up well because I used the aluminum coated pan, which had the non-stick effect. But the scallops were still delicious. They were frozen so also the texture was not fluffy, and that was fine too. At the end I added white wine and milk to make a white sauce. Next time I would add shallots and use cream if had on hand.

Special Ingredients::
- scallops
- butter

Will I make it again? - yes.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

by Giada de Laurentis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/parmesan-crusted-pork-chops-recipe.html#communityReviews

Easy and tasty comfort food. I did not have the Italian style breadcrumbs and substituted them with panco. Also breaded with flour first. But next time would love to follow the recipe exactly. I also added mustard powder and next time I would use mustard in the breading process. I would serve them with steamed green beans or broccoli. I was surprised how tasty were the pork-chops cold as a snack.

Special Ingredients:
- breadcrumbs, Italian style
- parmesan
- eggs

Will I make it again? - yes

Chili Chicken and Vegetables, Stirfry

from Wok

Great base recipe for a simple stir-fry. I loved the spice from chili flakes. I used the vegetables that I had at home - carrots, broccoli, celery, mushrooms and peas. I am sure it would taste better with the vegetables from the recipe.

Special Ingredients:
- chicken
- Chinese condiments - soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil

- chili pepper or flakes
- vegetables, preferably bok choy

Will I make it again? - yes. Good every day stir-fry recipe

Beef Stew with Root Vegetables

by Ree Drummond

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/beef-stew-with-root-vegetables-recipe

Great base recipe with simple ingredients that you would have at home. Very comfort food and complete dish in one pot. I liked trying a stew without the red wine for a change, and it uses beer instead. I did not have tomato paste, so the stew lacked complexity. I could add red wine and bacon to i prove it. Mushrooms would go great in the stew as always. I mashed the flour with butter at the end so it blends better into the stew. I added celery and potatoes that were not in the recipe.

Special Ingredients:
- stew meat
- beer
- tomato paste (substitute with bacon and or red wine to add complexity)
- vegetables

Will I make it again? - yes. Good stew recipe and good change without the red wine.