Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Stir-fry

from Southern Living

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brussels-sprouts-stir-fry#add-your-reviews

I made so many changes to the recipe that it cannot be called the same, but this is a good base recipe for a stir-fry. It turned out delicious and we had seconds. I used lime juice according to the recipe but could have easily used rice wine or vinegar. I usedy chicken instead of beef and added vegetables that I had on hand - mushrooms, carrots, celery and pine nuts. I pre-boiled the brussel sprouts. Overall simple basic stir-fry recipe.

Chrispy Artichoke Pesto Stuffed Chicken

by Food Network Kitchen

This was quick prep and fairly quick cooking time recipe. It was the first time I stuffed a chicken breast, and that did not turn out quite well. The chicken breast was large and I did not have actual kitchen hammer, so used a jar to pound it. Next time I may try making an insision accross the chicken breast to make it thin. Also I am not sure about the stuffing. The flavor was broght, of course I had too much chicken in the meat. However the artichoke gave a hint of metalic aftertaste. I will try looking for other stuffings, but would deffinetly use this technique again. A green side vegetable is a must. This was a very nice change to the setwed recipes I used to make.

Special Ingredients:

- pesto

- artichoke, from a jar

- provolone cheese

Will I make it again? - yes.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

from Epicurious

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roast-chicken-with-potatoes-and-olives-51252610

This is an excellent weeknight recipe with little prep work and fairly quick cook time. I added more vegetables to the potato and olive base - sliced onion, carrots and celery. I sweat the carrots before putting everything else in the pot and they cooked perfectly this time. The spice mix is a good start. I added chili and paprika. The chili flakes were not too hot, but I also used the half of what recipe called. Fennel was a little too much for me. I used pimento stuffed olives instead of kalamata and they were still delicious and went with the dish very well.

Special Ingredients:

- olives

Will I make it again? - yes. Great staple recipe for a work-night.

East Hampton Clam Chowder

by Ina Garten

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/east-hampton-clam-chowder-recipe#reviewsTop

Delicious clam chowder recipe. The recipe is supposed to be thinner than traditional clam chowder, but I used half&half instead if milk and had less clam juice. I could use the water from canned clams, but it is salty, so have to be careful with seasoning. I added black&red spice from Penzeys to add the spice kick. And uses two cans of clams instead of fresh clams. The soup turned out very tasty.

Special Ingredients:

- clams

- clam juice

- milk, cream or half&half

Will I make it again? - yes

Asian Salmon Bowl with Lime Drizzle

from Epicurious

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/asian-salmon-bowl-with-lime-drizzle-51101210?mbid=social_facebook

This was a delicious recipe with fairly simple ingredients. The sauce is. Very tasty and can be used for grilling. I could not taste the sesame seeds and they were there just for looks I thought. Any green vegetable would go well with the dish, but I liked the lightness of the spinach which I have not been cooking much. The 12 minutes were a bit long for my fillets. I would pull them out around 9 minutes if not sooner. I would also be careful not to burn the garlic in the butter. The sauce was delicious - sweet caramelized flavor with a spicy and lime tang. I doubled the chili flakes and loved the spice in the dish.

Special Ingredients:
- salmon
- maple syrup
- lime
- soy sauce
- spinach, or any green vegetable

Will I make it again? - yes. Also great and simple to make sauce for grilling

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Recipe:

2 - 15 oz. cans Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
2 - 15 oz. cans white or yellow corn
1 - large tomato (diced)
1 - red onion (diced)
1/4 c. fresh cilantro (chopped)

Put all above into a bowl

Mix together: 4 TBSP Lime Juice
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Pour over veggies, Chill

Very quick home made salsa with little prep work. Also you can stock up on the canned veggies, and will need only a couple fresh ingredients (tomato, cilantro and red onion) to make the salsa. It was a hit at our barbecue. The salsa is mild but tasty and is a great snack while meats are grilling. I added garlic and one jalapeno, but that did nit change the flavor much.

Will I make it again? - yes. A great and quick party staple.

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