A Week's Worth of Dinners...And Then Some!

This week, I made an extra effort to get back into the swing of things, cooking dinner each evening. After two weeks of Restaurant Week outings, it was definitely nice to sit down to dinner at home for a change! While I didn't get to the entire menu, and some of the recipes were definitely NOT keepers, we enjoyed some delicious food this week, so I thought I'd share the recipes with you!

On Sunday night, I decided to make Sweet Onion Mac and Cheese, along with a side of Slow-Cooked Broccoli with Lemon Breadcrumbs. The mac and cheese is delicious (as I still have leftovers to eat!) but the broccoli left a little bit to be desired. In fact, I didn't serve it with dinner! It just seemed overcooked, and tasted limp and lifeless! So, it was mac and cheese for dinner, no veggies, unfortunately. Sometimes things just don't work out! If you try the broccoli recipe and have better results, please share your secrets! I really enjoyed the main course though, and the fried shallots that top the dish really made it extra special!

The next night, I made Pan Roasted Pork Chops with Olives and Sambuca-Brasied Fennel. While preparing this meal, I was excited about the flavors I was putting together. I love the flavors of fennel, and pork, together, so I thought this was going to be a home-run! However, once the fennel mixture, including the onions and olives, cooked down with the anise-flavored liqueor, I found the flavors to be a bit overwhelming. I would definitely use less anise liqueur if I made this again, and possibly leave out the olives. They seemed to soak up the flavors in a very strange way! Granted, instead of Sambuca, I used Pernod, because I had it on hand, but I don't think it would have made a huge difference, as those two liqueurs are very similar. Sadly, that dinner was not a success for me...but I would give it another shot, with a few tweaks to see if I could make it more to my liking! It sure looked pretty though!

The next night, I went to the movies with my friend, Sara, to see The Hunger Games. We'd had plans on the books for awhile, so my husband was in charge of food for the evening. He made a delicious pizza of chicken, mozzarella, Arrabiata sauce and bacon! I thought I took a picture of it, but I can't seem to find it now! I just had the last piece for lunch, and it was just as good the second time around!

I've got a bunch of steaks in my freezer from a great deal I purchased a month or so ago, so I try to plan at least one meal a week around a nice grilled steak! I decided to pair it with an Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables and Ginger dish this week. This was a nice hearty side for a perfectly grilled steak, which my husband had marinated in a Sriaracha-based marinade that he found the recipe for online. Every ingredient in the orzo dish was cooked and caramelized separately, and when all the flavors melded together, it made for a great bite of food! It was pretty to look at too!

The last meal I prepared for this past week is the best one, so I saved it for last! Jamie Oliver's Pea and Goat Cheese Risotto is rich and decadent in the best possible way. The goat cheese added at the end really made the risotto creamy and delicious, and my homemade stock really amped up the flavors as I cooked the rice. The bacon added the perfect bite of saltiness, and the peas were cooked just enough to add a bit of pop when you bit into one! This one is definitely a keeper!

I didn't get to the Cassoulet, or the Kim-Chi Fried Rice, but we'll have those recipes on deck for this week. I've also updated the Current Menu for the coming week! Stay tuned for much more coming soon!