Tasty Thursday

     I know, I know. If it's called Tasty Thursday, I should have posted yesterday. But I have excuses galore. Perhaps the biggest excuse is that after last week's Tasty Thursday went so well and I had lots of compliments on my sense of humor and biting wit, it was harder trying to live up to everyone's expectations this week. And really, who has any jokes about grilled chicken? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller? Yeah, I didn't think so. Anyway, on to the menu. And less humorous jokes. 

     In case you were wondering how my meals from last week went, I thought I would grade each of my new recipes from last week. That way you know which recipes you should try and which you should steer clear of.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp: A

This was super easy and quick. I cut the recipe in half, but next time I would probably use the full amount of seasonings even if I use less shrimp. I think it needed more lemon and garlic flavor.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork: A+

This meat was fantastic. Though a warning to anyone who may want to try the recipe--only use about half of the can of chipolte peppers or you will hurt yourself. Bad. The shredded pork was delicious in tacos and on sandwiches with coleslaw on top. I think I prefer the sandwich way best because the coleslaw helped cut down on the heat of the meat.

Easy Mulligatawny: B+

This was surprisingly good for how weird it was. And after hearing the story from my mom about the deadly curry of 1982 (that even the dog wouldn't eat), I was a little apprehensive. This recipe is basically a curry soup with onion, chicken, and green apples in it. The broth was very tasty and the apples were not as strange as I imagined they would be. When I make it in the future, I will maybe not use apples and will instead add some other things to make it more filling.

Pasta Alla Malboro Man: B

Not the best meal ever. I don’t really like using canned tomatoes when making pasta sauce because it ends up having a strange metallic-y taste to it. But overall, it was a pretty easy-to-make dish. And for some reason, Tim really liked it. 

     Additionally, we did not use Pioneer Woman’s steak recipe for our anniversary and instead just marinated the steaks in a store-bought sauce and grilled them. I did make her mashed potato recipe, which she featured on her TV show last week. I didn’t use cream cheese in the recipe because I think that is weird. They turned out okay. I wouldn’t say they were the best I’ve ever had.

    Another recipe of hers that I did try this past week was her “Knock You Naked” brownies. I made them for our anniversary (ha ha) and they were really, really good. They taste great both warm and chilled in the fridge. 

 Now, on to this week's menu!

Thursday: We ate out. Because I deserved it. And my kitchen was a mess. And Owen was cranky and clingy all day. And did I mention I deserved it?

Friday: Peach Whiskey Barbecue chicken, minus the whiskey. Yeah, yeah, I know. Some people may think I left out the best part, but I'm a breastfeeding mother, ya'll. And I didn't want to spend the money anyway. This is a Pioneer Woman recipe. It just looks really good and I love peaches. I will substitute chicken broth for the whiskey and it should turn out fine. We're having it with mashed red potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Saturday: Hamburgers and corn on the cob. And maybe some coleslaw if my cabbage from last week is still good. We are grilling out, because A. We are having male company and B. It is the start of College Football season! Go Dawgs! Stay tuned for Owen's game day outfit(s). The kid seriously has lots of wardrobe options for tomorrow. 

Sunday: Italian drip beef with sweet potato fries and some type of green vegetable. This is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I picked out specifically for Tim. I get to use my slow cooker, which makes me very happy. I just love making things in the slow cooker because 1. It is easy and 2. It fills the house with yummy smells. This particular recipe uses pepperonici peppers so it should be a bit spicy. 

Monday: Grilled chicken with Lawry’s Havana Lime marinade. We made grilled chicken with this marinade a few weeks ago. After having tried about five or six of the Lawry’s marinades, we have concluded that this one is by far the best. We'll probably have it with black beans and corn on the cob.

Tuesday: Taco meatloaf. Meatloaf gets a bad rap. When I say I’m making meatloaf, generally people give me a look like I suddenly grew a second head. Meatloaf, you say? You mean a dried out, hunk of tasteless ground beef straight from the 1950s? And to that I would say no, an intensely flavorful, juicy hunk of ground beef tasting of Mexican spices, salty tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro. It’s delicious. And I swear, if you give it a try, I will make a meatloaf convert out of you. You will find yourself dreaming of this meatloaf, you will want to make babies with this meatloaf, you will be campaigning to have Meatloaf for President… are you getting the picture? Give meatloaf a chance, people.

Wednesday: Grilled chicken with Lawry’s Buffalo Barbecue marinade. We've never used this marinade before, but it was on sale at Albertson's for 99 cents. We’ll have it with vegetables of some kind.