Strawberry Pretzel Bars

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Assemble: 1 hour (with chilling of gelatin)
Chill Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2005)

Some of the times above can be overlapped. This is kind of similar to a jello recipe that uses crushed pretzels. I liked it, but my crust was too crumbly. Maybe I measured the butter wrong or didn't cook enough. I have never used plain gelatin before and like it. I like the idea of making my own with my own flavors. For the grape juice, I used extra juice from Trader Joe's peaches, which worked well. I used a little more water and less juice than called for because the juice seems a bit reduced to me. It worked out OK.

Strawberry Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2005)

These were good and tasty, however, getting the strawberries into the dough didn't work great for me. They got a little mushy. I really prefer the "Best Blueberry Scone" recipes, which is wonderful (but I have not added here yet.)

Grilled German Potato Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep/Cook Time: 35 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: ??

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2001)

This was OK, but ends up being more work than I think it should. I think I will probably stick to the poblano version which is a little more exciting. Also, for a nice potato salad with red potatoes, the French Potato salad is really good and fairly light.

Chicken with Asparagus and Parmesan

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This is an alternative to the Spinach and Feta version that I tried last week and just thought was OK. Well, I realized I had made a few mistakes with that one, and that I could use less lemon in this version.

So, I tried this version and liked it more. I remembered to toast the orzo first, used Penzey's Chicken Base (a new ingredient for me that I like, as an alternative to Chicken Broth which is expensive.) I also used just about 1/2 T of lemon juice in the recipe and no zest, which was a lot less, but just right for me. I think it added a tiny note, but didn't overpower the flavor of the parmesan and asparagus.

I also remembered to prep most of the ingredients before starting, so this recipe took less time than the Spinach version. I have a habit of trying to prep while things are cooking. Sometimes that saves time, but sometimes it makes things worse and stresses me out. Plus I make mistakes, like forgetting to toast the orzo!

I cut up the chicken and stirred the pieces into the orzo. I prefered this, because it allowed the chicken to get more flavor. I skipped the oil drizzle at the end. It didn't need it.

Tandoori Chicken

Prep Time: 15minutes
Marinade Time: 4+ hours
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: maybe

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show  (Season 10)

This was not bad, but since I am squeamish about eating chicken on the bone, and skin, I probably missed out on a lot of the flavor. I later used some of the marinade on a boneless chicken breast and grilled the chicken using the method from the magazine, which worked well. But still the flavor didn't wow me. It was good, just not exciting. I remember loving the way the Tikka Masala chicken breast tasted without the sauce, so I think I would used that recipe instead of this one when I want a yogurt based marinade with Indian flavors.

Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad

Prep Time: 19 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

I normally wouldn't give a recipe an A+ until I had made it a few times, but I know this one is a real winner for me. It was incredibly easy to make, and delicious.

My bread did overcook just a bit, but that was because my chicken took longer than expected and the pieces were not all under the chicken. I used a demi-baguette from Trader Joe's which had lots of crust. It might work better from a larger loaf with less crust.

My only wish is that I could find a way to make this on the grill, because I won't want to be roasting chicken too much this summer. The beauty of this recipe is cooking the chicken on top of the bread, so I'm not sure how that would work.

The recipe was inspired from Zuni Cafe Cookbook's (I'll try to remember to post the link later to that recipe when I can find it.)

I do think I could skip the pine nuts altogether. I love pine nuts, but they seemed to get lost in the salad and I didn't notice them. So I'm not sure they are worth the calories. I forgot to add the shaved parmesan, and I think that is the addition that is probably worth it.

I will definitely be making this one again!

Skillet Penne with Chicken Sausage

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This was good. I've tried a lot of the skillet pasta recipes don't always like them. Actually, I usually like them, but feel like they are more effort than I want. This one is pretty easy. The total time is not all work, and entire dish probably could be made in less than 30 minutes if you were quick. (I bet this recipe is in the Best 30-Minute cookbook too, or at least something VERY similar.)

I loved that this had spinach in it, so it truly is a one-pot meal. I might add more spinach next time (just because I like it!) I felt like the Pine nuts were kind of lost in this dish, so I may just skip them next time.

Stir Fried Pork Scallions and Peppers with Garlic Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (April 2007)

I wasn't too in love with this recipe. I just wasn't getting much flavor out of the sauce. It helped when I added some soy sauce. It wasn't bad, but since most of the other CI stir fry recipes I've used have been outstanding, this one just doesn't compare for me. It came from the Best Light Recipe also - maybe their efforts to lighten took away too much for me.

Chicken with Orzo Spinach and Feta

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This was in the Cooking for Two chapter (or something like that). It was fine, but not my favorite. I thought the lemon flavor was too strong (even though I used a little less than called for) and it covered up other flavors. I might make again if I have the ingredients handy, just because it was a nice one pan meal that wasn't too complicated to make.

Update: I realized later that I forgot to toast the Orzo first and instead added it with the broth. Also, I used Vegetable broth since I didn't have Chicken on hand. Both these things probably affected the flavor, so my review is possibly not fair. If I make again, I will use less lemon.