what's next...

Again, these are all new so I'll update as we go...

Fried Goat Cheese and Frisee Salad...I believe the original intent of this recipe was a starter course so since we were having it as a main course, I substituted the frisee for red leaf lettuce. Okay, for some reason when I was shopping and preparing this meal, I had complete "mommy brain". For starters, I got plum tomatoes instead of plums (which was written clearly on my shopping list). Then I asked Eric to pick-up some plums on his way home, the store didn't have any so he picked up kiwi instead because he thought we were just topping the salad with it but really it was for the plum vinaigrette. I didn't think the kiwi would work so I used the extra mango I had instead of the plums. Also for some reason (like not reading the directions well), I put all the red wine vinegar in instead of the 2 teaspoons it called for in step 2. Given that mess-up, I put all the ingredients in at once on the stove top (step 3). I like my prosciutto crispy, so I baked them on cookie sheet for about 10 mins at 375. So this meal was somewhat comical, but very tasty....I guess you can never go wrong with fried cheese!!!!
Spaghetti with Clams and Garlic...super easy and good! I added a little sherry (I would have put in white wine if I had some open but sherry does the trick too).

Asparagus Risotto with Crab and Orange Gremolada...this was good too! Although next time, I will not mix in the crab meat prior to serving because the crab got completely lost in all the risotto. Next time, I will plate the risotto then top it with a mound of crab. Eric felt it could have a bit more orange flavor too. Also, I sauted the crab meat in a bit of butter prior to mixing it into the rice. Still good and alot better then it looked.
Spiced Chicken with Coconut-Caramel Sauce and Citrus Salad
Baked Rigatoni with Spinach, Ricotta, and Fontina

coming up....

Okay...all of these are new recipes...so I'll write more about them as we make them during the week...(click on the name to be linked to the recipes...)

• Chicken with Honey-Orange Sauce we didn't end up making this...we threw some leftovers together and made quesadillas one night instead.


• South Pacific Shrimp
Pretty much stuck to the recipe here...though I had some radicchio so I used that with the spinach (from our CSA). I did over cook the spinach and radicchio because I was nervous about the reserved marinade not being cooked well. Next time, I will cook through the marinade then add the greens...that way I won't over wilt them.

• Chicken & Asparagus with Melted Gruyere...this looks alittle heavy but it wasn't at all. First of all, I think we have a pretty well stocked spice rack, so when I wrote our grocery list for this week, I didn't even bother looking to see if we had tarragon. So guess what I didn't have in our spice rack...tarragon! I looked online for a substitute some said oregano, thyme or marjoram. Since I had fresh thyme, I used that. However everything I read said tarragon and chicken is delicious, so I really want to try this again with tarragon. Since we have a lot of spinach thanks to our CSA box, I decided to saute some in addition to the asparagus. I thought the sauce would go well with the spinach! I seared the chicken on both sides to get a nice crust (I used whole wheat flour) then I put the pan straight in the oven at 350 for about 20 mins. Also, I sauted the asparagus on the stove top instead of steaming it and left it long instead of chopped. To plate it, I put the chicken on top of the spinach and then drizzled the sauce over top.

• Spinach Salad with Tangerines and Coriander-Crusted Scallops...since we're not that big on dressings and Eric doesn't like mustard or shallots, I decided to skip making the vinaigrette. But I still wanted the orange flavor, so I zested 2 oranges and used the juice of one orange to dredge the scallops in before I coated them in the coriander blend. Also, I substituted the tangerines for oranges. After I plated the salads, I drizzled olive oil on top and used the radishes from our CSA box.

• Linguine with Grilled Shrimp & Black Olives this was good...needed salt. I wish I had gotten pitted olives that would have added the salt I needed. Eric doesn't like olives so I would have had them on the side anyway...