Last week's (1/16-1/20) Cooking

[patsyk]

Didn't really see a review thread for the weekend or last week - sorry, if I missed it. Here's how my week was:

Marinara Magnifica - CL / Lindrusso - very good... we had it over tortellini, and I put 4 containers of it in the freezer. I'll be making more so that I keep a stock of it around all the time.

Baked Pasta, with Sasauge, Tomatoes and Cheese - CL - Very good as well. Simple to put together and the leftovers reheat extremely well. I made 2 so that I could put one in the freezer for later.

Chicken with Linguine, Leeks and Tomatoes - CL - Another winner. I've made this before, but it's been awhile. Finally found decent leeks at the grocery, so I figured it was time to try it again. This one also reheats well, and goes together very fast for a weeknight meal.

Fritatta wit Sasuage and Spinach - Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book - first thing for me to try from this book and it turned out beautifully! It cooked up and was on the table within 30 minutes... which means it's a winner for a weeknight meal. Another bonus is my 4yo LOVED it and didn't even know he was eating spinach! Gotta love that!

Overall a good week for cooking and putting things into the freezer for me. How did everyone else do?

[skupe123]

Didn't really see a review thread for the weekend or last week - sorry, if I missed it. Here's how my week was:

Marinara Magnifica - CL / Lindrusso - very good... we had it over tortellini, and I put 4 containers of it in the freezer. I'll be making more so that I keep a stock of it around all the time.

Baked Pasta, with Sasauge, Tomatoes and Cheese - CL - Very good as well. Simple to put together and the leftovers reheat extremely well. I made 2 so that I could put one in the freezer for later.

Chicken with Linguine, Leeks and Tomatoes - CL - Another winner. I've made this before, but it's been awhile. Finally found decent leeks at the grocery, so I figured it was time to try it again. This one also reheats well, and goes together very fast for a weeknight meal.

Fritatta wit Sasuage and Spinach - Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book - first thing for me to try from this book and it turned out beautifully! It cooked up and was on the table within 30 minutes... which means it's a winner for a weeknight meal. Another bonus is my 4yo LOVED it and didn't even know he was eating spinach! Gotta love that!

Overall a good week for cooking and putting things into the freezer for me. How did everyone else do?

Patsy K,

I'm in No. Jersey too. We live in Ridgewood. Corrado's, the Italian Market in Clifton ( http://www.corradosmarket.com, 1578 Main Avenue, 800-232-6758) usually has great leeks and other veggies and fruit, cheeses, meat, dairy, etc. They even have a great Italian bakery. The prices on produce are so much better than the markets around here. I make a point of going every other week.

Suz

[HealthyinMN]

For the weekend reviews...

Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup - Rachel Ray - Warm and hearty soup, very comforting on a cold night. It was pretty thick before I added the spinach and tomatoes but they loosened it up just enough. I made some Parmesan and garlic sourdough "croutons" to throw on top.

Deep Dish Chocolate-Peanut Butter Marshmallow Pizza - Made some changes to a One smart cookie recipe. Used chocolate cookie dough as the crust and chocolate/peanut butter chips on top of raspberry jam. Leftovers froze well and with a quick reheat in the microwave to soften the chocolate it was just like it came out of the oven.

[patsyk]

Patsy K,

I'm in No. Jersey too. We live in Ridgewood. Corrado's, the Italian Market in Clifton ( http://www.corradosmarket.com, 1578 Main Avenue, 800-232-6758) usually has great leeks and other veggies and fruit, cheeses, meat, dairy, etc. They even have a great Italian bakery. The prices on produce are so much better than the markets around here. I make a point of going every other week.

Suz

I am going to have to make a trip over there... I have heard of it before, but for some reason just never stopped in, but if their prices are good and the produce better than the grocery, it sounds like it's worth the effort to get myself over there!

[patsyk]

[QUOTE=HealthyinMN]Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup - Rachel Ray QUOTE]
Which Rachel Ray book is this from? It sounds great, just wondering if it's in one I already have...

[HealthyinMN]

Which Rachel Ray book is this from? It sounds great, just wondering if it's in one I already have...

I'm not sure if it is in one of her books, but it was on her FoodTV show.

[UnGourmetGal]

Not much this week, but here goes:

Beef Stroganoff over Mashed Potatoes: Great Tyler Florence recipe. He served the meat over noodles, but I didn't have any in the house. Mashed potatoes turned out to be an excellent alternative with the meat.

Carnitas Tacos with Mashed Pinto Beans: Very good, especially the beans.

Chili and Lime Salmon: Rachel Ray, I wasn't very impressed. The sauce over the salmon was just so-so in flavor.

Shrimp and Mango Quesadillas: Fabulous! I used precooked frozen shrimp so all I had to do was thaw, it was so easy. I used thin sliced havarti cheese which had just enough of a bite to be distinct, but it did not over power the mango or shrimp.

[MISSINDI]

I am going to have to make a trip over there... I have heard of it before, but for some reason just never stopped in, but if their prices are good and the produce better than the grocery, it sounds like it's worth the effort to get myself over there!

Corrados is definitely worth the trip. They have one whole side of an aisle just dedicated to various oils ... a really good olive bar, great fresh cheeses and yup, amazing produce prices. Just avoid it near the holidays and on Saturdays - it gets crazy.