The Verdicts

Okay Ladies! I've tried all of the recipes that I posted about last week here, with the exception of the Garlic Lime Tilapia! But it's okay because we added in another on Friday night to make up for it! All were winners!

First up, we tried the Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Chicken and Veggies and these breadsticks from Crafty Mama. 

I substituted Zucchini for Brussel Sprouts because it's what I had on hand, and it was delicious!

I used whole wheat flour instead of regular in the breadsticks, and they were a little more dense than what they probably should be, but still good. And I felt better because they were a bit healthier. I had never used chicken stock when moistening a pasta before, but it is SO good, and not nearly as heavy as olive oil!

On Tuesday, we tried a new Indian Recipe...Chicken Tikka Masala.  Doesn't top our favorite Chana Masala recipe (I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future...I think I recall my photos of it not turning out before), but it was still delicious. Topped with fresh cilantro, and served over steamed brown rice.

Eric ended up going out of town for one night unexpectedly for work on Wednesday, so Lord only knows what I ended up eating for dinner alone. Most of the time I forget to eat entirely when he's not home.

On Thursday, he was back home after a tough exit at a problem bank, and wanted one of his favorite comfort foods for dinner...Southern Living's Pinto Bean Enchilada Stack. I obliged :) I used whole grain tortillas and grilled chicken instead of hamburger meat this week, but I normally use ground turkey. Apparently I was so happy he was home, I forgot to take pictures. It's in the December 2010 issue of Southern Living for those of you who subscribe!

As most of you know, Eric and I are taking an extended vacation to Versailles/Paris in about a month for our one year anniversary. (Italy for our honeymoon, France for our one year...the point is we will travel for food and wine.)  So this weekend, we had a little "stay-cation" to do some planning and brush up on our French (i.e. learn it for me, brush up for Eric) before our trip. We had the most amazing crepes at La Creperia in Ybor City as a late brunch on Saturday morning. Eric got a savory breakfast one, and I went with Nutella and Bananas. Sweet Goodness. They were out of this world. If you are ever in the area, it's a must to visit. 

Anyway, Eric kicked off French Weekend by cooking this delicious Coq Au Vin with mashed red potatoes and roasted fresh green beans for me on Friday night. He even brought home a bottle of one of my favorite wines, a red Layer Cake. It was by far one of the most delicious meals we have ever cooked. The sauce was so good, I ended up covering my potatoes with it as well. 

 On Saturday night, Eric grilled these yogurt marinated Chicken Kebabs, and we also made the chickpea salad that went with it. This was not my favorite meal of the week, but Eric really liked the chickpea salad. I will say that the yogurt marinade kept the chicken moist on the grill...it was incredibly tender and juicy.


Eric worked a few hours earlier today on a credenza that we're refinishing...we got it sanded and primed (by we, I mean mainly Eric while I read magazines and chatted with him - his choice, not mine!), and I hope to have it finished next weekend! All of this over two big pots of coffee; it was a fabulous slow Sunday. 


And last, but certainly not least, we made Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs tonight. They were absolutely amazing and fall off the bone tender. 

After searing the ribs and making the sauce, about to go into the oven for 2.5 hours.

I finished off the bag of red potatoes that I had with more of Eric's favorite mashed potatoes, and again, the red wine sauce from this recipe was so good, we ended up pouring it all over them.  These photos are somewhat of an afterthought, so excuse the quality, as Eric had already taken a couple of bites at this point!

It was so nice to have a few nights off this week...I forgot what it felt like to get home and work out while it's still light out!  Eric and I really enjoyed cooking and spending some QT together, and getting excited for our next vacation over the weekend.  We're refreshed and back to the grind this week; back to school and work with only 2 weeks left of Eric's Statistics class and 3 weeks left of the semester for me! But then...Paris and a break to restore the sanity - we're so ready!