recent recipes.

I'm still working through the 50 new recipes I need to try to complete #13 on my list of goals for the year. A couple of weeks ago I realized that I was only at 18 for the year and needed to play catch up a little, so I planned two weeks worth of menus with a ton of new recipes.

Several of these were from cookbooks and not available online (unlike most of the recipes that I try).

Chicken and orzo supper
(from Betty Crocker's Everyday Meals)

This was really good, and pretty simple. And healthy - can't forget that. It's basically chicken and orzo with Italian-style stewed tomatoes and zucchini.

Chicken and Noodles Paprika
(from Betty Crocker's Meals for 2)

Don't bother with this one.

Baked Creamy Chicken Tacquitos
(from Our Best Bites)

So good, and much easier than I thought it would be! The ingredients list is a bit long, but its mostly spices and easy stuff, so don't let that intimidate you. There's a lot of cheese in these, but I'm thinking if you tried a lower-fat cheese, they wouldn't be too bad for you, especially if you were careful about portion control.

Golden Baked Pork Cutlets
(from The Food Network)

Eh. I'm just not a big fan of pork.

Florentine Lasagna Roll-Ups
(from Real Age)

This is actually the second time that I've made lasagna rolls (you can find my first recipe here). These weren't bad, but the others were much better (and more fattening). These also seemed to take longer, but I think I could probably find a way to combine them to find the best of both. I think these could have been improved a lot with some marinara sauce, either baked with them or heated to eat on the side.

Cheesy Zucchini Bake
(from AllRecipes.com)

My friend Teresa and I joined a CSA together (more on that later), so I've found myself with all kinds of produce that I'm trying to figure out how to use. I'm in Frederick right now, helping take care of my mom following her recent surgery, and she suggested finding a side dish recipe that used both yellow squash and some fresh tomatoes she had on hand. This was okay - it made a lot, and the parts near the top were good, though the rest was a little bland. We didn't save the leftovers, which isn't a great recommendation.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
(from Bakerella)

I made these for our family Father's Day celebration, because my sister's boyfriend loves them. I'd never made them before, though my mom often does, and though they did turn out okay, I think I discovered that its never a good idea to try a new recipe after midnight. First, I forgot to put the vanilla wafers in the bottom of the first batch. Then, I remembered this for the second batch, but they kept floating up to the top (maybe because I used 1/3-fat cream cheese (neufatchel cheese). Still, Vince ate then, and didn't whine, so they couldn't have been too bad (I didn't try one, because I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake).

Grandma's Vegetable Soup

My grandmother's vegetable soup recipe, which was a great way to use up a bunch of leftover vegetables.

Grandma's Vegetable Soup

1 pkg short ribs
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped (approximate)
1 cup celery, chopped
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (or fresh)
1 can peas, drained (or fresh)

Boil short ribs in large stock pot, with just enough water to cover them. Once boiling, reduce heat and continue to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add cabbage, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cook for 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients (green beans, corn, and peas), and cook for 1 hour.

Remove bones from soup and chop up meat.

(I'm now at 27 new recipes for the year.)