Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Serves 4 (very hungry people. These servings were BIG!)

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 pound purchased (as opposed to stolen?) cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8x8x2-inch baking dish or 4 individual gratin dishes.

2. Whisk the marinara sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley, and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the "purchased, not stolen" tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

3. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish or dishes. Top with the smoked mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish or dishes with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 10 minutes longer.

Results: First of all, I completely forgot the mascarpone cheese. It was good without it, but I am looking forward to making this again with the mascarpone. Surprise, surprise...Steven ate some of this! He didn't eat much of it, but he ate some, and that's a win in my book! Henry ate a fair chunk of his. This is a simple, easy to prepare recipe that is very tasty! Would definitely make again!

Beef Daube Provençal

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine
2 cups chopped carrot
1½ cups chopped onion
½ cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
dash of ground cloves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat over to 300°.

2. Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and all remaining ingredients to pan; bring to a boil.

3. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 and 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

NOTE: to make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.

Served over egg noodles (I served the boys' egg noodles separately.)

Results: My initial reaction while preparing this meal was that it was not kid-friendly at all. However, Henry ate every single bite of his. He loved it. Steven wouldn't try it, BUT, he sat down and didn't complain. I consider that a success! Chris summed this meal up perfectly when he came home from work and said "Mmmmm...it smells like Christmas in here!" This was a very yummy meal, and I love one-pot cooking! My original intent was to use the slow cooker method, but I ran out of time, so I used the dutch oven instead.

P.S. Chris and I had the leftovers for dinner another night and they were even better! I think the meat had extra time to soak up the flavors, because it was delicious!

Lime-Cilantro Pork Tacos

Serves 4

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cup into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1½ cups thinly sliced onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and black pepper. Add oil to pan. Add pork, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan; place in a bowl. Add onion and jalapeño to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomato; simmer 2 minutes.

2. Return pork and accumulated juices to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup pork mixture into each tortilla; roll up.

Served with a black bean & avocado salad.

Results: No one will be surprised to hear that Steven didn't eat this, BUT he did try it. Henry didn't like it. In their defense, this didn't seem like a very kid-friendly meal, but I really liked the lime taste of the pork. I'll make it again, but I won't force it on the kids.

Lager and Lemon-Grilled Chicken

Serves 4

1 cup lager beer (I used Molson Canadian)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1&½ tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
cooking spray

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove the chicken from bag; discard marinade.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high.

3. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Served with asparagus and baked potatoes

Results: I really had high hopes for this chicken because the fresh herbs made it look so delicious, but it turned out to be pretty mediocre tasting. The leftovers did make a tasty chicken salad sandwich though! Henry had no problems eating all of his chicken, Steven...wait for it....wait for it....didn't even try it.

Adriane's Taco Pie

Serves 4

1 can of crescent rolls
1-1&1/2 lbs of ground beef
Shredded cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
Optional: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips

1. Brown ground beef with seasoning packet.

2. Using a square 8x8 casserole dish, put half (4) of the can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan, gently stretching the dough to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Save the other half of the can for the top.

3. Put browned ground beef on top of the crescent rolls in the pan. Layer cheese on top of ground beef.

4. Slice remaining crescents into 1 & 1/2 inch strips. Layer strips on top of cheese in a criss-cross pattern.*

5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Served with sour cream and avocado slices.

*Go ahead and double this recipe because it freezes really well. Prepare through step four, then freeze. To serve, allow to thaw completely in refrigerator and follow baking instructions.

Results: Don't be surprised, but Steven wouldn't touch this. We tried to get him to at least eat the crescent roll topping, but he wouldn't because there were teeny, tiny flecks of beef on them. Henry ate all of his. I think this is a really good, kid-friendly meal (unless your kid is mine). It's super easy to prepare and I love that it is no extra effort to prepare a second one for the freezer.

Maple Grilled Salmon

Serves 4

1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

4. Place fish on a grill rack or pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting occastionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkly with salt and pepper.

Served with: broccoli and mashed potatoes

Results: I've had better salmon, but I would probably make this one again. It's a quick, easy marinade and makes a sweet salmon. I was really hoping the syrup would entice Steven to try it, but he put one piece in his mouth and spit it out into the garbage can. Henry ate most of his salmon (I think the only parts he didn't eat were the ones that were too small to pick up with his fork.) However, my favorite little eating machine pissed me off when he decided to fake vomit out his mashed potatoes. I wonder where he picked up that little trick. Hmmmm...

Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice

Serves 4

Rice:
1 bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Patties:
2 cups rinsed, drained canned black beans (1 15-ounce can), divided
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
Cooking spray
1/4 cup sour cream

1. To prepare rice, cook rice according to package directions. Drain; place rice in a large bowl. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pineapple; sauté 4 minutes or just until pineapple begins to brown. Add pineapple mixture, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

2. To prepare patties, place 1 & 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork. Place 1/2 cup remaining beans and egg white in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl, and stir until combined. Add cheese and onion to bean mixture; stir until combined. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into 1/2-inch-thick patty. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each patty in cornmeal.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 patty and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Results: This is the *best* rice you'll ever eat. Despite that, neither boy would touch it even though they both like rice. (I'm starting to think mixing fruit with other foods is not popular with them.) You can make the patties in advance (up to the dredging in cornmeal part) and cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare.

I made smaller patties for the boys and Henry finished one of his, but Steven wouldn't even try it. I know you are all surprised to hear that. I think this is a fantastic meal, and I've made it a few times. I love it as a light vegetarian option.

Oven-Braised Pork Roast with Apples

Serves 12 (I halved this recipe for dinner for us, and we had lots of leftovers)

1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (3 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
4 Rome apples, each cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt and next 8 ingredients (through cloves). Rub evenly over pork. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan, and cook 4 minutes, browning all sides. Remove pork from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 1 minutes. Return pork to pan. Add apricots, orange juice concentrate, raisins, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove pork from oven); bake 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 160° (slightly pink). Remove pork from pan, reserving cooking liquid. Place pork on a platter; cover with foil.

4. Remove apricots and raisins from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Bring the broth mixture to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

5. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Stir in reserved apricots and raisins, reduced broth mixture, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 3 minutes. Slice pork.

Served with asparagus and couscous.

Results: Did you see that part about letting the pork sit for two hours? Yeah, neither did I until I was preparing dinner. I let mine sit about 30 minutes, and it was still delicious. This pork was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I couldn't stop eating it! However, it was way more work than I was prepared for. I would save this dish for company or for the holidays. I really thought Steven's new-found interest in pork and the apples would encourage him to try it, but he didn't touch it. I think Henry ate a few bites of pork, but he was all about asking for more raisins.

Lemon-Basil Chicken with Basil Aioli

Serves 4

Chicken:
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Basil Aioli:
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to basil mixture, turning to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, cook 8 minutes on each side or until done.

3. While chicken cooks, prepare aioli. Combine 1/4 cup basil and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve with chicken.

Served with egg noodles and salad (carrots for the kids)

Results: This recipe just screams "SUMMER" to me and is one of my hands down favorites. I usually make extra because the leftovers are great. Henry devoured his, Steven wouldn't even try it, even with the threat of missing chocolate chip cookies for dessert. He is *so* missing out, because it's really delicious.

Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa

Serves 4

5 peaches, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons etra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 center-cut pork chops
1 avocado, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
pepper

1. Using a blender or food processor, puree 4 peach halves, the honey, olive oil and lemon juice. Transfer to a 9-inch square glass baking dish and add the pork chops, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Finely chop the remaining 6 peach halves and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the avocado, onion, chile, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

3. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and season both sides with salt and papper. Grill, turning once, about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the salsa.

Served with baked sweet potato fries and tortilla chips.

Results: I love the salsa with this recipe. Steven ate almost all his pork chops and we had no complaints from anyone. I went through the trouble of making the boys their own salsa without the chili, but neither touched it. I should have just given them sliced peaches and avocado on the side. A definite keeper!

Chicken Saté with Peanut Sauce

Serves 4

Saté:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Cooking spray
Wooden skewers (soaked in water for at least one hour)

1. Prepare grill.
2. To prepare saté, combine chicken and next 6 ingredients (through 2 garlic cloves) in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the next 5 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove) in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.
4. Thread chicken strips onto wooden skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve chicken with sauce.

Served with sautéed endives (I was feeling daring...not sure I'll try those again) and peas for the boys.

Results: I've made this one before and love how quick and easy it is to make. It's also very yummy, especially if you have a kid who likes peanut butter. Henry was very proud that he made the peanut sauce, and let us know (no fewer than five times) that "I made the sauce!" We also got a big "Mmmmmmmmmmm!" from him when he dunked his chicken in the sauce. Fake gagging from Steven, who wouldn't even try it.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter

Serves 4 (but we had lots of leftovers)

Small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8-ounces dried pasta (I used fusilli)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat over to 400°F. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then spread it on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until slightly caramelized, 30 minutes total. Take outof the oven and set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water, then drain well.
3. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it turns golden, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add shallot, sage and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring, until shallots are soft (2 to 3 minutes).
4. Combine squash, pasta and brown butter sauce in a large bowl and toss gently. Serve with Parmesan.

Served with rosemary olive oil bread (which, other than packs of 144 diapers is THE best thing you can buy at Costco!) with herbed olive oil for dipping.

Results: This was *Delicious* with a capital D! I will definitely make this one again, but I also have a firm belief that no one can have too much butternut squash in their diet. I thought Henry would balk at the squash, but he wolfed his down. All I got from Steven was fake gagging at the table when he put a piece of pasta in his mouth. Steven ate the bread.

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

Serves 4

Pork:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 large eggs
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (cut into bite-sized pieces for kids)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Cooking spray

Dressing:
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. To prepare pork, preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450°F for 6-8 minutes or until done.
4. To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork.

Served with chow mein noodles and broccoli drizzled with teriyaki sauce

Results: I've made this recipe a few times and it's one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it's how the panko makes the pork chops crunchy or if it's the yummy dressing, but I love this recipe. For the boys, I cut their pork into bite size "nuggets". Steven sat down, snarled at his food and said "I guess I'm just going to have milk for dinner." A few minutes later, he was eating his noodles. A minute later, we saw him take a bite of pork nugget...then another...and another. No problems from Henry. The boys did not try the dressing, which was fine, because it left more for me.

Make-ahead Pizza Casserole

Serves 6 (I think it's more like 8)

Cooking spray
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 Italian sausages, cooked and diced
3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
6 cups cubed French or Italian bread (about 1 medium-size loaf)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil (I used about 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Arrange the bread mixture evenly in the baking pan.
3. Using the same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Beat well.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least three hours, or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese before serving.

Served with a green salad.

Results: This was very easy to make, you just have to be sure to give yourself the time to let it refrigerate. I made it in the morning so all I had to do was pop it in the oven at the end of the day. Very, very tasty! I would definitely make this again, and next time I'll try freezing half, because we had a lot left over. Steven ate one serving and even asked for seconds! Henry hardly touched it, but he was very grumpy that day. Both boys wanted the tomatoes picked out.