What's for Dinner?

Six down, seven to go for the “Cook 13 meals at home” goal!  Although I’m still debating whether I can count the frozen lasagna that I make weekly and the premade turkey meal that I pick up from Harris Teeter on occasion towards my count.  Maybe I’ll tuck them into my back pocket just in case I need them towards the end of the month!

But, as of right now, I can say that I made six meals from scratch –

Honey Soy Parmesan Grilled Chicken – the soy in this wasn’t actually soy…it was soy sauce.  And I forgot the parmesan cheese.  And I misread the recipe and added two tablespoons of garlic instead of two teaspoons.  But it was delicious. 

Breaded Pork Chops – I smothered some pork chops with Dijon mustard and then breaded them with something in a box – it wasn’t Shake and Bake but it was on the same shelf.

The darker muffin has bbq
sauce on it!  Yummy!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia – I’ve got baked tilapia down to a science.  This time I switched it up a little and coated it with parmesan cheese and paprika.  I must’ve added to much paprika because it turned into a very orange fish!

That's plum sauce on
the side.  One day, I'll
tell you about the first
time I had plum sauce!

Meatloaf Muffins – This is the second favorite meal that I’ve made so far.  I mean, it’s meatloaf but a muffin not a loaf!  When you get the munchies late at night, it’s so handy to pop a lil’ meatloaf muffin in your mouth!  I topped six of the muffins with ketchup and three with bbq sauce.  I live life on the culinary edge, don't I?!  

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders – I’ve made this twice already, once for my mom and she really enjoyed it.  If I can cook something for my mom and she likes it, I know I’m on to something!  I had this for dinner tonight with sweet potato fries on the side.  It was so yummy.

Honestly.  This was perfection.

Chicken Domani – This was my gold medal meal that I copied from a restaurant!  I order this dish when I go to Bertucci’s – it’s pasta, spinach, cheese, and chicken.  I know, I know, super easy and anyone can make it.  Especially if someone has already figured out how to capture that Bertucci taste in the homemade version.  There was one minor almost-egg snafu – “scramble” versus “whisk” are different verbs – but a friend steered me in the right direction and the dish turned out perfectly.  I was so excited by the success of this recreation that I’m determined to recreate my absolute favorite restaurant meal – Chicken Madeira from The Cheesecake Factory.  Once I do that – I’ll never have to go out to eat again!  

Of the six meals that I’ve made, three of them involve chicken.  That’s a little boring so I’m hoping to switch things up a bit so I don’t get all chickened out.

From my kitchen to yours - happy dining!