An experiment... gone wrong?

I think my titles are getting cooler... what do you think?

We had Parmesan Tilapia last night

Parmesan Tilapia with Deli Coleslaw and Corn on the Cob

I said it was and experiment and it was... we ate fish. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE fish! I don't like the smell, the taste, or the texture and Erik dislikes it almost as much as I do. Having said that fish is good for you for a variety of reasons and I have no desire for my children to be picky about food because I never put anything new on the table (they are picky enough on their own). My second misgiving about this experiment is that every TV show I have ever watched on cooking has said that cheese is a strange pairing with fish and rarely works taste wise. My third misgiving was that according to everything I know about cooking when you bread a piece of meat you need some sort of liquid to make the breading adhere, egg, butter, mayonnaise, etc... and the recipe I had didn't have any of those things. My last misgiving was broiling the fish... I have only lived with my oven and broiler for 6 months and for half that time I was eating fast food and using my oven to bake Elijah's waffles. I would say that a third of things that I make in the oven burn or at least overcook... so when you are talking about broiling a delicate fish I had trepidations....

I WAS RIGHT!!!! Well almost :/

In terms of the fishy taste, it wasn't there I couldn't find it so I was able to eat the fish without gagging... yay? The parmesan tasted okay with the fish but I think that's because Parmesan is a buttery tasting cheese, not overpowering, and Tilapia is a very mild fish. I was right about the liquid required my breading wouldn't stay adhered to the fish so it just burned onto the ban... and that brings me to the last item on my list.... I did indeed overcook/burn the three pieces of Tilapia in the middle of the pan, so Erik and I ate the ones on the outside edges which weren't as bad. The fish was fine, as Erik would say, for fish... we both liked the coleslaw and the corn the best of the meal... sigh, maybe we are hopelessly stuck in our ruts? NAH!  Making something new tonight! See ya tomorrow!

PS I didn't put a website cause I couldn't find one for the exact recipe for the fish... however ones that I did find (just put Parmesan Tilapia into Google) look like they would come out better than the one I used last night anyway...

So Sue Me

Like I said on my Facebook post... I have not been the best about posting lately but I am doing my best to get back on track (and I better before summer hits or I will never get anything done!).

So this post is a catch up post... letting you know what I did since I posted last...

I am not going to include the cost breakdown (cause everyday its about the same less than $5-$10 per person for a family of four) and I am not going to include all the preparation gobbledy gook unless its NOT fast or easy (and when I say fast I mean 30 minutes or less and when I say easy I mean a 4 or 5 step process versus a 15 step process). I am going to include the website for the recipe, the picture, and the verdict. This particular post is going to show multiple meals so bear with me, ok?

Lime-sauced Chicken Breasts

#1 Lime-Sauced Chicken Breasts
found at: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-with-lime-sauce-10000001173801/

This one comes with a funny story... So I started making dinner at my usual time, kids were watching television, Erik was decompressing in front of the computer, when my cell phone starts to ring. I couldn't really answer it cause I had stuff all over my hands so I tossed my phone to Erik and as he is talking to the other person I had a sudden realization... we were supposed to go OUT to dinner tonight with friends and I had completely forgotten! Having already started cooking the chicken I couldn't stop in the middle so I finished and told my babysitter (who HAD remembered I was going out) that it was dinner for her if she wanted it. The picture is what was left (it came with roasted potatoes and green beans). So when I finally did taste it the chicken was tangy but a little sweet as well, very moist, and just all around yummy! A good chicken recipe for those of you on the lookout for good chicken recipes. =)

Italian Casserole with Green salad

#2 Italian Casserole
where to find it: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/zesty-italian-crescent-casserole/4856ffe5-9c66-4149-ab58-24d66d9929f5/#

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one. Usually I am leery of casseroles ESPECIALLY when they have some sort of dough on top, that usually doesn't turn out well. This one was pretty good. I DO NOT recommend this for a regular 4-person family meal. I recommend it for potlucks, when your son bring 2 or 3 friends home for dinner, as a meal for a gaggle of girls for a slumber party. This is hearty food, meant for a large group who doesn't care what it looks like but just care if it tastes good. It totally appeals to the taste buds of people under the age of 20. Its also simple, affordable, and easy to make.

Beef Chimichangas with Mexican Ranch Wedge Salad and Tortilla Chips

#3 Beef Chimichangas
where to find it: http://www.food.com/recipe/Baked-Baja-Beef-Chimichangas-108901

A couple of differences to note... I used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, and I also mixed sour cream and taco sauce into the filling (cause it tastes so good)... This came out sooooo good! They were super yummy (in fact I ate the leftovers cold for two additional days after making them, they were that good!) My husband says they were spicy but I have it on another authority (not mine) that they weren't spicy at all... what can I say Erik is a wuss about spicy (sigh). Super Yummy and I highly recommend baking them (even though I love fried food too!)

French Steak with Wild Rice and Broccoli

#4 French Steak
where to find it: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1818,158188-243194,00.html

Differences to note: Also cut the meat into bite size pieces, butter and olive oil to brown the meat, instead of onion soup and water throw in an onion (diced) once you pull the meat (once its browned) and after the onion is cooked throw in garlic, white wine, beef broth, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and pepper. Now, what I was supposed to do when the meat was done cooking was mix in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a 1/2 cup of sour cream.... but I didn't do that cause I didn't read my recipe as thoroughly as I should have and trust me when I say the meat would have been so much better for the addition. The meat wasn't horrible it just didn't taste as good as the smell said it was going to. And that was the last recipe to bring us current so without further ado.....

LAST NIGHTS DINNER

Sesame Chicken with Steamed White Rice and Asian Style Vegetables

Monday Night: Sesame Chicken
where to find it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sesame-Ginger-Chicken/

The recipe is for a grilling recipe and I turned it into a stir fry recipe so for the amounts of the ingredients they are going to need to be increased (otherwise your chicken will be yucky) so increase the honey and the soy sauce to 1/2 a cup each, include a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in order to thicken up the sauce, and of course your ground ginger. For those of you who don't know how I converted it. Cube up your chicken breast and cook in sesame oil and garlic until no longer pink, mix all of your sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice and vegetables. The verdict on this one is a good one... it was yummy, the sauce was the right consistency (not watery) and it actually tasted like something I might get from a chinese food restaurant (oh and Erik liked it too)

Okay.... that catches me up... come back tomorrow for another installment and keep me honest!