Like I mentioned on Friday, I have been catching up on my first-timer reviews. Here are the rest that I didn’t finish last week.
Creamy Skillet Penne with Mushrooms & Asparagus - We thought 
this pasta was pretty good. Like always, I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe to suit our tastes. I added grilled chicken for some protein, used whole-grain penne, and omitted the wine. The parmesan cheese was the perfect last ingredient to complete the meal.
Skillet American Chop Suey- To be perfectly honest, I only made 
this recipe because of the name. Surprisingly, I didn’t change the recipe at all. Shocker! I loved that it was a one-pot meal and that the ingredients were simple and appeasing to picky eaters. However, I will say that this recipe was VERY similar to the Skillet Chili Mac which I called “glorified hamburger helper.” I’m not a fan of hamburger helper, but if you are, than this is certainly a recipe for you.
Spaghetti with Spinach, Bacon & Toasted Bread Crumbs- My 
hubby liked this dish a lot more than I did simply based on a tasting preference. I added grilled chicken to go on top and I think that I really wouldn’t have liked this dish without the chicken. When I subtract the time it took to grill the chicken, I needed about 45-minutes to make the rest of the dish.
Baja-Style Fish Tacos- A couple weeks ago we had fish tacos at 
smallgroup for dinner. Since they were so delicious I decided to try making my own and was thrilled to find this recipe in our book. I didn’t want to fry the fish though, so I grilled it instead. I added cilantro, fresh lime juice, and homemade salsa verde as toppings. I served the tacos with Cuban black beans, but everyone ate the beans as another taco topping. I really like the idea of fish tacos, but I think cod was a little too much of a “fishy” flavor for me. I will definitely try this recipe again but with another type of fish (e.g. tilapia).
Beef Teriyaki- Of course I had to cook this recipe because it 
looked so delicious on the picture page. This meal can be made much faster than the 30-minute maximum. In fact I’m pretty sure I had this insanely simple meal on the table it a little over 15 minutes. I used 1/8 tsp dried ginger instead of freshly grated, which probably saved on time. I also added sesame seeds and served it over white rice to match the picture. Deliciously quick dinner!
Simplified Smothered Pork Chops with Apple Cider- This dinner 
received a perfect score from me. I really liked the delicious sweet and savory flavor with the subtle mustard undertone. Phil did not like the pork as much as I did though. I served this over white rice and will probably be making it again, when my hubby is out of town ;-)
Fiesta Chicken Casserole- This was so good, and I can’t wait to 
cook it again. Most people who know me, know I don’t like left-overs, but I plan on using this recipe after Thanksgiving this year with turkey to switch things up a bit.
Tostadas- This is the very last recipe in the cookbook, though not my last recipe- I still have many left to go through. This is another great post-Thanksgiving meal to add some variety to your turkey. I made this meal simply because I already had all of the ingredients on hand and it wouldn’t require a trip to the store. I
know you know what tostadas look like so I just took a picture of all the fixin’s I had available for dinner: salsa, refried beans, avocado, green chilies, cilantro, sour cream, black olives, cheddar, and chicken.
I’m officially caught up on all of my reviews. I really need to try and get back on track with my weekly updates because it really is hard to remember all the details.
Did you see a recipe that looked delicious to you? Let me know and I’ll send you the recipe :-) Do you have a recipe that you would like me to try and write a review on? Please send it to me and I’d be delighted to cook it for ya!
