Daily Recipe Round-up for October 11, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Pillsbury

Carrot-Cake Sandwich Cookies

Prep Time: 45 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Min

Makes: 1 dozen sandwich cookies

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 17, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by myRecipes.com via e-mail on April 8, 2011.

My husband and I went out to eat one night and he ordered tamales.  Now, I’ve traveled around the country and world, but I’ve never eaten a tamale.  Ever.  Even writing this, it makes me kind of sad.  Well he ate it right away and I didn’t get to try it, so I was left wondering until…

I started searching for tamale recipes and you know what?  They’re not easy to make.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest a lot of time in something I won’t want to eat.  When I came across this recipe, I decided to give it a shot.  The writer of the recipe said that she came up with the dish to “satisfy my cravings for the tamales I had at Mexican restaurants when I was growing up in Houston.” I figured someone from Texas would know a good tamale. 

Now, I’m not a fan of cornbread, but my husband is, so I decided to give it a try.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chicken Tamale Casserole

The piece of casserole looks saucy, cheesy and I just want to eat it.  I took that as a very good sign.  It smelled pretty good too, but the cornbread was the most dominant thing in it, and I’m not a fan.

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 10, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Chipotle Turkey Chili with Apples and Cheddar

6 servings

30-minute Meals

Saucy Portobello Pitas

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 14, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Taste of Home – April/May 2011.

There’s nothing I love more than a greasy gyro.  When I lived downtown (Chicago that is), I would walk past this beef joint on my way to and from the EL that had the most delicious gyros ever.  I would have them at least a couple of times a week.  (Don’t judge)  Of course, they aren’t the most healthy things to eat and the older I’ve gotten, the less they agree with me.

I found this recipe and my eyes lit up with excitement.  It was combining my love of mushrooms, gyros and eating healthier in a single dish.  It even included a recipe for Tzatziki sauce.  I couldn’t wait to try it.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Saucy Portobello Pitas

The mushrooms look divine and the “fixins” look scrumptious, but the pita looks kind of weak and thin.  For me, it destroys the look of the dish, but it did smell fantastic.

Weekend Recipe Round-up for October 8 & 9, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

Zesty Beef Stroganoff

Prep Time: 15 Min

Total Time: 30 Min

Servings: 5

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 6-7, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

Rolled Italian Meat Loaf

Prep Time: 15 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 40 Min

Servings: 8

Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 14, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Every Day with Rachael Ray – May 2011.

It had been a while since I served pork chops.  My husband, out of the blue, announced that he had no issues with pork chops, even though he had once told me he didn’t eat them.  So I found a recipe that blended his love of Cajun spices with pork chops – and it was a hit!  So I’ll admit I went on pork-chop-overload.  We had a good run too until it was mentioned that we were eating a lot of pork chops.

I took that as a hint.

When I found this recipe tucked away neatly in an insert in my May issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray, I knew I’d have to make it.  Along with mushrooms and tomatoes – I’ve gotten addicted to black beans.  Soups, salsas, burgers, I just can’t get enough.  So when I found a chili-spiced (YUM) pork chop (YUM) with a black bean salad (MMMMMM) and grilled avocado (drool goes here)… well let’s just say that I didn’t care who had a problem with pork chops being over-served.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad

Looking at this picture, I want to eat it again.  If I had pork chops in my house, I’d abandon writing this post and starting cooking.  The pork chops look perfect and the black bean salad is screaming “delicious!”  Maybe my avocado doesn’t look perfect, but it doesn’t matter since everything else looks fantastic.