A Year of Taste of Home: Week 14: No Desserts

Recipes to Go: ~~507~~ 377

Weeks to Go: 52 38

Recipes Made This Week
Vegetable & Cheese Focaccia
Steak Potpie
Sage Meat Loaf
Seasoned Mashed Potatoes
Pork Chops in Orange Sauce
Sicilian Salad
Brussel Sprouts with Water Chestnuts
Traditional Scones
Mushroom Asparagus Quiche
Jack-o'-Lantern Cream Puffs
Ham 'n' Swiss Rolls
Strawberry Breakfast Shakes

The focaccia was supposed to be made on Saturday, but as per usual, things got away from me. So I made it Sunday. It was surprisingly unmemorable.

I probably should make this again since I forgot to put olive oil in the dough and it didn't rise very well. I guess I need to start putting dough in the oven to rise.

Monday I made Steak Potpie because we ran out of leftovers to eat. Man, this was good. And thanks to Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, the crust was fast.

Baked just like it should and made us all very happy. It didn't leave us with much leftover, either, for that reason. So I had to make dinner on Tuesday, too, but it was just pasta and not in the book, so I don't have to write about it.

Wednesday we had meat loaf. The Husband doesn't like meat loaf, but he said this is a meat loaf he could stand behind. It was so tasty and I have no idea why. Next time I will double the sauce on top, just because it was tasty.

The mashed potatoes were a little disappointing. I think I've been spoiled with Alton Brown's recipe for garlic mashed potatoes. These were basically flavorless, so I won't be using them for Thanksgiving this year.

Thursday was a three-recipe meal. This was a problem because I also had to make a treat for Seminary, since I was told we wouldn't have a treat there on Friday. So I made the salad early to avoid the chaos of trying to make three recipes at once.

It was tasty and easy and something I could throw together in a hurry. That's always important.

The pork chops came together quickly. I'm still on the fence about pork chops. This recipe was descent, but I'm still sitting. There are more pork chop recipes, so maybe I'll make up my mind later in the year.

I had brussel sprouts when I was little and didn't like them. That's because I didn't have this recipe. If they weren't so expensive right now, I'd make this all the time. Clearly lots of love and butter went into this. And the water chestnuts just go so perfectly. There is a hint of sweetness to this recipe that helps to combat the bitterness of the brussel sprouts and the crunchy water chestnuts balance the sogginess of the soaked sprouts.

I remembered after The Captian was in bed that I needed to make a treat, so I looked through the book for something I had all the ingredients for and something that wouldn't take too long to make. I settled on the scones.

They were simple. I got to use my new dough cutter, which is awesome, by the way (bought it on my anniversary. Totally worth $4.) After they were done, I realized we didn't have any jam in the house. So I didn't get to really enjoy them until later in the week.

Because after all, we did have treats in Seminary, and no scones could compete with chocolate chip muffins. At least where teenagers are concerned. So I got yummy leftovers.

Friday I made the Mushroom Asparagus Quiche. It called to spread the bottom with musard and bake it. I've never baked mustard before, but it was delicious.

I like asparagus . . . maybe.

The cream puffs for Game Night were easier to make than I thought, but they did take some time. I got started in the afternoon with the shells. The filling was so delicious. Pumpkin-y and good and creamy. Then I attempted to decorate them using only a ziplock bag and some scissors. It worked out okay sometimes. These three were the best.

Then the frosting would gum up and explode out in big bursts. Luckily taste and decorative skill are not directly related.

Saturday morning I made the Ham 'n' Swiss Rolls. They were so easy thanks to the refrigerated crescent rolls. I think this was the fastest breakfast I've made. Okay, maybe the shake was faster, but I still had to pit strawberries for that one. And I made a shake with this.