Meal Plan Update

Did any of you make an item from the last meal plan post? If so, I'd love to hear about how it turned out, if you liked it or not, etc. Please share!

Heirloom Tomato Tart

The picture for this is just so amazing (the original one -not my picture) that it had a lot to live up to. Did it do it? Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say "no". Now the crust has a lot of butter in it, but before you have a coronary, it does make two crusts. I wrapped half in plastic wrap and foil and put it in the freezer for future use. It was filling, but my husband used the word "rich" to describe it. I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it gets the point across. The combination of the crust and the cheese filling are pretty heavy together and while the tomatoes and arugula do their best to balance them out, they can't quite do it. Although I did like it, I was a little disappointed.

Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf

As I mentioned in the original post, for some reason I just can't make a meatloaf right. I had high hopes for this one, but my track record did not improve. I'm not sure what I did wrong because the meatloaf just wouldn't hold together when I went to cut it. Also, this meatloaf is very SPICY! My husband even thought so and he always orders things "Hot" when we go out. It's mainly the glaze, but the meatloaf definitely has some kick too. Not recommended for the faint of heart (or mouth). Maybe if you took the time to de-seed the chipotle peppers, it would cut out on a lot of the heat. Besides the spiciness and lack of binding, it had good flavor. However, the meatloaf recipe hunt continues.

Spicy Mash

Now these were good. Really, really good. Just the perfect amount of kick. I didn't want raw onions mixed in, so I sautéed them for a few minutes after the butter and spices became fragrant. I will definitely have to make these again! I also made the roasted carrots. They were yummy although I only cooked them for about 30 minutes and they could have used the extra 10.

Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese

Surprisingly, this was probably my favorite meal out of the bunch. I'm not usually "wowed" by pastas, but this one was really good. Once you start eating it, you don't want to stop! I loved the zucchini mixed in and that it still has a bit of crunch to it. Definitely give this one a try if you haven't already.

Pulled Beef Sandwiches with Blackberry Chipotle Sauce

A correction to the original post, I had boneless beef ribs, not pork, in my freezer so I used those. Doing so, I found you need to braise the meat for at least a half hour longer than what you would do for the chicken, but it wouldn't hurt to do another 15-20 on top of that to get it really tender. I made these for a dinner with some friends and they were a hit. The blackberry chipotle sauce is really tasty and just the right amount of heat (very little - although it was too spicy for our 2 year old). I really had no idea what liquid smoke was, but after looking it up on the internet to know what to look for, I found it very easily in the same area as BBQ sauce in the grocery store. Since fresh blackberries weren't on sale, I used frozen blackberries (thawed) and they seemed to work just fine. Also, I didn't strain the sauce, just used my hand blender to puree it really good. I had quite a bit of extra sauce, so I froze it to try on something else later on.

Also, I was surprised that the Cilantro Lime Slaw was so well accepted. My husband loved it and he hates coleslaw. It was a really light and refreshing side dish - and super simple to make!

Creamed Corn with Bacon and Rosemary

This side dish received mixed reviews. I thought it was good, although definitely had a unique flavor, but there were people that left some on their plates, so that speaks for itself. It did have a strong rosemary flavor, so cut back on that if it isn't your thing.

And one final recipe... (in this case it's true that the best is saved for last).

Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake

From Simply Recipes

You MUST try this recipe! It is sooooo good (and very simple). It is now one of my favorite dessert recipes. Even if you think you don't like dark chocolate, try this. Don't be scared off by the chili powder - it's so slight that it just adds another dimension to the chocolate. When I made it, I used half semisweet chocolate and half dark chocolate (around 70% cacao I think). Also, I didn't have chipotle chili powder so I just used the regular stuff. Mmmm, just thinking about it makes me want to go bake another one right now.

On that sweet note, I'll bid you happy cooking!