This Week's Recipes - CATCH UP - March 8th to 29th

March 8th - It's Chili by George!!

I tried out my Crock Pot for the first time with this recipe! And I LOVED it! Love the Crock Pot and LOVE this recipe! Anthony loved this chili as well. I did make few adjustments to the recipe though so I could just use what I had on hand. Instead of tomato juice I used a can of diced tomatoes, I did not use any pinto beans because all I had was kidney beans so I just doubled those. As for the spices, I doubled them (except for the salt and the chili powder) and I also used Italian Seasoning instead of Oregano. I topped it with shredded cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. And we used Frito's scoops to eat it with. It was FANTASTIC and I do plan to make it again. I would rate this one 5 stars out of 5!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/its-chili-by-george/detail.aspx

March 11th - Hawaiian Calzones

This was okish. The only thing I did differently was I used the pizza dough that comes in the packet that you mix water with. And instead of making one huge calzone I made 4 small ones. Anthony did not like it at all and I did not care for it that much either. It just lacked flavor. I think also it tasted too much like kid food. I definitely will not be making this again. I would rate this 2 stars out of 5.

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/hawaiian-calzone/bf2f549d-80a5-404f-a273-cf0114fe7da0

March 15th - Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ok first of all let me start off by saying... no one told me you are supposed to soak the corned beef in water before you cook it! So when I cooked this it came out VERY salty even though there was not a single grain of salt in it. The meat was very tender though and the flavor (aside from the salt) was very good. I will definitely try this one again next year (I make this meal once a year around St. Pats day) but next time I will soak the beef for sure. No rating on this because I am not sure it would be fair. But if you would like to try it I do think you should! It really is a great recipe I just messed it up. Live and learn.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage/detail.aspx

March 18th - Pizza Casserole

Does this taste like pizza? No. Does it taste good? Absolutely! When I told Anthony I was making him pizza casserole he was very put off by the name and did not want any, but after tasting it he decided he liked it. He even went for seconds. This is quite yummy and a quick meal you can throw together when in a bind, we both liked it and will probably be making it again sometime. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-casserole/detail.aspx

March 20th - World's Best Lasagna

This recipe was great! I really did like it a lot and so did Anthony. Anthony complained that I did not cook anything to go along with it though. So you may want to make a side salad and some garlic bread to accompany it, if you ever cook this. The flavor of this lasagna was amazing! It was incredibly rich, in a savory way. It took about 3 hours to make, and did require some work but it was worth it and I will be making it again. This is my new go-to lasagna recipe for sure. I would rate this one 5 stars out of 5.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/worlds-best-lasagna/detail.aspx

March 22nd - Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I loved these cute zucchini boats! I used pork sausage in mine and green bell pepper instead of red because that was what I had on hand and they turned out fabulous. Anthony loved them as well but not the zucchini part lol. He ate the stuffing out and left the zucchini, I could stuff a bell pepper with it and I'm sure he would just love that. I will more than likely make these again and I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars.
http://www.ziplist.com/souschef?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinnytaste.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fsausage-stuffed-zucchini-boats.html

March 23rd - Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

This was pretty good! We halved the recipe because there are only 2 of us and it was plenty. I doubled the lime, cilantro, and taco spices. The flavor was very nice and strong just like we like it and the chicken was very tender and fell right apart. The chicken was slightly dry in some places I did notice but overall it was okay. I served this over rice with sour cream and scallions on top. I do plan to make this again and I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-cilantro-lime-chicken/detail.aspx

March 24th - Blackened Shrimp Stroganoff

This was bad. Neither I nor Anthony liked it. We cooked it just like the recipe said, the only thing we did differently is we left out the capers because turns out our jar had expired. We ate what was in our bowls but the leftovers all went in the trash. It was edible but the flavor was just odd. And the shrimp tasted very ocean-y I am not sure why, I got the same shrimp I always do and I have never had it taste like that before. I think it may have been because in this recipe you do not cook the shrimp that long so you don't have time to really cook that flavor out? Who knows. We will not be making this one again for sure! I would rate this a 2 out of 5 because it was edible.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blackened-shrimp-stroganoff/detail.aspx

March 26th - Salisbury Steak

Loved this one! While I was cooking it, Anthony thought I might not like it so he told me to take a few of the patties out and save them so he could make burgers out of them just in case (Those burgers were fantastic btw!). Turned out he liked the recipe too. I added mushrooms to mine and served it with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. The flavor was very good and strong and the meat was very moist and tender. I think the flavor of ketchup was a tad but too strong but Anthony thought it was perfect. I will more than likely be making this again. I would rate this one a 4.5 out of 5.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salisbury-steak/detail.aspx

March 29th - Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This was great! We both loved it. I sort of thought it needed a little salt but Anthony said it was perfect ( I think I just have a thing for salt! lol). I made a few changes to the recipe when I cooked it. I seasoned my chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. And I mixed the pasta with the sauce in a bowl instead of pouring the sauce on top of the pasta. I also made layers with sliced Swiss cheese instead of adding shredded Swiss to the pasta. I did pasta, cheese, pasta, cheese. It came out fantastic and I will definitely cook this again. I would rate this one a 5 out of 5.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/detail.aspx