Shrimp Scampi Ciabatta Pizzas

I tore this recipe out of my RR mag (no judgment) as soon as I saw it. I’m always looking for substantial ways to use shrimp. While I love it, a few shrimp on a plate does not a dinner make for me. This, however, was a perfectly acceptable, if not a down right yummy, dinner. Next time, I might actually cut down on the cheese mixture by half — blasphemy, I know. I think it was a bit of overkill and drowned out the crispy bread a bit. Otherwise, a good weeknight meal.

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Turkey Bolognese (lightened and quickened)

I’m always looking for new ways to cook up ground turkey since we buy a lot of it in bulk from Costco (where else).  Last week, I got bolognese in my head and have been searching for a suitable recipe ever since. Why do all bolognese recipes vary so much? And why do some of them take 4 hours and some take 45 minutes? Thoroughly confused, I ended up blending together some Anne Burrell, Emeril, and Tyler Florence recipes for a yummy result. This took a little over an hour, which was much better than Anne’s recipe which literally would have bordered on 4.5-5 hours. Give this a shot next time you’re craving a meat sauce!

Caramelized Onion, Cheese, and Pork Flautas

These flautas are the answer to the soft taco v. crispy taco argument. Perfect served with quacamole and greek yogurt. Seriously yum.

Tilapia Piccata

Today I received a lesson in photography from my cousin Vito — light finder and tart baker extraordinaire. While my understanding of things like “color temperature” and a mysterious thing called “F stop”  is rudimentary at best, I managed to produce a couple of nice pics of tonight’s dinner with Vito’s tutelage (and equipment — thanks!).

Speaking of dinner, this fish was so good. And easy and fast, too. Will definitely be making this again!

(Slightly Lightened Up) Chicken Fried Steak

#1 This is a big boy meal.

#2 It is delicious.

#3 This will be my go-to batter for “chicken frying” stuff. So good!

Grits & Greens Casserole

This was a perfect side dish to a southern feast we had over the weekend. This mixes several of my favorite foods together in one creamy dish: polenta, bacon, cheese, and greens. Personally, (and probably because I have a slightly unhealthy relationship with bacon) the crispy bacon along with the creamy grits was the best part, but the bacon could easily be omitted for a vegetarian option. Yum!

Also, the dish is very forgiving. Throw whatever greens you have in there, and keep it in the oven until you’re ready to serve. The original recipe’s instructions just said to bake “until lightly browned”, which I translated to about 30 minutes. Turns out we weren’t quite ready to eat then and the dish stayed in the oven for an hour total…and was totally fine. Love that!

Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

I am in love with this tzatziki sauce. I seriously can (and do) eat it straight from the bowl. If you’re unfamiliar, tzatziki is a cold sauce made out of greek yogurt, cucumbers, and other amazingness. It’s super great on sandwiches (like this one), fish, or as a dip, or straight up.

Also, this turkey burger is amazing. Seriously. Maybe my favorite yet. Get yourself the regular ground turkey, not the breast — it makes all the difference in the world.

Chicken Parm Pizza

Chicken parmesan meets pepperoni pizza.

Enough said.

Cod with Greek Panzanella

Isn’t “panzanella” the prettiest word ever? Probably because it means bread salad, which is pretty by itself if you ask me. I loved this dish. Run, do not walk, to your grocery store right now and make it.  And while I’m almost always an anti-fish and cheese combination person, the mild fish with the salty creaminess of the feta paired with the other ingredients really works. Yum!

Pappardelle with Pancetta, Broccoli Rabe, and Pine Nuts

It’s almost shameful posting another pasta recipe so soon, but this was just too good to wait (and yes, normally I would sit on my hands for a few days so i didn’t seem pasta-crazed, which I obviously am). Regardless, I love broccoli rabe with pasta, and the egg pappardelle I found at Trader Joe’s was fantastic.  Together, this dish was delectable, and worth a little carbo shame. This is probably in my top 5 favorite pasta dishes ever.

Mild Turkey Chili

I feel like I say this after every chili recipe, but I mean it this time: This is my new favorite  go-to chili. This chili has some unusual ingredients for me (salsa…canned green chiles…taco seasoning), but I also love all the veg and it has TONS of flavor without being really spicy at all. Also, I made corn muffins out of jiffy cornbread mix with a half cup of sour cream mixed in. Best corn muffins EVER!

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Spaghetti

This meal was born out of what I had in my fridge. The weather is atrocious here as usual, so we were in need for a nice snow day lunch. This fit the bill perfectly.