Week 1 Day 5: Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash (YUMMY!)

Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash

First of all, a few admissions.

1) I don't know where to find chorizo, so I bought spicy italian sausage that was pre-shreaded. 

2) I had to Google bulgur, and then I had to go to the healthfood store to get it because Ralph's did not have it, or at least I could not find it.

3) I cut the acorn the wrong direction, so I used a cupcake pan after I stuffed it, so that all of the stuffing wouldn't fall out.

HOWEVER, I created a very yummy meal. This was my first time cooking with any kind of squash.  They are hard! But, after you cut through it (I did sharp side of the knife, the rotated the squash around the knife), it's not so bad.   Cutting the squash was the only remotely hard part of the recipe.  Everything else was very simple, and fast.   The squash provided a bit of sweetness, and really complimented the stuffed stuff.  It was delish!  I will have this again.

Week 1 Day 4: Tuna, Fennel and Bean Salad

Tuna, Fennel, and Bean Salad

I was shocked at how easy this was, and though I missed a step, but I didn't! Basically you just throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and it's ready.  I have never had fennel or radicchio before so it was a bit of a new experience for me.  I liked it!  I did have some issue with the radicchio -- I've had it for 5 days now, and it started rotting.  I pulled off most of the outside leaves, and used only the fresher ones on the inside.  I would recommend getting the radicchio the day of, or day before to make sure it's fresh. I also had trouble finding these specific beans, so I bought northern beans instead (smaller version), and they seemed to work just fine.

 6/10 on taste; 10/10 on easy.

Week 1, Day 3: Roasted Chicken with Collard Greens

Roasted Chicken with Collard Greens

This has been my favorite recipe so far, but it was also the messiest, which isn't saying much because it still wasn't very messy.  This is a super simple recipe that doens't take hardly any preparation.  It does take a bit longer since the chicken is in the oven for around 45 minutes.  The greens are done in about 10 minutes, so there's plenty of time to let the chicken go before you need to get the greens going.

I definitely enjoyed this meal.  I give it a 7/10 for taste, and a 9/10 for easy making.

Real Simple Dinners, Week 1, Day 1: Beef and Mushroom Ragu with Pappardelle

The October 2012 issue of RS offers 5 recipes a week for weekday (fast) meals. I shopped for week 1 yesterday and spent around $55.

Today was beef and mushroom ragu with pappardelle. This recipe was pretty easy, and the time listed, 25 minutes, was right on. I used two pans and a couple od measuring devices, so cleanup was pretty easy too.
Sadly, I wasn't that impressed with this dish. I made it exactly true to recipe, but didn't care much for it. Although I did not make a side dish, if you want to split this 4 ways, you would need a green veggie to go with it. It wasn't bad, but I probably won't make this particular version again.