The prep work is the most time-consuming part, but all in all it's still a fairly simple meal. This was also the first time we'd ever cooked up kale -- and 14 cups of uncooked kale is a CRAPLOAD of kale (as you can see in the ingredients photo)! And then it withers down to nothing.

The meal was delicious! The garlic bread crumbs were a perfect topper.

Ingredients gathered together	Julia frying up the pancetta
Garlic bread crumbs	Wilting the kale
Adding cannellini beans and pancetta	Voilà!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

This was another light recipe from ATK: a beef, broccoli and shiitake stir-fry prepared with brown rice. We ended up having less broccoli than what was called for, but it was all good. The primary goal was to use up some broccoli that had been sitting in the fridge for a while.

Apologies for the dearth of photos, I guess we got too carried away with the cooking and the eating to remember much in the way of documentation.


Mmm...stir-fry

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen's The Best Light Recipe cookbook

Again, a look at the name of the recipe is a Rachael Ray dead giveaway. This was a really tasty dish, although slightly too spicy for comfort. Next time, go easier on the jalapeños!

The sandwich was poached and then shredded BBQ chicken on a hamburger bun. All went well except the chicken wasn't fully cooked after poaching for the suggested amount of time, so it was difficult to shred and had to be cooked longer during the BBQ step. The potato salad was made of red peppers, jalapeños, scallions and red potatoes and was awesome! It was really fresh-looking and -tasting.

Julia scrubbing red potatoes	Vibrant red potatoes for the potato salad
Julia artfully arranging the ingredients	Jonas chopping scallions
Pretty arrangement of ingredients	Chicken breasts poaching in chicken broth and beer
Jonas cooking the shredded BBQ chicken	Yummy potato salad

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

This recipe was definitely a keeper. Most the ingredients are fried up in a skillet, and then the whole works is topped with cheese and bread crumbs and put under the broiler for a few minutes until it's golden.

Our batch was slightly soupier than anticipated. This could be fixed by cooking everything down a few minutes more before transferring to the casserole pan.

Gathered ingredients for turkey noodle casserole	Sautéing the turkey and mushroom mixture
On its way to becoming turkey noodle casserole	Jonas inserting the casserole into the broiler
Julia garnishing the completed casserole with parsley

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Julia had made Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli some time ago, and today decided to try another variation of it. Chorizo is nowadays pretty easy to find in just about any supermarket, as are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Both of these make for a pretty spicy dish!

The one step we haven't quite got down is the roux. After adding flour it's supposed to bubble, but my roux is never wet enough to produce bubbles. There are 2 more variations on this recipe to try in the future, so we've got two more shots at it.

Ingredients required to make smoky chipotle mac-n-cheddar	Chorizo sausage and fire-roasted tomatoes browning in the skillet
Chipotle sauce for the macaroni: SPICY!	Adding the cheese to the sauce
Smoky chipotle mac-n-cheddar, served with herb bread

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

This was a fantastic recipe for a weekend at home. It definitely took a good hour to prepare and perform the initial steps on the stovetop, but then it cooked in the oven for 2+ hours. How two(!) pounds of onions can cook away to nearly nothing is a miracle unto itself. The end result was served over egg noodles.

Jonas seasoning the beef with salt and pepper	All of the ingredients ready to go, including a big bottle of Belgian beer!
First, the beef gets browned in the pot and removed	Two whole pounds of onions go into the pot with some tomato paste
All those onions eventually cook away to a much smaller volume	There you have it: Carbonnade à la Flamande

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

This was another meal we saw being prepared on ATK and felt compelled to make immediately. The potatoes were simple and a snap. The loaf took considerably longer to prepare and bake, but the results were well worth the wait. Mouth-wateringly good.

This wire cooling rack is prepped and ready to receive a hot, glistening meat loaf	Julia crushing saltine crackers
Red bliss potatoes, halved and ready for the skillet	This will become the meat loaf glaze: ketchup, hot sauce, ground coriander, cider vinegar and brown sugar
Hot, glistening, juicy meat loaf, straight from the oven	Potatoes frying in the skillet

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

This mac-n-cheddar recipe is from Rachael Ray's "365" cookbook. It was tasty, but the pasta and broccoli were overcooked. I was putting too much concentration on the sauce, I guess. *sigh*

Like the previous recipe, it's hard to believe all this food is considered only 4 servings. I would have said more like 8-10!! Rachael should probably reexamine some of her recipes in the interests of portion control.

All the ingredients arranged neatly on the counter!	The pasta and broccoli are cooked
This will eventually become the cheese sauce	All done! Voilà!

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

This shepherd's pie recipe is from Rachael Ray's "365" cookbook (see source below). It turned out pretty good, but it wasn't WOW! I should maybe have used more salt and pepper. I find it hard to believe all this food was considered only 4 servings!

Ingredients lined up in an orderly fashion	Julia frying up the turkey bacon while potatoes are on the boil
Everything into the skillet!	Smoky turkey shepherd's pie, just out of the oven and garnished with chives. The cooked egg mixed into the mashed potatoes is what causes it to brown on top.

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners