Jonas found these two recipes on the ATK website, combined as a "quick and light spring dinner." The pork tenderloin was simple, and really tasty with the apricot-orange glaze.

We'd never prepared artichokes at home before, so that was new but easy. There is surprisingly little edible artichoke to be had when all is said and done. What a bizarre little vegetable.

Jonas preparing artichokes for steaming	Ingredients lined up (minus the tenderloin)
Browning in the pan before being thrown into the oven	Jonas the chef
Tender, steamed artichokes	Roast pork tenderloin with apricot-orange glaze
Roast pork tenderloin with apricot-orange glaze, steamed artichokes and brown rice

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

I had some button mushrooms that needed to get used up, as they were looking a little wilty. Paging through the book (see source below), this was the first recipe I happened upon that included them.

These were some truly enormous and tasty chicken burgers. Although fully loaded with mushrooms, Swiss, lettuce and tomato on top, it's still just a burger, so you'd probably want to add some chips or fries on the side.


Jumbo chicken, spinach and herb burgers:
om nom nom nom

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

The name of this recipe was quite a mouthful, luckily we didn't have to say it out loud! :)

This was the simplest meal in the world! (Well, maybe not as simple as PB&J.) You just butterfly a regular old chicken, rub it with some butter and spices, and throw it on a broiler pan in the oven. But wait! The best part was the potatoes, which sit in the bottom compartment of the broiler pan and are flavored with the delicious chicken drippings from above. So easy, and mighty tasty!

Butterflied chicken, ready for the broiler pan	Jonas looking eager to take the chicken's temperature
Roasted chicken, straight from the oven	Oven-roasted potatoes, drizzled with herb butter and chicken drippings

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

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 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

We're often inspired to prepare a dish after watching the corresponding episode of America's Test Kitchen. This recipe involved cooking chicken legs on the grill, shredding them, and making a homemade barbecue sauce. The whole endeavor took three hours, but the results were delicious!

Jonas separating the chicken pieces	Homemade barbecue sauce simmering on the stove
Jonas shredding the chicken pieces	Smaller chicken bits added to the barbecue sauce
Larger chicken pieces added to the barbecue sauce	Barbecued pulled chicken sandwiches, ready to eat -- yum!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen