Time for some goulash.

The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward, nothing fancy. In fact, it's nearly identical to the smoky turkey shepherd's pie, except for a swap of just a few ingredients. We served it over egg noodles.

Ingredients for beef goulash	Browned beef, onions, carrots and celery
Red peppers, flour and chicken broth added	Beef goulash over egg noodles

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

Some parts of this recipe turned out well, but there are some things we'd change: Reduce the time that the pizza crust goes into the oven during its initial bake so that the edges don't turn out as crispy after the final. The pizza is also quite topping-heavy, so it might be better to reduce the ground sirloin from 1.5 to 1 pound. Also, this is way more than four servings! Rachael Ray is crazy when it comes to portion sizes.

The popcorn was super yummy, but SPICY! It'd make a good party snack on its own.

Ingredients for mega meatball pizza and zippy Italian popcorn	Raw pizza crust seasoned with oil, rosemary and salt
Ingredients for mega meatball pizza and zippy Italian popcorn

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

Jonas wanted to make the köttfärssås (meat sauce) that he remembered his mother making when he was a child, so he got out our Swedish cookbook, Rutiga Kokboken (trans. the checkered cookbook). The recipe was simple, but required some conversions to metric measurements.

The end result, served over spaghetti, had flavor but was a bit too salty. We think the extra salt probably originated in the bullion cubes. American bullion must be saltier than its Swedish counterpart. Served over spaghetti.

Some of the ingredients for köttfärssås	Julia peeling garlic
A strangely oriented photo of the completed meal, including bread and olive oil

Recipe source: Rutiga Kokboken

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 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