Linguini with shrimp, garlic and lemon p.172

This was very easy and very good.  A light sauce made it delicious. 

There isn't anything I'd change...It was a hit at our house :)

Skillet Baked Pastitsio p.149

Danny and Brayden are STILL talking about this dish!  It was DELICIOUS!

Very similar consistency to a chili mac, but the flavors were out of this world!  Make sure you use the ground lamb meat. 

This was very easy to make and a success!  The little bit of cinnamon in it really popped out!

Pasta Quattro Formaggi p.146

I was looking for a new kind of mac and cheese and thought I'd give this 30 minute one a try- it was VERY good!  I am not a fan of gorgonzola, so I'd probably leave that out next time- but the blend of cheeses, and the fact that the pasta really cooked well in the skillet made this a success for me. 

I wasn't a fan of doing the spaghetti and meatballs in a pan, but this one worked. 

You could do this one with any mix of cheeses! Enjoy!

Skillet Baked Ziti p. 140

This was very good!  Great flavors, easy to make, good taste- We did finish it off in the oven to brown the cheese on top.

You definetly can finish this in under 30 minutes

I added ground, cooked italian sausage. 

Skillet American Chop Suey (page 148)

To be perfectly honest, I only made this recipe because of the name. Surprisingly, I didn’t change the recipe at all. Shocker! I loved that it was a one-pot meal and that the ingredients were simple and appeasing to picky eaters. However, I will say that this recipe was VERY similar to the Skillet Chili Mac which I deemed “glorified hamburger helper.” I’m not a fan of hamburger helper, but if you are, than this is certainly a recipe for you.

Creamy Skillet Penne with Mushrooms & Asparagus (page 143)

We thought this pasta was pretty good. Like always, I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe to suit our tastes. I added grilled chicken for some protein, used whole-grain penne, and omitted the wine. The parmesan cheese was the perfect last ingredient to complete the meal.

Skillet Baked Ziti (page 140) and Bread Sticks (page 160)-

After Morgan’s post about the bread sticks I decided that I needed to find a pasta dish to make ASAP so I could have the bread sticks (it’s funny how my brain works sometimes). Though this pasta is one of the recipes featured in the skinny photograph section of our book, I don’t think my picture matches well. Looks aside, the taste was great. I used whole-wheat penne and Kraft Italian Cheese Blend instead of the parmesan. For the bread sticks, I had the same issue as Morgan with finding the recommended size. Taking note of Morgan’s suggestions though, I doubled the thickness of the dough (so I had fewer bread sticks) and really monitored them in the oven. I also used grated cheese, but agree that shredded parmesan would be better. Considering the taste, time to prepare, and having all of the ingredients on hand on a normal basis, I will probably make this again.

Skillet Vermicelli with Chorizo Sausage and Black Beans (page 150)

This is officially our new favorite recipe from this cook book. The simplicity factor aside, this recipe was delicious! I did not want to put my fork down (I kept sneaking back into the kitchen once dinner was over! In fact, I’m willing to bet money that I’ll sneak back to the kitchen for another spoonful before I finish writing this post). I don’t think anything needs to change with this recipe; it’s perfect on its own. Cook’s Illustrated really hit the nail on the head with this one. I didn’t add the cheese to the entire pot; instead, I just let people sprinkle what they want on their own plate. I provided sour cream, but nobody used it. **FYI- I just tip-toed into the kitchen for another bite :-) ** This was fantastic and a must-try; I will be returning to page 150 for this recipe many times in the future.

Southwestern Mini Meatloaves (pg. 235) and Skillet Mac & Cheese (pg. 145)

So we have tried several different meatloaf recipes over the years, and our favorite is the Pioneer Woman's!  Since we like it so much, we haven't tried any new meatloaf recipes since....BUT, in the spirit of trying new things, we decided to try this "30 minute" version.  I was originally going to just do the "All-American" version, but I just can't see how it could even come close to PW's...so I decided to try the "Southwestern" variation on page 235 since I knew it would have a different taste.  I think I might make this again, but it will not replace our favorite!  It was pretty good, though....different in a good way....I've never had a southwestern-style meatloaf with green chilis, chipotle chilis, and cilantro.  They warn against using just ground beef b/c it will just taste like hamburgers....but, that's what we always use for meatloaf so I stuck with it.  I would have to disagree with that warning, at least for this southwestern version because the addition of the two kinds of chilis and the cilantro kept it from being boring.  It definitely did not taste like hamburgers!  One issue I did have was flipping the loaves over after the first side had been browned.  I don't think I formed my loaves as "tightly" as I should have because they started falling apart when I tried to flip them....so that was tricky!  Just make sure you form them well and really squish the meat together!

We really liked the mac and cheese...and so did my 20 month old son! (who is picky)  I will definitely make this again.  It was very easy and very tasty.  Not too much to say about it other than that!

The meatloaf doesn't look all that appetizing in this photo, but without all the proper lighting and angles, it is kinda hard to make a chunk of meat topped with ketchup glaze look good! :)

Creamy Skillet Penne w/Mushrooms & Asparagus (pg. 143)

This was my second time making this pasta dish and we love it!  It's been a few weeks since I made this (I'm behind on my blogging!), but I do believe it took me longer than 30 minutes to make.....both times I made it.  There's just quite a few steps you have to do that makes it take longer (at least for me) - rehydrating the dried porcini mushrooms, trimming and cutting asparagus, and mincing a few other things.  Since this has white wine in it, I think it pairs well with the simple sauteed chicken breasts (pg. 191) w/white wine sauce (pg. 196).

Skillet Lasagna (page 137)

This recipe is one that is featured in the photo section of the cookbook. After reading the note, where it boasted that this is a fast, one-pot recipe (the exact reason why I hide from lasagna recipes normally), I had to try it. They were right: it is a very fast recipe.

I used my cast iron skillet and it was practically spilling over, so make sure you use a skillet with a top or, what I used, a splatter screen. I will probably make this again, but I would just add a few more things. It was a little boring for us, so next time I will add some oregano and other Italian seasonings and probably some more red pepper flakes.

Meat loaf (page 234) and Mac & Cheese (page 145)

I apologize for not having any pictures for these two recipes, there was just too much going on & I was just trying to get food on the table before our nieces & nephews started eating their arms off. You’re familiar with these dishes so just pretend a picture is included in this post. I did get both of these recipes on the table in 45 minutes from start to finish.

The mac & cheese was not my favorite but my husband liked it. It was very creamy, but apparently I don’t like thick & creamy. I omitted the Tabasco because I thought it might be too spicy for a 9 month old, but if I ever make this again I will include it. I will say that if you go to make this recipe, make sure you stir a lot in the first step because they really weren’t kidding when they said that the noodles will stick. I had to add about ½ cup water after adding the cheese to adjust the consistency. (I still like PW’s version better)

My mini meatloaves ended up looking like hamburger patties, but they still tasted & smelled like meatloaf. I used a pound of ground beef & a pound of ground turkey; I definitely had more than 4 loaves of meatloaf. I used dried parsley because I didn’t want to take the time to chop anything. Everyone raved about the sauce, which is probably the easiest meatloaf sauce ever created. So if nothing else, I will use the sauce recipe again.

Skillet Pasta Quattro Formaggi (page 146)

My husband is out of town on business so I made this dish last night, going into it fully knowing that this recipe is a girlie meal. Cheese + Carbs= a girlie meal. If I make this again when my husband is home I will add some grilled chicken.

I used ¼ tsp. of onion powder instead of shallots & it was an easy/cheap substitution. The recipe suggests, in step 2, to heat the sauce for 15-18 minutes for it to thicken, but I would suggest heating it a little bit longer. I would also suggest letting it sit again after you add the cheese so it isn’t too runny (maybe 5-7 minutes).

This dish is beyond delicious- I won’t even tell you how many times I went back for “seconds.” The gorgonzola adds a very bold flavor (not sure if it would be too bold for children or not) that is simply captivating for the taste buds.

Creamy Skillet Penne w/ Mushrooms and Asparagus p. 143

This was good. However it took 50 minutes to cook and I think it probably would have taken longer if I didn't have Daniel help me out in a crunch. I didn't cut up all my veggies so I had him help stir and put some stuff in while I frantically cut up something...don't remember what. I also just didn't have time to mince the garlic so I just crushed it with a garlic masher. So, if you will not have a hubby around to help out in the middle you may want to have everything cut and ready before you start b/c once it gets going it gets going and you keep adding stuff left and right!

I would also add in some cooked chicken breast at the end when adding in the asparagus....just because I like having a protein.

We would make this again but it was an expensive meal b/c the wine was $9 and the porcini mushrooms were $5. So, if you have wine on hand for something else then it won't be quite so much.

But it was good just a lot of work...I would love to know if anyone did it in 30 minutes from start to finish.

oh well, I actually have a pic of this one but it's not letting me put the picture when I hit the button so I'll just post it without....sorry!

Skillet Penne with Sausage & Spinach (page 142)

This was great; my husband went back for seconds & thirds! We decided this tasted like pizza in a bowl; it was perfect for last Friday night. I took Carissa’s advice & added more spinach (about 10oz), used whole wheat rotini noodles (just because Kroger was out of the whole wheat penne noodles), & hot Italian sausage. Definitely read the note on page 36 if you’re going to toast the pine nuts & really pay attention to them; I burnt my first batch so the second batch wasn’t toasted.

Skillet Chili Mac (page 147)

Anne & I joke frequently about how similar we are. Well without previous discussion, we both chose the Skillet Chili Mac as one of our first dishes. Ha! I tried the alternative corn & chili version. I also added ½ tsp red pepper flakes & used habanero cheese. The only thing I would suggest for this recipe, agreeing with Anne, is to decrease step 3; 1 cup of cheese is plenty- there is no need to add a 2nd cup. I would put a bowl of cheese on the table & if someone really wants to add a little more they can, but I think a single cup of cheese was way more than enough. But the recipe was really fast, and I finished within 30 minutes & even had time to unload & reload the dishwasher!