Skillet Macaroni and Cheese Pg. 145

I didn’t time this one, but it was quick and easy. I used a mixture of Colby, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar because that’s what I had in my fridge. I thought it was very good. I cut this recipe in half because there are only two of us and I didn’t want to make too much then not eat it if we hated it. The recipe said to add water if you needed, but I wanted a richer flavor so I added a little extra evaporated milk. It was extremely cheesy to me, but J (the husband) said it didn’t have enough. To be honest I think he was hoping for a more Velveeta-style texture but he said it was good and he would like it again.


I also used salted butter because I didn't read it right. Ohh well!
I would definitely make this again, and maybe even try it with the broccoli and garlic suggestion. We served this with chicken strips and some veggies.
 
BTW- I used an 11" pan for the half recipe.  Just to give you an idea how much that made.

Chili Pg. 84

Last night I made the chili dish. With no prep work or pulling things from my pantry, It took me 40 minutes, I had set the timer out of curiosity. :)

I had never used chilies in adobo sauce, and don’t think I ever would again to me it was a strange sweet with an underlying smokey taste. I would use maybe habenero or something for some kick and flavor rather than the chili in adobo. I also thought the chili was too soupy so I had to add a little flour to thicken it up.

For us, the chili was a little too sweet and the adobo sauce was really all we could taste. We prefer a spicy chili.

With that being said, it wasn’t the worst dish I’ve ever had. In fact, paired with some corn chips, a little cheese and sour cream garnish my husband and I had two bowls. However in the end, my husband asked that I never make this dish again that he was much happier waiting several hours while it cooked in the Crockpot than this quick dish. I ended up throwing the rest of the pot out.

Let's Cook and Blog Ladies! It's time to start our newest cookbook!

Let's Cook and Blog!

I can't wait to see what all you choose to cook and blog about.  I honestly am loving all of the hints and tips to make things go quickly and smoothly in the kitchen. 

For the two recipes I've cooked already, I set the timer for 30 minutes just to see if I could truly cook it all in less than 30 minutes and so far, yes I did!  From the fridge to the table in less than 30 minutes!

I'm hooked! Are you????
Shannon :)

REMINDER: Cook a Book "Rules"

Just thought we'd recap the "rules" we established at the start of this blog.  Of course, if you're just hanging on to see the cool recipes we all cook, you're more than welcome- but for those of us blogging...I thought we could all use a reminder.

==============================================

Welcome to the Project Cook A Book blog! What is this you ask? It's simple: just a group of ladies in need of a little excitement and inspiration in tackling the awesome (and sometimes overwhelming) job of cooking for our families. We all vary in experience and expertise, so don't think you have to be a great chef to join in on the fun.

The plan is to cook through this book (in no particular order) from cover to cover. I know that sounds like quite a challenge, but it will be a journey that we will do together.

We are each going to plan to make two recipes a week. After you make a recipe, come blog about your experience....did your husband like it or spit it out? What changes would you recommend to make this recipe better? In what creative ways did you use your leftovers? How did you make the recipe more figure friendly or healthy? You get the idea, right? You can even ask questions to the group if you need substitution suggestions, or don't understand a recipe. Have fun and take a picture of your food (success or disaster, either one!) and upload it to show off to us!

When you blog about a recipe, please put the name of the recipe in the "title" box so that others can easily search for an entry about a particular recipe. Also, there is a box named "label", (in the bottom right hand corner of each post) for you to fill in the chapter title of the recipe...example: Appetizers, Desserts, etc...

I know some of you are planning on being a part-time chef and blogger with this project and that is totally fine. No one is keeping score--we won't send out the cooking police if you don't get your two recipes a week cooked and served and blogged about! Do your best with the challenge--but most of all, enjoy yourself and have fun with this.

I've heard that quite a few of you are making recipes and not having time to blog about it. That's of course fine- but that's how the rest of us find out what's good and not so good about the recipes. Just a tip from me- I use post it notes to mark the recipes I want to do, and then after cooking them, I write notes on the post it note, and move it further down the side of the page so when I have time to sit and blog, I can quickly see which ones I need to blog about and then move the post it note farther down the side of the page when I'm done. I even find myself removing post it notes of recipes I don't think I'd ever cook again. Just a thought!

If your are ready to be off of this blog, no worries, please just respond and let me know so we'll keep our "blog author list" up to date. If you'd EVER like to get back on, you're more than welcome to! Just email me and we'll get it set up.

And if you ever have friends that want to get started with us, please just have them email me.

Thanks again for participating in Project Cook a Book!
Shannon Boyer and Carissa Robertson

With 55% of the Votes Our Next Cookbook is....

300 Fast and Flavorful Recipes from America’s Most Trusted Test Kitchen

Tired of quick recipes that aren’t really quick or don’t taste very good? While some cookbooks promise 30-minute meals, America’s Test Kitchen delivers. The Best 30-Minute Recipe is packed with more than 300 great-tasting recipes, along with time-saving techniques that will help you become more efficient in the kitchen. You’ll also find honest evaluations of ingredients important to quick cooking, such as chicken broth, preshredded cheese, instant rice, and more. And because the type of equipment you use is important to the success of any recipe—made in 30 minutes or not—we tell you which brands are worth buying.

The Best 30-Minute Recipe features a surprisingly wide range of recipes. You get not only the very best versions of naturally quick dishes like salads and stir-fries, but also quick and easy recipes for typically long-cooking dishes that you’d never even think of making on a weeknight—including meatloaf, lasagna, beef pot pie, and a pad thai so easy that you may never call for takeout again. With efficiency and good taste, The Best 30-Minute Recipe is the time-pressed cook’s guide to getting dinner on the table, night after night.


You can purchase this cookbook from Amazon at the link below. It's even eligible for super saver shipping!

http://www.amazon.com/30-Minute-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/0936184981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296847807&sr=8-1-spell

Lets give us all about 3 weeks to get the cookbook ordered and aim to start cooking our first recipes the week of March 1st. 

Since this cookbook has 300 recipes, we'll give ourselves a bit longer to work through it- but try your best to get AT LEAST 2 recipes cooked and blogged about each week.

Get ready to start cooking and blogging!
Shannon

Want to Receive Email Updates From This Blog?

A few of you have mentioned that you would like to receive email updates when someone posts a new blog.  I think I've figured it out! 

Find this box on the right side of the blog main page that looks like this.

If you put your email in there, you SHOULD start receiving an email when a new blog is posted.
Please let me know if it isn't working :)

Enjoy!
Shannon

Go Vote! For Our New Cookbook

I hope I compiled an okay list of 5 cookbooks for you to choose from- you all had SO many great options! We won't have to do another list of ideas next time around :)

Please go vote for the cookbook you'd like to do.  I'll take the poll down on Friday, February 4th and announce a winner this weekend!

Here are the links to the cookbooks in the poll:

1. Bobby Flay's Throwdown
2. Cook's Illustrated 30 minute meals
3. A Junior League Cookbook- This one is the Baton Rouge River Road Recipes
4. Martha Foose, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea
5. Sarah Moultons Everyday Family Meals

Go Vote!