Weekend Review wk#6 (5/20/2011)

Wow this week has flown by!! I've found my husband's new favorite dish and some that will find their way to the trash! Let me know what you thought!!

Barbecue Chicken Dinner Packets: The recipe said they would bake up in about 20 minutes... uh no try 45+!! Still the potatoes were not completely cooked. Too much barbecue sauce for me, it was almost soupy. However, when I warmed up the leftovers I simply took out the potatoes, drained some sauce off the top, sliced the chicken and slid it into a warm pita, topped with a little more cheddar cheese. Now that was yummy!!

Smoky Buffalo-Style Chicken or Turkey Chili Bowls: This dish was one I almost passed on, boy am I glad I didn't!! We used ground Turkey for a change, it literally only took me about 30 minutes to make, start to finish. I omitted the blue cheese crumbles because it's a high calorie cheese and I just don't like them!! I didn't have any pepper jack so I used a Mexican blend I had in the fridge. It had just enough heat to require a glass of milk and a sweat/snot rag, but not so hot that you can't breath (unless you try to inhale while swallowing!!).  We shared this with some friends who agreed this was an amazing dish with great flavor!! Oh I'll be fixing more of this to freeze for a good cool day this fall when I don't feel like (or have time to) fixing anything but want something hearty and filling.... sigh..... we had no leftovers!!



Cheesy Beef- Corn Chip Skillet: This was quite simply a glorified taco salad/ chili cheese nacho dish. Very simply (10 minute total time) with a simple taste. Ehhhh, it wasn't inedible, just not excited about it at all. Th Velveta cheese was too thick and bland. But then again after eating the chili it's hard to get excited about a taco salad!!

Creamsicle Cupcakes: For all you non-chocolate sweet lovers to those of you looking for a quick escape down memory lane, this is the treat for you!! One of my favorite childhood memories as a child was going down to SC to spend time with my grandparents during the summer. After bath time my Nana would set me outside on the back porch swing (to let my hair dry in the breeze) with a orange creamsicle to keep me occupied, you know the orange sherbert popsicles on a stick filled with yummy vanilla ice cream?!?! So yummy and yet that was the only place I ate them! Anyway, I followed the recipe to the letter and they overflowed their cups so I had to trim the excess off so they didn't look like something from a freaky horror movie! The icing is very thin so be sure to let it chill before putting on the cupcakes. I ended up putting mine in a ziplock bag to apply it easier. Where the cupcakes overflowed they ended up having a nice well in the center for the icing. This is a great treat of a kids sleepover or a potluck. Easy but they taste like you spent all day making them!! And did I mention how cute they are?? But beware, these are very VERY rich....