Recipe Swap Roundup - Easy Weeknight Meals

If you're anything like me, you love cooking but sometimes find yourself pressed for time. Especially during the week. The need for delicious but easy weeknight meals prompted me to choose Easy Weeknight Meals as the theme for the second recipe swap.

Melissa made Bacon, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pasta:


I made Green Chile Cheeseburgers, which we loved and I can't wait to make again:


Lisa thought the Crabmeat Primavera Pasta needed a few tweaks:


Brianna loved her recipe for Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Kalamata Olives & Capers:


Kate enjoyed the flavors and ease of her recipe for Spicy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps:


Jill and her husband loved her recipe for Balsamic Glazed Chicken (or “Sticky Chicken”) so much they made it three times before the swap results were posted:


Delia had a traditional English dish, Bubble and Squeak:


Christine added some vegetables to her recipe for Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake to make it a complete meal:


Melissa loved her recipe for Beef Au Jus Sandwiches, a perfect way to spice up deli meat:


Heather really enjoyed the fresh taste of her recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup:


Jey's recipe for Roasted Vegetables with Lentils and Crispy Chickpeas was not only delicious, it was beautiful on the plate:


Lisa made a dish called Acapulco Delight, which layered corn tortillas, meat with seasonings and salsa, beans, and sour cream:


Cassie loved the light, fresh flavors of Spaghetti al Limone with Shrimp:


Katie made another perfect spring dish, Chicken Bruschetta:


Carrie had a comfort food classic, Tuna Casserole:

Recipe Swap Roundup - Chicken

The recipe swap blog roundups seem to be popular, so I thought I'd go back and compile them for the previous swaps. The theme for the first swap I did on my cooking board was chicken. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken. It's such a versatile ingredient but I tend to make it the same way over and over again.

Katie's recipe was Chicken with Artichokes and Feta:


Lisa went way out of her comfort zone with Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Florentine:


My recipe was Indian Chicken Curry and we absolutely loved it:


Heather was thrilled with her recipe for Chicken Cacciatore:


Rachel's recipe for Honey-Balsamic Chicken had only a handful of ingredients but packed a powerful flavor punch:


Kristin modified her recipe to make Chicken Puttanesca Wrapped in Parchment:


Kylee swapped out a few ingredients to put her own spin on Stuffed Chicken Rollettes:


Melissa had one of my favorite recipes, Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas:


Kimmi's picky eater family loved the French Onion Chicken Casserole:


Jey made Orange Chicken Packets:


Jill put her own spin on another one of my favorite chicken recipes, Crunchy Sesame Chicken Tenders:


Tyler's recipe for Chicken with Green Olives, Black Beans and Saffron Rice was a big hit:

Burger Friday - BBQ Bacon Burger

With the warm weather coming I decided I wasn't thrilled with the idea of cranking my oven to 550 degrees for an hour or more to make pizza for Pizza Fridays. We weren't huge fans of grilled pizza, but I wanted something that was as versatile as pizza. Enter the burger. Not only are there thousands of toppings for burgers, you can switch up the meat as well. Perfect.


My first Burger Friday burger was a BBQ Bacon Burger. I always keep the burger meat simple - just a little salt and pepper - and let the toppings dictate the flavors. I mixed BBQ sauce and mayo together to slather on the bun, cooked some bacon and had SP melt slices of sharp cheddar cheese on my burger during the last few minutes of cooking. Everything was layered on a toasted bun and dinner was served.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Asian

The theme for this week's recipe swap on the cooking board was Asian recipes. They could be from any country in Asia and didn't need to be authentic, just tasty. There were a lot of delicious recipes submitted and I have to admit to some swap envy. I'll definitely be making some of these soon.

Jey took her recipe for Korean Short Ribs and made it into Korean Short Rib Tacos with Quick Pickled Radish and Pear:



MaryEllen is no stranger to Asian cooking and her recipe for Kung Pao Chicken made a quick and tasty weeknight meal:


Caitlin didn't have beef on hand the night she planned to make her recipe, so she subbed chicken thighs to make Orange Teriyaki Chicken with Noodles:


The Cookaholic Wife was very excited to participate in the Asian swap because she isn't able to get good Chinese takeout where she lives. Her recipe for Chicken Fried Rice really hit the spot:


Inna's recipe for Asian Grilled Salmon with Coconut Rice was one of the recipes I was lusting over when it was submitted. Her whole family loved it, which makes me even more anxious to get it on the menu ASAP.


Jaida had another of the recipes I had been hoping to get in the swap - Seared Wasabi-Sesame Tuna with Avocado Cream & Maple Soy Sauce. The name alone had me drooling. She proclaimed it a big hit.


Jill got to try something new with her recipe for Asian Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp:


Heather recreated one of her favorite restaurant appetizers at home with Vegetable Tempura:


Melissa was thrilled to have the chance to make Thai food at home and really enjoyed her recipe for Tom Yum Soup:


Nicole enjoyed her recipe for Chicken Lettuce Wraps so much she made them twice in one week:


Kate made a few changes to the recipe I submitted for Thai Chicken Curry, but the result was just as delicious as the original:


Katie's recipe for Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken was a hit with her family:


My recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp was easy, delicious and gorgeous to look at:

Fried Oreos

This weekend we went to a street fair. While we were walking around I noticed someone carrying a plate with what looked like fried Oreos. I've always wanted to try them so we went over to the food court and got some to share.


They came six to an order and looked like they were coated in funnel cake batter. Yum!


Unfortunately they weren't fried to order so the batter and Oreos were lukewarm at best. They were good, but I know they would have been better piping hot.

Recipe Swap - Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Want to see what other recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Asian Recipe Swap Roundup.

Asian was the theme for this week's recipe swap on my cooking board. I was thrilled to get this recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp from Lisa. We both love Thai food but I rarely make it at home.


We really enjoyed the flavors of this dish, which I served over basmati rice, but we agreed that it needed vegetables to round out the meal. Our favorite Thai restaurant serves their red curry with onion, peppers, asparagus (in season), green beans, and a few others I'm forgetting. I think the addition of those would really make this perfect. You can also serve the curry with any protein - chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu or just a ton of vegetables.

One note: I doubled the sauce recipe for two reasons - one because I didn't want to waste half a can of coconut milk and because we love eating rice with the extra sauce.


Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
Modified from Skinny Taste

1 tablespoon oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 big cloves garlic, minced
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on high heat. Pat shrimp dry, season with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until they just turn pink, then remove to a plate. Reduce heat to medium-high, add more oil if the pan looks dry, then add scallion whites, red curry paste and garlic. Sauté one minute. Add coconut milk, and fish sauce and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, then return shrimp to the pan and coat with the sauce. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and cilantro. Serve over basmati rice.

Easter Lunch

I love big holiday dinners because I get to do these long posts with lots of photos of the delicious food we ate. This was our Easter spread and it didn't disappoint. The only thing missing is the ham; for some reason I didn't take a photo of it, which is a shame because it was really good.

In addition to the asparagus with tomato and feta, which I did as a separate post, I made deviled eggs:


My mom made her wonderful potato salad:


... and dyed eggs in various colors.


We had olives as a quick nosh while the asparagus was cooking:


Rye bread is a staple at our Easter celebration:


Spicy, smoky kielbasa paired nicely with the ham:


My stepgrandmother made a salad:


And for dessert - cheesecake:


... with raspberry sauce made from fresh raspberries.