Dinners 3 to 6

I am lagging behind on telling you about our dinners on our own!

I wrote about Dinners 1 and 2 with some projections for what was coming up. Those got changed since I wasn't feeling well when I got home on Thursday. We got Chinese take-out (#3). We had the salmon dish on Friday and it was really yummy, although I overdid the parsley - way too much! The salmon cooked perfectly and the potatoes and mushrooms had a great fall flavor. We'll definitely make it again, especially because it was really quick (#4).

On Saturday, I was successful in making my mom's chili (#5). This is one of those recipes that produces different results every time. I have made it often enough that I didn't use a recipe at all, and this batch was really yummy. I served it over freshly baked corn bread (from a box mix) and since we didn't have normal cheddar, I grated sharp white cheddar over it. Sharp white has more flavor than regular cheddar, so given a choice I'd go with the normal stuff to avoid overshadowing the flavor of the chili. I should also note that my chili balances meat, beans and veggies. I ordered chili in England once and was very confused when they brought out a bowl of ground beef and no beans in sight. Mad-cow, anyone?

I did some more recipe research online over the weekend and discovered a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Donald had been craving Indian food and I didn't want to go out and spend money, so this was a compromise. It ended up being really yummy (#6). I over-seasoned the chicken, so the cumin taste ended up really strong, so be careful with that. Donald said we could make it for his parents sometime, a real compliment.

Tonight we're having dinner out with Donald's brother, although I don't know where we're going yet. Tomorrow night we're finally having the pasta with sausage and broccoli dish. And then the in-laws return!

Oh, I also made the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies again that I posted about here. This time, I gave Donald one just out of the oven, still gooey in the middle, and he moaned. I nearly dropped a pan of raw cookie dough. When he told me the cookies were nearly as good as sex with me, I took it as a compliment. Wouldn't you?