Roasted Potatoes with Green Pesto Sauce

Chicken pot pies were on tap for tonight and as you can tell by the title of this entry that didn't happen. I planned on making pot pies plus the potatoes until I got started and realized I didn't have two key ingredients for the pot pies and that I was going to need a lot of oven time at two different temperatures. So...I decided to make the one where I had all the ingredients. The pesto sauce was incredibly tasty and I liked the idea of having "green juice" and pine nuts as the base. On an honest note, I've never roasted potatoes before. I found a recipe online that seemed easy enough and then I read the first review about how to make it even better. I went with that option (minus the herbs because of the pesto). Yum.

Pesto pre-blend

Pesto

Things I learned from this recipe:

I don't have two ovens. :(

Pesto keeps getting better.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely.

Potato recipe

Pesto recipe

 

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

I love a dessert that can also be breakfast. I have been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time but was a little hesitant to make a bundt cake in early January. I've had positive experiences with baking thus far and thought it was finally time. I started this recipe on Thursday but I didn't really get to taste it until Friday, hence the late post. I went with the full cooking time and really enjoyed it having a crusty outer layer. Unfortunately I had a little mishap with the glaze...It looks better now, but I didn't quite have enough lemon juice so it ended up a little thick.

It fits!

Pre-glaze

Glaze

Things I learned from this recipe:

I have a 12c bundt pan! I crossed my fingers hoping it was the right size.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe...it used A LOT of sugar.

The recipe

Glazed Chili Tofu with Ramen

We were up at 7am today to get ready for the Seahawks Super Bowl parade. It monopolized our day and we didn't end up eating lunch until 2:45pm which meant I didn't feel like eating dinner until 8pm. I'm not going to make it a habit to post non-food related photos, but for this day, I can't resist. That is Russell Wilson holding the Lombardi Trophy. Proud day for Seattle!

We waited hours in 20 degree weather for that moment. I was happy I had ramen planned for dinner. As I said before, ramen is quick and easy and there really is no wrong variation.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Don't forget the spinach!

It seems there might be a difference between firm and extra firm tofu.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe. I've got so many variations of ramen that I'm not sure I need this one, but I did like the broth.

The recipe

Spicy Sesame Scallops

I think this might have been the easiest meal yet. I chose rice (cooked/frozen) and steamed green beans with ginger to compliment the scallops. I am not the biggest scallop fan but I liked the sauce and they cooked really well broiled. Not much else to say other than a good meal in about 15 minutes - can't beat that.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I cooked it for two minutes past what was recommended because I didn't see any char from the sauce.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe

Vegetable Enchiladas

I really was not in the mood to cook tonight even though I already had everything I needed to make this. For some reason earlier in the day I had thought the recipe wasn't going to turn out. I have no idea why, but I think that added to me having no motivation at 6pm so I didn't start cooking until 7pm. Putting it all together was fairly easy and I went with the 9x13 baking option instead of the six individual ones. The first thing we noticed after taking a bite is that it was spicy hot. The only thing that could have made it hot was the enchilada sauce. And guess what? I accidentally bought picante hot instead of mild, medium or even hot. Thank goodness my palate tolerates heat more or else the meal would've been horrible. As it turns out, it was pretty tasty.

pre-bake

Things I learned from this recipe:

Check the cook time! We didn't start eating until 8pm because I didn't finish reading the recipe. Didn't I say I was going to work on reading the whole recipe through before starting?

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely, and I would invite some people over to share in all its glory.

The recipe