Spaghetti w/Fresh Pesto

by Irene Lindvall

I was supposed to make this for dinner last night, but it didn't happen so it made a nice light lunch for today. It definitely felt like it took awhile to make, but it was worth it. I liked the addition of hard-boiled eggs on top and the pesto was delicious. The secret ingredient was the fresh lemon juice on top. Many recipes called for a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice at the end and I'm really understanding the importance of it.

Side note: I've started chopping, cutting, and slicing without looking down. Instead I read the recipe to find out the next step. Terrifying and amazing at the same time.

Things I learned from this recipe:

The tip on adding toasted baguettes is a good one and I'm sad I didn't do it, but it would've been too much for lunch.

I haven't made a bad pesto yet.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

Best-Ever Chinese Chicken Salad

by Irene Lindvall

I am really not a fan of recipes that start with "Best-Ever" but I really liked the sounds of this one. I liked that it told me to use fresh oranges instead of canned mandarins and added some fresh veggies like asparagus and avocado. We made this for lunch today and Eric was a huge help. I didn't get home until 2:30pm so it was a really late lunch. I used rotisserie chicken to speed things up and Eric made the dressing while I was cooked the asparagus. He says he had the most work to do making the dressing. I laughed because he finally realized how long it takes to grate a minimal amount of fresh ginger. 

We really like this filling salad except for the asparagus. Eric is not really a fan at all and I tolerate them, but it didn't do much for the salad. I think edamame or green beans or even cucumbers would be a nice substitute, but otherwise the dish was delicious and the dressing perfectly spicy.

Things I learned from this recipe:

This dressing would be great for many other dishes.

Any time of dried Asian noodles would work for this dish.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes, minus the asparagus.

The recipe

Herbed Potato Salad

by Irene Lindvall

The weather was so beautiful today it felt like we should have grilled burgers. Earlier in the day as I was digging through my recipes I found this one for potato salad and it sounded good for a nice sunny day, and it just so happens that burgers go well with potato salad. Nothing to big to report about this recipe other than it's decent. We prefer the "not-overly-mayonaise-y" type of potato salad and this definitely fits that bill. I cooked the potatoes for 16.5 minutes, made the dressing while they were cooking, and let everything chill while the burgers were on the grill.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I have never used the steamer basket for potatoes. Super easy, super tasty, and much better than boiling.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe. I thought it was pretty good, but not as great as my Weight Watchers recipe with turkey bacon. Also, Eric didn't get for the mustard flavor.

The recipe

Chicken Bonne Femme

by Irene Lindvall

This is recipe two for tonight since I had to skip last night, and this chicken was also fantastic! I felt like this was going to be a fancy dish. Maybe it's the name? Maybe because it makes me think of Julia Child? It required a lot of steps, a good deal of monitoring, and it smelled great. All of this usually equals a really great dish and we were not disappointed. The dish is really quite easy to make and I was able to make the salad while the chicken was cooking, but it really does take about 45 minutes to cook.  Other than the time, no complaints. We had a really great dinner!

Things I learned from this recipe:

I thought hot sauce was an interesting ingredient in this recipe. I used sriracha, but in retrospect I wonder if Tobasco sauce was more the flavor they had in mind. I will definitely try the recipe again with a different hot sauce.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe: America's Test Kitchen cookbook

Parsley and Mozzarella Salad

by Irene Lindvall

This salad is SO good! Eric kept saying he expected the flavors to be basil instead of parsley every time he took a bite because that is more traditional, but he ended up really liking this salad. I think I fell in love with it. I love the flavor of flat-leaf parsley (not to mention fresh-cut from my deck) and I really liked the unexpected addition of green onions. Everything about the salad was great, especially the fresh ingredients and how quickly this salad can be made.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I have an expensive balsamic vinegar and used it for this salad, and truly believe it enhanced the flavors of this salad.

The recipe didn't say to, but it should've said to core the tomatoes because I thought it was a little runny otherwise.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe