CEIMB: Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes

The week's recipe of Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes was chosen by Pamela of Cookies with Boys. This was one of the recipes I was eyeing a few weeks back when it was my turn to choose the sacred recipe of the week. While it sounded good, I just couldn't decide how I felt about shrimp and feta together. I love them each separately...but together???? I really was not sure. Well let me tell you that shrimp and feta are FABULOUS together! I absolutely loved this recipe and it was so so easy to whip together on a week night. I stopped off at Publix on the way home to grab some shrimp and feta and I was good to go.

As to the actual recipe, I only used one can of tomatoes instead of the two cans called for. In place of the other can of tomatoes I used about 1.5-2 Tablespoons of tomato paste, 3/4 to a cup of white wine and then just a splash of water to ensure that there was enough sauce. Also, I used dried dill and parsley instead of fresh herbs. I reduced the amount of herbs, but really though the dried herbs along with the tomato paste gave the dish a really deep flavor. I was torn over whether to serve the shrimp over pasta or crusty bread. I decided on making a little bit of both and they were both great!! I liked the linguine because it added substance to the dish. The buttery crusty bread was great for soaking up all the tomato sauce and feta!

Thanks Pamela for picking a fabulous recipe this week! This is definitely something I will make again and again!!

CEIMB -Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

The recipe this week was chosen by Jessica of Johnstone's Vin Blanc. This recipe was very easy to make and very yummy!! I am usually not a fan of chicken thighs, but I found some skinless, boneless thighs and decided to give them a try. I also cooked a boneless chicken breast in case I didn't like the thighs. I love, loved the marinade. It was so easy to make and the chicken was so flavorful after sitting in the marinade for about an hour. I was a little worried about broiling the chicken since the broiler in my oven is about 2 inches from the flame!!! Yikes! No worries though, the chicken cooked very quickly and turned out great. I definitely liked the boneless chicken breast better than the chicken thighs. Thanks for picking a great recipe this week. I will definitely make this again and again!!

CEIMB - Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This week Cathy of The Tortefeasor chose Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip! Great pick for Superbowl weekend. However, I am such a slacker this week and did not have time to make this recipe. I have been in Delaware all week tromping through the snow and didn't get around to cooking anything this week.

Cathy and I work together and hands down, Cathy is the funniest person I have ever met. Seriously, if you are not laughing by the time you finish reading any one of her blog posts, something is seriously wrong with you! Cathy, I am so sorry I am such a slacker this week. I will have to bring you cookies and a various assortment of cooking items to make this one up to you!

I hope everyone enjoyed the recipe!

CEIMB - Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

Well I am so excited because this week 's recipe was chosen by none other than moi! I feel like I just joined the CEIMB blog...so picking the recipe is a BIG DEAL! I picked the sage-rubbed pork chops with warm apple slaw because I have been eyeing the recipe just about every time I open up the cookbook. I had made a version of the pork chops before and thought they were fabulous, but I had never made the pork chops and the slaw together. And I must say...I was not disappointed. So, what did everyone think about the pork chops??? I can't wait to read and find out!

Overall, the pork chops were great. The slaw was good...but next time, I would probably go back to just making the pork chops....or maybe I could alter the slaw recipe a bit.

I did however, think that this recipe was really good and very easy to make. There are definitely a couple things I would change, but they are very minor things. Mostly, I wish I would have waited to add the apples until closer to the end so that they remained firm...and not completely disintegrated in the sauce. You think I would have thought about this when I was cooking on Sunday...but after making veggie soup and a ham and spinach quiche...apparently I was tired of cooking! Dare I say such thing on a cooking blog?!?! Please fellow bloggers, do not disown me. Or maybe I had been brainwashed by the cats...because they were much more interested in the pork than the slaw! I guess we will go with the former.
I hope everyone enjoyed this recipe! I sure did. Thanks for letting me be a part of the CEIMB blog! Its so much fun cooking with everyone each week!

CEIMB - Chicken Cacciatore

This week's recipe of chicken cacciatore was chosen by Peggy of Pantry Revisited. Peggy and I work together so I was super excited about fixing a recipe that one of our own picked! Well after hearing that this recipe was a little bit bland as fixed per the recipe, I had to figure out a way to spice things up. So, instead of regular tomatoes, I used Rotel tomatoes. After all, Rotel tomatoes may be my favorite canned food item...ever.



The can of Rotel wasn't quite as large as the recipe called for, so I added a bit of tomato paste for some extra flavor. Also, I used baby bella mushrooms instead of white mushrooms. Otherwise, I essentially followed the recipe -- shocking, I know! Well, actually I slightly reduced the amount of red pepper flakes. I didn't want the chicken to be too spicy to eat!

While the rotel made the dish a little bit spicy, I thought it gave the cacciatore a great flavor. It definitely wasn't bland. Thanks Peggy for picking a GREAT, hearty recipe that was easy to make on a weeknight. I really like it, as did the cats, so I will definitely be making this recipe again.

CEIMB - Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate

Let me start out by saying hands down this is the best CEIMB recipe that I have made so far! Seriously, I absolutely loved it. This week's recipe of Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate was chosen by Amanda of Beckett Bakes It.

I substituted filets for a whole beef tenderloin (mostly because that was all Publix had and I refuse to go to multiple grocery stores for a weeknight meal!) Also, I only put 1 tsp of the cocoa powder in the sauce instead of the called for 1 TBS. The sauce was already so good, so I didn't want to spoil it with the cocoa.

Overall, the recipe was very easy to make. I let my sauce cook for about an hour and a half and it had barely reduced, so it was probably a bit runnier than the recipe envisioned. Also, I followed the internal temperature guidelines in the recipe and it resulted in much closer to well done beef than medium rare. Good thing I had the sauce!

Thanks Amanda for choosing a GREAT recipe! I am so glad I made the recipe this week!

CEIMB Fried Rice

You like fried rice? I like fried rice. This week's recipe was Tofo and Edamame Fried Rice chosen by Running with Food. I made a few substitutions with the recipe. I substituted chicken for the tofu. Also, I left out the corn and added carrots instead. I thought the fried rice tasted great--but I managed to cook my rice too long.

After all the traveling over the last week I still haven't really got my head back on strait. So, I completely missed the part of the recipe that said to cook the edamame according to package directions. Of course I realized this only after I added the edamame to the pan full of browning garlic, ginger, green onions, etc. So, to make sure the edamame actually got cooked, I dumped the rice on top of it and let it steam for a few minutes. This worked to get the edamame cooked, but resulted in somewhat mushy rice. Maybe the rice would have been mushy anyways...who knows. I'm not really a fan of rice so I rarely cook it. Maybe brown rice is always a bit mushy??? Thoughts?

Thanks for picking a great recipe that was really easy to make on a weeknight!

Oh, and I almost forgot. The answers to the questions from last week and new questions.

Answers:
Question No. 1 - Biscotti (I thought this one was a dead giveaway since we made biscotti last week!)
Question No. 2 - Cornstarch
Question No. 3 - 3 Tablespoons

New Questions.
Question No. 4 - What "pizza herb" has a peppery flavor and a hint of pine?

Question No. 5 - What course follows the salad course and is served before the dessert in European-style dining?

Question No. 6 - What category of nutrient has the most calories per gram - fat carbohydrate, protein or alcohol?