Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder

A couple weeks ago (I know, I'm slacking here), I cooked Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder. This is a slower cooker dish, so I use the term 'cook' lightly. What I mostly did was throw stuff in a pot and turn it on:) This was one of our favorites! I'm making it again this week and we are really looking forward to it. I omitted the optional Chinese five-spice since I'd never had it, but the recipe definitely has enough taste without it. In these cold winter months, comfort food has taken on an additional role for me. It's no longer just a dish that reminds me of good times or good feeling, such as mashed potatoes or grilled cheese with tomato soup. It also now means less work (because it's hard to move around in bulky sweaters) along with that hot meal. During the summer, comfort food will likely turn into a comforting cold drink:) Anyway, this recipe is highly recommended and no changes necessary!

Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

Tonight, we tried Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens, a light vegetarian dish. Even though the recipe called for both Brie and Parmesan, it just wasn't cheesy enough for me. BUT, it still tasted good. Since I'm a total carnivore, I think in the future I'll make this as a side dish. That said, it is very filling as well. My picture of the dish has more green than the one on the Real Simple site--I think it's because I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh. Bottom line--if you're like me, you'll need to add more cheese but I definitely recommend it!

Turkey and Bean Chili

Tonight, it was Turkey and Bean Chili...and the only thing the recipe was missing was cheddar cheese-which was promptly heaped into my bowl once the picture was snapped! I used plain yogurt in lieu of the sour cream. I generally do this when a recipe calls for sour cream and it's a nice healthier alternative that tastes quite the same. I try to make up for the extra cheese somehow:) Great dish for a cold winter night, although my hubby said it could use more chili powder, so next time I'll add more 'heat' to it.

Baked Ravioli with Chicken Sausage

Tonight, I made Baked Ravioli with Chicken Sausage and this is definitely going to be a weeknight favorite. I happen to like meals that just go into the oven--that's usually when I get around to washing the dishes:) It's reminiscent of lasagna, but so much easier. Of course, I've never actually made lasagna so I'm not speaking from experience...yet. So, I'm renaming this dish Poor Man's Lasagna. The only changes I made to the recipe were that I used sweet Italian chicken sausage, and included 4 links, not just 2. The rest of the ingredients did just fine with the extra meat, although you can always add in more sauce if that's your bag. I'm looking forward to making this in bigger batches for family dinners.

Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon With Spinach and Peppers

Last night, I made Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon with Spinach and Peppers. This recipe only takes 20 minutes and it was very easy to follow. Overall, I liked it very much, but there are a few things I'd change about it:

• I actually only picked up a 10 oz bag of spinach instead of the 12 cups the recipe called for and it was plenty.



• The glaze was too faint for me--I really liked the taste and I wanted more of it! Next time I will definitely double it for the glaze and have extra to add after cooking.



• This is definitely a low-carb meal and it actually didn't even occur to me to have a starch until I sat down to eat (I think I was too hungry to think). Next time, I'll make a side of rice and toss it with the extra honey-soy sauce I'll be making.



• Had some leftovers today and it still tasted good--but the ginger must have sunken into the spinach more, because it was much stronger today. Something to keep in mind if ginger ain't your favorite spice girl.

Irresistible Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am starting off with these Irresistible Chocolate Chip Cookies from the August 2007 issue since we're snowed in and I had all of the ingredients on hand. Plus, I am constantly craving chocolate chip cookies. They were extremely quick and easy to make. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. It's the first time I've baked chocolate chip cookies and the first words out of my mouth when I took my first bite were "it's a damn good cookie". However, I was able to stop at 5, so I'm not sure I'd call them irresistible.