Crescent Roll Taco Pizza

Sometimes I look for a recipe based on what I've had in the freezer too long.  I had some ground turkey I needed to cook up so I thought I'd give this recipe a try.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210121138840584023/

I had a few minor issues making this.  I don't like using metal cooking pans as they have a tendency to rust on me when I wash them, so I used a glass casserole dish instead.  I have no idea if this influenced the way this cooked or not, I don't really think so.  Two containers of crescent rolls was a little too much, I had some left over so I layered the extra on some areas that seemed a bit thin. Also, the ingredients list included a small jalepeno pepper but the instructions never indicated where it should go so I stuck it in with the ground turkey after it was done browning.  I also added a little extra cheese on the top, just because I love cheesy toppings.  I thought this turned out pretty good.  I should have let it sit a little while before dishing out the first serving as it fell apart when I scooped it out.  The jalapeno gave it a pretty good kick and the crescent roll crust was really good.  The calorie count on this is pretty low and it has enough variety of ingredients for good flavor so I think I would try this one again.  It was fast and easy to make.

My finished result

Eggs in a Basket/Eggs in a Hole

I've wanted to try making this for a long time. 
 http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210121138840420030/
I did try it a year or two ago but it didn't turn out because I used sandwich bread and it was too thin and flimsy.  I picked up some whole loaves this time so I could slice it as thick as I wanted.  I went with whole wheat even though the recipe calls for white (I'm not a white bread kinda girl).

I had a bit or burning around the crust of my bread.  Not sure if that's because of the bread I chose or because of the heat or time I spent cooking.  It didn't burn so bad that it wasn't eatable or taste bad.
I chose not to use brown sugar so I'm not sure if it would have been better or worse with it.  I've seen a few other recipes that are slightly different and I might try those eventually.  I'm glad I tried this but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.

Greek Chicken & Vegetable Ragout

I made this one before the new year but the meals are lasting me a few days in, so here we go...

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210121138840551332/

This was a nice and easy recipe to make. I had some chicken thighs in the freezer so I went with it. The only modifications I made were that I had bone-in thighs and I used lemon flavored wine instead of regular wine and lemon juice. I don't know that it made much of a difference in the end taste. Just be careful when reheating this as the potatoes got a lot hotter than everything else and I ended up burning my mouth. Here is a photo of my results:

Just make sure you have plenty of dill. I didn't take a look at the quantity needed (1/3 cup is quite a lot) and was fortunate to have enough on hand. Give this one a go. It's good!! Great meal to warm you in the Winter months.

New Year's Resolution

I don't always make New Year's resolutions. They always seemed kind of dumb to me. If you want to do something, just do it. You don't need to issue a proclamation about it. That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with goals or projects. Last year, I decided I was going to make at least one new, healthy recipe every week. I pretty much stuck with it and, I have to say, I do feel a small sense of accomplishment for doing so. I called it a New Year resolution but really it was just a lifestyle change to try to eat more healthy. I hope to keep this up into and through 2015. Many of the recipes I found this past year, I found on Pinterest. If I didn't find them there, chances were good I pinned them there for storage and future reference. I didn't get into Pinterest at first, it just didn't interest me as much as more of the interactive social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. But I've come to find it is very handy for finding obscure tips. I was just reminded of something I'd found on there. I recently bought some cara cara oranges and I've been bringing them with me to work for a post meal snack/palate cleanser. The problem is, they're very hard to peel and very messy. Then I remembered seeing a post on Pinterest that said you should cut off both ends and cut a straight line between the two and, voila!!, the orange would unfold neatly and you could pluck your slices right off the inside of the peel. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210121138840499022/ Yeah, not so much. Pinterest fail. This might work for regular navel oranges but, alas, my cara cara's were just as messy and hard to peel as usual. That's when I decided what I would do for the upcoming year. I intend to get my recipes, my DIY, and various other tips and tricks from Pinterest and see how it goes to live my year via a virtual bulletin board. So, follow along for some good tips and tricks but stick in there for the awful and amusing failures.