Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

Dinner last night was the Dream Dinners Creamy Chicken Chipotle Ravioli. I expected this to have a decent kick, but it was really rather mediocre. It wasn't bad, but I had numerous problems with it. Many of the ravioli split open either while cooking or while being drained. The sauce was pretty bland, not spicy like expected and like implied by the name. It required using two pots, one to cook the ravioli, one to heat the sauce, plus a strainer, so it added a lot of dishes. I did like that it was ready in no time, as the longest part of preparing it was waiting for the water to boil!  Creamy Chicken Chipotle Ravioli  We had enough chicken and sauce left after our meal that I packaged it in a container and tossed it in the freezer. It'll be a quick, inexpensive meal this winter, when paired with pasta, when there's not much else in the house. Either that or I'll cook it while Mac is out hunting in Wyoming, since I typically either rely on skillet meals...

I prepared the Dream Dinners Terracotta Chicken with Pita and Hummus for dinner last night. I served it with broccoli with cheese sauce. It was very easy to prepare. I simply wrapped the pitas in foil, placed them in the oven, which was heated to 350, and then cooked the chicken breasts in olive oil for a few minutes on each side. I did add the extra marinade to the skillet, rather than discarding it, as I figured it would add a bit of extra flavor. Once the chicken was cooked, and the pitas were heated, I cut them, according to the directions. I spread hummus on the pita quarters. Terracotta Chicken with Pita and Hummus The chicken had a very nice, spicy, complex flavor, and the pitas were warm and soft from the oven. The only problem we had with the meal was that served as directed, we didn't experience all of the flavors of the meal in each bite. After a few bites though, Mac and I both decided that the next time I prepare these, we're going to cut the chicken into s...

Between work and Cobaka last week, I didn't get a chance to cook as much as I'd hoped. I was in the office this morning for a few hours, and then had errands to run before a Dress for Success Professional Women's Group Community Action Project meeting. I needed to pick up dog food this week or next, and in addition to a $3 coupon, plus a coupon for a free can of cat food, PetSmart was having a friends and family sale, so I could save an extra 15%. I shop at Petco, but they accept PetSmart coupons, so it all worked out well. After the meeting, I stopped at Weis, and picked up my WeisIShop order. That was a disaster, and I'm extremely disappointed. It took 20 minutes, portions of the order were incorrect, omitted, and the produce was substandard. However, I needed to go grocery shopping, and since I wanted to watch the Steelers game, I opted to order everything online, pay $5, and have them actually do the shopping. They're going to get a phone call tomorrow, becau...

At our last Dream Dinners visit, I was asked if I would be willing to try a test recipe. Basically, they prepare it, following very detailed instructions about measurements and such, and then people take it home, at no cost, and cook it at home, like a normal Dream Dinners meal, and then take a short survey about it afterwards. There is a requirement that you must prepare it within 14 days. My recipe was Un-stuffed Pork Chops. Looking at the list of test recipes, I'm very excited for some of them, and hope they did well in the test! For the Un-stuffed Pork Chops, I formed stuffing into 3, tightly pressed sections, and placed it on a greased baking sheet. I then melted butter (provided) in a skillet, and cooked the pork chops for 2 minutes on each side, then placed them on top of the stuffing. I then placed that in a pre-heated oven, cooked it for 12 minutes, and heated a mushroom sauce in the skillet. The mushroom sauce was to be heated until it started to thicken, but mine w...

I prepared the Dream Dinners Turkey Scaloppini with Capers for dinner last night. It was very easy to prepare, as I simply heated olive oil in a skillet, browned both sides of the turkey cutlets, and then added the sauce, brought it to a boil, and then allowed it to simmer for a few minutes. It was another meal that was prepared in 20-30 minutes, which I love! It had an interesting taste, but the flavor was easily brushed off of the turkey, as it didn't penetrate and soak through the entire cutlet. I served it with broccoli with cheese sauce, in part because it was the only veggie I could find in our freezer! I've not gone grocery shopping in quite a while, and it is starting to become obvious that I should take care of that soon! Mac and I agreed that the next time this appears on the menu, I'll order it again. However, I'm pondering preparing a second bag of the sauce, minus the butter, so that once it thaws, I can marinate the turkey cutlets in it, hoping that th...

I prepared the Dream Dinners Chicken Enchiladas recently. It's another one of their options that is stored in a foil pan and baked in the pan. I love those, because it minimizes the number of dishes we have after dinner! Mac got the meal started, as he came home from work early, while I stayed late. He simply opened the 2 gallon Ziploc bag, removed the pan, removed the cooking instructions, and the cheese and salsa, and baked per the cooking instructions. I got home a few minutes before we were to add the salsa and cheese, so he allowed me to do that. From there, we allowed it to bake another 10 minutes, and then we enjoyed our dinner. The enchiladas were good and had a very enjoyable taste. However, my only problem with them was that the sour cream salsa was chunky and pink in color, reminding me of, well, unappetizing things. I found it difficult to eat, because my mind kept wandering to that. I'd have preferred either a salsa only sauce or perhaps a spicy ranch sauce t...