{parmesan crusted chicken with tomato-basil cream sauce}

recipe source:: Life Ambrosia
Last summer John and I went on a deep sea fishing trip and caught a lot of different fish that are now in our freezer. This dish was originally supposed to be parmesan crusted *insert fish here*.Since we're not big fish eaters I thought I could try this out as a first. Well, neither of us could motivate ourselves to eat the fish so I ended up substituting chicken. It turned out great and we will be making it again sans the fish of course. Peas + a baked potato made the dish complete.

More pics after the jump

{cheese tortellini with pesto + sundried tomatoes}

recipe source:: Life Ambrosia
This was my second attempt at a meatless dish. It went over about the same on John as the Pasta Primavera did the other week...he would like it better with meat. I thought the flavors were outstanding though. I used some basil pesto I had frozen from my basil plant and bought three cheese tortellini from the grocery store. The sundried tomatoes packed in oil were too expensive so I thought I could get away with plain ones. I have now learned why you should get them packed in oil...they don't soften while cooking unless they've been soaked in oil so they were a little on the tough side. Having never cooked with sundried tomatoes before, I wasn't aware that they had such a strong taste. They were not bad, but in this dish I think putting in some halved cherry tomatoes would be even better. I will definitely make this again with those adjustments and a little chicken for John.

More pics after the jump.

{honey kissed crispy chicken}

recipe source:: Life Ambrosia
This dish was originally supposed to be made into a sandwhich, however, I felt it would be perfect on its own. I served it with a side of sweet potatoes with goat cheese + sage.

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{cheesy chicken + pasta}

recipe source:: Kraft Foods
omg, this was amazing. You really can't go wrong with cheese and salsa. I did add in a half can of black beans to the mix...you can't have mexican without them. The dish was very easy to make and we had plenty of leftovers to enjoy. Unfortunately this dish disappeared before any photos could be taken.

{pasta primavera}

recipe source:: The Pioneer Woman
I am trying to cook more meatless meals and this one was my first. It was delicious! John of course wanted meat, but he still liked how it all tasted. The recipe made a ton of food so, if cooking for two, I recommend making a half recipe. You will still have enough for leftovers. Next time I will add in a little chicken for John, while still letting the main part be the veggies + pasta.

More pics after the jump

{mexican pizza}

recipe source:: Food Network

My first time eating this dish was with some my girlfriends from work...it was so good I've added it to our favorites list of eats. We adapted the recipe a bit. Instead of using tortillas, I used a pre-made pizza crust. We also added cilantro to the toppings put on after baking. We found its best to only put the lettuce, tomatoes + salsa/sour cream mixture on the pieces you plan on eating. This way your leftovers don't get soggy.

{roasted duck with bubble + squeak}

recipe source:: Jaime's Kitchen
This was supposed to be our New Years Day lunch...3 bottles of bubbly on New Years Eve changed that. This was my first time cooking an entire bird, or duck for that matter. I almost became a vegetarian while dressing it. However, the dish ended up being pretty good. The flavors were very different from anything we've ever eaten before. The colors and smells were lovely, although, I think that will be my last time cooking an entire duck.

More pics after the jump