Chelsea’s Repertoire

I’ve been trying to keep at least two dinners a week home-cooked and through our schedules that don’t always agree with each other or despite our love to eat out in Seattle’s great mecca of dining destinations and weekly FareStart dinners, I am doing a pretty good job.  But twice a week is really about all I can make work.  Baby steps.

As much as I love discovering new recipes and pushing the limits of my cookings skills and knowledge I am also learning that some recipes really are worth keeping and I’m trying to make them a bit more often.  Here is my current keeper list:

• Apple cider glazed pork (tender)loin with flambeed apples
• Chicken cashew stirfry
• Homemade linguine with pesto, lemon, parm, broccoli and sundried tomatoes and topped with grilled chicken (haven’t made this in a while though)
• Chile verde chicken enchiladas (very close to what my mama used to make)
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Mayo roasted potato salad
• Chicken and mushroom dijon
• Gma’s cheesy potatoes
• Chicken schwarma
• Salmon (I mean can you really mess up a good piece of fish like this?)
• Sausage and potato hash
• Grilled steak with chimichurri
• Thai spicy beef and basil
• Roasted veggie ratatouille
• Sauteed Mexican corn
• Citrus and olive oil dressing on salads (avocado is a bonus)
• Tahini roasted cauliflower
• Pulled pork sandwiches
• Paseo pork sandwiches
• Maple mustard baked ham

  

And other little tricks I’m keeping with me for quick and easy ideas:

• Using half coconut milk and half water in my rice cooker plus a bit of salt really amps up the flavor and texture of rice
• Likewise, adding some coconut milk to sweet potatoes when mashing is delicious
• Baking eggplants with an Asian glaze is so tasty and simple
• Topping almost anything with homemade toasted breadcrumbs before finishing in the oven is delicious

And other things that I still really want to try:

• Shakshuka (or another variation of Mediterranean tomato baked eggs)
• Chilaquiles
• Chicken and dumplings (a favorite dish from Bryan’s childhood)
• A good meatloaf recipe
• Homemade ravioli
• Green chile pork stew
• Beef stew
• Cod cakes from Jerusalem cookbook
• Paella from my cooking class
• Chocolate molten lava cakes
• Borscht
• Parsnip puree
• Eggrolls/spring rolls
• Braised short ribs

It’s a work in progress but expanding.

Chelsea