Oh hey, so have you notice my new design includes those super cute social media icon buttons (designed by the super awesome Sarah – seriously talented & very affordable for all your bloggy needs) on the left hand side? The one for “recipes” is a link to my Tasty Kitchen profile, where I store all the recipes I’ve submitted plus the many many many What’s for Dinner recipes I’ve found using TK. Unfortunately, you have to have a membership to see my recipe box but FORTUNATELY, it’s free and easy to do and I can’t imagine why you WOULDN’T want one.

Almost all my recipes this week are from my two summer cookbooks: The Big Book of Backyard Cooking by Betty Rosbottom and Grilling by Louise Pickford. We bought a new grill when we finished the patio and I am THRILLED to be doing all my cooking outside. I did a little Googling and tried to link to online versions of the recipes whenever possible so you can add these to your own meal plan if you want.

1. BLT Pasta Salad – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
2. Turkey, Apple and Cheddar Clubs – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
3. Bratwursts on Toasted Rolls with Caramelized Onions and Creamy Horseradish Sauce – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (Actually, the only part of that recipe I followed was how to caramelize onions. I put some herb mayo on my brats and E just ate his plain.)
4. Extra Special Tabbouleh with Avocado and Feta – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (OMG tabbouleh is my new favoritest favorite ever. Super easy, healthy and delicious. Just TRY IT you’ll LIKE IT.)
5. Turkey Burgers with Honey Mustard, White Cheddar, and Crisp Apple Slices and Parmesan Black Pepper Coleslaw – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
6. Lamb Chops with Roquefort, Figs, and Rosemary – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (Cooking lamb on the grill was hard. So was finding figs and Roquefort cheese so mine is dates and feta. Still delicious, if a liiiittle undercooked) and also Grilled Rosemary Flatbread – Grilling

7. Chili-Rubbed Sirloins with Guacamole Salsa plus grilled corn on the cob – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (link is to an old CBS article but the recipe is in there, I promise)
8. Bacon-Wrapped Filet Steaks Topped with Roasted Garlic Butter plus roasted mini-sweet peppers – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
9. Jerk Chicken and Veggies – Here’s my recipe: pour Lawry’s 20 minute marinate over chicken and veggies. Wait 10 minutes before you decide you’re too hungry to wait. Grill chicken and veggies. Eat.
10. Lemon Crunch Pie – Yeah, I invented that. Recipe is here on the blog & also on Tasty Kitchen.

Before you get too impressed and say “OMG Suzanne, how do you make all this food!?” let me tell you this was 2 full weeks of food – so there were pizza and burgers and even a popcorn for dinner night in between – and that it wasn’t that long ago that my entire meal plan was just ground beef. If I can teach myself to make new food AND get my husband to EAT that food then you can too.

It’s baaaaaaaaack!

I’ve made all of this since last Wednesday – and I took Mother’s Day weekend off for Thai food (my favorite!) and dinner out at Chili’s (don’t knock it – the selection is great and no one gets pissed when your toddler spills his entire cup of lemonade on the floor). I was trying to make up for four straight days of a total lack of motivation where I didn’t even PRETEND I was going to cook anything and we had fast food every night.

Also, I have washed more dishes this week than in the past MONTH. Baking makes a god-awful mess.

Recipes can be found on my Pinterest board, or linked below.

1. Teriyaki tilapia with herb salad, served with garlic rice (the kind that comes in a pouch and takes 90 seconds to microwave) – Real Simple
2. Coconut Chicken Dippers – Kraft Food (dipping sauce made with mayo because Miracle Whip is disgusting)(and the first recipe I ever repinned!!)
3 & 4. Orange-Almond Cake – Martha Stewart (Not as awesome as it looks, although I’ve been eating the leftovers all week so I’m not saying it’s terrible)

5. Carnita-Style Beef with Roasted Peppers and Onions – Tasty Kitchen (pretty good, not outstanding)
6. Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Martha Stewart (toddler & I loved it, but it was a lot of work for glorified mac & cheese)
7. Kale Chips – Things We Make (ok, so, *I* ate some them because they are satisfyingly crunchy and salty, but my family thought they were gross)
8. Strawberry Shortcakes with Mint and Whipped Cream – Epicurious

9 & 10. Banana Strawberry Pineapple Bread – My own recipe, which can now be found on Tasty Kitchen. It’s seriously, seriously delicious.
11. Zucchini and Bacon Three Cheese Lasagna – Kevin & Amanda (PICK OF THE WEEK)
12. Cayenne- Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa – Martha Stewart (10 minutes from fridge to table & super yummy)

I’m adding that lasagna to my short list of favorite family meals. I actually made it with turkey bacon to make it pretend-healthier and it was still delicious. If I was making it for a vegetarian I’d just leave the bacon out altogether and it would STILL be delicious. And not to toot my own horn but my bread is some of the best quick bread I’ve ever tasted. It’s just the right amount of moist and dense without being practically mush in the center like banana bread can be. But the real star is the pineapple, which is like little surprise bites of joy. That’s right: SURPRISE BITES OF JOY. No modesty here people. I’m a damn good baker.

What did you have for dinner this week?

This will probably be the last What’s for Dinner post for a while because this week I’ve found myself repeating stuff I’ve made during the last 4 installments. So if none of this week’s meals look good, go back and check out volumes 1, 2, 3, or 4 to get some home-cooked inspiration.

1. Angel Sugar Cookies – The Pioneer Woman (DANGER: IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP EATING)
2. Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich – The Pioneer Woman
3. Lemony Crispy Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Tomato Salad – Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats
4. Penne a la Betsy – The Pioneer Woman

5. Spicy Shrimp & Noodle Soup – Soup or Salad Blog
6. Pan-Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts with Chopped Salad and Creamy Caper Dressing – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats (This salad is so delicious I eat practically the whole 4 servings myself every time. I am extremely sorry Rachael doesn’t have it on her website.)
7. Couple-of-Minute Steaks and Potato Ragout – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
8. Chef Salad Bar – Inspired by Soup or Salad Blog

My favorites from the week were definitely the cookies, the spicy soup and the salad bar. I ate way too much those days, especially the salad bar – I should NOT have bought three different kinds of cheese plus my favorite Caesar dressing. It makes salad so delicious and soooooo not really salad anymore. Also, while I was writing this post my craving for more sugar cookies has gotten entirely out of control. I’ll be making those again soon. Or now.

These are actually meals from the last 2 1/2 weeks, because even though they were all PLANNED for one week there were several nights I was sick/didn’t feel like cooking so we had take-out. And by take-out I mean fast food. But doesn’t “take-out” sound so much nicer? Like maybe it was stir fried veggies over brown rice instead of cheeseburgers and fries.

It’s always cheeseburgers and fries.

All my recipes this week came from Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals. Despite not being able to stand RR’s voice on TV for more than 20 seconds and her super annoying habit of calling things like PB&J “American nut spread with fresh fruit preserves on a sliced whole grain loaf”, her recipes really are both fast and easy and written for someone who isn’t very confident in the kitchen. I’ve had and liked this cookbook since college, but hadn’t made any of these before (besides the pizza, which I don’t even use the book for because I’ve made so many changes. Recipe coming on Friday!)

1. Steak, Fried Onions, and Potatoes Salad Bowl with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (I substituted some homemade rosemary potatoes for the potato sticks in the salad)
2. Inside-out Pizza-dilla Margerita (see what I mean about the fancy names?)
3. Taco Salad – Our easiest favorite meal. Make taco meat as directed on envelope of taco seasoning. Dump over Fritos. Add various taco toppings. Eat too much.

4. Teriyaki Chicken with Warm Ginger-Carrot Slaw
5. Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini – That’s not QUITE the recipe from the book but it’s close. I also discovered I still hate tortellini from a Very Traumatic Childhood Experience and if I make this again it will be over ravioli instead.
6. Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage with a Ricotta Surprise
7. Thai Chicken Pizza – Linked to Rachael’s recipe, but mine is WAY better

After seeing the total lack of veggies in my Volume 3 set of recipes, I decided to make more of an effort this week. Since there is at least one veggie in every meal (as long as I can count tomatoes) and toddler ate both the carrot-ginger salad and the spinach from the tortellini I consider it a success. Plus I totally ate the broccoli, even though I HATE broccoli. Turns out broccoli cooked in sausage fat is much better than steamed broccoli. WHO KNEW?

TMae from Life v. 2.0 claims she’s going to use my shopping list from my iPhone photo post to buy all the ingredients to make these. Which you could, in theory. I’m just impressed anyone can READ that list.

1. Herb Cheese Crusted Salmon (recipe below) served with couscous
2. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – Tasty Kitchen (made with butterscotch chips)
3. Drip Beef Sandwiches – The Pioneer Woman
4. Pasta el Pomodoro – The Kitchn (I used canned tomatoes and stretched it to feed four with extra canned sauce)

5. Sour Cream Enchiladas – The Pioneer Woman  (I added shredded chicken)
6. Chicken Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese – Tasty Kitchen (not as good as it sounds)
7. Chicken Crescent Rolls – Tasty Kitchen (DEFINITELY my favorite from the week)
8. Beer Braised Beef with Onions – Tasty Kitchen (also not as good as it sounds)

And on the 8th day, she rested:

Don't be fooled by the picture - this was just my first helping.

Takeout pizza from Engine 6 Pizza Company

It looks like 8 meals but was only 7 because one is cookies. But I also baked the Carrot Apple Muffins this week, so when you put it all together I did a LOT of cooking. I didn’t really have to, because every meal created leftovers that are currently still in the fridge (and will probably be fed to the dog)(Except for the enchilada, I ate those for lunch)(Oh and the spaghetti, we had people over for dinner so it fed 4 easily), so if we were a leftover-eating family we could have had those at least twice. What did you have for dinner this week?

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Herbed Cheese Crusted Salmon

4 6 to 8 oz salmon fillets (skin or no skin, it’s your preference)
2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 5.2 oz container semisoft cheese with garlic and herbs (I use Allouette)
Sea salt or salt
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

1. Rinse fish; pat dry. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a small bowl combine semisoft cheese and lemon peel. Cut each fillet almost in half to make a pocket, but be careful not to cut all the way through. Spoon cheese mixture into pockets. Season fish with salt. Place in a shallow baking pan.

2. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, butter, and pine nuts; sprinkle over fillets, pressing lightly. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until salmon flakes when tested with a fork.