Introducing Somthing Fun

At least it's something I think is fun. It's Food Networkers. Two friends of mine went to see the movie Julie and Julia. After, they thought it would be fun to cook their way through a cook book together. When they had trouble finding a cook book, it was decided they would do recipes from Food Network. Laurie invited me to join in. Since I love to cook, I had to say yes.

I find that with three kids and all these animals, I don't take the time with cooking the way I would like to. Doing this made me slow down a little and enjoy the process and give my family something new for a change.

Steena chose our recipes the time around. We have decided we will do a total of four recipes: An appetizer, a side dish, a main course and a desert. We don't have to make them all for one meal, just over a two week period. So without further ado, here are the stars of our first Food Networkers challenge:

The Appetizer: Mexican Potato Skins. This was not only easy to make, but it made a lot. We had it as a meal. But it would be great for a party appetizer. Everyone loved it. It will be going into our regular rotation.

The Side Dish: Creamy Baked Pumpkin Risotto. This one was OK. Braden loved it. He had FOUR helpings. The girls and I didn't care for the chunks of squash. I would leave those out if I make it again. Although I'm not sure I would make it again. It's a lot of work for a side dish. If it had been a bigger hit with the family, I might. The risotto had a great flavor, aside from the chunks of squash. And it is a good way to get some pumpkin in a savory dish.
The Main Course: Braised Paprika Chicken. This was a huge hit with my family, and very easy to make. I doubled the recipe hoping for plenty of leftovers. All that was left after it was all said ans done was the two smallest thighs. This is one I would love to make for company.

The Dessert: Dessert Pizza. I did not have high hopes for this recipe. I'm not a big fan of baked apple desserts. It may seem unamerican, but I don't even care for apple pie. I was pleasantly surprised. This was delicious. I discovered after I had already started the recipe that I didn't have any vanilla. I substituted a bit of rum extract in it's place. If you only try one of these for recipes, make it this one.
Happy cooking and look for our next round of recipes to be posted two weeks from today.