Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken and sides

Ingredients
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (3 pound) whole chicken
2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
3. Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Drizzle this oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: allrecipe.com


Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parsley
Serves 4 to 6
Look for asparagus during the spring of each year, when the flavorful, fragrant stalks are at their best. This vegetable goes particularly well with roasted or grilled fish, but it's equally delicious roughly chopped and tossed into hot pasta or whole grains, too.


Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 400°F.


Arrange asparagus in a baking pan in a single layer. Sprinkle parsley and garlic over the top then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve hot.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: wholefoodsmarket.com




Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
salt to taste
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions
PEEL the potatoes if you wish. Or peel half and leave the other half with the skins on.
CUT the potatoes in half and plunge them into a large pot of rapidly boiling water. Add the whole garlic cloves and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very tender - about 25 minutes
DRAIN the potatoes and garlic well and turn them into a warm serving bowl.
USING a potato masher, mash them coarsely, adding the olive oil a little at a time.
WHEN all the oil has been added, taste and add more salt if needed and an abundance of black pepper.
SERVE immediately.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: grouprecipes.com

Wine Pairing:

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand 2009


Courtesy of: Edmond Wine Shop
Selected by: Aaron




Surprise Mystery Dessert: Oreo Pudding
So before I write this down, please know that I do know how to make pudding. I had to figure out a short cut so I could still bring this to dinner this particular night. (the night after Aaron licked bird crap off of his arm) Just as long as we are on the same page about the fact that I would never really do this unless it was some sort of bird poop emergency, I'll continue...


Ingredients:
1 pkg vanilla JELLO pudding snackpacks (comes in a pack of 6)
1 pkg chocolate JELLO pudding snackpacks (comes in a pack of 6)
1 pkg OREO cookies (probably won't need the whole package)


In a 9 x 9 dish, empty all of the chocolate pudding cups. Spread it evenly. Crush many OREOs and spread them over the chocolate pudding until its covered. Repeat with the vanilla pudding and another layer of crushed OREOs. Place in the fridge until time to serve.




COMMENTARY


Aaron: I liked this meal quite a bit. I thought the chicken had great flavor despite Stephanie's face in the video. It did have a very lemony flavor. However I think it is because the recipe called for a whole chicken and Cristina just used breasts. the chicken was great, moist and tender! I give the lemon chicken a B+, only because I would have loved to see a whole chicken prepared and I think the flavor would have spread evenly. The Asparagus was very good, only thing I would do is add a little more lemon and sea salt but I loved the addition of garlic I give the asparagus an A-. The potatoes were prepared very well, I loved everything that was in them. However because it was prepared to early they were a bit cold and clumped together, but the flavor was still there. I give them a B, probably a A if they were hot and fresh. The wine was a new kind for me as well, but it had great taste and accompanied the meal very well. I give the wine an A.

Cristina: For the chicken, I used boneless breasts instead of a whole chicken and cooked for 30 minutes at 350. I really loved this chicken. It was really lemony, but I thought it had great flavor and it was super moist. I give the bird a 9.0. The asparagus I added a squeeze of lemon on the flower end to really bring out the flavor and I have to say, I loved this too. A solid 8 for me for sure. I would maybe add a little more garlic and some thyme next time though. I had high hopes for the mashed potatoes, because mashed potatoes are my favorite food in the whole world. These were actually pretty good. Unfortunately they were done earlier than the other two items, so they were cold and had to be reheated by the time I served dinner. Also, I think I am going to invest in some higher end olive oil for next time, because the flavor was a little off for me. I give these potatoes a 7, but I am positive with some improvements I can get them to a 10. The wine Aaron selected was surprisingly good. I haven't had many Sauvignon Blancs, but it really complemented the citrus in the chicken well and it had a smooth finish. For $12, it will be a good competitor for my normal Rieslings.

Stephanie: Despite my reaction in the video, I didn't hate this meal, per se, it just didn't complete agree with my taste buds. :) The chicken was...interesting. It was overwhelmingly tart. I think you could probably stretch that amount of lemon juice over 2 whole chickens and it still be a little tangy. The juiciness of the chicken, however, was great! That was a nice change. It's so easy to dry out chicken! After eating all of my chicken breast, being careful to eat it with potatoes and asparagus instead of by itself, I realized that it wasn't all that bad. But still, it was sour.

The asparagus was too crispy for me. I am not wanting baby food soft veggies but something that appears to be cooked. The flavor of the asparagus was also, not to my liking.
The potatoes were good, not a lot of flavor, but it worked with the rest of flavorful things on my plate.


My ratings:
Lemon Chicken: C+ (A without the lemon!)
Asparagus: B-
Mashed Potatoes: A

Guest Judge Karen Suchite: Well I was super excited to be invited as a guest judge to Casa Cristina but that’s just because I love to eat, oh yeah and to spend time with my sister. : ) She sent me the menu earlier that day…. and then that’s all I could think about. I’ve always secretly wished I could be a judge on Top Chef, that would be my freakin’ dream job! Anyways on to the meal, I walked into the house and it smelled delicioso! First item I spotted was the asparagus, it looked so tasty. Well we sat down for dinner and wine, first sip of the wine I thought it was quite tart not my favorite flavor but hey its wine so I’m going to pass it up (listen for my comment about “drinking” wine in the video).

Now the chicken was perfectly seasoned, lemony, juicy-just awesome; and afterwards I enjoyed the wine even more, it paired with the flavor of the chicken wonderfully.

The asparagus was crisp, I hate when veggies are cooked to much! They should retain their original texture, if not you can just enjoy some mashed up veggies aka baby food. Lol.

And the mashed potatoes were good but not my most favorite part. I like potatoes a little creamier, thicker; but that’s just because I’m used to my momma’s potatoes. They were very fluffy, kinda made it seem like they were good for you potatoes, like they had less carbs-or that’s just what I was telling myself.

And the Oreo pudding dessert, although very delicious I’m sure I enjoyed it more than Cristina’s brother! Good times, word of advice don’t park under trees.

Overall I was absolutely pleased with the dinner, I have decided that my grade scale will be based off the stickers that teachers give out in elementary school!

Chicken: Perfect!
Asparagus: Awesome!
Mashed Potatoes: Good work.
Dessert: Brilliant!
Wine: “Happy Face” Sticker

The End.

Not a New Recipe, But Definitely A New Flavor

Good Thursday morning readers. Normally at this point in the week, I would be posting a new recipe and telling you how it turned out. That is not what this story is about. I will go ahead and warn you that this story, while hilarious, is still pretty disgusting, so if you would rather not read on, you can come back tomorrow, when my new recipes will be posted for your enjoyment. Those of you who are intrigued, please keep reading. Last night was my turn to cook again, but unfortunately I had to reschedule to Thursday night this week to accommodate a visit from some old college friends who live in Anchorage, Alaska now (On a side note, if you have not been to visit Alaska, I thoroughly recommend it, sooooo beautiful). Anyways, a large group of us met for dinner last night and we had a great time catching up and retelling the funny stories of our "youth." Unfortunately, when I parked my car, I failed to notice the large tree looming over the spot. So as we were leaving, it was hard to ignore the large amount of birds who had taken up residence in this tree while we were inside. My car was already very speckled with their droppings. My friend Karen (who rode to the restaurant with me) and I made a plan to quickly get into the car, hopefully avoiding any falling matter. Unfortunately, we were not as successful as we had hoped. At this point, you are probably having one of two reactions. You are either laughing hysterically or you may be cringing, your shoulders tensing into your earlobes. Based on the title of this particular post, you may be thinking, "dear lord, please don't tell me they got bird droppings into their mouths somehow." I am pleased to tell you that no fecal matter made it into my or Karen's mouth. I did however get a nice size drop on my shoulder though. Ick! Now at this point, I would like to recite a poem that my grandfather told me once when I was a little girl. After the poem, I will continue my story, so please take this brief intermission to decide if you really want to hear the end. If not, no hard feelings, I will expect to see you back here next week. OK. On to the poetry! Birdie, Birdie, in the sky, Dropped a poo-poo in my eye, I'm a big girl, I don't cry, I'm just glad that cows don't fly. (Compliments of Vance Brooks) Now, where was I? O, yes. So a bird had pooped on my shoulder, and apparently on my purse too. When we got to Karen's house, we took turns checking each other over. After I thought I had cleaned as much as I could, I headed home. I walked in the door to find Aaron, my brother, sitting on the couch, studying and watching tv. I handed him my styrofoam container with my leftovers and began to tell him, how I just got pooped on. He thought it was hilarious. Yes, it is hilarious, until it happens to you. Then its just gross!! Anyways, so I settled into my chair and began watching the season premiere of Modern Family on the dvr. Between the laughs I had already begun to forget the traumatic event that had happened to me earlier. About midway through, I looked over at Aaron, who has decided to enjoy my leftovers. I could tell something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what was going on. The way he was sitting with his arms held out, all stiff, I instantly thought there must have been some droppings on the Styrofoam box and he had gotten it on his arm. He just sat there making this awful face, and I said, "Its probably bird poop. Did you get some on you or something?" He instantly jumped up and ran to the sink and starts spitting and flushing his mouth out with water. I start laughing hysterically "how the heck did you get it in your mouth?" I laughed for two minutes straight while he continued rinsing his mouth and using a paper towel to wipe his tongue all the while mumbling something about bird flu and e.coli. When he finally was able to speak, he told me, he had gotten this black and white mixture on his arm from the box, and for some reason, he thought it was remnants of a dessert I had not eaten. He thought maybe it was an oreo and whip cream mixture, and apparently he had forgotten the story I had told him, not 30 minutes before. In a hasty move, he just licked it off. He instantly realized that it was not a tasty treat, but a foul tasting concoction. I guess that was the exact moment I had looked over at him and when I asked if he had gotten bird poop on him, my story came rushing back to him, and he immediately knew what he had tasted. When he told me that he had deliberately licked it off his arm, I lost it. I laughed so hard, I nearly wet myself. For the remainder of the evening, whenever I looked over at him, his face was fighting off the bad taste the "oreos" had left in his mouth. I would quietly laugh to myself, "yes, it is hilarious, til it happens to you." Not so funny now, is it Aaron? Please tune in tomorrow for some new recipes and hopefully some new stories.

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 
  
• Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Cooked by Stephanie

Recipe provided by: allrecipe.com

Commentary
Aaron: I thought this meal was very good.  I compared it to the diablo shrimp and chicken pasta I get from Johnny Carinos.  I wouldn't change much I loved the spice!  Asparagus could be a good addition though.  I give this meal a grade of A - only because I think some addition of bigger vegetables would be a good addition.


Cristina: Although it was actually my turn in the rotation, Stephanie was kind enough to pinch hit for me this week, as I was out of town earlier this week and had little time to prepare. (On a side note, I was in Salt Lake City, UT for work this week, and while there I did eat two of the best meals of my life, so I'm currently coming down from a food high and as such, may be judging to a particularly high standard this week). 

Okay...so on to the critique.  I am not big on seafood.  I am currently working through that, and shrimp is something I have recently been beginning to enjoy.  I am still not big on certain textures, cooked onions and mushrooms being high on that list.  So needless to say, I was very concerned about eating this meal.  As Stephanie was preparing it, I watched her chop up half an onion and had to feverishly hold my tongue, all the while my eyes were beginning to water.  Then just as I thought she was done, I looked on in complete horror as she proceeded to chop the other half.  Rather then subject myself to anymore torture,  I thought it was in my best interest to go into the other room and just wait to be "surprised". 

And I was pleasantly surprised.  I am a big advocate for wheat pasta and the sauce was really delicious and just the right amount of spice.  I ate all the pasta and shrimp in my bowl and tried to consume some of the mushrooms and onions, but in the end, I had a bowl full of surplus vegetables in sauce.  I agree with my collegues that asparagus would have been a welcomed alternative, and I look forward to attempting this meal with chicken in the future.  On a scale of 1-10, I give this meal a 6.5 w/ the whole onion, an 8.5 without it. 

Stephanie: Well this was a pleasant surprise. I compared it to the Cajun Chicken Pasta that I always loved at Chilis. Kinda spicy. I feel like the cayenne pepper was a little much but it really depends on your own specific tastes. After all of the vegetables cooked through there was a lot of juices in the pot, next time I'd take some out. I felt like it kept the sauce from getting as thick as I was wanting. I'm not a HUGE fan of mushrooms so I was thinking about taking those out next time and adding in about inch long pieces of asparagus. That could be even better.

Beef Broccoli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 teaspoons grated ginger

4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 teaspoons hoisin sauce

3 teaspoons orange blossom honey

4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

2 pounds beef flap steak, thinly sliced across the grain*
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large heads broccoli, cut into florets and blanched

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Steamed white rice, for serving

(I also added sliced carrots and 1/4 cup orange juice to mine)

Directions
Combine the garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and honey. Mix well and set aside until ready to use. Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Once it has reached a medium heat, add 1/2 of the peanut oil. Dredge the beef in the cornstarch, lightly shake off any excess cornstarch and add 1/2 of the beef to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 of the broccoli to the pan and shake frequently.


Add 1/2 of the sauce and stir to evenly coat the beef and broccoli. Cook until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.


*It will be easier to slice the beef in thin strips if it has been partially frozen.


Cooked by: Aaron
Recipe provided by: foodnetwork.com




Commentary
Aaron: For my first dish of asian food I wasn't too upset with it. Yes the beef could have been a bit more tender but overall I was satisfied. The flavor of it was good, but I think the hoison sauce was a little different. As for the fried rice I attempted I just need to work on it...It was way to mushy but hey atleast I tried. I give this meal a B + and a D for my rice.


Cristina: I've honestly been dreading putting my commentary on this one! For those of you who know my brother Aaron, he has kind of been declared the "chef" in the family. Whether that is a self proclaimed title or he actually deserves it is debatable, but more on that later. What I do know, is that he prides himself on making amazing meals, and that being said, he is very "close" to his food dishes. In other words, he does not like criticism, even when its constructive. For those of you, who know me, I can be brutally honest sometimes to a fault, so I will do my best to give an honest opinion without causing too much damage to his self-esteem.

I was really excited to bring some asian flavor into the NRW mix. Aaron purchased his first Wok and I could envision several delicious dishes coming out of said Wok. This particular meal was actually pretty good. While I think the meat was a little chewy, that could just be due to the particular cut. The flavors were delicious and I think the the broccoli and carrots were cooked to near perfection. The problem with this meal though, really stemmed back to the fried rice he attempted to make. There is no recipe included here, and that is for good reason...It was not good. I say that with the sincerest hope that his rice has no option but to improve. I at least attempted to eat some of the rice, while Stephanie made little effort to spare Aaron's feelings on his failed attempt at a side dish. He immediately got defensive, as we knew he would, but our criticism was only in an effort to improve his culinary skills. On a scale of 1-10, entree receives an 8, side receives a 2.5.

I hope that I have not reopened old wounds for you Aaron, but in the spirit of full disclosure and in an effort to provide our readers with not only new recipes but also some weekly entertainment, I feel that I must provide my brutally honest opinion and I implore you to do the same! I can take it, I promise!

Stephanie: The meat was very good. I really enjoyed it. I think that the beef could have been a little more tender, but that could also be helped by using thinner slices of beef too. The broccoli and carrots were good with the meat. I really wouldn't change a thing about this recipe.

Herbed Green Beans

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 4 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried savory
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place green beans in a microwave-safe dish. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over beans and toss to coat evenly. Cover and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until beans are tender.

Cooked by Stephanie

Recipe provided by: allrecipes.com


Commentary
Aaron: These were good, but I think the microwave killed any chance of them being crisp.  They were way to soft.  The flavor was really good though.  However this side gets a B-  because vegetables need to be crisp for my tastes!

Cristina: Well green beans are one of those vegetables I just recently realized that I actually like to eat, that is when they don't come from a can( I still can't handle canned green beans for some reason)  Ok...that being said, I really wish I could say I loved these, but the microwave kind of killed it for me too.  For me, they tasted microwaved, a little overcooked and chewy.  I loved the flavoring on them though and would definately season green beans this way, but I would probably prepare them differently.  On a scale of 1-10, these were a neutral 5.  A for effort though Stephanie!

Stephanie: I really liked them. I got criticized for using the microwave on this one, but hey--it was fast. I might have cooked them a little long. I bet 6 minutes would have been enough. Maybe cut down the butter a little. Seasoning was good!

Chicken with Apple, Onion and Cider Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large red onion, cut into large pieces
1 sweet cooking apple, cored and cut into large pieces
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Place the chicken in the skillet smooth-side down and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the onion and apple to the skillet, along with 1 tablespoon oil, if the pan is dry, and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing, until the onion has wilted slightly and the apple is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Let the mixture boil until the vinegar becomes syrupy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and return to a boil. Cook until the broth reduces by half. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter.

Remove the chicken from the oven; add any collected juices to the sauce. Divide the chicken among four plates and spoon the apple, onion and pan sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with the parsley.


Cooked by Stephanie
Recipe provided by: foodnetwork.com


Commentary
Aaron: I actually liked the onion in this.  They were very soft and because they sat in the sauce with the apples they became sweet as well.  The chicken was good, but I think it could have been juicier but I think that was due to the oven.  I really enjoyed this meal and it was pretty healthy!  I give this meal a B

Cristina: I don't eat onions.  I can't handle the texture, something about them does not sit right with me.  That being said, I like onion flavor though, so I actually really liked this dish.  The chicken itself, was really good and from what I hear, the way Stephanie cooked it, was relatively fast and easy, so I'm interested in trying out that method in my future cooking endeavors.  The apples were a little too soft for my liking.  I like my cooked fruits to still retain some firmness but the flavors were really delicious.  This meal would be perfect on a cold day. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a solid 7. 

Stephanie: Way too much onion. I mean, I get it, it's got onion in the title but I think it needed more apples. The chicken was great! I will definitely cook chicken like that in the future. It was pretty, easy, and cooked all the way through! The vinegar was interesting. I just wanted to try this because it was totally outside of what I would usually want to eat. Usually when I slave over something it makes it taste amazing to me, this time, not so much. I'd try it again but probably make some changes to it.

Pan-Grilled Chicken with Cranberry Salsa

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1/3 cup sauce, and 2 teaspoons cilantro cream)

Ingredients

• 4  (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/3  cup  minced green onions
• 1  tablespoon  minced pickled jalapeño peppers
• 2  teaspoons  balsamic vinegar
• 1  (12-ounce) container cranberry-orange sauce (such as Ocean Spray)
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  lime juice, divided
• 2  tablespoons  1/3-less-fat cream cheese

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to a 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; cook chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until done. Keep warm.

Combine onions, jalapeños, vinegar, and cranberry sauce in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Combine 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, and cream cheese in a small bowl; stir well to combine. Spoon salsa evenly onto individual plates. Place chicken on top of salsa; top with a dollop of cilantro cream. Serve immediately.

Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: myrecipe.com

Commentary
Aaron: This meal kind of scared me at first looking at it, but it had great flavor!  The only thing I would change would be to use larger breasts of chicken and possibly grill them with some sort of cranberry marinate and I think this meal would be great.  I give this meal a B +

Cristina: So this was my first crack at thinking outside my cooking box (as in cereal, mac n cheese, etc).  I already have a cranberry chicken recipe I love, but when I saw this I thought the contrast between sweet and spicy would be a good mixture.  I was unable to find cranberry-orange sauce, so I improvised by zesting an orange into my cranberries.  This meal was actually really easy to make and I thought the flavors were really interesting.  You could really identify the flavors individually and I liked that.  I would probably increase the jalapenos next time for a little more kick.  The cream cheese cilantro mixture was unexpected but I think it added a much needed texture to the meal.  I bought a grill pan and a cheese grater (in lieu of a zester tool) so I was excited for the addition to my cooking utensils.  I don't know if I would make this meal again, on a scale of 1-10, I give it a 7.5.  Good but nothing to write home about (although I've obviously included it here on my blog for friends, family and the occasional stranger). 

After the offical start of NRW, I am intrigued to see what comes next, and I hope you are too!

Stephanie: The cranberry salsa and chicken was good. I feel like the dairy/cilantro mixture plue the cranberry salsa and chicken was an unexpected combo, it worked though. I made extra effort to get a bit of every part before tasting it. Pretty darn good! And a great way to start off our adventure!