Chopped Challenge #9: Steak Chili-Smothered Tater Tots

For Chopped challenge #9, Justin gave me tater tots, chili powder, pearl onions, and beef jerky. I decided to make a steak chili served over tater tots. It was really quite tasty, and I think it's something I would definitely make again sometime, though I could really take or leave the beef jerky. It's used here sort of like bacon bits and would be wholly unnecessary if it hadn't been one of my required ingredients. It tastes good, but it just really wasn't needed.

Taco Pizza

I recently discovered balls of pre-made pizza dough at the grocery store. Normally when Justin and I have wanted to make pizza, we've used the Pillsbury pizza dough. It's not perfect, but I like it better than the pre-made, packaged pizza crusts they sell at the grocery store. Since we moved here, however, I'd noticed these balls of fresh pizza dough and wanted to try it out. We made some cheese pizza with it a couple weeks ago and fell in love before it even came out of the oven--it smelled that good.

Chopped Challenge #6: Pierogies & Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

For Chopped challenge #6, I gave Justin pierogies, turkey bacon, chicken bouillon, and beer. He likes to drink beer but isn't a huge fan of cooking with beer--he'll eat some stuff but can be pretty picky about it. I know that cooking with it was a bit of challenge for him then because he didn't want to do anything that would end up having a strong beer flavor. He decided to boil the pierogies in a mixture of beer and chicken bouillon and then fry them to brown them a little bit. Along with that, he made some homemade meatballs and wrapped them in the turkey bacon before baking them. He said that it wasn't the most elegant dish, but it was still pretty tasty. I especially enjoyed the meatballs. If you like a stronger beer flavor, feel free to cut down on the water or add another beer--these only have a mild hint of beer-ness to them. (Beer-ness is a word, right?)

Classic Lasagna

Classic lasagna is a fairly simple concept--you stack up some noodles with spaghetti sauce, maybe some meat or veggies, and some cheese, and you bake it. Everyone has their own little twist on it though. Some people don't pre-boil their noodles, and some do. Some people use beef, some use sausage, and some use mushrooms or eggplant. That's why everyone loves lasagna--it can be so easily tailored to suit your tastes. This is what I do when I make lasagna.

Mom's Meatballs

Spaghetti needs meatballs. There's just something classic and wonderful about that pairing; it's one of the ultimate comfort foods. I confess that I have made my mom's spaghetti sauce without making the meatballs before, but it's always just a little sad without them.

Roast Beef Foldovers

This is one of my absolute favorite sandwiches. I make it for lunch fairly often and dinner occasionally. For me, the thing that makes this sandwich more awesome than a regular roast beef sandwich is the bread. I always use garlic naan. If you haven't had naan before, you don't know what you're missing. It's a type of flatbread, but it's puffy and soft; it's not tough like some flatbreads can be. Once you heat it up and all that garlic aroma gets released, mmmm...

Cows in a Blanket

Sometimes Justin and I just get weird dinner ideas. They come to us out of nowhere. Sometimes they don't work out very well, and sometimes they do; you never really know until you try. This is one of those ideas.

When we were planning our meal list for our most recent grocery shopping trip, we started talking about pigs in a blanket but wanted to do something a little different. I'm not sure which of us decided that burgers would be a fun idea, but we ran with it. The result is quite tasty. The crescent rolls give you the flavor of a buttery, toasted bun. If that's your kind of thing, you'll like this idea.

Mexican Pizza

For as long as I can remember, my favorite thing to order at Taco Bell has been the Mexican pizza. I used to get it without beans, but lately I've started liking beans a little more--the flavor is fine; it's the texture that I have trouble with. Either way, going to Taco Bell is not the best dinner option calorie-wise. Their Mexican pizza comes in at 540 calories, which isn't too bad, but let's face it, no one orders just one thing at Taco Bell. If I can make it at home though, I can't be tempted to add, let's say, an enchirito and a meximelt, or any of their other tasty tastiness. Plus, making it home alleviates my main problem with the Mexican pizza: nonuniformity. Maybe it's just me, but I always end up with a smear of refried beans on one half, a small blob of meat right in the middle, and nothing on the other third or so of the pizza. When I make it myself, I can assemble it however I want, and Justin doesn't have to hear me complain.