Ingredients

1 1/2 lb medium shells

2 tbsp butter

12 oz sharp cheddar

Ingredients
1/3 pound of fatty ground pork
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 bunch green onions, minced, about 2 cups
1/3 pound napa cabbage or spinach, minced

Time to table: 2 hours (or less)
Servings: 3
Calories: 258

Ingredients
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp maple syrup
3 tbsp soy sauce
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1 tbsp canola oil
6 egg whites
1/2 cup edamame
1/2 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped green onions
*soybean sprouts
2 cups short grain rice, cooled
3 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and heat for 3 seconds in microwave to melt syrups. 2. Lightly oil a wok or large skillet with canola oil. Add egg whites and scramble. When cooked remove to bowl. 3. Add touch more oil to empty pan and add chopped veggies. Stir until lightly cooked. 4. Add rice and drizzle soy mixture in. Stir vigorously to combine ingredients. Cook 3 - 4 minutes. 5. Remove from pan and cool. 6. Reheat clean pan and lightly oil. Return rice mixture and flatten into a single layer. Cook over high 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally to produce crust on a pieces and sides. 7. Garnish finished dish with sesame seeds.

The verdict
Antibiotics are a guaranteed baby sedative it seems. I was home with a sick Grayson and while he slept I pulled this together with leftover items in the refrigerator. No joke, I didn't cook or buy anything with this in mind. Feel free to revise the vegetables with what you like, we only had green items available. Soybean sprouts would be a must for future* batches. Now, I don't have a 75,000 btu burner so "stir frying" is kind of a pipe dream. To get around that I cooked the dish, allowed it to cool and then reheated it in a smaller pan to produce a nice crust. Turned out pretty well as a technique. Oh and btw, don't try to save time and start with warm rice. All that moisture will make everything soggy so make sure that is well cooled, ask Meg about the last time I tried this. Fail.

Meg and Tobin were at school, Grayson was taking a nice long nap.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Time to table: 1 hour
Serving sizes: 1/2 cup (makes about 12)
Calories: 77

Ingredients:
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 spanish onion
1 small head garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano or italian seasoning
2 (28 oz.) cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes
1 carrot
Salt to taste

Instructions:
1. Cut onion in half and remove skin. 2. Remove majority of outer skin from garlic and mince 3-4 individual cloves. 3. In a heavy pot melt butter and add minced garlic, dried herbs and onion halves cut side down. Cook 3-4 minutes. 4. Crush both cans of tomatoes by hand directly into pot. Add the remaining whole garlic head (inside skins and all) and the peeled carrot. 5. Cover pot and bring to a boil. 6. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. 7. Remove the onion, garlic and carrot. Blend remaining sauce with stick blender or in an upright. 8. Serve over your favorite pasta.

The verdict:
Oh. My. God. This stuff is drinkable. I might just add vodka and call it a bloody mary. My friend Noah gave me a great meat sauce recipe with meatballs and the works, but that's an afternoon project. Tobin asked for pasta at 5pm and I knew this recipe could be fresh and in time for dinner. Gina and Kristian had made Smitten's recipe and had a couple suggestions (oregano + carrot) for the next time they made it which I took. The original recipe calls for all that butter and 1 can of tomatoes. That seemed a bit overboard so I doubled the tomatoes and it was still fantastic. With a single can it will be decadent. The sauce has that creamy finish and at only 5g fat per serving you can feel pretty good about it. Better than anytime Rachel Ray tells you she made something healthier and then adds 3 cups of cheese.

Meg liked it, I think 5 out of 5 stars was in order. Tobin made a funny face, but said he liked it. Butter is one of his favorite foods.

Time to table: 20 hours + 20 min
Serving sizes: 4 oz pork, 1 cup slaw
Calories: 350

Ingredients
5 lb boston butt pork shoulder
1 1/2 tbsp pink hawaiian salt
1 tbsp liquid smoke
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4 cups shredded napa cabbage
2 cups shredded radicchio
1 cup shredded carrot
1 red pepper, julienned
2 pears, julienned/chopped
salt and pepper
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1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sriracha
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Unpack pork and poke holes over the entire surface with a paring knife, rub sea salt and liquid smoke into. 2. Place pork in slow cooker on low and cook for 20 hours, flipping once. 3. Prior to pork finishing combine all rinsed vegetables into a bowl. In a separate small bowl combine dressing ingredients and whisk. 4. Top slaw with dressing and add salt an pepper to taste. 5. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred or chop. 6. Serve both dishes together for a salty and sweet combination.

The Verdict
Maybe the easiest thing we've cooked all year. I slept and worked during most of the process. I'm not ready to anoint this as being even close to authentic Hawaiian Kalua pork, but it was pretty darn good. Pork would be good in almost any capacity. Could be complemented with a little hosin barbecue sauce or some ginger and lime. Try turning it into a little burrito or tostada is probably a winner.  I'll probably eat most plain.

Meg gave it 3 out of 4 stars. Tobin actually tried it! He gave the salad 4 thumbs up and the pork only 2 because "it tasted like a rainbow"

Time to table: 20 min
Servings: 8
Calories: 225

Instructions
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up into small pieces. 2. While meat is browning combine all spices in a small bowl. 3. Once meat has browned, sprinkle on the spices and combine for 30 seconds. 4. Add liquid and Worcestershire and cook until most of the liquid is gone. 5. Serve on soft tortillas with greek yogurt, cheese, salsa and lettuce.

The Verdict
Our friend Kristian created this taco blend and it's pretty darn good. I was out of cayenne and it was plenty spicy already. Served on a warm corn flour tortilla that soaked up a lot of the juice made it extra good. Top these however you like, I'm partial to the nonfat greek yogurt over sour cream since it has better flavor than light sour cream. I also grilled up a little onion in olive oil, a touch of the leftover taco blend and a dash of Worcestershire.

Meg gave it 3 stars. Tobin would have liked the cheese.

Ingredients
Sardines in Olive Oil (Brisling)
Avocado
Bread
Sea Salt

Instructions
Slice avocado, place on bread with 3-4 sardines, top with Sea Salt

The Verdict

Ok. So I didn't follow Alton's recipe per se. A little lemon may have helped, but not enough for me. It would have to have a briney element and maybe some mustard or a lot of it. Mayonnaise may help too but render the healthiness null. Honestly I think the avocado was the bigger problem, it made the sandwich too rich and was a strange pairing with the fish.

0 stars. Sorry Alton and sardine lovers everywhere.

p.s. I love Good Eats, best show on Food Network with Barefoot Contessa. But, his recipes on the whole suck. Try making one. I guarantee it doesn't taste right to you either.

Time to table: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories: 305

Ingredients
1  tablespoon margarine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1  cup  diced onion
1/2  cup diced carrot
1/2  cup diced celery
2 pounds b/s chicken breast
2 pounds b/s chicken thighs
3  tablespoons flour
1  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tespoon paprika
1  cup  Chardonnay or other dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1  teaspoon  dried thyme
1  bay leaf
12 oz low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup evaporated skimmed milk
1 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
3 tablespoons dijon mustard

Instructions
1. Melt margarine and 1 tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt; sauté 5 minutes. Place the onion mixture in a bowl; set aside. 2. Add chicken pieces to Dutch oven; cook 4 minutes, turning chicken pieces once. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over both sides of chicken. Cover and cook 5 minutes. 3. Return onion mixture to pan; add wine and next 4 ingredients, stirring gently. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is done. 4. Remove chicken from pan, and arrange on a serving platter; set aside, and keep warm. Discard bay leaf. 5. Bring sauce to a boil; cook 7 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to about 3 cups, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; gradually stir in milk and 2 tbsp dijon mustard, and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and mushrooms. Sauté 1 minute and add 1/2 cup wine and 1 tbsp dijon. Combine and cook 4 minutes or until tender; remove from skillet. 7. Serve chicken over mushrooms with ladled vegetables and sauce over top.

The Verdict
This is makes a big batch, think about cutting the recipe in half if you aren't interested in leftovers. In case you haven't noticed salty, briney, winey food tastes kinda good to me. This recipe is really easy and tastes pretty rich. Meg likes to have it all over a little egg noodles which makes a nice bowl. Me I drink the sauce straight up.

Meg gave it 5 stars, Tobin was waaaaay too tired to try it after a soccer party.

Time to table: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 217 (1 1/2 cup)

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
8 cups roasted vegetables (see previous recipe)
2 cups beef or chicken stock
2 quarts vegetable stock, divided
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven, add garlic and brown 1-2 minutes. 2. Add roasted vegetables and brown for 2-3 minutes. 3. Add beef stock and 1 quart of vegetable stock to pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 4. Either with a stick blender or in batches in a food processor, blend vegetables into a thick puree. Add remaining vegetable stock, curry powder and black pepper and simmer covered for an additional 20-30 minutes. 6. Add salt an pepper to taste. Try serving with coconut flakes or toasted chopped nuts.

The Verdict
Super easy to make, especially if you have a couple quarts of leftover vegetables from the previous recipe. Sweet and salty, with just a hint of spice. You of course can up the curry if that's your thing. Also, this dish can be completely vegetarian by skipping the beef broth. I had it in the fridge and it was a little depth of flavor.

Meg liked it 4 out of 5 stars. Tobin was once again asleep.

Time to table: 3 hours
Servings: 8
Calories: 260 (1 cup)

Ingredients
2 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, grated
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 lbs ground turkey 99% fat free
1 quart beef stock
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2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large bay leaf
28 oz crushed tomatoes, divided
1 quart beef stock, divided
Tabasco, to taste

Instructions
1. Melt margarine with olive oil in a heavy lidded pot or dutch oven. Add onions and garlic, cook over high heat until onions become aromatic, 4-5 minutes. 2. Add ground turkey and stock, stirring to combine. Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up turkey into small pieces. 3. Remove lid and add 14oz. of tomatoes and spices. Stir to combine. 4. Cook uncovered for 1 hour, adding remainder of tomatoes and 1/2 quart of stock. 5. Cook an additional hour, adding remaining stock if needed. Cook final 30 minutes. 6. Remove bay leaf and serve. Or leave overnight and have the next day.

The Verdict
I haven't had a hot dog in three weeks. I love hot dogs. I can't imagine going three weeks without one, well actually I can't imagine going without cheese, but I don't try. I've been avoiding hot dogs though. Really want one. So I figure I'll do the next best thing, make chili dog chili. Now I make a lot of chili. Mostly the bean and meat kind with a lot of soupy broth, that's what I was raised on. But, hot dog chili is a different beast so I set out to make a batch in the line of a Cincinnati chili. 3 hours of cooking time is some serious work when you start at 7pm, but Monday night was gonna chili night. After sitting overnight this stuff is amazing. The substitution of turkey for the fattier ground beef goes unnoticed. Spice is good and the consistency is great. I dropped a couple small links of turkey kielbasa in and I'm in heaven!

Meg won't eat chili, so I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Tobin is asleep.