Just Like Mama Makes It

Last week, Ellie, Dozer and I were fortunate enough to have some company staying with us while Flick was out in Tahoe for work.  My parents and grandfather were in town with us for just about a week.  We had a fantastic time and it was really special for my Grampy to spend time with Ellie - it's not every day that you get to spend a week with your great-grand-daughter!  Flick and I were also able to go out for a date night which we really appreciated!

With my mom in town, I was treated to some home-cooked mama meals. Mmmmm - I love cooking but it is definitely nice to get a little break now and again and to try some new dishes that are staples in someone else's kitchen.  Two of these recipes have slightly longer cook times then some of the weeknight meals we usually feature but they are well worth the wait if you can come home, put dinner in the oven, and get other things done for 50 minutes while it all comes together.  If not - they make great weekend meals too!

Our first meal was a Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.  We served the tenderloin with mashed sweet potatoes and corn.  I ate enough tenderloin to warrant sideways glances from my dad and the four of us came one slice away from polishing off two small tenderloins.  Had to save some room for dessert!

The next meal was Honey Mustard Chicken with Roasted New Potatoes.  This comes together as a nice one dish meal since the potatoes and chicken all cook together.  We had some steamed asparagus on the side.  I was lucky enough to have some leftovers for lunch after they left and thoroughly enjoyed it the second time around as well!

Our fish meal was a Baked Cod with Mango-Pineapple Salsa.  My parents are a very short time away from retiring down to Florida (yea!) and they are more than ready to embrace the Florida lifestyle.  This tropical meal will make a regular appearance down there where they have access to an awesome fresh fish market (that makes some killer key lime pie).  Be as liberal as you like with the refreshing salsa and enjoy with some white or brown rice and maybe some fresh broccoli on the side.

The final mama meal was a Beef and Vegetable Skillet.  This was another great one dish supper that had plenty of vegetables to balance out the meat.  Flick enjoyed this as a left-over lunch once he was back in town and gave it very high marks. 

After everyone headed out of town, I pulled together a Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto as our vegetarian meal for the week.  I know what you are thinking: "Risotto, on a weeknight?  Doesn't that require a lot of time...and stirring?".  The answer is yes, and not necessarily!  I have found that with risotto, you do need to stir it frequently, however, you can put down the spoon and take a breather every now and again.  Maybe do a few dishes, chop up some veggies, pour a glass of wine.  Using a non-stick sauce pan certainly helps but we have used our Le Creuset and been just fine.  Don't fear the risotto - just be patient, add the liquid per the instructions, and give it a taste towards the end to see how the rice is doing.  I ended up with 1/2 cup of liquid that I did not need because the rice was done before I added it.  You've got this one!