Menu for the Week 006: Stuffed Mushrooms and Calamari with Marinara Sauce

This week, I was craving for Stuffed Mushrooms and Calamari with Brocolli and Red Pepper served with Marinara sauce from Red Lobster.

I really don't like Red Lobster and the dishes that I mentioned above are the only reasons why I visit Red Lobster. Oh and their Pina Colada of course. I'm sorry to say this but I am not a fan of Red Lobster.

I remember when I moved here in 2005, Mr. L took me there for my birthday because he thought that I would enjoy it since I love eating seafood. But since honesty is the best policy, I immediately told Mr. L that Red Lobster is not my cup of tea...as far as seafood department was concerned. Their food just tasted bland, a little bit stuffing, the serving was humongous to my dismay of course and I felt you can get something so much better for the amount of money that you spend at Red Lobster.

Here's a picture that Mr. L took on my birthday lunch at Red Lobster in 2005. Omg, I look so much skinnier and fair skinned here. Excuse the hair of course and the earrings and lack of make-up lol.

I really only go to Red Lobster when my former co-workers, family and friends invite me to go. I'm very easy and flexible when I'm dining out with other people other than Mr. L that's why I don't let anyone know I don't like Red Lobster lol and I always order appetizers and a Pina Colada (if I'm  not driving that is lol) if ever I go.

So, yesterday I decided to make Stuffed Mushrooms and Calamari, Brocolli and Red Pepper with Marinara Sauce just like how they make it at Red Lobster served with a glass of white wine since Mr. L and I didn't have Pina Colada at home. It was very delicious. Mr. L really loved it. We just have to make less though next time because we have a lot lol. At last, we don't have to visit Red Lobster anymore now I only have to learn how to make Pina Colada to truly re-create the whole Red Lobster experience lol.

Mushrooms in packs:


Stuffed Mushrooms before baking them (I kept putting a lot of olive oil but the mushrooms just kept on absorbing the oil so I kept putting more now I know not to put a lot because when they're cooked all of the oil will be secreted out of the mushrooms. I know better now lol):


Cooked Stuffed Mushrooms (with all of the olive oil secreted already lol. We served them with Horseradish Sauce just like how they serve it at Red Lobster):


Red Pepper and Brocolli before prepping them:


Calamari with Brocolli and Red Pepper with Marinara Sauce (the sauce was store bought lol):

Menu for the Week 005: Sweet Potato Soup, Chicken Francese & Pasta

Last week, I didn't cook at all because we had a lot of leftovers from thanksgiving. Guess what?  We still have more. Well, not that much. We still have some turkey, mashed potatoes, one last serving of lasagna, mac'n cheese, apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Thank God for thanksgiving leftovers :)

So i decided to cook a few things just to add some variety because Mr. L and I are pretty much getting sick of eating the same food over and over again :).

We still had some uncooked sweet potatoes left from thanksgiving day...


so I decided to make Sweet Potato Soup with fresh thyme and basil:


Some of the fresh herbs that I used today: rosemary, thyme and parsley. I didn't get to take a picture of the basil...I already chopped them up :) Our kitchen smelled so good...



And since we still have a lot of chicken tenders that we got on sale for $3.44 for 1.38 lbs. from last month I decided to make Chicken Francese:

This was my first time to try this recipe. It tasted a little bit different from the ones that we order when we eat out but it still tasted delicious. I definitely need to add more lemon juice and butter to the sauce the next time I make this dish.

I also made some pasta to go with the chicken:


Mr. L and I enjoyed this delicious meal while watching Dexter :) We also had a bottle of white to go with it.

Mr. L and I have been very good in making sure that we weren't wasting food. Well done, Mr. L!

Have a good week everyone!

Menu for the Week 004: Chicken Parmigiana & Pasta

Two Sundays ago I made Chicken Parmigiana and Pasta.

Chicken Parmigiana before baking it:


Chicken Parmigiana:


Pasta made from the excess sauce from the Chicken Parm:


It came out very good. The sauce was very light and wasn't heavy at all. Mr. L always cooks the noodles because I always get worried that I might make it mushy. It came out perfect compared to the ones that he made in the past. It was perfectly al dente :) Thanks Mr. L!

I finally know how to make Chicken Parm. This is one of the dishes that Mr. L enjoys when we visit his family. He really loved the one that I made. It's a different recipe from his family but we love it! This will be one of the dishes that we will constantly cook in our home.

Next step is perfecting Eggplant Parmigiana or Eggplant Rollitini because the one that I made in the past didn't come out perfect :) I will keep you posted when I make it.

Today, I'm making Chicken Francese with Pasta and Sweet Potato Soup.