Lobster Tails

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broiled-lobster-tails/
Lobster Tails

So David hates shrimp because of the texture. And it turns out lobster texture is very shrimp like. So he really couldn't eat any.

I used less than half the butter called for, and each lobster tail was 5 oz. It was ok, but I like shrimp better (and it's cheaper).

Green Beans Saute

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/fresh-green-beans-one-way/

I didn't have clean bacon grease so used butter instead. Will try bacon grease next time. I also put in the entire red pepper and an entire onion. This was really tasty. I had to cook it longer than she said because there was so much liquid left, and I ended up taking the lid off and turning the heat up to help it along.

Love love this though. I adore green beans, and these were really great.

Green Bean Casserole

This is adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. My family makes it at thanksgiving, though we always need a double batch in a 9x13 casserole dish. Below is a single batch for an 8x8 dish.

2 cans (1 lb each) green beans, drained
1 can (~10.5 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)
3.5 oz can french fried onion rings

Mix almonds, green beans, and soup together, put in ungreased 1 quart casserole dish (or 8x8 square dish). Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350 F. Sprinkle top with onion rings, then bake 5 more minutes until onions are browned a little.

Classic Potato Salad

Based on http://www.food.com/recipe/classic-potato-salad-22747

This was really good, I think my favorite yet. I altered the recipe somewhat, the result is below.

4 lbs peeled russet potatoes, diced
1 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 cup onion, minced (really minced!)
5 hard-boiled eggs and chopped
paprika

Boil peeled/diced potatoes in salted water until done. Put them in cold water to start the boil, then cover until boil. Take lid off and watch closely testing every minute or so until done (may need to turn down heat somewhat to prevent boiling over). Pour into colander and run cold water over it to stop cooking.
Place potatoes in large bowl.
Mix mayonnaise, cider vinegar, mustard, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in another bowl.
Add to potatoes.
Add celery and onions and mix well.
Stir in eggs.
Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust
Cauliflower Pizza Crust

David and I both liked this.  I used a cheese cloth. You really do have to squeeze the life out of the cauliflower. Finally I gave up. I could have gotten more out I think if I'd wrapped up the cheesecloth bundle in a towel and stepped on it. I'll have to try that next time.  It made a small pizza, but was enough for 2 servings. We were both full after.

I used Chavrie (with herb) goat cheese, but only because I had some left over from christmas. It is kind of expensive. I'll have to figure out something else for next time. I looked in the comments, though, and you don't really need the goat cheese in the crust. It works without it. I added it mainly so the pizza would be bigger.

I "riced" the cauliflower in my blendtec blender. I poured water over the top too. I'm not sure how it'd do without the water. I can experiment I guess.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tuna-noodle-casserole-10000001949756/
Tuna Noodle Casserole

This was creamy and good, but the serving size is really small. I used cut up green beans for peas, as usual.

422 calories for each 1 1/3 cups. (which is not enough in my opinion)

Salmon Cilantro Burgers

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-salmon-cilantro-burgers-10000001891952/
Salmon Cilantro Burgers

This is also in my Cooking Light 1500 calorie cookbook. I liked it quite a bit. David liked it too.

341 calories per sandwich.

Figgy Pudding

http://www.food.com/recipe/figgy-pudding-337148

Rated without sauce. I made this for fun this year as an experiment. We enjoyed it, but I think it does need a sauce and would do best in a setting where it can be a star, and not dwarfed by other holiday goodies.

White Bean Dip

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/white-bean-dip-with-pita-chips-recipe/index.html
White Bean Dip

I actually made this several years ago, like five or so. It was super tasty and great. I got some compliments on it.

Roasted Vegetable Orzo

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/roasted-vegetable-orzo-recipe.html
Roasted Vegetable Orzo

I subbed a small (peeled) butternut squash for delicata here, since you can't get it in stores. I liked this dish quite a lot. The garlic sauce was great. I served with toasted pine nuts on top.

Lentil Granola

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/05/lentilgranola/

This is really good. I think I boiled it too long, like 8 minutes instead of 5. I had to bake it an extra 30 minutes to get it dry because of the longer boil I think. This is calorie dense like granola tends to be, but more because of the almonds than anything else. It is mildly sweet. I made it with cinnamon, and had one serving mixed with some fresh blackberries I happened to have (rare occurrence) and two scoops of plain yogurt.

The finished product fits in a 1 quart yogurt container. (Mine is in a 1 kg container and has a tiny bit of extra room).

Servings: 12. Each serving 1/3 cup.
Calories 220 per serving

Crab Cakes

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crab-cakes-with-roasted-vegetables-tangy-butter-sauce-10000001723371/

I liked these. I didn't have the sides or sauce to go with them though, so it wasn't the complete experience. It is a fun way to have crab though.

4 servings. 443 per serving, (including sauce and veg)

Parisian Lentils

Adapted from http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/12/a-lesson-from-my-new-favourite-cookbook/#

I love love this recipe. It is so fast and healthy too, with tons of fiber and protein and very minimal effort. I used part-skim ricotta, regular brown lentils, and halved the olive oil. Everything else the same, and it was so tasty.  The lentils cooked in 20-30 minutes. I wasn't watching because people came to visit during cooking.

Serves 2. 370 calories/serving (with like 30 g protein, 33 g fiber, crazy! I need to do lentils more.)

note: I think the calories are low. THe lentils I used said they were 80 cal per 35 g. But it also had 20 carb+10 protein per serving, which is 120 calories. So assuming 120 is correct and 80 is not, the cals would be 480 per serving.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spaghetti-squash-i/

This was so tasty. Definitely will make again.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-cheesecake-recipe/index.html

This was awesome. Remember to line bottom with wax paper so it is easy to slide on to a server plate.

Hanukkah Menu

Hanukkah 2012:
Appetizer: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/12/potato-latkes-pancakes.html (rated 4.5)
with homemade applesauce & sour cream

Main course: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/07/baked-chicken.html
I put a tablespoon of herbes de provance in some melted butter and coated the top of chicken pieces with it. Worked great! (Rated 4.5)

Veges: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/12/roast-root-vegetables.html (rated 4)

Dessert: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/12/doughnuts.html (rated 4)

Hanukkah 2016:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/221041/wine-braised-beef-brisket
Latkes

Roast Root Vegetables

This goes well with roast chicken. You cut up carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, beets, rutabaga, etc into bite size chunks, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on single layer on baking sheet. (my baking sheet was nearly full with 3 carrots, 1 giant potato, and 1 turnip)
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, and it tastes awesome.

Doughnuts

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crispy-and-creamy-doughnuts/

I made half a batch, and it made like 18 doughnuts. I did not use their icing recipe (although I may next time).  I mixed confectioner sugar with milk, and microwaved it. The milk curdled I think, but it turned out fine anyway, though it was too sticky, like honey, on the doughnuts. It would be good as a surface for sticking toppings, but not great by itself in my opinion, although the guests liked it as is. I tried to get the temp around 365 or 375, but it was moving around. Medium high was too high (on spiral burner), but medium too low. I used a bottle cap to cut holes.

Sweet Shredded Pork

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2008/09/cafe-rio-sweet-pork.html

I did not follow the recipe exactly because I had no coke (only 7 year old diet pepsi from my car trunk that tasted beyond strange and I threw it out), so this is rated based on a moderated recipe.

2 lbs pork
1/2 c brown sugar
1 cup red enchilada sauce (or so)
1 can diced green chilies

David does not like sweet pork very much. I liked the enchilada sauce and green chilies mixed with pork, but it would do better without the sugar unless you follow the recipe exactly to get cafe rio-ness.

But it makes an awful lot of pork for two people when one of them does not care for sweet pork.

Sweet and Sour Pork

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-sweet-and-sour-pork-10000001911381/

The calories don't include rice.

Cal: 350 / serving. 4 servings. I liked this pretty well. David likes sweet and sour meatballs better.

Steak and Arugula Salad

Based on http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/11/could-you-make-dinner-in-5-minutes/

Steak and Arugula salad

David and I both really liked this. We used Briannas french vinaigrette (the artichoke pic one) instead of the lemon & olive oil thing, and I also sauteed/browned some almond slivers after the meet was cooked. I used shredded parmesan (not the green can, but real parmesan that was shredded) instead of shaved. It was really good! The arugula was fantastic. I've never had a meaty salad I enjoyed quite this much that was so quick to make. A 5 oz bag of arugula was just right for two people.

Calories per serving: Using 1 T salad dressing, this is between 450 and 500 calories with the cheese and nuts, assuming 6 oz cooked top sirloin per person with all the fat trimmed (320 cal).