Pasta with Crab

This was a decent meal although picking the crab was a bit time consuming.  My husband thought this was better then the linguini with clams he had at a restaurant the night before.

What I liked - The crab was good and the I generally like cream sauces.  The extra kick from the chili was a good addition.

What I didn't like - Picking out the crab.  Needed quite a bit of salt.  I felt that more cream was needed in the sauce (I added half and half as I had it on hand).

My modifications - Added half and half, used a little more then half the chili (no seeds) and didn't add the parsley (as I am not a fan of it).

Overall 3.5 stars (my husband would probably give it more).

Green Basil Curry

I thought this was really yummy, again I generally love the Asian inspired dishes and I love getting my veggies.

What I liked - Loved the green curry sauce and all the veggies.  Generally I am not a big fan of chickpeas but I think with all the other flavors going on here I didn't mind them. 

What I didn't like - I added some fish sauce and peanuts as I thought it needed some more salt (and I love fish sauce in my curries) and some crunch.  But really it was good even before I made the additions.

My modifications - As I said above I added fish sauce and peanuts at the end.  I only used 1/2 - 3/4 of the green chili paste (so it wasn't too spicy).  I also heated up the sauce in the microwave instead of on the stove (didn't want to use another pot).

Overall 4 stars (4.5 stars with my modifications).

Tamarind Chicken with Rice

I liked this dish but nothing wowed me about it.

What I liked - The tamarind sauce was a little sweet a little salt.  I liked the crispy skin on the chicken.  The fried rice had a nice little kick to it.

What I didn't like -  Peas and carrots kind of cliché, would have preferred  something a little more interesting. 

My modifications - Only used half the sriracha but I think it was the perfect amount for me.

Overall - 3.5 stars, pretty good but not that memorable.

Pork Banh Mi

I really liked everything about this just wish there was more to this meal then just a sandwich, maybe a salad.  I have never had real banh mi (but its on my list) so I can compare this to how it should taste.

What I liked - The shallot jam was yummy, sweet and salty.  The pork meatballs had a nice savory flavor.  The carrots added a nice crunch and the basil and mint added a nice bright note.

What I didn't like - As I said I wish there was a salad or something on the side.  Also the bun was nothing to write home about.

My modifications - I grilled the meatballs instead of baking them.  Only used about half the sriracha in the mayo.

Overall 4 stars.

Salmon with Charred Lemon

This was not that great.  Of course I forgot the mustard sauce (but I don't really like mustard anyway), so maybe if I liked mustard and had the sauce this would have been a fine meal.

 

 

What I liked - The asparagus was good, I like the lemon on it.  That might be it.

What I didn't like - The couscous was boring (like the jeweled couscous from the halloumi dish 2 weeks ago much better).  I find wild salmon too dry and this did nothing about that (maybe I overcooked).  Of course I forgot the mustard sauce so maybe that would have helped the dryness.  And what was I supposed to do with the charred lemon, eat it?  I just squeezed it on the salmon.

My modifications - No mustard sauce.  I added some crushed almonds to the couscous to try and add something to it but it didn't really help.

Overall 2.5 stars.

Salmon Burgers with Mache

Ok I didn't like this at all.  I was able to eat it but didn't really enjoy it.

What I liked - The bun was nice toasted???  The arugula was nice and peppery??  Really I am trying to come up with things that were good about this.

What I didn't like - The burger itself, not to my taste (hubby did like it though).  I think it was partially the fish taste with the burger texture that I found off putting.  I have never had a fish of any kind burger, so maybe I just don't like them (but I do like crab cakes).  The salad was boring, not sure the mache added anything, should have used some of the extra lemon in the dressing.

My modifications - Only used half the horseradish as I don't like it.

Overall 2 stars - Edible but not happy about it.

Beer-Braised Chicken with Green Rice

Ok I put off making this because it didn't look that good and I got busy (as sometimes happens), but it turned out this was fabulous.  Best of the week (even over the Korean tacos).

What I liked - The flavor of the chicken was so good, just enough spice.  I know it doesn't look like much but the flavor more then made up for that.

What I didn't like - Shredding the chicken, its just a pain and certainly took longer then 6-8 minutes that I simmered the braising liquid for.

My modifications - Ok I am not sure what happened to the cilantro and oregano, maybe I misplaced it or maybe they didn't send it either way I made the rice without the cilantro and added dried oregano to the chicken instead of fresh.  I used the chicken broth instead of beer.  I think I used about half the chipotle pepper and sauce and only used half the paprika/cayenne pepper mixture, result was a spice level that was warm not hot.

Overall 4.5 stars

Korean Beef Tacos

Ok I forgot to take a picture before I wolfed these down.  They were yummy.  I have been really bad about updating so sorry if these reviews are short.

What I liked - Asian tacos whats not to like.  I love tacos and I live asian flavors.  They had me at hello.

What I didn't like - Kimchi, so I didn't put any on mine, but hubby did and he liked it.  By making the tacos all together by the time that I ate them the tortillas were cooled off.  Probably should make these like fajitas, one at a time.

My changes - Other then not adding the kimchi I made these as directed.

Overall 4.5 stars- so good.