Back Burner Restaurant & Bar - Hockessin, Delaware

My husband and I had the opportunity to visit a fantastic restaurant – Back Burner in Hockessin, Delaware (http://www.backburner.com/).  The restaurant is in a shopping complex that is outfitted in as an old-style village – wood paneling on the outside, pretty cute.  Inside the restaurant is similar, bluish-gray wood paneling on the walls (on the horizontal), a to-go shop right next door, a horse made out of old toy parts – very unique.  We instantly felt welcomed by the friendly wait-staff.

To start the meal, they gave us a small bucket of bread and dipping sauce – oil, garlic, and a dash of red pepper flakes.  It had a nice kick to it, but not too spicy.  I ordered the Back Burner House Salad – mixed baby field greens, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, and a house-made balsamic vinaigrette.  I ordered it without bleu cheese as I am definitely not a fan.  The spiced walnuts added a nice crunch to the salad and they were not that spicy, similar to candied pecans. 

After confirming that the Roasted Root Vegetable was prepared with vegetable stock/broth, I ordered the half size (which actually ended up being 2 servings for me).  The risotto is prepared with parsnips, rutabaga, celery root, baby heirloom carrots, and Vermontapplewood smoked cheddar – with a little cheddar shaved on top.  This is one of the most addictive dishes I have ever had!  It’s cheesey goodness envelopes your tastebuds.  The rice was cooked perfectly and all of the vegetables worked in perfect harmony to create a fantastic dish.  There were also some spices – perhaps Thyme – missed in that added to the wonderful dish.  I enjoyed it as leftovers the next day – a delightful way to remember a fantastic meal!

To end this awesome meal, we ordered the Dark & White Chocolate Croissant Pudding.  It was essentially bread pudding with the chocolate mixed in – gooey chocolate chips in every forkful.  It was served with a side of chocolate mousse that was so rich, only a little bit on your tongue was enough to satisfy.  This dish was delicious and decadent – very rich, but not too heavy.

My husband and I are both looking forward to our next trip to Back Burner.

Mexican Pizza

Fantastic!  This dish has a great taste, good consistency, and it looks nice to boot.  


Mexican Pizza (1 deep dish pizza, 6 servings, 45 minutes total time)
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)


Ingredients
1 package Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
2 10-inch flour tortillas
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup Taco shredded cheese
1 green onion chopped
1 plum tomato diced
1/8 cup finely chopped jalapeno pepper


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 1 pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place Burger Crumbles, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until Crumbles are heated through. Season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Lay one tortilla in pie plate and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the Crumble mixture over the beans and then cover with the second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Remove the plate from the oven and let cool slightly. Spread the salsa over the top of the tortilla. Cover pizza with half of the cheese. Place tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos on top of cheese.
5. Return the pizza to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing into 6 pieces.

It is very filling!  The flavors come together very nicely and there is a good mixture of protein carbohydrates.  You can cut back on the cheese to lessen the fat.  As is, depending on the salsa you use, it's not spicy - I might kick it up a notch next time I make it, but my fiancé liked it the way it was.  The only "negative" I have to say is that it is a little difficult to eat with just a fork - you need a knife to get through the top layer without messing it up.

Café Valentina – Pike Creek, Delaware

http://www.cafevalentina.com/

My husband and I have gone on a couple of dates here.  My memory of the garlic bread starter was what took us back this time; unfortunately, it wasn’t as I remember it.  As you enter the restaurant, you can go straight to their small bar area (and grab take-out, which seems to be a  large business for them) or go up a few steps to a seating area.  The tables are close together and the restaurant is pretty loud – not the romantic atmosphere of Valle Cucina. 

I ordered the Ortolana pasta dish – broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms sautéed in olive oil with garlic light marinara sauce - with wheat pasta.  It sounded good – vegetables, pasta, garlic marinara sauce.  Unfortunately, the ingredients did not come together in the dish.  The light marinara sauce was very oily and I think that the only thing marinara about it was the tomatoes in the vegetable portion of the dish.  The vegetables were okay, but they kind of soggy – and the spinach was clumped together.  Maybe it was my misunderstanding of the dish – but it sounded good when I read it.  I had a salad with the dish, but it was just a standard pizzeria one – lettuce, large tomatoes, and a packet of dressing.  The garlic bread that comes with the meal was sitting in olive oil and caked with garlic – even though it didn’t taste very “garlicky”.  Just an odd meal all around.

Chelsea Tavern – Wilmington, DE

http://www.chelseatavern.com/

I have only been to Chelsea once before, for a beer and some pizza, but have wanted to go back for more than a year.  The menu looks so enticing and the selection of beer is fairly good – better than your average restaurant.  As you enter the restaurant, you walk into a welcoming bar area – it is well-lit with nice wooden tables – a good place to eat if you want something slightly more casual.  You then walk back into the dining area, there are both booths and tables – the lighting is slightly dimmed for a slightly romantic ambience. 

We sat at one of the tables in the middle of room – they are close together, so I felt that the couples on either side of us were way too close, but after my beer came, I perked up.  We started out with the House Made Soft Pretzel Crullers, served with Queso Poblano sauce.  The pretzels were just a touch too hard for my liking, but they were not overly buttery and barely salted.  And the Queso dip – delicious.  Perhaps the pretzels had been apart of another batch – I’d be willing to give them a second taste test.

As my main course, I had the Wild Mushroom Soup (which, sadly, is not on their current menu) and the Baby Spinach salad.  The soup was to die for, honestly.  It was mushroomy, but had a touch of cream in the middle and topped with just a hint of pesto.  There were a few mushroom chunks – and all this added up to be so tasty – my mouth is actually watering as I think about it.  If you don’t like mushrooms, then this isn’t the soup for you, but if you even slightly like them, I would recommend trying it (if they add it back to the menu).  I also had the Baby Spinach Salad.  It was very lightly dressed – a little bit more dressing would have done the salad good.  It was okay – not great for a salad.  I thought that I would like the dressing more, but it was nothing spectacular.

For dessert, we attempted to please both of our palettes and ordered the Chocolate Chocolate Cake.  Well, the cake was good, and so was the ice cream, but the spicy caramel sauce – way too much!  And that’s not just me saying it because I don’t like caramel – my husband agreed that it was too spicy for a dessert.  I have definitely learned that spicy desserts are not what I like.  We were able to scrape a lot of the caramel sauce off of the cake so that we could enjoy it, but the taste mostly stayed with us for the rest of the night – kind of a bummer.

Overall, Chelsea has a nice atmosphere and tasty food.  I would recommend it for the vegetarian restaurant-goer.  FYI – They also have a downstairs room with a bar for private events – right beside the wine cellar!

September 2012 Update:
On a recent visit to Chelsea, I enjoyed the Hand Cut Signature Trio Fries appetizer and Veggie Margherita pizza.  The fries consisted of crispy Vidalia Onions, Idaho & Sweet Potatoes and were seasoned with a homemade spice.  They were paired with a house aioli.  The aioli was a tad spicy, perfect for my taste!  All of the fries were crispy, but some were slightly burnt.  I think I’d get the dish again if I went with a group of people to share it with.  I then had the Veggie Margherita pizza that comes out of the brick oven in the back of the dining area (a nice one, made of light-colored stone).  The pizza has a plum tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, wild mushrooms, red onion, and roasted peppers (I opted to nix the olives).  It had a crispy crust and was slightly browned on the top (no burning for this item!).  It was a tasty pizza that I would definitely order again.

May 2013 Update:

My mother and stepdad came to visit over Mother’s Day weekend.  We treated them to dinner at Chelsea Tavern in downtown Wilmington.  My husband and I had ordered the House Made Soft Pretzel Crullers as an appetizer on a previous trip and didn’t much care for them, but he is on a soft pretzel kick, so we ordered them for the four of us.  Boy, am I glad that I gave these a second try!  They were soft and chewy and not drowned in butter like some soft pretzels.  They were served with a  spicy Dog Fish Head 60 Minute I.P.A. cheese sauce – delish!  Not really that spicy, but definitely tasty.  

As my main dish, I ordered the Chelsea Pizza.  It has a shallot and garlic spread and is topped with tomatoes, sautéed spinach, herbed ricotta cheese, and a bit of mozzarella. I love getting pizza at Chelsea because they serve it with your own little tri-bowl of parmesan, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes.  I also loved this pizza!  Of course, that probably has something to do with all of the cheese on it.  The crust was thin, but not crusty or burnt – cooked just right in their brick oven.  The veggies were soft and chewy and I loved the garlicky taste that the sauce imparted on each bite.  I cannot wait to go back to Chelsea because I will definitely order this again.

Iron Hill Brewery - Wilmington, DE

I wanted to go to Iron Hill in Wilmington all summer, but as luck would have it, there was no real convenient time.  Luckily, Mother Nature blessed us with a beautiful October Saturday and I was able to lunch with husband on the top deck overlooking the Christiana River.  I am kind of a snob with Iron Hill, really only wanting to go when I can sit outside - I like to enjoy my "outside" places in the summer and go to other restaurants without outdoor seating areas in the colder months.  Iron Hill is a definite winner in my book - good food and beer with vegetarian options highlighted on the menu.

I had a slight dilemma when picking my sandwich.  Should I go with my usual - the Mediterranean Wrap?  Or mix it up with the Black bean burger?  Since the weather was warm, I decided to go with the Wrap, and save the burger for a colder day (yes, I decided to come back and sit inside).  The wrap is a nice mix of veggies and protein - stuffed with hummus, cucumber, roasted red peppers, tomato, arugula, feta and balsamic syrup in a spinach tortilla.  I ordered a tossed salad of lettuce and herb vinaigrette for my side and stole a sweet potato fry from my husband - about 4x the size of a normal fry and really tasty!  The wrap is definitely tasty, with the hummus playing the starring role - there is a nice mix between the soft ingredients and the crunchy cucumber and arugula.  The herb vinaigrette on the side salad was delicious and I may consider getting a full salad sometime when I go there just to have more of it.  I decided that a Raspberry Wheat beer would be the perfect accompaniment to this Indian Summer meal!


Updated January 2013:

My husband and I went to dinner with another couple at Iron Hill Brewery in Media, PA.  I am writing about this experience because I tried something new!  Almost every time that I have gone to an Iron Hill, I have ordered the Mediterranean Wrap (delicious!), but I wanted to try something new.  Alas, there was a Southwestern Black Bean Burger.  So I gave it a try.  It is homemade with black beans, mushrooms, sweet potatoes (!), red and green bell peppers, and corn.  I never expected to see sweet potatoes in a burger, and they were actual chunks!  It was topped with pepper jack cheese, a tomato, and green chile aioli.  It was good!  The burger was bound together well and I could definitely taste the black beans and sweet potatoes.  The pepper jack and green chile aioli added a little spiciness to it.  I definitely recommend it.  I’m not sure that I like it more than the wrap, but a very good alternative.

Mikimotos – Wilmington, DE

 I really enjoy the atmosphere and food at Mikimotos restaurant in Wilmington.  As you walk in, you are greeted by a nice bar area on your left, a sushi bar in front of you, and dining room tables on the right.  The restaurant is well-lit, but in no way harsh.  It is warm and inviting.

      I usually order the Side Salad – mix of vegetables with carrot ginger dressing – and Zen Tofu – stir fried vegetables in Szechwan sauce with crispy tofu with steamed rice.  Both are very delicious.  The Tofu dish is spicy, but not too hot and the vegetable mix provides a crispy texture contrast to the tofu and rice.  This last visit, though, I decided to try something new.  I ordered the Vegetarian handroll assortment – five seaweed cones with sushi rice and vegetables.  There was one with each of the following: carrots, avocado, cucumber, passion fruit, and one more that I cannot recall.  They were fine, but they were not served with any sauce and were not nearly on par with the vegetarian sushi at Masamoto.  I definitely missed my Zen Tofu – and now I know, at Mikis, I’m staying with what I love!

Stuffed Peppers - Somebody Else's Way

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/stuffed-peppers-my-way/detail.aspx

This stuffed pepper recipe was good, but not great.  I think that it would taste much better with a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper to add some sweetness.  The green peppers were a little too bland for my taste.  The recipe says that it takes 1 hour, but if you multi-task (i.e. roast the peppers while cooking the rice mixture), it only takes about 30 minutes. 

The only change that I made to the recipe was with the Italian seasoning - we didn’t have any, so I mixed together some onion powder, oregano, and sage – it worked well with the other flavors of the dish.  The rice mixture had a somewhat salty taste – from the feta and extra salt – so I plan to cut the salt back to about ½ tsp., or even omit it completely.  The texture of the rice was a good contrast to the more firm consistency of the pepper, but I will roast the peppers for less than 25 minutes so that they are more firm.  Overall, a good dish, but could use some improving to make it more “My Way”.

Butter Bean Burgers

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/butter-bean-burgers/detail.aspx
     
 Surprisingly delicious!  Mine weren’t quite as golden on the bottom because I omitted the vegetable oil – a non-stick pan works just fine, but the presentation was nice.  I used ½ of an onion and 4 saltine crackers (it’s what I had), but followed the rest of the recipe.  I didn’t chop the jalapenos as finely as I should have (first time using my new Food Chop), so there were sections of each burger that were a bit too spicy.  I couldn’t taste the garlic powder or cheese, but an overall good experience and quick to whip up!  They were slightly dry, so I may add a little more cheese next time I make them.  I served with an ear of corn to round out the meal.  

Toscana – Wilmington, DE

To begin the meal, we ordered crepes, stuffed with cheese, and served in a cream sauce.  I kind of wish I had ordered it as my meal because it was beyond delicious.  The crepes were soft and creamy – wrapped around a pillow of cheese and sitting in a delectable cream.  My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

In an effort to enjoy the warm weather, my husband I decided to sit outside at Toscana.  It’s not the best outside eating area, but the food more than makes up for that!  There are a number of vegetarian items on the menu, which makes for a difficult choice, but also means that I can go back for more delicious experiences!

I continued my culinary journey with the House Green salad – local lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and roasted shallot vinaigrette.  Pretty good taste, but has paled in my mind because of the wonderful appetizer.


As my entrée, I had the Triangoli – triangle shaped ravioli filled with robiola and ricotta.  Atop the pasta was Reggiano Cream, sweet corn, and Kennett mushrooms.  Very tasty, soft and bursting with cheese.  The corn and mushrooms were a nice touch.


We ended our meal with a Trio of Chocolate dessert – mousse, mini cake (with hazelnut), and another chocolate cake (I don’t really remember that one because my husband ate it!).  The mousse and the hazelnut cake were very rich and very chocolaty.  Good!

Valle Cucina – Newark, DE

Located in the Pike Creek Shopping Center is a wonderful Italian restaurant with a warm, inviting atmosphere.  Yes, the menus are laminated and only on two sides, but the wine list is vast, the garlic bread scrumptious, and the service wonderful.
    
Our meal began with an ample serving of garlic rolls, sitting in some extra oil and topped with Parmesan.  These are pretty addictive, so be careful.  I ordered the Chicken & Apples salad to start, no Chicken – the waitress suggested that I have the Chicken on the side and give it to my husband, perfect solution!  The salad is a bed of field greens, topped with red onion, granny smith apples, many slices of brie, and cranberry vinaigrette on the side.  I was a little nervous about the cranberry vinaigrette, but it really brought the salad together, there were even little pieces of cranberry in the dressing!  A great way to start the meal.
    
As my entrée, I ordered the Tortellini Blush (they assured me that it was completely vegetarian).  The tortellini is stuffed with cheese and served in a sundried-tomato blush cream sauce (extra sundried tomatoes included).  The pasta was very soft and the sauce was delicious.  They gave me enough that I had two meals leftover!
     
We ended our meal with the Reese’s Cake – chocolate cake with layers of a peanut butter filling, topped with a chocolate frosting.  Very chocolaty, not too Peanut Buttery, but still good.  Not exactly what I expected, but still a satisfying way to end the meal.

September 2012 Update:

The gnocchi is hand-rolled and made of ricotta cheese.  It comes with homemade gravy, but their menu clearly states that the gravy has meat in it.  I asked for the marinara instead, and boy, did I make a good choice!  The gnocchi is so tender and cheesy, very tasty.  The marinara has some thick chunks of tomato in it and has good coverage over the amount of gnocchi (not too much pasta or sauce).  The sauce has hints of oregano and basil.  When I bite into the gnocchi, there is a little stringiness to the cheese when pulling away from the fork – it makes it even more appealing to me.  I think that this will be my go-to dish at this restaurant.

We had a Half-Baked Chocolate Chip cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.  The cookie was soft and chewy, each bite was full of chocolate chips – very mouth-watering.  The ice cream added a nice contrast to the warm cookie and the two together was fantastic. They drizzled some chocolate sauce on the plate, but this was a waste because the cookie and ice cream were in their own dish, set on top of the plate.  There wasn’t a good way to take advantage of the chocolate sauce.  Oh well!  It still tasted fantastic. 

Stove Top Spinach Balls

Spinach Balls (slightly adapted from KraftRecipes, Total Time: 35 min., Servings: 30 – 2 each)

Ingredients

·         1pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Pork

·         1-2/3 cups  hot water

·         ¼ cup (1/2 stick) margarine

·         2 pkg.  (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained and patted dry

·         1cup  Grated Parmesan Cheese

·         1cup  chopped fresh mushrooms

·         ½ small  onion, finely chopped

·         4  eggs

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.       Mix stuffing mix, hot water and margarine in large bowl until well blended.

3.       Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Shape into 60 (1-inch) balls. Place in single layer in 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans sprayed with cooking spray.

4.       Bake 15 to 20 min. or until lightly browned.

Stove Top Pork stuffing is the only one that is vegetarian – no chicken fat or stock on the ingredient list, so I use this for all recipes calling for stuffing.  There are some other brands that are vegetarian, just be careful to check what’s included.

Our oven was having some issues, so these burnt a little on the bottoms, but they were still really a tasty.  I like that the recipe incorporates spinach and mushrooms – a nice way to include some veggies in the appetizer.  The balls held together well and tasted superb.  I also made these another time for a party and a neighbor liked them so much that she asked for the recipe!

P.S. – these are good reheated and somebody at work said that they smelled like Thanksgiving :-)

Risotto Primavera

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/dijon-risotto-primavera-56545.aspx

I cannot rightfully call what I made Dijon Risotto Primavera.  Even though I bough Grey Poupon awhile ago, it was nowhere to be found, so I had to make some adjustments to this recipe to enhance the flavor.  I have never made risotto before, so I think I did an OK job for my first time.  This recipe is a good base, next time I’ll make sure that I have Dijon on hand so that I more accurately rate it.

To make this recipe vegetarian, I used 1 box of Trader Joe’s Organic Hearty Vegetable Broth instead of chicken broth.  As noted above, we didn’t have Dijon Mustard, so after cooking the rice, I added about 1.5 T of French’s Yellow Mustard, about 1 T of cracked black pepper, and a dash of salt and…Mrs. Dash (I have never used it before, but my husband suggested it).  Overall, it worked, but I would definitely like to taste it with theDijon.  I thought that making risotto would be difficult because of the time needed to make it work, but this recipe was pretty easy to work with.  Although I was standing by the stove a lot, I had the opportunity to do other things in the kitchen and didn’t have to constantly stir it.  Give it a try…you might just like it!

Firestone – Wilmington, DE (riverfront)

My husband and I ate at Firestone about a month ago, after dance lessons for our then upcoming wedding.  We actually ended up there because another restaurant was closed, but we had wanted to go because they have a really awesome patio.  We sat outside on the part of their patio where you can still order from the full menu.  I started out with the House Salad (minus the bacon and avocado dressing, plus the honey-lime vinaigrette).  The salad is mixed greens, hearts of palm, cornbread croutons, and chopped egg.  It was alright, slightly overdressed with the vinaigrette. 

I had a slight crisis moment when choosing my entrée – I have gotten sick from veggie burgers before, but it sounded so good.  Did I want to take the chance, or order a hand crafted pizza and play it safe?  I decided to give it a shot – the veggie burger sounded too good to pass up.  It’s made of brown rice, black beans, and oats, topped with BBQ sauce and a slice of cheddar cheese.  What sold me on it was the burger recipe and the BBQ sauce.  It came out on a large roll and was huge.  Probably 2-3 times the thickness of a normal veggie burger and 1.5 times the size in length/width.  It was so good!  I didn’t eat it as a burger, but rather with a fork – I think it would have been too messy otherwise.  The burger was very soft and chewy, easy to cut into (with just a fork), and the BBQ sauce and cheddar just added to the richness.  I ate the whole thing! And even some of the bottom roll that sopped up the BBQ sauce.  I believe that it is the best veggie burger I have had to date.

We ended up having dessert too – goodness that was a big meal for me.  We chose the Warm Double Chocolate Brownie a la Mode – this was a while ago, but I remember it being pretty good.  Not as good as some of the desserts I have had at Isaacs or the lava cake at Capers and Lemons, but still a good end to great meal!

Masamoto – Glen Mills, PA

I know that sushi isn’t something that you immediately think of when the word vegetarian comes up, but I like to try new vegetable rolls when I get the opportunity.  I went to Masamoto with some of my coworkers for lunch.  I’m sorry that I never went before – I didn’t know what I was missing!  The restaurant is in a strip mall off of Concord Pike, nestled next to a Five Guys.  The interior is very streamlined – crisp lines, minimal decorations, but nice.  I had a bit of a decision to make since they have more vegetable rolls than other sushi restaurants I have visited.  I decided to go with the House Salad and the Eggplant Roll.

The salad was just lettuce with cucumber and tomato. I ordered the ginger dressing on the side and it was fantastic.  Sweet and tangy are good adjectives to describe it.  The Eggplant Roll was warm, but not tempura.  It had a very good sauce on it, slightly sweet.  Pretty good – no outstanding flavors, but a good roll with a creamy center.

Isaacs – various locations throughout Central PA

 I was introduced to Isaacs about 5 years ago and have been in love with it ever since.  There was a time a few months ago when I became very disappointed with them – they changed the recipe for their pretzel rolls so that they were no longer vegetarian – but about 1-2 months ago they changed the recipe back to vegan/vegetarian.  Now, they have a special place in my heart once again.  This is one of the only restaurants where I will actually order a vegetarian burger – I have never had any issues.

            At Isaacs, they start you out with a small dish of pickled cucumbers, carrots, and cauliflower.  Crunchy and dilly, very good!  My usual order at Isaacs is the Ruffled Salad with a black bean burger and Ancho Chili Ranch dressing on the side.  The salad is topped with tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, shredded cheese, and croutons.  They definitely do not skimp on the fixins!  The black bean burger is pretty tasty on its own, but the ranch dressing kicks it up a notch!  Every salad is accompanied by a small pretzel roll.  These are delicious – soft, chewy, not buttery or salty, just yum!

            I don’t think that I’ve ever had a miss at Isaacs (other than the aforementioned pretzel recipe change).  I have had the Black-Eyed Susan (my usual salad on a cheddar wrap) and the Mexican Sunflower (my salad on a pretzel roll) – I see a theme here.  Good vegetables + safe vegetarian burger + pretzel rolls or cheddar wraps = one clear winner in my mind.

            Now, the desserts – fantastic!  This past time we ordered the Fudgie Wudgie – this thing is huge!  The fudge brownie is soft, warm, and delectable.  The ice cream topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, and chocolate chips just adds to the deliciousness.  We have also had the Chocolate Lovin’ Spoon Cake – only get if you love chocolate, the Toucan Brownie Nest – not a huge fan because I don’t like caramel or cheesecake, but my husband and stepfather love it, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie – two of my favorite things in one!

            If you happen to be in central PA, check out Isaacs.  It definitely has my stamp of approval!

Broccoli and Carrot Lasagna

Creamy, tasty and made way too much for us to eat - about half is currently in the freezer.  When I tasted it right out of the oven, I didn't really like it, but after a night in the refrigerator, the flavors really had a change to mesh and it tasted pretty good.  I'd give it maybe 4 stars out of 5 - might need a bit more flavor for some people (garlic and basil are two that come to my mind right away).

I followed the recipe very closely, though I did cut the mozzarella cheese - instead of measuring it out, I just sprinkled it on.  I like how the broccoli and carrots gave the lasagna a bit of texture, a little more full and crunchy than a "regular" lasagna.  Overall, tasty and a keeper (though I'll probably make some changes next time).


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-and-carrot-lasagna/detail.aspx

Capers & Lemons - Wilmington, DE

http://www.platinumdininggroup.com/capers_and_lemons/
My husband and I ate at Capers & Lemons over Labor Day Weekend.  It has been a little over a year since our last experience there, so I was very excited to check it out again.  We started our meal with the Fried Polenta Sandwich.  The layers of Fontina, Spinach and Polenta were all fried as one, then topped with some tomato sauce.  It did not meet our expectations – a bit bland (especially the tomato sauce and polenta).  The next time we go, I think that we’ll try the Eggplant Florentine (my other choice).

Next, I ordered the “House” Garden Salad with tomato-balsamic dressing.  The salad was pretty large – which was awesome.  Field greens, tomatoes, a touch of onion, and awesome dressing.  A good mix of healthy vegetables.  They also served bread accompanied by lemon dipping oil.  I am not a fan of lemon, so this was not a win with me.

As my entrée, I had the Mushroom Stuffed Rigatoni.  AWESOME!!  Rarely do I finish a whole entrée, especially when I’ve had a salad and appetizer, but this was so amazing.  There were 6 small mushroom rigatonis topped with mushrooms, carrots, and haricot verts smothered in amazing truffle butter.  A nice salty taste mixed with the crunchiness of the carrots and haricot verts made this number one in my book.  The soft and moist mushroom mixture inside the rigatoni was very good, too.  The thing that made this dish, though, was the butter.  I also loved this because it didn’t leave me feeling overly full at the end.  It’s great to have three courses and still want dessert!

Speaking of…we decided to try the Warm Chocoalte Cake, topped with vanilla gelato, but skipped the raspberry glaze.  The center was very gooey and tasty, the gelato on top mixed very well with the cake.  My only complaint is that I wish there was more gelato J

Check out this restaurant – you won’t be disappointed!

Enchilada Bake

Delicious! (Even with the adjustments I made.)  I used 1 box of Trader Joe's Chickenless Chicken Strips and 1 box of their Steakless Steak Strips.  I cut them up into small pieces so it was closer to a shredded consistency.  I added about 3/4 of a large green pepper to the mix when I added the jalapeno peppers.  I also only used about 1/2 a package of Taco cheese.  Finally, I omitted the corn tortillas and spooned the filling into wheat tortillas.  It was a little messy, but that's fine with me!

This had a nice spice to it, not too overwhelming (I used medium enchilada sauce) - almost a slow heat that built while eating the tortilla.  I did not use sour cream, but that might help alleviate anybody's concerns with spice.  The top was very cheesy looking, but it definitely mixed well with the taste.  To cut back on the liquid, I might use less enchilada sauce next time or add the corn tortillas (that would definitely cut back on the extra liquid).  A definite keeper!


http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-enchilada-bake-98047.aspx

Cheesy Beef Stroganoff

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/velveeta-cheesy-beef-stroganoff-57514.aspx

    
 I don’t think that I would call this dish Beef Stroganoff – more of a Cheesy Beef Pasta.  This is a very creamy, cheesy meal (not a bad thing).  It has a good flavor and a little “bite” from the pepper (I used cracked black pepper).  A filling meal, but will add mushrooms next time to add some vegetables.

 I tried to make this a bit more healthy by using Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles, 2% Velveeta, and Reduced Sodium Cream of Mushroom soup.  I needed to cook the pasta for about 10-12 minutes instead of the suggested 8 – remember to taste a noodle to feel its firmness before adding the additional ingredients.  This received an A+ from my husband, who is a big meat an potatoes guy – no wonder, since it’s cheese and pasta!

Sloppy Joe's

I really like this recipe for Sloppy Joe’s – the only thing I substitute is Morningstar Farms for the meat.  My fiancée doesn’t like all of the petite diced tomatoes – one can could suffice for those who are sensitive to that type of thing.  I probably put in about 2 tsp. of chili powder and joined with the BBQ sauce, it made for a very good flavor.  I served on a Martin’s 100% Whole Wheat Potato Roll.  A very nice combination.  I also had the Sloppy Joe with summer squash sautéed in a dash salt and pepper and (perhaps too much) Old Bay.  Tasty, but I had a few bites that were pretty strong.  Overall rating for me is an “A”!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/community/recipe-exchange/userrecipedisplay.aspx?user_recipe_id=158088&group_id=1

Zucchini crepes

Although these look like enchiladas in the picture, I ensure you that they are very tasty crepes.  The batter is so easy to make – and I learned (from a lack of time) that you do not need to refrigerate it for an hour for it to work!  The result is a fluffy and light crepe that won’t break when you fill it, but is also soft enough to cut with a plastic fork (learned that at lunch!).   

The batter makes about 12 crepes, so it is possible to use even more veggies for the filling; I ended up with two crepes left over, so my fiancée used them for a sandwich.  Make sure that you really dry out the zucchini – or else the whole vegetable concoction gets runny.  The vegetables stay crisp-tender, which is a great combination with the crepe.  I used shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese in the filling, and then Pizza cheese on top of the Tomato-Basil spaghetti sauce.  It had a really great Italian flavor.  Mozzarella or Parmesan would also be good substitutes if you don’t like the fullness of Cheddar. 

Delicious! 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-crepes/detail.aspx

Zucchini Frittata

I have never made a frittata before, but I certainly will again!  I had no intention of making this for dinner last night, but my fiancée had started shredding the zucchini that we had (I needed cubed for what I wanted to make).  So, I did some searching and found this frittata.  We had all of the ingredients except Swiss cheese, so I subbed Italian Pizza cheese.

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-frittata/detail.aspx

I used a sweeter onion and it off-set the more savory flavor of the dish quite nicely.  Overall, a thumbs up in my book!

(My fiancée had a slice of Amish Friendship Bread on the side - very cinnamony, so not a favorite of mine, but he LOVES it!)

Pizza by Elizabeths – Greenville, DE

http://pizzabyelizabeths.com/

I enjoy the concept of gourmet pizza – especially when it tastes good!  I went to Pizza by Elizabeths with two friends and enjoyed the Field Greens With Curried Pecans salad and The Ashley – fresh tomatoes, brie, olive oil, garlic, basil, and locatelli romano cheese.  There were so many choices for pizza, that it was hard to decide, but I chose this mostly because I’ve never had brie on a pizza before!

The salad was pretty delicious and they give you the dressing on the side, so no worries about it being overdressed.  I enjoyed with the raspberry vinaigrette, which was kind of thick.  It was still good, but not the same style of vinagrettes that I have seen at other restaurants.  The pizza was more garlicky than I expected, but not overpowering.  It was good, but not great – I was also a little disappointed because one of the four slices had almost no toppings on it – just the honey wheat crust.  By the way, the wheat crust is very tasty and does not detract from the taste of the pizza.

My friends were from out of town and one had leftovers that I had the opportunity to much on.  She had ordered the White pizza – creamy alfredo sauce topped with mozzarella and Monterey jack, sautéed spinach, artichokes, and chopped fresh tomatoes.  I can’t speak for what it tasted like fresh off the brick oven, but as leftovers it was okay.  I do not like artichokes, so I removed those.  The sautéed spinach seemed pretty dry.  The cheese was a good part of it though!

I will definitely enjoy Pizza by Elizabeths again and keep on trying different combinations of pizza!

Summerly Squash

We were give a huge zucchini and summer squash from an avid gardener, so I needed to make a dish based on these two ingredients.  The Summerly Squash dish is good, but I think could have more flavor (possibly because I didn't use the Bay Leaf).

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/summerly-squash/detail.aspx


I used Pam instead of vegetable oil and still got the vegetables to a nice crisp-tender state.  I drained one can of diced tomatoes with oregano and basil and used it instead of medium tomatoes to hopefully enhance the Italian flavors - it also resulted in more of a "sauce".  I skipped the bay leaf because we didn't have any - this was probably my downfall.  The dish was still good - and I added some Trader Joe's Italian Sausageless Sausage for a kick of protein.  Overall, tasty, but possibly more flavor needed with additional herbs (or a Bay Leaf!).

Summer Squash Bake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/summer-squash-bake-64874.aspx

This is a nice, light summer dish with good texture and color.  There are so many veggies that the dish stays crisp, but also a chewy part with the eggs.  I think that the flavor is really unique (in a good way), probably from the Miracle Whip - not your normal quiche/egg taste.  I used a mix of Parmesan and Asiago cheese instead of plain Parm, shredded Italian cheese for pizza, 1/2 small onion, and 1 medium green pepper.

This also reheats well in the microwave - good for lunch the next day!

Mexican Pasta Vegetable Bake

Pretty good – but could be better (probably because we only had one 16-oz. jar of salsa – such a travesty!).  We also didn’t have rotini, so I used macaroni – the rotini would definitely hold the salsa more, but that’s okay.  Instead of using frozen corn, I used canned – which I don’t think makes a bit of difference (and is easier than thawing).  I also used Mexican Taco cheese (about ½ of the package), which gave the meal an extra little kick.  Finally, no cilantro – not a huge fan and didn’t have any fresh on hand.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mexican-pasta-vegetable-bake-50182.aspx

The flavor was good, not too spicy and I added some green bell pepper for a crunch factor.  I like that you can make this healthier by reducing the amount of cheese, and it has a good amount of fiber and protein because of the black beans (two cans would probably work, too!).  My recommendation – definitely make this recipe, but be sure to have all of the salsa at the ready!

Cheesy Mac Casserole

I wasn’t as much a fan of this as my fiancée was – but it is a good base for enhancements.  I used regular Kraft Mac & Cheese as the topper and Morningstar Farms burger crumbles instead of the other items.  The taste was a little bland overall, but adding Italian seasoning helped it along.  Next time I make it, I’ll use cumin, red pepper, diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, and Mexican cheese.  Also good to Mexi-it-up a little J 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-mac-topped-casserole-75975.aspx

Cottage Cheese Chik'n Enchiladas

This dish has an excellent spice to it (due to the green chiles) and is very tasty.  I was a little skeptical because of the cottage cheese (not a huge fan), but it really works!  I used Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips (only one box, but should have used 2 or 3) and cut them up really small.  We didn’t have any onions, so I nixed that.  Since I only used one pack of Chickenless Strips, I only had to use ½ of the cottage cheese filling (unfortunately, I learned that out after I made it!).  Finally, instead of using Monterey Jack cheese, I used a Cheddar and Monterey mix – and probably only 1 cup worth.  I did use the whole can of Enchilada sauce! 

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-chicken-enchiladas/detail.aspx

I filled about 8 tortillas (we ran out – oops!), 6 were corn and 2 wheat.  They all were very tasty.  A little too spicy for the fiancée (even though I used mild enchilada sauce), but pretty good for me J

Parmesan Zucchini with Garlic Knots

This dish was a nice take on Italian without the pasta.  I made a casserole of zucchini, spaghetti sauce (Spicy Red Pepper) and Trader Joe’s Italian Sausage (2 of them).  Instead of mixing it together, I tried to layer everything.  We didn’t have a lot of mushrooms, so I bypassed those.  We also did not have 1 cup of Mozzarella, so I added what we had (less than ¼ cup) and a good bit of Parmesan (maybe ¼ - ½ cup).  I think that it worked well – tasty and a tad spicy. 
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/parmesan-zucchini-64886.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/great-garlic-knots/detail.aspx

 I served with Garlic Knots – and they were pretty good.  We had Pillsbury biscuits in the refrigerator, so I used those instead of breadsticks.  They didn’t “knot” very well, but I think it worked just fine.  I used the egg wash and just sprinkled out the garlic powder and rosemary.  It was quite tasty!

Saucy Pepper Steak

 This is definitely a favorite dish that I have made many times.  I like that it has carbs, veggies, and protein all in one shot.  It’s pretty healthy too – low on calories and high in carbs and protein (high in the sodium area too, though).  The different bell peppers give the dish a nice pop of color.  Also, I love BBQ sauce and like the unique taste of mixing it with soy sauce, garlic, and pepper. 


The only thing that I sub in this dish is Trader Joe’s Steak-less Strips – they work very well as a replacement.  This is a very easy dish to make and presents well ;-)

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/saucy-pepper-steak-109636.aspx

Carrot Burgers with Fries

I’ll tell you a secret – I’ve never made my own veggie burgers, even though I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years!  I finally decided to try and this Carrot Burger recipe looked really interesting.  The only changes I made was using 2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs instead of cornflakes and adding 1 egg.  I will definitely either use less breadcrumbs next time or another egg – they were a little dry.  Despite the dryness, though, they were tasty – not as carroty as you would expect.  Pretty low on protein, though, but once in awhile, that’s OK.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-burgers-2/detail.aspx

Of course, to go along with burgers, you need fries.  I wanted to do something a little healthy, so I just tossed Russet potato wedges with salt, pepper, and cooking spray.  I baked them for 12 minutes (each side) at 425 degrees – next time, I’ll bake them longer or at a higher temp, they were slightly underdone.  Still tasty with Heinz ketchup though!