TABLE TALK

STIR-FRIED BEEF AND BROCCOLI

Love this cookbook and the tips!  I think I say that every time, but I do!  Having said that, I didn't love this recipe, but I loved the way it was cooked.  My meat didn't get overdone and the veggies were perfect.  I think if the brown sauce would have been different then I would have loved the whole dish.  

What I learned:  There is a section in the cookbook that gives you a 101 on Asian ingredients.  Apparently rice vinegar and Chinese rice wine are not the same--wish I wold have read that before I cooked, maybe my sauce would have tasted less vinegary. 

What I'm glad I did:  I like oyster sauce WAY better than hoisin sauce so I used that instead.

Overall:  3 stars, based on popularity by family.

I very much recommend making this, even if its only for learning the correct way to stir-fry.  Plus, it might taste different with the correct ingredients (rice wine).

Amanda was our host this, check out her fabulous blog for the recipe, HERE.

TABLE TALK: WEEK 1

CHICKEN PARMESAN

This was a great recipe to start the year off with!  Rarely do all my children (I feel like I should do AMC for that) like the same dish, but this one they did.  Even my four-year-old said he like it without any prodding and for that reason I'm giving this five stars.  The chicken stayed moist and I really liked the homemade sauce on top.  I used the rest of the sauce on some penne pasta and served together.  My only complaint on this recipe is that it used a ton of dishes.  Something new that I learned and loved was baking the chicken on a cooling rack (on a baking sheet) so that the bottom didn't get soggy.  I love the tips in these cookbooks!  To get the recipe, head over to Jen's blog, HERE.