One of the disadvantages to my particular brain is that I have a terrible memory. TERRIBLE. An unanticipated benefit to this blog is that I have a record of lots of things that I might otherwise forget. (If only I were more disciplined about writing daily! Or if only I could STICK TO JOURNALING.) 

My poor memory extends to food as well as life in general. Outside of a handful of meals, I feel like my mind goes blank when I try to think of things I’ve enjoyed eating. That persists despite my (mostly) regular Dinners This Week posts, which theoretically should offer a ready list of great options to put on my meal plan each week. 

And yet… sometimes I see a meal I have planned and presumably eaten (although – Confession Time, it is quite rare that I make all the meals I plan each week) and I cannot for the life of me remember whether it was a hit or not! 

For a while, I tried to post updates on the blog, so that I could go back and read whether a certain dinner recipe was a hit or not. But I have not been consistent about doing that. 

So I am going to try something new. If I make a recipe that my husband and I both love, I am going to post it here. Just a big ol’ running list of dinners that were excellent. That way I have a go-to resource of meals that I have made before and enjoyed. Will I keep this up? I’m going to guess “not reliably.” And this isn’t to say I won’t continue to find and try brand-new recipes! Novelty is one of the main reasons I am able to keep plugging forward with making dinner night after night after night. But sometimes it’s nice to pick from a list of Tried And True Options.

Anyway: here’s a list of Reliably Delicious Dinners and Other Culinary Hits to start from, along with any notes I included with my follow-up of the recipe. (There has to be a better way to organize the lists, but I sorted the recipes out into some rough categories and then alphabetized them by recipe name.) 

BEEF DINNERS

• Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce: This has become my immediate family’s traditional Christmas dinner. Double all the sauce ingredients because the sauce is amazing.
• Chili: I should post a recipe for this.
• Garlic Herb Marinated Oven Roasted Steak: I use top sirloin steaks, which I prefer to flank steak.
• Instant Pot Hamburgers: We put these in the oven to broil for a very short time before putting them on buns.
• Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Ragu: Decadent and rich. I use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes.
• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: Brown a pound of ground beef – say that five times fast – with half a diced onion and as much garlic as makes your heart sing. Add a jar of Ragu pasta sauce, a small can of Hunts tomato sauce, a palm-full of each dried basil and dried oregano, a few shakes of Tabasco, a few shakes of cayenne, and some salt and pepper. Simmer for as long as you can stand it. Eat over pasta of your preferred shape.

CHICKEN DINNERS

• Chicken Fajitas: I make this on a sheet pan, but also sometimes in a wok. Both are good.
• Chicken Paprikas
• Cuban Sheet Pan Chicken and Black Bean Rice Bowls
• Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls: I usually roast the marinated chicken in the oven. The sauce the chicken cooks in is so good, I spoon it over my salad/bowl for added flavor.
• Mediterranean Chicken and Veggies: I used cauliflower, zucchini, red onion, and chicken. The recipe doesn’t make a huge amount of marinade, but it was just right. The tahini sauce was fine, although nothing special. If I’d had hummus on hand, maybe thinning that out with some lemon juice would have been better (and quicker). I did drizzle the veggies and chicken with this cilantro dressing which added a delicious zing.
• Noodle Free Chicken Pad Thai: This was very good and very hearty; just make sure that the dressing is well mixed or you get clumps of almond butter that are unappealing. I only used one egg for a half portion. Also, this makes a TON of food, and I found it less appealing the second night than the first, so it might be best to make a half portion. 
• Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma: I usually pair this with couscous and steamed broccoli.
• Sheet Pan Chili Honey Chicken & Sweet Potatoes: I use chicken breasts instead of thighs. The cilantro yogurt sauce is NOT to be skipped. 
• Sheet Pan Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower: This has similar flavors to (but less sauce than) the Chicken Shawarma.
• (Not) Skillet Chicken Enchiladas: I do not own a skillet, so I make these in a 9×13 pan, in the oven. 
• Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos: So good and so versatile. Once again, I use chicken breasts instead of thighs.
• Thai Instant Pot Panang Curry with Chicken
• Thai Red Curry Chicken

FISH DINNERS

• Broiled Salmon with Thai Sweet Chili Glaze: Goes great with steamed broccoli and rice.
• Cod with Asparagus in Parchment: The only thing that could have possibly made it better is if the “sauce” (literally just soy sauce) were a little thicker. I added a big blurp of sriracha to mine and that thickened it a little, but my husband is less interested in spice and he found it too thin to properly flavor the fish. Not quite sure how to fix that issue, though.
• One-Pot Salmon with Peas: I use the leek version of this recipe (rather than the fennel original; both versions are described at the link). According to my mom, this one is “company worthy.”
• Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce: My notes say that this would be good with bell peppers in addition to or instead of the zucchini noodles.
• Salmon Burgers: The closest thing to salmon, but in burger form. Delicious and simple. The recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated, and I’ve got a photo of the recipe here in case you want to try them too. 
• Salmon with Parmesan Herb Crust
• White Fish on Crispy Potato Rafts

PORK DINNERS

• Best Ever BBQ Ribs: You can make these a day or so in advance before slathering them with sauce and grilling them. I highly recommend using your favorite BBQ sauce in a jar instead of making the sauce from scratch per the recipe; I find the recipe version to be quite salty and it’s just an extra step when you can use perfectly great sauce in a jar.
• Chipotle Marinated Pork Chops: I double the chipotle in the marinade so that there is a little extra “pan sauce” to drizzle over the cooked pork. I love me a pan sauce.
• Crispy Pork Carnitas: Definitely best when you crisp the shredded pork in the oven before serving.
• Oven Baked Pork Chops with Potatoes: Most often, I make these without the potatoes although they are delicious together. The sauce is what makes these pork chops sing. 
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork: I serve the tangy shredded pork over rice with caramelized onions, feta cheese, and I do Kalamata olives and my husband does sun-dried tomatoes. Sometimes if I am feeling fancy I will include some hummus and pita, and maybe some artichoke hearts.
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pork: Add a pork tenderloin, about a cup of BBQ sauce, a diced onion, and as much garlic as makes your heart happy to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred. I slather the pork onto a baked potato. My husband prefers it on a King’s Hawaiian bun with coleslaw. 
• Soy Ginger Pulled Pork with Tangy Sesame Slaw: The slaw is essential.

VEGETARIAN DINNERS

• Black Bean Burritos: Taco-seasoned black beans wrapped in flour tortillas and draped in shredded cheddar, then oven baked at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes until the cheese is melty. Top with shredded lettuce, diced onion, sour cream, and lots of hot sauce.
• Chickpea Bowls: I make a bunch of the spice mixture (½ Tbsp each of cumin, coriander, and garam masala; 1 tsp of cardamom; ½ tsp of paprika; and ¼ tsp each of cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, and fenugreek) in advance, so I can use it on a whim. I also pre-make (and freeze in ice cube trays) a batch of the ginger garlic sauce. When these two things are already in my cupboard/freezer, this is super easy to make. (And the end result is well worth the fuss.) I add sliced bell peppers to the final chickpea mixture, along with sliced jalapenos and a generous dollop of Greek yogurt.
• Chickpea Curry: My husband and I feel that this doesn’t produce enough sauce, as it’s written. However, I think if you doubled the sauce, it would be TOO saucy. And you can’t do one-and-a-half portions, because you’d be stuck with a half can of coconut milk and I for one don’t want to waste it or measure it out in the first place. So we decided on halving the chickpeas. If you jack up the veggie quotient, I think you won’t even miss the second can of chickpeas.
• Gigi Hadid Spicy Vodka Pasta
• Goat Cheese and Mushroom Pizza with Arugula and Onion Jam: I typically use store-bought dough.
• Grilled Mushroom Salad Sub Sandwiches: I skip the roasted red peppers and use mozzarella for the cheese.
• Lemon Garlic Veggie Pasta: I make this with Barilla Protein Plus pasta, increase the amount of garlic, and use broccoli, zucchini, red onions, peas, and red bell pepper. Asparagus and mushrooms would be good too. I sprinkle on 1/4  cup of parmesan at the end. 
• Roasted Artichokes: Not quite sure if this counts as a whole meal, although I love a roasted artichoke for lunch. Trim the edges of the stalks, wrap them in olive oil, and eat them too. I love to dip the leaves, stem, and heart in sriracha aioli. 
• Pasta Primavera: All the veggies in a light lemony, parmesan “sauce.”
• Cold Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce: The recipe, just for reference, makes twelve gallons of sauce/dressing; half the recipe will make plenty. The veggies I used were: red bell pepper, cucumber, shredded carrot, and edamame. I topped the salad with red Fresno pepper, scallion, and cilantro. (My husband also added crushed peanuts to the top of his salad.) Goes well with soy-sauce marinated steak or grilled shrimp.
• Sheet Pan Veggie Shawarma: Easy and delicious. Goes well with chicken tenders and the cilantro yogurt sauce from this recipe. 

DINNER SALADS

• Asian Chicken Salad: I like to make the peanut dressing for my husband and a teriyaki dressing for myself.
• Caprese Salad with Balsamic Chicken and Balsamic Dressing
• Everyday Mexican Salad: Pre-“marinate” the chicken or shrimp in taco seasoning before roasting.
• Fall Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato
• Ginger Salmon Salad: The sauce is a little fussy – not difficult, just fussy. And my husband liked this one.
• Greek Chicken Chopped Salad: I like to make pita on the side and some hummus if I’m feeling fancy.
• Roasted Cauliflower, Lentil, Currant and Herb Salad: Delicious, but requires a lot of prep. Skip currants and use blueberries or dried cherries instead. Make half the lentils; a little lentil goes a long way. 
• Southwest Salmon Salad: This is good just following the recipe, but what I really love is the chili lime dressing that goes with this salad. Otherwise, I really just throw together a bunch of veggies and call it Southwest salad. If I need a little extra dressing, I will mix 1/8-1/4 cup of fresh lime juice with 1/3 cup of fat free Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of honey (just keep adding lime juice until it has a nice pourable consistency).
• Spinach and Arugula Salad with Marinated Onions, Goat Cheese & Cranberries: This dressing is amazing. I use goat cheese instead of feta.
• Spinach Salad with Berries, Pecans & Goat Cheese: I use arugula instead of spinach, and I use my favorite balsamic vinaigrette instead of the raspberry one in the recipe.

SOUPS

• Butternut Squash Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Guinness Beef Stew: I seared the meat and cooked the onions/garlic as well, before adding those things to my crockpot. I don’t know if the flavors would be the same without, but maybe I’ll try it next time because I really hate searing meat. I used baby potatoes and I didn’t chop ANY of them, which meant I had to eat the stew with knife and fork. Maybe I should quarter them next time. I added two parsnips, a container of quartered mushrooms, and two cups of chicken stock. It seemed a little under-salted, so I also added a big glug of soy sauce toward the end.
• Garlicky Chickpea and Spinach Soup: This is perfect, but the spinach doesn’t work as well in leftovers as it does the night of.
• Lentil Soup: I make this without the tomatoes, which means I need to amp up the spices a bit.
• Mulligatawny Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken, Mushroom, & Wild Rice Soup: I use this brand of wild rice and the soup turns out perfect every time. Delicious paired with a loaf of miracle no-knead bread.
• Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup: I blend the fire roasted tomatoes and strain them into the soup. I also add a can of black beans and about a cup of frozen corn about ten minutes before the soup is done cooking. 
• White Bean Enchilada Soup: Yum. I reserve a can of Great Northern beans from the recipe, as well as the corn, and blend everything in the pot. Then I add the final beans and corn for a little texture. It makes the soup very creamy and rich.

STIR FRIES

• Beef with Snow Peas: Works just as well with sugar snap peas.
• Broccoli with Beef: I typically throw in sliced red and green bell peppers as well. 
• Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry: Stir fry the chicken with garlic and ginger and then remove to a plate before you add the vegetables. The amount of zucchini in this recipe is only a suggestion. You cannot have too much zucchini. Also, add in a sliced white onion. 
• Fire Fry: Good with beef, just as good with veggies only.
• Szechuan Stir Fry: This is good with chicken, shrimp, or beef, or without meat at all. I like using broccoli, zucchini, and bell peppers – sometimes adding water chestnuts, sometimes not. Bean sprouts would be good with this, too. For anyone who, like me, is sensitive to Chinese five-spice powder, I only put in the tiniest pinch. Like, 1/16 of a teaspoon.

SIDES

• Charred Lemon Cauliflower: I made this with the chicken dish that it is paired with in the recipe and the cauliflower was the star. Plus, with the chicken, it was much too lemony/one-note.
• Chickpea Salad
• Cole Slaw: I usually only make 1/3 – 1/2 a portion of the dressing. 
• Cucumber Quinoa Salad
• Easy Asian Zucchini Noodles
• Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes: This is my mom’s mashed potato recipe, which I use for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you don’t like goat cheese, you can use sour cream instead.
• Lemony Cucumber Couscous Salad
• Lemony Potato Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Mexican Style Green Beans: I would not eat these because they include tomatoes, but they were a huge hit with family members.
•  Miracle No-Knead Bread: Simple and perfect. Just remember to prep the dough the night before you want to bake the bread.
• Warm Farro and Vegetable Salad: I roast the veggies before I add them to the farro. I made the farro. I steamed some peas. But then I put the cut up green beans and diced red onion in the 9 x 13 dish and roasted the veggies for about 20 minutes. Then when everything was cooked, I mixed all the veggies into the farro.

BREAKFASTS

• Bacon, Potato, and Egg Casserole
• Baked French Toast
• Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Strata
• Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese Fritatta

COOKIES & BARS

• Buttery Hamantaschen: I did not put the dough in the fridge for 3 hours before rolling out. I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour and the cookies were delicious. They save well, but begin softening a bit by day two in an air-tight container.
• Chocolate Snickerdoodles: Soft, chewy, and with a delightful chocolatey edge to the typical snickerdoodle flavor.
• Chai Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Glaze: Eggnog glaze is fabulous, but the cookies are good without it, too.
• Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars
• Zimtsterne: Gluten free. 

DESSERTS

• Fallen Chocolate Cake: Gluten free, far simpler than it seems like it will be, and SO delicious.
• Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling: Cream cheese frosting instead of the poppyseed version in the recipe.
• Macerated Strawberries and Mascarpone Whipped Cream: This is honestly just as good with just mascarpone, maybe mixed together with a teaspoon or so of honey.
• Purple Plum Torte: I just make this with regular plums and it is delicious. Probably great with the special fancy plums, too, but I have never been able to find them.
• Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake