Inspired by "Julie & Julia"

I saw the movie Julie & Julia when I was up visiting Jenni, and I feel somewhat inspired. I'm not going to set a deadline and be all "I'm going to cook every recipe in this book - one a day" or anything like that; however, I have realized that my dinner routines have become rather blah lately, and I want to change it up. I am a big fan of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook. The recipes almost always taste good (I say almost, because there are things I don't like or Ryan doesn't like - the recipes containing those things are obviously not a hit), the directions are pretty clear-cut and they're pretty easy. The other morning I decided to try making new recipes once or twice a week. At first I almost went back on my decision, because some of the recipes looked kinda' tricky. But I persevered and started with some easy ones.

First, I made "Ham Balls in Barbecue Sauce" on page 353. I bought a smoked ham from the meat department and ground it in my food processor (which on a side note has become my favorite appliance for cooking!). I made my own bread crumbs. True to the book, the prep only took me 20 minutes and really wasn't that hard - even with making the sauce, bread crumbs and grinding the ham. Because of the high altitude and a faulty meat thermometer, the recipe did take longer than 35 minutes; it was closer to 55 minutes, but I think if we had a good thermometer, it would've been more like 45. These meatballs were delicious! Everyone loved them. We will definitely be making these again. The meatballs are about 1/3 cup mixture each, and I think if I made them smaller and made a bit more sauce that this would also be a great potluck recipe. Overall, a 5.

Second, I made "Artichoke-Turkey Casserole" on page 434. The recipe was also pretty easy, and the preptime was accurate at 20 minutes. I substituted canned artichoke for frozen, because I couldn't find it. I steamed a turkey breast for the meat. I forgot the bacon, which may've made this recipe better. The recipe called for 1/2 tsp. thyme; Ryan and I both felt the thyme was overpowering. I will probably try this recipe again and only use 1/8-1/4 tsp. thyme and definitely use the bacon. Overall, a 2.