Zeno's Bar & Grill

I have now sampled half of my Dinner by Design meals. The thing that has surprised me the most is that they were not all casseroles. I think I now have a better understanding of their appeal. For some reason cooking on the stovetop, as opposed to popping something from the freezer to the oven, seems more like cooking. Of the three meals I’ve sampled only one went into the oven in the same foil pan I brought it home in. But without further ado, here are the reviews:

Skillet Turkey Fajitas

This is the first and best meal that I’ve sampled. It also involved the most work. I sautéed the pre-chopped onions and peppers and then added the cooked, sliced turkey breast and pre-measured spices. I served it with refried beans, shredded cheese, and the only thing I needed to use a knife on, an avocado. The meal also came with flour tortillas to warm in the microwave. The meal was a far cry from La Super Rica (Santa Barbarans will know what I’m talking about), but it was quite edible and was on the table in about 15 minutes. Final Score 7/10.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

When preparing sweet and sour, there is a fine line to straddle between the two contrasting flavors and this recipe fell quite soundly onto the sour side of the spectrum. It was so bad that my husband attempted to rectify it by pouring maple syrup on the meatballs. It didn’t work. Luckily, I had made mixed vegetable stir fry and rice to serve with it because that is all anyone ate. Final Score 1/10

Chicken Pot Pie

This was what I had been expecting from the start. A traditional casserole complete with Bisquick and cream of chicken soup. It tasted exactly like what you would imagine. Final Score 5/10.

At an average score of 4.3, I would not use Dinners by Design again, however I still have Spanish Paella, Tortilla Casserole, and Wednesday’s dinner, Creamy Beef Stroganoff to go through, so we shall see.

--Kelly