DO try this at home!

With more of us eating at home now (almost everyone's feeling the financial pinch), we have a new challenge - how to create a meal that's as tasty and as exciting as a restaurant meal, while still staying within a budget. Oh, and using the kitchen skills you already know - not all of us are chefs!

With that tall order in mind, I created a new recipe this week: Tilapia Potato Puree with Chorizo Rosettes. Curious how I got there? Here's what was going throughy my hungry brain:

1. One of the things I like most about restaurant meals is unexpected ingredients. I can have chicken any day of the week, but things like chorizo seem out of my reach. Well imagine my surprise when I found that Oscar Mayer sells pre-sliced chorizo packages! That certainly makes a "restaurant only" ingredient more accessible.


2. I'm always looking for new fish recipes. I know I should be eating seafood at least twice a week but I pretty much only like fish (I'm anti-claws/feelers/shells/etc.). I always keep SeaPak's Tilapia Tenders on hand and so I had them in the back of my mind as an ingredient.


3. I love mashed potatoes but never feel like going through the trouble of making them. Thankfully there's Hungry Jack's instant mashed potatoes to save the day.


4. I also love olive oil, and since it's actually good for your heart I try to use it instead of butter wherever possible.

So somehow I took all these random thoughts and came up with this:




It was so tasty I couldn't believe it! I made Garlic Green Beans on the side and had dinner ready in just minutes. Mmm! What's your recipe creation thought process? Share in the comments!

This recipe is part of The Culinarty Original Recipe Monthly Round-Up.