WARNING: This post of full of pictures of really awesome food. Proceed at your own risk I don't think it's any secret that I'm a bit of a fan of Ellie Krieger and her recipes. They are usually very straightforward, easy to make and well balanced nutritionally. My only gripe is that occasionally they are a bit under seasoned for me. I like things to be pretty "in your face" but when you are writing a cookbook for the masses, I can see why seasoning may need to stay a more middle of the road. We have every Ellie cookbook there is.. well... we did until she released Weeknight Wonders: Delicious, Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less. I was really interested in this book because it seemed to focus on meals that could be quickly  made, but if they stayed true to Ellie form, they would still be exciting. LB pointed out that Ellie was running a contest to win the book and all you had to do was to make one of the four recipes she was posting on her website that week. I made the Parmesan chicken and tweeted it..

Really enjoying this #WeeknightWonders chicken by @Ellie_Krieger http://t.co/DcoBlrjq2T — Pirate Jeni (@PirateJeni) January 9, 2014

And HOLY CRAP, this happened.

Congrats to @PirateJeni, winner of this week's #WeeknightWonders contest! TY to everyone who joined in on the fun & do try again next week! — Ellie Krieger (@Ellie_Krieger) January 10, 2014

I so rarely win anything so when I do it's like WOOHOO... I got my very own copy in the mail a few weeks later.. autographed.

LB and I have not been disappointed. So far we've made the Parmesan chicken three times. It's super tasty because you stick the Parmesan to the chicken with dijon mustard. LB doesn't even like mustard and she enjoys this. We've also made the Orange Sesame Chicken - Verdict: DELICIOUS The Lamb Chops with Minted Pea Sauce - Verdict: Pretty ok. but probably won't make again. I smoked up the house like WOAH. Maybe when I can dig the grill out. There was a bit too much mint for me. The Spinach and Goat Cheese Fritata- Verdict: Meh. Needs something. Maybe I need to use more goat cheese.. or something. It was fine but I would tweek it to my palate. I think I ended up putting sriracha sauce on it. The Taco Pizzas (I used pork.. sorry Ellie, I'm just not that down with ground turkey)- Verdict: AMAZEBALLS The chicken florentine that exploded and I had made a side dish for but I burnt it. (yes, I burnt it.. shit happens)- Verdict: Noms. Be sure to smash your chicken flat enough. I got lazy and I think that's why it exploded. And the Steak Fajitas- Verdict: very tasty! I would totes use this seasoning on other things too. Also I made them sort of like tacos and used homemade corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas All of these recipes INCLUDING PREP TIME came together in 30 minutes of less.. they really truly did. That alone, is wonderful. And in case you doubt my dedication to Ellie's books, here is a pic of the shiny new Weeknight Wonders book crammed on the bookshelf with it's new friends