Refried Beans

I really wanted to make a good refried bean because I love them in burritos and in dips and the store bought ones are just scary. I sort of blended these two recipes but I really need to experiment more before I nail down a recipe. I can't decide if I like cumin or chili powder in them, if they need salt or sugar, and whether bacon grease or butter is better. I'll check back, but I wanted to save the two recipes I used. 

refried beans with chili powder

refried beans with cumin

Queso Fundido

This was just good. Really good. 

Queso Fundido

Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding

I probably would have never tried chia seeds, but they were on sale at Costco and I was buying things to make homemade granola bars and I thought they would be a healthy addition to them (and they were.) I also thought there might be other ways to use them and I heard about this "pudding." The kids didn't like it, but I really like it as a light breakfast.

I made several changes that I'm noting here for me to remember later. I used plain unsweetened almond milk, regular whole milk non-Greek yogurt and I didn't add any more maple syrup other than the initial amount called for. (I didn't add any the next day.) I mixed in frozen blueberries the next morning and had my whole almonds on the side. One recipe was enough for me to eat on for three breakfasts. 

This is definitely a keeper! 

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Loved this apple dessert. It just tastes and smells like fall to me! Big hit with everyone! 

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Slow Cooker Fudge

It really is fudge, and it really does cook in the slow cooker. It also takes all day, so be ready. But it was worth it. 

Slow Cooker Fudge

Tupelo Honey Cafe Biscuits

Hubs went out of town to play a show and ate breakfast at a place that had wonderful biscuits. He even sent me a picture of said biscuits. I immediately Googled a copy cat recipe so that I could make him some at home.

That was like months ago. So much for my wife of the year award. Tonight I decided to actually make them to go with our vegetable soup. They were really, really good.

He said the ones in the restaurant had coarse salt and pepper sprinkled on top, along with a slathering of melted butter. 

Yeah, they were really good. I won't wait months to make them next time...

Tupelo Honey Cafe Biscuits

Flourless Banana Pancakes

This might be a huge dud, but I'm going to try it. Putting it here to keep, and I will report back! 

Flourless Banana Pancakes

Peach Cobbler

We make the Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler here a lot. We use blueberries, and it has become one of my daughter's signature recipes. 

We bought a box of peaches from a farm this weekend, and I wanted to make one cobbler before the season ended. I am excited to try this recipe! 

Peach Cobbler

Edited to add: It was very good. I have no complaints. We devoured it and wished we had more! 

Jambalaya

I don't think I possess the regional culinary skills to make an authentic jambalaya, but I'm going to give it a whirl with this recipe! 

Jambalaya

* So I made it, and didn't even put any sausage in it. I really liked it. I'm also nearly clueless when it comes to Jambalaya, so if this is a bad recipe, I wouldn't know it. I found a good cajun seasoning and I did play with the spices a bit, but this was really good! I can't wait to make it again!

This is the cajun seasoning I used: cajun seasoning (I reduce the serving size to 1 to get the required amount)

I also didn't have any rice on hand, so I used Quinoa. It was actually good this way, and healthier too! Fun, delicious surprise! 

Best Baked Ziti

We are eating far less meat these days, which is great with me! It's expensive, coupled with the difficulty of finding organic meat that's affordable, and these facts have lead me to search for meatless recipes! I'm omitting the meat from this recipe, and it's on the agenda for the week! Looking forward to trying it! 

Best Baked Ziti

*This was good. So good that I literally could not stop eating it. I cannot wait to make it again! (I halved the recipe because I didn't want to make too much. Mistake. I'll make the whole thing next time!)

One Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

One Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

I am curious to try this recipe. I love chicken pot pie, and was glad to see a recipe that had homemade biscuit instead of a mix used. It's on the menu for this week, and I will report back!

*edited to add: it was amazing. The only thing I did differently was take the chicken out of the skillet and shred it on a platter. Then after adding the flour, broth and vegetables, I added back in the chicken. I also used a cast iron skillet, which easily went into the oven. This took a long time but wasn't hard to make. I can't wait to make it again! 

Chick Fil A Chicken

It really does taste like Chick Fil A. It's a fun dinner too!

http://texas.spoonuniversity.com/recipe/eat-copy-cat-chick-fil-sandwiches/ 

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

This is a small nostalgic thing for me because my grandfather always had chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream for my cousins and me when I was growing up. I made brownie sundaes for my own extended family this weekend and making this sauce made me happy/sad. I decided to keep it here to have it for when I need it! 

Chocolate Sauce

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

I love that these are slow cooker! I do make my own sauce, and a simple reading of the ingredient list of jarred sauce will tell you why! 

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

I love this recipe. It's different and not too difficult to prepare. Serve over pasta with crusty bread and a some steamed broccoli and dinner is served! (and delicious!) 

Pickles!

We can go through a jar of pickles a day around here. We are slightly addicted. Store bought pickles have unsavory ingredients, unfortunately, so I went to the farmer's market and turned a whole bunch of pickles into something pretty great: 

Pickles!!!!

Crash Hot Potatoes

Made these with no herbs, and they were delicious. I could have eaten them all myself! 

Crash Hot Potatoes

Homemade Energy Bars

I made four different varieties of these today. I like them all! I freeze them so they are easier to cut (and eat.) 

Homemade Lara Bars

Raw Energy Bars

I'm cutting back on the store bought snacks I buy, for a lot of reasons, and one thing I want to make several versions of is a "granola bar." This is one I have made on and off for years, and the recipe was hard to find this time. I'll link it at the bottom, but I'm pasting the text here, just in case! 

Here’s a raw bar full of nutritious energy for snacks, lunchboxes, picnics, and even dessert!

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried figs

1/2 cup peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini

Place sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, and figs in food processor with metal blade. Chop until everything is ground together. Add nut or seed butter and mix until combined. Roll mixture into balls or press into 8-inch round cake pan and cut into 1-inch squares. Keep refrigerated. Makes about 3 dozen Note: Nuts can be substituted for seeds and other dried fruit can be substituted for raisins and figs. Variation: Coconut Energy Bars: Add 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut to mixture. Add a little coconut milk if necessary to help balls hold together.

- See more at: http://www.mothering.com/articles/raw-energy-bars/#sthash.hDYv3h2j.dpuf

Pasta e Fagioli (soup)

I don't know how to say it, but I am enjoying eating it. 

I ended up with extra red beans left over from a weekend pot of chili, so I searched my favorite recipe site for a new soup with red beans. This one looked promising so I gave it a try. 

I'm glad I did.

Pasta e Fagioli  

I did make a few changes:

• I used Hormel nitrite free Canadian Bacon for the meat
• I omitted the tomato soup and used 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice 
• I also added a can of tomato sauce
• I used a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar instead of white distilled vinegar
• I used 1 cup of whole wheat elbow pasta & added it to the soup before it simmered for the hour
• I only used one 32oz box of organic chicken stock
• I added the amount of spices in recipe despite what the reviewers said

I also added a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the top of my bowl.

This is a keeper!