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

Crash Hot Potatoes

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

Crash Hot Potatoes

Potato Casserole

I'm going to make this a side dish with fried green tomatoes. (and a few other things...)  I hope it's good enough to keep as a breakfast dish too! 

Skinny Potato Casserole

baked potatoes

I needed a good recipe for baked potatoes, as silly as this sounds. This one turned out really well, so I'm keeping it here!

Baked Potatoes 

Roasted Broccoli

I love to roast asparagus, and this reminded me that there are other vegetables worth roasting too. I'm going to try cauliflower and a zucchini/squash/red onion mix too.

Simple and good.

Roasted broccoli

Macaroni and Cheese

I know there are a thousand recipes for macaroni and cheese, but this one is a family favorite. I don't make it much, since it's pretty unhealthy. It is a holiday favorite, though, which is why I looked it up, and wanted to put it here. I usually make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (It's good to make when you're taking a family a meal too.) The kids like it, but it's fancy enough for grownups!

I omit the ham and the parsley, just as a side note. 

Giada's Macaroni and Cheese