Crusty French Bread

Cael wanted to bake yesterday, well really he just wanted to use the stand mixer, so I hunted for a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for and this was it.  I did use olive oil instead of shortening.  It was yummy and we ate it with dinner fresh out of the oven, so it can't get much better than that!

Beef Teriyaki with Green Beans and Shitakes

Another great ATK recipe.  Kory prefers this if I mix half peas and half green beans.  We usually just serve it over brown rice. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Maple Sauce

Another of my Thanksgiving recipes that works all winter long.  Sweet with a hint of spice (I halve the cayenne for the kiddos).

Posole Rojo

My love of posole took a long, convoluted route from New Mexico to the midwest.  I went to Louisiana with a good friend from grad school to visit her godmother's family.  Her godmother grew up in New Mexico, but didn't cook, so her husband learned to make this amazing dish.  He made it while we were visiting and I was immediately hooked.  It's cheap, easy, and incredibly tasty.  We usually cook it down to a thick stew consistency and just eat it with un-fried flour tortillas as little scoops. 

Foccacia

This recipe is super yummy with any foccacia topping you add, from nothing but salt, to herbs de Provance, to tomatoes and spinach.  It makes a huge loaf, so be prepared to share or enter carb-overload-zone!

Fish Tacos

I think fish tacos may be one of my most-craved meals and I've yet to find anything "San-Diego-worthy" other than School Yard in Chicago (YUM YUM YUM).  The tarter sauce in this recipe is delicious, but the quantity of this makes is WAY overkill.  I usually halve it, but you could easily get away with a quarter of it, I think.   I usually serve them with mango salsa and broccoli slaw.   We used to do the fish breaded this way, but now we usually beer batter it instead-- one 12 oz. beer mixed with 1 1/2 cups of flour, whisked together, dip the fish in batter and fry at 350 degrees about 2 minutes per side.

Enchiladas Verdes

I absolutely love to order this dish at Mexican restaurants and was happily surprised to find this Cook's Illustrated recipe is even yummier than most restaurant versions.  Be sure to taste the sauce and add sugar if it's too tart!

Creamy Orzo

This is a yummy dish, but sometimes I find it slightly bland depending on my mood.  We often add chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. to change it up. In the picture, I made it with star shaped pasta instead of orzo.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

I made this one for Thanksgiving this year too.  Kory and I both thought it was great, but he insisted on still having the canned, jellied cranberry sauce as well.  It makes quite a bit, so next year I may halve the recipe. 

Cornbread Stuffing with Apples and Sausage

My favorite stuffing! I sub breakfast sausage for Italian and brandy for bourbon. I also double the amount of broth to 4 cups. Beware, it makes way more than the 4-6 servings stated on the recipe. 

Blueberry Muffins

Cael loves to make these blueberry muffins.  I always add about a tablespoon of flaxseeds and substitute one third of the flour with whole wheat flour.  If he wants to make muffins and we don't have enough blueberries in the house, I add in whatever berries we do have. 

Baked Manicotti

I love this ATK recipe and it freezes well too.  Unfortunately, I've found that low-fat ricotta makes it watery and fairly tasteless.  In other words, this one can't really be made low- cal and still taste yummy.  Be prepared for leftovers unless you are feeding a crowd!

White Chicken Chili

This Cook's Illustrated recipe is by far the best White Chicken Chili recipe I've tried.  It is so, incredibly much better than the recipes that call for 8 cans of god knows what ingredients.  I've only made it a few times, but I love it!  You can freeze and re-heat leftovers too.  

Lasagna

 This is Kory's mom's lasagna recipe.  I will admit that I change it up quite a bit.  I use extra stewed tomatoes and 30 oz of tomato paste because Kory likes lots of sauce.  Instead of 3 c of cottage cheese, I use 2 c of ricotta and 2 c of cottage cheese, both full fat.  I also add a lot more seasoning--usually pizza sauce seasoning and italian herb blend from The Spice House.  I also usually bake them a little longer (close to an hour) in our Evanston oven, but I think the temp was off there and I haven't made this yet here seeing I've been dairy-free since we moved.  We usually divide the recipe into three bread pans, bake one, and freeze the other two.  Just thaw them 36-48 hours in the refrigerator and bake as usual.

General Tso's Chicken

This is another recipe that I love.  Kory and Cael just usually eat the chicken without the sauce, but they are missing out on the best part.  Another ATK recipe.