Pumpkin Cake

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes.  When I was working in college, a co-worker made this for Halloween and brought it in.  I probably ate half the pan myself that day and have been hooked ever since.  LOVE IT!

Baked Beans

This is another one of Kory's mom's recipes.  No need to say (if you know me...) that I don't use pork and beans, but instead actually use a can of whatever organic baked beans look the yummiest on a given day.  Yes, I add ingredients to ready made baked beans.  I usually do a half batch and bake for only 1 1/2 hours.  Sometimes we skip the bacon all together, sometimes I use the Applegate Farms brand.  These turn out almost candied, they are so thick and sweet. 

Apple Crisp

This is Kory's Grandma Schleicher's recipe.  It's super easy, other than taking the time to peel all of the apples.  Cael loves to help make this one because he can easily mix and sprinkle on the topping.

Amaretto Slush

Kory's mom seems to always have a stock of this in the freezer.  Kory loves it and I used to, but since having the kiddos it is just too sweet for me.

Brownies

I was given this brownie recipe from a girl in my undergraduate lab.  She wouldn't give it to me until my last day before leaving for grad school and said it was a long-kept secret recipe.  Funny thing is, one of my good friends ten years later has the exact same recipe minus the chocolate chips.  Very curious.  I wonder what the original source was.

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.