Sloppy Joes

This is another one of my Grandma Kober's recipes that just reminds me so much of my childhood I can't stand it!  Unfortunately Kory's not a fan.  He grew up on Manwich (blah!!!) and this doesn't have enough flavor for him. 

Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Yet another potato recipe from Cook's Illustrated...  This one is probably my favorite.  Kory, Cael and I all loved the crispy outside with the rich, buttery center. 

Egg Casserole

Yet another of Kory's mom's recipes.  The whole family likes this one, but I always claim the crispy corner pieces. 

Chuck Roast in Foil

I made this Cook's Country recipe as intended, even though Kory is not a huge fan of pot roast.  It turns out that the sauce is incredibly flavorful, but we both thought it would be better as shredded beef for sandwiches.  Next time I make it I will cook it with probably 2-3x the sauce recipe and shred it to serve for sandwich filling.

Chocolate Eclaire Cake

This is another recipe from Kory's mom that he used to have for his birthday every year.  I don't mind it, but am a little freaked out by all of the highly processed ingredients.  This is probably one that I will eventually work on revamping to make it a little more home-made. 

Chicken Glamourous

This is one of my mom's recipes that Kory loves, but, in it's original form, I find way too salty.  I can't help that I'm a pepper girl. Anyway, I change almost everything about it except the rice.  I tried to use brown rice once, but it just doesn't absorb the liquid.  OK, I'm going to try to remember my changes in full!  Instead of dry onion soup mix I use Lars crispy onions (they are natural fried onions in a little clear tub with a blue label) and some garlic salt and pepper.  I use the Health Valley cream of chicken soup, which is not condensed, so you need two cans.  I pour one can over the rice and mix the other with Better Than Bouillon (this stuff dissolves and tastes so much better than cubes!).  Instead of a cut-up chicken I use a shredded rotisserie chicken and only bake for one hour, covered with foil.  

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.