broccoli sunshine salad

I made this recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Elle's first birthday party.  It was definitely yummy and extremely simple, but I did make a few changes.  I didn't have any cider vinegar, so I used red wine vinegar and I'm not a raisin fan, so I used a mix of dried cherries, cranberries, and blueberries.  I also used mozzerella cheese instead of cheddar.  I used Applegate Farms Sunday bacon to keep the recipe free of artificial nitrates/nitrites.

Creamy chicken taquitos

This recipe was on one of the many food blogs I follow and looked liked something I'd love.  I was right, of course.  The recipe was incredibly simple, but next time I'd divide the mixture before adding the pepper jack so that I could add shredded cheddar for the kids and pepper jack for the grown ups.  These might be better as an appetizer/munchie snack food than a meal.

Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

I did a test run of these in honor of St. Patrick's Day later this week and they were a success.  Just be sure not to add too much of the milk/sugar mixture to the ganache; stop as soon as it's a thick, glossy, mixture.  I added too much and after adding the cream and Jameson it got a little runnier than I would have liked. 

Funeral Potatoes

This Cook's Country recipe is like sour cream and cheddar potato chips in casserole form, literally.  It was really good, but really heavy, and will probably be saved for special occasions from now on.  Cael loved that I put the chips in a zip-top bag and let him stomp on them though.

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.