December was an unusually good month for new recipes!
Tomato and Macaroni Pasta
(like Goulash, minus the meat)
EDIT: Use 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (not 4) :)
It all started when I was working at a childcare center in high school and one of the kiddos brought something like this for lunch. It looked so simple, but was unfamiliar to me. I've been on the look-out for a good recipe since having little dude. I used wagon-wheel pasta instead of elbow, since I had it on hand and it seemed fun. He ate 5 servings on this on one sitting... call it a growth spurt or a great recipe... in any case, we will make it again :)
EDIT: Use 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (not 4) :)
It all started when I was working at a childcare center in high school and one of the kiddos brought something like this for lunch. It looked so simple, but was unfamiliar to me. I've been on the look-out for a good recipe since having little dude. I used wagon-wheel pasta instead of elbow, since I had it on hand and it seemed fun. He ate 5 servings on this on one sitting... call it a growth spurt or a great recipe... in any case, we will make it again :)
Spinach and Cheese Strata
link here, via Annie's Eats
I'm still on the look out for a good spinach and egg, minus the bread, recipe. But this one makes for a great spinach bread-pudding sort of dish.
Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole
NOTE: the sausage is browned on the stove top before being added to the casserole:)
I think one of my greatest loves is breakfast casserole. Like I said above, I prefer the non-bread pudding-ish variety. This one has breakfast potatoes, egg and a meat. It was wonderful and will be made many times around here.
Chicken and Dumplings
link here, from Tyler Florence
I have a bucket list. I also have a cooking bucket list...
Scratchmade chicken and dumplings has been on the list for a few years but I've always made an excuse to delay trying it. I went ahead and dove in this month. I'm so happy my first attempt/recipe choice was a home run.
Downside: this took a long time/hours of roasting and simmering. And way too many dishes.
Upside: the recipe includes a great chicken stock, is very straightforward and simple. It is a perfect recipe for a day of skipping in and out of the kitchen to make something warm and yummy. It would also be a great way to use-up leftover chicken and stock - for a much faster meal prep.
My Mom's Banana Bread
She served it over the holidays and it's perfect.
Chocolate Swirl Buns
link here, via Annie's Eats
We made these for Christmas morning breakfast. They are DELICIOUS. Other than needing 2 kitchen appliances to whip them up, they are super super simple and fast to mix and assemble. I tried the overnight-rise option and had great results. I highly recommend these, especially if you like chocolate croissants or brioche bread!
Our New Years Eve Meal
I'll start by explaining... we only have a few traditions around here and one of my favorites it to cook a special NYE meal. Each year I wait till the morning-of to source out recipes. It feels special to me to do all the planning, shopping and cooking on this one day. Somehow, it always turns out great and each time all of the recipes have been brand new to me.
One more sales pitch- the recipes below are worthy of a special meal but require very LITTLE work!!! Each item was prepped in less than an hour of kitchen time and the kitchen was cleaned and table set while they chilled in the fridge, ready to be baked at dinner time. (I didn't choose these recipes until G's afternoon naptime, followed by a 4 pm trip to grocery store... the kitchen was clean and dinner was ready by 7!)
The BEST Seared Filet
link here, via Jenny Hobick's blog
This recipe is PERFECTION. It is a stove-top seared filet that can be finished in the oven, if wanted. I'll rank it like this... in my life:
* Best steak ever - at 3 Forks last year
* 2nd best steak - D grilled it on our anniversary last year
* 3rd best steak - THIS ONE.
And I did it all by myself. I feel like way too big of a rockstar. There is no need to wait to eat steak only at restuarants, or when grilled at home. This is a perfect recipe to make great steak at home. Ok, I'm done. Just promise you will try this: )
Mac and Cheese
link here, via Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook
Ina's recipe calls for Lobster. I skipped that and made everything else the same. I portioned ours into individual ramekins to serve alongside the steak. I am a picky mac-n-cheese gal and this recipe totally delivered. The only downside is that the cheese is expensive. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with 4 large servings.
Chocolate Molten Cakes in a cupcake pan
link here, via Jenny Hobick's blog
super simple. delicious.
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