Favorite New Recipes of January

Lots of new recipes again.  I have a bucket-list  of things to bake/cook. And with a little one arriving in May I have jumped into gear to get more of my list tested out!  It's just a few months before snuggles will take the place of recipe testing around here :)

Penne alla Vecchia Bettola
similar to Penne alla Vodka
link here; recipe from Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook
This dish is AMAZING.  AMAZING.  AMAZING.  AMAZZZZZING!
It'd be great for a weeknight meal or when company comes over!  This dish cooks in the oven for 1.5 hours... and I kept wondering, even aloud, if a pasta dish was really worth than amount of time in the oven. Oh, yes it is! For such simple ingredients, it really is top notch!  Note: I cooked ours in a dutch oven.  Hand crushing the tomatoes, then puree-ing them, and the final simmer can be messy--so a big pot was better for me than the suggested saute pan.  Also, I used our immersion blender to puree in-pot rather than transferring to a blender.  It worked beautifully.   Second note: We grilled chicken breasts to eat alongside the pasta rather than having one huge serving of pasta.  Recipe says it makes 4 servings... I'd say it's at least 6, maybe 8 servings.  Final note: The red pepper flakes are spicy, but not so much that G was hesitant to eat it.  In fact, he asked for seconds and thirds!

Pecan Sandies
link here, from the Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof cookbook

This is an awesome shortbread cookie.  I really really like it.  It smells wonderful while baking and tastes just as delicious. It's great even a couple days later.  I rarely eat more than the hot-out-of-the-oven cookie, but this one I enjoyed for days! I vow to never buy the grocery store variety again. Especially with such a simple and fast recipe, like this one. Note: I made a half recipe, one dozen cookies, to save on the cost of pecans. I also bought my pecans in the bulk section for a quarter of the cost of pecans in the baking aisle. This cookie is good any day of the year, but I especially love the idea of serving it in the fall, over the Thanksgiving holiday, or on my birthday ; )

Full disclosure: G asked for a cookie the other day and started whimpering when I gave him one of these. He was almost in tears saying "no hanks" (no thanks) "cook-e pleez" (cookie please) as he pointed to the snickerdoodles leftover from days prior.  And, David has passed on trying the cookie too.  So, I guess not everyone is charmed by the idea of a pecan sandie.  But, for me, it is one of my most favorite cookies I have ever made.  Top 5, for sure.

Brown Sugar Toffee Cookies
link here; recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod blog
These are amazing!  I made them as a treat for D since his favorite candy is a heath bar.  They smell DELICIOUS while/after baking and taste so yummy too.  They are sort of like a snickerdoodle.  They have been added to the list of our family's favorite cookies :)

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
link here; recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod blog
Delicious cookies!  Festive looking and a nice change from a typical chocolate chip cookie!  This is the second recipe I've tried from this blog, and both have been winners.  I will definitely be trying more of their cookie recipes!

Homemade Chicken and Noodles
link here; from the Pioneer Woman
This recipe is delicious.  Its thicker than a chicken and noodle soup, more like a stew.  It keeps great in the fridge for a week too.  It smells absolutely delicious as it simmers on the stove and totally fills the home with a nostalgic vibe :)  Note: We do not have Reames frozen egg noodles available in Austin, so I substituted for German Spaetzle noodles my MIL picked up for me in Oklahoma.  I think any egg noodle would work but I decided to really go for it and find a Reames-ish noodle.  I'm glad I did!

My Sister's Mexican Lasagna
link here from Southern Living
David may have eaten this many days in a row instead of eating whatever dinner I'd made that night. That's right...he ate it for leftovers. He really, really liked it.  And, I do too.  One of my most favorite things is how fast it comes together.  A few notes: I used 1 lb of beef rather than half and half.  I used a half of a small can of jalapenos with a can of regular pinto beans since our grocery store does not stock the specified can.  Next time I will half all of the tortillas and place them in the dish closer together, therefore needing 3-4 more tortillas than the recipe called for.  I did that on my top layer and preferred it.  And finally - I may substitute the cream of ... next time just to feel better about the nutritional value of the dish.  Especially since someone around here is crazy for it.

Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices
link here; via Food.com
D and G ate this dish up for days.  I made half of a recipe using 4 large Granny Smith apples.  Both guys liked it hot and cold.  I preferred it served cold.  It is a winner in my book and a nice fruity side dish for the fall and winter!

Pizza Bites
link here; via Annie's Eats blog

Super yummy.  Great as a main dish served with a salad and raw veggies.  Or, also as an appetizer/game day dish. We make pizza on Sundays around here and this added a nice variety to our rotation.  Notes: I used 2 slices of peperoni.  And, instant yeast is the same as "rapid rise" and regular flour can substitute for the bread flour.