Italian-Style Quesadillas

The idea for this recipe was inspired by tortillas left over from these quesadillas and the fresh mozzarella remaining after I made these paninis. I thought making an Italian version of quesadillas, complete with tomato sauce for dipping, sounded like a delicious idea -- and it was. My brainstorm gave us a quick and easy dinner that took only 10 minutes from start to finish. And these were so, so good -- just look at all that cheese oozing out the sides!

This is a really versatile dish; as Rachael Ray would say, it's more about learning a method rather than a recipe. I chose to use pepperoni, salami, and fresh mozzarella for my filling, but any shredded Italian cheese would do, and any combination of meats and veggies would be delicious. And as for the sauce -- I suppose you could make your own quite easily, but I was perfectly content with a jarred tomato basil sauce that I jazzed up myself with my favorite blend of Italian spices. These would be a perfect appetizer to serve for a Super Bowl party, and they're a simple and delicious dinner choice any night of the week. I think kids would really love them, too. I'll have to test them out on Andrew in a few years!

Italian-Style Quesadillas
Source: Cassie

4 eight-inch flour tortillas
1/2 pound deli-sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound deli-sliced Genoa salami
12 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup jarred tomato sauce

1. To prepare the sauce, in a small pot cook sauce on medium heat or until heated through, seasoning as desired.

2. To prepare the quesadillas, top half of each tortilla with pepperoni, salami, and 3 slices of fresh mozzarella. Fold in half. Cook tortillas in a non-stick skillet until browned on both sides. Cut into wedges and serve immediately, with the sauce for dipping.

Caprese Paninis

My husband got me a panini press for Christmas, and I decided to christen it with my very favorite panini: a caprese panini.

I don't know if there's anything better than a caprese salad. Buttery fresh mozzarella, crisp, sweet tomatoes, cloying, licorice-y basil, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil? It just doesn't get any better than that. Well, I guess the one thing better would be if you put all of that between two slices of bread, which is what I did last night.

I wish I'd had thicker bread, but I had to use plain ol' white bread because it was all I had on hand. Nevertheless, these sandwiches were heavenly, and they paired perfectly with the soup I made. And pardon the crappy picture; I still can't figure out the best way to photograph a sandwich. Oy.

Caprese Paninis

Source: Cassie

Olive oil

4 slices thick-cut bread

6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

2 slices tomato

4 leaves basil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1. Brush both sides of a panini press with olive oil. Top bread with mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

2. Cook until bread is crisp and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Basil Tortellini Soup

Since the other recipe I made out of this special edition magazine didn't work out so well, I decided I'd make another one just for good measure. I don't want this "cookbook" to get a bad rap, because there really are lots of delicious recipes in it. And this soup is one of them.

Screw traditional chicken noodle soup; whenever I'm sick from now on, this is the soup I'm making for myself. It's so simple and so tasty. And let me tell you, it was so nice to work with fresh basil; the scent of it brought a little bit of summer into my kitchen, as the snow continued to fall outside. I was worried this soup would be underseasoned, but it wasn't. The balsamic vinegar adds a nice depth of flavor, and I love that the recipe calls for fresh tomatoes. It looked so pretty, bubbling away on the stove:

This soup was quick, simple, and delicious...my kind of food!

Basil Tortellini Soup

Source: Taste of Homes Recipe Card Collection (special edition magazine); also found here

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 can (15 ounces) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add tortellini; cook until tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Stir in the beans, tomato and basil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with cheese.

Chai-Spiced Bread

Let me just put this out there: Yeast scares me. Okay, it doesn't make me want to run away in fear, but it does intimidate me. I'm sure I'm missing a world of lovely homemade breads due to my yeast phobia, but I really feel okay about that as long as there are delicious quick breads like this one out there for me to bake.

This bread is so yummy; it is the true definition of "spicy." I don't mean it's hot, but rather that it's full of delicious spices that dance on the tongue. The bread itself is not incredibly sweet, which makes it a perfect balance to the powdered sugar glaze. This was a great use for the ground cardamom that's been sitting in my spice cabinet since I last used it in October, just waiting to come out and play. This bread isn't as moist as some of the other quick breads I've made, but it was still incredibly good. It was the perfect thing to warm me up on a chilly, snowy day!

Chai-Spiced Bread
Source: Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2009

For the bread:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup prepared tea or water
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 5 teaspoons milk (I ended up using about 6)
Additional ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom only of 8 x 4- or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. On low speed, beat in tea or water, 1/3 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla and the eggs until ingredients are well-combined (will appear curdled). Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until moistened. Pour into pan.

3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooking rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool 30 minutes.

4. In small bowl, stir powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 3 teaspoons of the milk, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls, until spreadable. Spread glaze over bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.

Beef and Baked Potato...Casserole?

I debated whether or not to even post this recipe, since it sort of turned out to be a disaster. Well, okay, it wasn't a disaster, but I had a few...issues while I was putting it together. And since this blog is supposed to be about my messes as well as my successes in the kitchen, here it is: a mess.

The beef mixture was supposed to be stuffed inside hollowed-out baked potatoes, but as you can see from the above picture, that didn't happen for me. When I tried to scoop out the meat of the potato, I kept tearing the skin (even though I was being "careful," just as the recipe instructed). About halfway through, I was getting frustrated and thought, "Screw it. I'll just turn it into a casserole." And that's what I did. I'm not a big baked-potato-skin person, anyway. (Also, I somehow spilled the can of green chiles all over myself, because I'm just graceful like that. Thankfully, most of them were salvageable.)

This is just an okay recipe. And I think I can judge it fairly, since really the only thing my version was missing was the potato skins. Even with the green chiles and chili powder, it was a little bit bland. I can't pinpoint what exactly it needed, but it definitely needed something.

I've posted a link to the original recipe, since maybe some of you out there know how to stuff a potato better than I do. That's what I get for trying to do something fussy!

Beef-Stuffed Potatoes (or, Beef and Baked Potato Casserole)
Source: adapted from Taste of Home's Recipe Card Collection (special edition magazine); original recipe can be found here

6 medium baking potatoes
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/3 cup sour cream
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato and scoop out pulp, discarding most of the skins. Place pulp in bowl and add sour cream, chilies, butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder and chili powder; mash or beat. Stir in meat mixture until combined.

3. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Crock Pot Coq Au Vin

I love a good Crock pot dinner, especially in the middle of winter when the wind is howling and the snow is falling and the air is frigid and I need to be warmed up from the inside out. And that's exactly what this meal did.

I've been wanting to make coq au vin for a while now, and while this recipe takes a lot of liberties with the dish, it was still absolutely delicious. The wine added a subtle tangy quality to the dish, the bacon made it smoky, the mushrooms made it earthy, and the onions kept it a little bit sweet. It was the perfect balance of flavors. Next time, I'd make a few changes; I'd add carrots for a bit more sweetness, and at least one more clove of garlic. Though the boneless breasts actually turned out to be pretty tender, I might even try making this with bone-in chicken pieces and increase the cooking time a bit. I'll definitely make this again. When it comes to simplicity and comfort, the Crock pot just can't be beat!

Crock Pot Coq Au Vin

Source: Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes

4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat. Drain and crumble. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the following order: onions, bacon, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, pepper, chicken, wine and broth. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours.

2. Remove chicken and vegetables; cover and keep warm. Ladle 1/2 cup cooking liquid into small bowl; allow to cool slightly. Turn slow cooker to High; cover. Mix reserved liquid, tomato paste and flour until smooth. Return sauce mixture to slow cooker; cover and cook 15 minutes or until thickened.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookbook is filled to the brim with delicious-sounding old-fashioned desserts, and out of all the choices, it may seem a little bit odd that I chose to make chocolate chip cookies. But my grandma makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookies, and one of my favorite memories is of going over to her house and curling up with a stack of them (with milk for dunking, of course). She always put walnuts in hers, but I saw this recipe using hazelnuts and I just had to try them. I'm a sucker for the hazelnut-chocolate combo (I believe that I am largely responsible for keeping Ferrero Rocher in business), and once again, the pair did not disappoint me. These cookies have wonderful texture, and they're very good. I'm visiting my grandma tomorrow, so I'm going to take a few of them to her. Of course, they're not nearly as good as her chocolate chip cookies, but I don't think I'll ever find any that are!

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Taste of Home's Grandma's Great Desserts

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add gradually to batter, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

3. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Remove to a wire rack to cook. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

"Ohio Style" Corn Dogs

I made homemade corn dogs for dinner last night. Oh yes I did. And they were delicious -- much better than anything from a box, and just as good as the corn dogs at the fair. I served them with tater tots. I felt like I was 12 years old.

But I didn't really care, because they were so good. And they were very, very easy. I don't think I'll ever feed Andrew frozen ones when making them from scratch is so simple! I don't know what exactly it is that makes them "Ohio style," but that's what the recipe said. And this is a cookbook full of recipes written by grandmas, and grandmas are never wrong! (They certainly weren't wrong about these corn dogs. Very, very tasty, no matter what state they were from!)

"Ohio Style" Corn Dogs

Source: A Taste from Grandma's Kitchen

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Dash of pepper

10 to 16 hot dogs (we used 5 bun-length hot dogs, and had just a little bit of batter left over)

Wooden skewers

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1. In a bowl, mix first ten ingredients. Pour mixture into a tall glass.

2. Skewer hot dogs with wooden skewers; dip in mixture. Deep fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Pasta with Creamy Spinach and Parmesan Cheese

I made this pasta dish for dinner last night, and this morning when he got home from work the first thing Joe said to me was, "That pasta you made last night was so good. You've got to make that again soon." And believe me, honey, I will make it again soon.

This meal is the kind of thing I absolutely love to cook: simple ingredients, that are simple to prepare, that come together to make something absolutely knock-you-over good. My oh my, this pasta was delicious. This recipe comes from On Top of Spaghetti..., a pasta cookbook I've had for a long time but never cooked from. After looking through it, I discovered that it's filled with delicious pastas I'm just dying to try, and it's definitely one I'm going to come back to frequently. All that pasta...my poor, poor waistline.

I made very few changes and additions to this recipe, mostly just for convenience's sake; they're in purple.

I would entertain with this pasta. As a main course. It is that good.

Pasta with Creamy Spinach and Parmesan Cheese
Source: On Top of Spaghetti... by Johanne Killeen and George Germon

12 ounces dried spaghettini (I used an entire box of fettucine)
8 cups firmly-packed washed and trimmed baby spinach
1 cup heavy cream (I used about 1 1/2 cups)
10 swipes of fresh nutmeg across a grater (I used a dash of dried)
20 to 25 turns of a pepper mill filled with white peppercorns (I used a couple dashes of ground white pepper)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Stir in a generous amount of salt and drop in the pasta. After a minute or two, add the spinach a handful at a time so the water doesn't lose its boil at any time. Cook, stirring often, until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, warm the cream over moderate heat with the nutmeg, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Bring it to a boil, but don't let it reduce. Taste the cream; it should be well-flavored with nutmeg and pepper. Add more if needed.

3. Drain the pasta and spinach in a collander, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Over low heat, stir the pasta into the cream mixture along with most of the parmesan cheese (save the rest for passing at the table or garnishing). If the noodles absorb too much cream, add pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have the consistency of heavy cream, with each serving having a puddle in the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Quesadillas

Every once in a while, our cafeteria at work serves breakfast quesadillas, and I always get one because I'm a sucker for quesadillas. In my opinion, anything slathered with sour cream and salsa tastes good, but the quesadillas themselves are always pretty bland. When I stumbled across this recipe for breakfast quesadillas, it seemed like a natural choice for me to try. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to use my Christmas present for the first time!

These were delicious! I made a few changes to the recipe, which I've highlighted in purple below. Joe really liked them, too, so I'm sure I'll be making them again!

Breakfast Quesadillas

Source: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007

1/3 pound bulk pork sausage (I used spicy sausage)

6 eggs

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons half-and-half (I didn't have any, so I used 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream)

1 package taco seasoning mix (I substituted 1 tablespoon of Emeril's Southwest seasoning)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (I used a dash of dried; it would have been better with fresh, but I didn't have any)

2 tablespoons chopped tomato

1 can chopped green chiles (I omitted because I thought it would be too spicy with the hot sausage and pepper-jack cheese, but I'll add them next time I make these)

1 package flour tortillas, burrito size

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (I used pepper-jack cheese)

1. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink. Remove sausage from skillet; drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, lightly beat eggs, sour cream, half-and-half and seasoning mix with wire whisk until well-blended.

2. In a separate nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is very moist. Stir in cooked sausage, chives, cilantro, the tomato and chiles. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer or until egg mixture is set but still moist. Remove from heat.

3. Place tortillas on work surface. Top half of each tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons egg mixture; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of each of the cheeses. Fold untopped half of tortillas over egg mixture.

4. Heat a 12-inch skillet (or griddle) over medium heat. Place quesadillas in skillet; cook 30 to 45 seconds on each side or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from skillet; place on serving plate. Cut each quesadilla into wedges. Top with chives, salsa, sour cream, or avocado, if desired.

Cauliflower, Ham and Cheese Chowder

This chowder actually turned out to be more of what Rachael Ray would call a "choup," because it was thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder. I added more chicken broth than the recipe called for, and I left out the potato buds (because I generally have a "thing" about boxed or dehydrated potato products in general), so those two things combined to make this thinner than it would have been otherwise. To add some thickness back to the soup, I added a bunch of shredded cheddar cheese, which was delicious. Cheddar pairs so perfectly with both ham and cauliflower that I knew it would be perfect in this recipe, and it was. Joe and I both really liked this "choup" and I'll be making it again!

This recipe comes from Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup, and it was so hard to choose which dish to make. I've bookmarked almost every page to come back to later, because this cookbook is chock-full of soups I want to try!

Cauliflower, Ham and Cheese Chowder

Source: adapted from Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup, original recipe is here

2 cups cubed potatoes

2 cups frozen cauliflower florets

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups milk

2 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dash ground nutmeg

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Chopped chives, for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, sweat out the onions and potatoes in olive oil. Add cauliflower and chicken broth and simmer until tender.

2. Stir in milk, ham, salt and pepper and nutmeg; heat through.

3. Stir in cheese until melted.

4. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired.

Classic Chicken Piccata

I'm a big fan of chicken piccata and order it frequently in restaurants. Unfortunately, this particular recipe did very little to blow me away. I can pinpoint exactly what the problems were: the breading was underseasoned, and there wasn't nearly enough sauce. Both easy fixes, which I've already noted in the margins of the recipe, but I'm still irritated with myself for not listening to that little part of me that said, "Only 1/4 teaspoon of salt? You should probably increase that" and "Cook sauce on high for 2 minutes? Won't it all reduce away?" Oh, well. You cook you learn, right? (As a side note, I think this is the worst picture to ever appear on my blog. Spring, won't you come, with your increased daylight hours?)

Classic Chicken Piccata

Source: Favorite Brand Name: Country Italian Recipes

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs)

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (omitted)

1/4 teaspoon of salt (I should have used 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness. Place flour on small plate. Place egg in shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper on another small plate. Roll each breast half in flour, then in egg. Coat with bread crumb mixture.

2. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes. Turn; reduce heat to medium. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Transfer chicken to serving platter; keep warm.

3. Add wine and lemon juice to skillet; cook and stir over high heat 2 minutes. (Seriously, only give it about a minute, or cook the sauce over lower heat, because it will literally reduce down to absolutely nothing.) Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

The other night, I decided I'd do something a little bit different with my mashed potatoes. I had baby red potatoes, and I had roasted garlic, and I had parmesan cheese, so I combined them all together and the results were magical. Hands down, these were the best mashed potatoes I've ever made. Baby red potatoes have an incredible, velvety texture that really worked well with the parmesan and cream cheese I added. And the roasted garlic? Forget about it. Delicious. These are not healthy, but I don't care. I suggest you try them. Immediately.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Source: Cassie

1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (depending on how buttery you like your potatoes)

2 cloves roasted garlic, smashed

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot.

2. Add heavy cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and butter to potatoes and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in garlic and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Getting Organized

It's time to get organized so I can start the Year of the Cookbook. I think the best way (well...the easiest way, I'm sure there are much better ways) for me to do this is to list out all of my cookbooks here, and then update the list with my progress throughout the year. I'll choose cookbooks at random when I'm doing my weekly menu planning and go through them that way. So here they are -- my cookbooks, in no particular order, except the order in which appear on my shelves:

1. Taste of Home's Ultimate Cookie Collection
2. What's Cooking: Soups
3. Southern Living Christmas Cookbook
4. Simple Pasta Step-by-Step
5. Rumford Complete Cookbook
6. Cookies, Brownies & More ---> butterscotch chocolate chip blondies
7. Taste of Home 2008 Annual Recipes
8. The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
9. Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup ---> cauliflower, ham and cheese chowder
10. The Taste of Home Baking Book ---> chocolate truffle cookies
11. The Church Supper Cookbook
12. The Better Homes and Gardens New Grilling Book ---> prosciutto pork kabobs
13. Taste of Home's Best of Country Breakfast and Brunch ---> fluffly waffles with cinnamon cream syrup
14. Taste of Home's Grandma's Favorites
15. The Cake Doctor by Anne Byrn
16. Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2007 ---> chicken fajita pasta
17. Tyler's Ultimate by Tyler Florence ---> the ultimate macaroni and cheese with peas and bacon
18. On Top of Spaghetti... by Johanne Killeen and George Germon ---> pasta with creamy spinach and parmesan cheese
19. A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman
20. Pillsbury Christmas 2007
21. Better Homes and Gardens Christmas from the Heart, Volume 16
22. Better Homes and Gardens Christmas from the Heart, Volume 17
23. Progressive Farmer Country Living Recipes
24. Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008 ---> provolone, prosciutto and pesto quiche
25. Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard
26. Taste of Home's Grandma's Great Desserts ---> hazelnut chocolate chip cookies
27. Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (Celebrating the Promise Edition)
28. Betty Crocker One-Dish Family Favorites ---> creamy bow ties with ham and vegetables
29. Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis ---> baked gnocchi with spinach and goat cheese
30. Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2008, Volume 1
31. Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2008, Volume 2: Celebrate!
32. The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger ---> stuffed turkey burgers
33. Favorite Brand Name: Country Italian ---> classic chicken piccata
34. HER Realtors Celebrity Cookbook, Volume 9
35. Taste of Home's Best Holiday Recipes (special edition magazine)
36. Taste of Home's Holiday Get-Togethers
37. Betty Crocker's Cookbook (1978 edition)
38. Betty Crocker Cookbook (new edition)
39. Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook by Lorenza de Medici
40. Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2006
41. Nestle Classic Recipes
41. Culinary Art Institute's Christmas Favorites
42. Taste of Home's Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2007
43. Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook
44. Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow-Cooker Recipes ---> Christmas breakfast casserole
45. Another Potful of Recipes by JoAnna M. Lund and Barbara Alpert
46. Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes ---> Crock pot coq au vin
47. Taste of Home's Test Kitchen Favorites
48. Taste of Home's Best of Country Cakes
49. Campbell's Creative Cooking with Soup
50. Taste of Home's Pasta Cookbook ---> Mexican chicken stuffed shells
51. Cooking Light's Annual Recipes 2008 ---> New Orleans-style shrimp
52. Taste of Home's America's Best Church Supper Recipes
53. Our Cooking Heritage (cookbook compiled by my hometown)
54. Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 ---> breakfast quesadillas
55. Taste of Home's America's Family Recipes 2006
56. Taste of Home's Homestyle Cooking with Cream Soups
57. Best of Home-Tested Collection
58. Bloomfield Church Cookbook (recipes from my grandma's church)
59. Classic Recipe Collection ---> frozen pumpkin squares
60. The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen
61. Church Suppers
62. The Best of Cooking Light ---> peach-glazed pork chops with grilled peaches
63. Busy Woman's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Gene and Sharon McFall and Linda Burgett
64. Favorite Brand Name: One-Dish Recipes and Secrets of Slow Cooking
65. Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan ---> devil's food white-out cake
66. Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook by Leeann Chin ---> kung po chicken
67. The Book Lover's Cookbook by Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet Jensen
68. A Taste from Grandma's Kitchen ---> "Ohio style" corn dogs
69. Taste of Home's Cooking School 50th Anniversary Cookbook
70. Pillsbury Everyday Family Suppers 2008
71. Better Homes and Gardens: Our Best Recipes
72. Taste of Home's Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2006
73. Taste of Home's Best of Holiday Recipes 2005 (special edition magazine)
74. Taste of Home's Recipe Card Collection (special edition magazine) ---> beef-stuffed potatoes (sort of); basil tortellini soup
75. Charity cookbook compiled by my workplace
76. The Taste of Home Cookbook
77. The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook (1973)
78. Cheesecake Extraordinaire by Mary Crownover ---> key lime cheesecake
79. Taste of Home 2007 Annual Recipes
80. Christmas Cooking from the Heart, Volume 5
81. Christmas Cooking from the Heart, Volume 6
82. Taste of Home's Family Collection Cookbook
83. Betty Crocker's Country Favorites ---> mini corn and pepper cakes
84. Express Lane Meals by Rachael Ray
85. Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals
86. There's a Chef in my Family!: Recipes to Get Everybody Cooking by Emeril Lagasse
87. Southern Living 2006 Annual Recipes
88. Taste of Home's Complete Guide to Country Cooking
89. Taste of Home's Prize Winning Recipes ---> taco puffs
90. Taste of Home 2000 Annual Recipes ---> banana nut pancakes
91. Taste of Home's Treasury of Christmas Recipes
92. Taste of Home's Holidays and Celebrations Cookbook (2003)
93. Taste of Home's Holidays and Celebrations Cookbook (2004)
94. Taste of Home's Holidays and Celebrations Cookbook (2007)
95. Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics
96. Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen
97. Old-Fashioned Bake Sale ---> fudgy peanut butter chip muffins
98. Blue Ribbon Family Favorites ---> sausage-stuffed baked apples
99. Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes
100. Better Homes and Gardens Eat and Stay Slim
101. Italian Grill by Mario Batali
102. Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2009, Volume 1 ---> chai-spiced bread
103. Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2009, Volume 2: Dinner Made Easy
104. Betty Crocker Just Cupcakes
105. Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics by Ina Garten ---> baked sweet potato fries
106. Family Circle: Our Best Recipes
107. Pillsbury Everyday Family Suppers 2007 ---> salisbury steak
108. Martha Stewart's Cookies ---> cakey chocolate chip cookies
109. Bon Appetit, Ya'll by Virginia Willis ---> Coca-Cola-glazed baby back ribs
110. Viva La Mediterranean by Jean Oliva-Rasbach and Christian W. Schmidt -- chicken cacciatore risotto
111. The Soup Bible by Debra Mayhew
112. Martha Stewart's Cupcakes ---> cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes
113. Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast ---> BBQ-stuffed baked potatoes
114. Down Home with the Neelys by Pat and Gina Neely
115. Family Circle Hometown Cooking
116. Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorites
117. The Global Gourmet
118. Taste of Home's Busy Family Cookbook ---> BBQ shrimp over buttered noodles

The Year of the Cookbook

Happy New Year! I was going to do a sort of "food year in review" post today, but I just now feel like I'm getting this little food blog off the ground, so maybe I'll save that for next year. And if I can stick to my cooking-related resolutions, 2009 promises to be a great year for cooking and baking in my kitchen!

Taking my inspiration from Deborah, the author of one of my favorite food blogs, I've decided to make 2009 the Year of the Cookbook. I have waaaay more cookbooks than one person should probably own -- and some of them still have crack-free spines. So here's my goal: Cook at least one recipe from each and every cookbook on my shelf this year. And until I reach that goal, I'm not allowing myself to buy another cookbook. I want to get started as soon as possible, so look for the first Year of the Cookbook recipe soon. I clearly have my work cut out for me:

Wish me luck! And may your lives (and your stomachs!) be blessed in 2009!