I can't even believe that it will be September tomorrow. Where did the summer go?! It seems like winter just ended, and now we're only a few months away from it again. But I'm going to wring every ounce of fun I can get out of autumn this year, as I do every year.
It was kind of a hectic/emotional month for us: Joe and I celebrated 9 years of marriage, and two weeks later our firstborn started kindergarten. We didn't always stay on a schedule, but I did manage to make a bunch of our favorites this month.
It just wouldn't be a recap without taco rice, right? This shows up in our rotation at least once every couple of months, and it's always a favorite. Eating this meal always ends with Joe and I having a tense discussion in the kitchen, trying to decide who will get to take the leftovers to work for lunch.
Andrew requested pepperoni pizza puffs for his "night before kindergarten" dinner. I also made them another time this month, when it was just me and the boys home for dinner. These are so simple, and the flavor is just awesome. They're like pizza rolls on steroids, and they taste much better too. I keep meaning to try a Hawaiian version with green pepper, ham, and pineapple -- but we all love the pepperoni version so much that I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.
I think it's pretty obvious by now that I love chicken Caesar everything, and these chicken Caesar salad sandwiches are one of my favorites. They hit all the same notes as a traditional Caesar salad, but in sandwich form (and with bacon). Absolutely delicious.
Joe claims that biscuits with sausage gravy is the very best meal I make, so I'm a little bit embarrassed by how easy this recipe is. But despite that, I truly do believe that it's the best sausage gravy ever. It's so tangy and sweet and creamy...just perfect. I served it with some really delicious scrambled eggs (I'll share that recipe, though it's hardly a recipe at all, with you soon), and Joe and the boys made sandwiches by piling the gravy and eggs on the biscuits. If you make one recipe from this site, I beg you to try this one.
There aren't many recipes that have survived from the early days of our marriage, but this smothered chicken is one of the ones that has. I mean, this dish is just incredible -- spicy chicken breasts smothered in peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tons of cheese...I'm salivating just thinking about it.
I think these ranch chicken tacos are my favorite weeknight meal when I want something super quick, simple, and delicious -- which, let's be honest, is pretty much every night. They literally come together in minutes, and they're so incredibly good.
It had been so long since I'd made this recipe for bow ties with spicy sausage in tomato cream sauce that I was blown away all over again by how delicious it is. It's so simple, made with only a handful of ingredients, but the flavor is just amazing.
I made Joe an Asian noodle bowl with fried eggs one night when he got home pretty late from his weekly softball game, after the boys and I had already eaten. Normally I'd just make him a sandwich in those instances (or he'd make himself one), but I think this recipe is just about as quick as making a sandwich. I just made a basic version for him, but I'm still interested in playing with the ingredients in these noodle bows -- maybe adding some carrots or cabbage.
Speaking of fried eggs, these bacon cheddar cornbread cakes with fried eggs have skyrocketed right to the top of our favorite dinners. I don't know what possessed me to even buy a box of cornbread stuffing when I discovered it in my cupboard the first night I made these -- but now I find myself buying it on purpose just so I can make these cakes. This time around, I served them alongside the most perfect summer tomato I think I've ever had. What a delicious meal.
Just as Andrew requested pepperoni pizza puffs for the night before kindergarten, he requested his favorite meal, this sweet and spicy pork and asparagus stir fry, for dinner after his first day. At my friend Sarah's suggestion, I served the pork mixture combined with angel hair pasta instead of over rice. It tasted even better that way -- which is really saying a lot.
Ever since rediscovering this recipe, I've made creamy tomato tortellini with chicken and broccoli no less than four times. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser, and it's so delicious and simple. If you haven't noticed...those are my very favorite kinds of meals. :)
I can't believe that July is over already!I feel like I say this every month, but this month went by so quickly. August is one of my favorite months -- we celebrate our anniversary and take time off from work -- but this year it's also a little bit bittersweet, since Andrew starts kindergarten in a little over three weeks. Talk about time going by so quickly; wasn't he just a tiny, sweet little burrito baby yesterday?
Anyway, I could write about that for a few more paragraphs, but I'll start to cry, so let's just talk food. A lot of delicious things happened in my kitchen this month.
I think this is the second month in a row that this creamy stovetop macaroni and cheese has appeared on my recap, and with good reason. It's so delicious and simple and a great way to feed a crowd. I made it for the Fourth of July to go with the pig we roasted (yes, we roasted a pig; more about that soon), and everyone loved it, as always.
The base recipe for these mint chocolate cookies is the best chocolate cookie base I've ever tried. The texture is fantastic; the cookies are crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. I made them this month minus the mint add-ins, and instead used a combination of dark, milk, and white chocolate chips. They were fantastic.
You guys know by now how much I love my Crock pot, and I used it this month for these slow cooker chicken tacos with cheddar, beer, and black beans. These tacos are so simple and flavorful. When I made them this time, I topped each taco with a sprinkling of lime juice, which really brightened the flavor and worked so well with the flavor of the beer.
I think everyone has a handful of "back pocket" recipes, and this farfalle with bacon, onions and gouda is one of those recipes for my family. It literally only takes about 15 minutes to make, and it's absolutely delicious. I made it twice this month.
This sweet and spicy pork and asparagus stir fry is Andrew's favorite meal, so you can expect to see it appear on lots of future recaps. He ate three helpings and asked to take the leftovers to school for lunch the next day. My friend Sarah made this on the same night I did this month, and she served hers over angel hair pasta. I'm doing that next time for sure. We like it with the rice, but have you ever served rice to three- and five-year-old boys, then walked on your dining room rug after dinner? It's...not the most pleasant experience.
My friend Stephanie made this recently, which inspired me to make this grilled pesto chicken with tomato cream penne again. I'm telling you guys, this is such a fresh and flavorful pasta dish. I could eat it once a week, and probably will for the rest of grilling season.
As I mentioned on Monday, peaches are definitely my favorite summer fruit, and these peach pecan chicken sandwiches with jalapeno mayonnaise are still one of my favorite sandwiches ever. The sweetness of the peaches pairs so perfectly with the earthy pecans and the spicy jalapenos, and the crispy chicken and soft peaches have the perfect textural balance. And, I just thought of this: I think maple syrup would work really well with the rest of the flavors, so next time I make them I may try adding a drizzle of it to the sandwiches.
The chicken marinade that I posted in the recipe for these grilled chicken Caesar flatbreads has become my very favorite chicken marinade. I made chicken Caesar salads this month, and I used that marinade for the chicken. I was planning to cook it on the grill, but we ran out of propane, so I cooked it inside instead. I added bacon to the Caesar salads, so I just cooked the chicken in the bacon drippings. It was delicious, of course.
If you're looking for a delicious brinner recipe, look no further than this jalapeno popper breakfast scramble. It's delicious and simple and made with pantry ingredients, and it works great as leftovers. I only used about half a pound of bacon and six eggs this time, and it still turned out absolutely perfect.
This summer vegetable spaghetti with pesto cream sauce is an excellent way to use summer produce. In true Cassie fashion, I added a bit of bacon to it this time, and I loved the way the earthiness of the pesto paired with the smoky bacon.
I've been just slightly obsessed with sandwiches this summer, so it was high time to revisit one of our favorites: these pork sandwiches with sour cream sauce. I added a little bit of Worcestershire sauce to the sour cream mixture this time, which I thought added a delicious flavor dimension to the sandwiches. In my book, you could put mushrooms, onions and Swiss cheese on just about anything and it would be delicious. These sandwiches are no exception. Andrew devoured his sandwich; he's becoming such an awesome little eater.
This Mexican sour cream rice is definitely my favorite side dish for any South of the Border feast. It's so creamy, and just slightly spicy, and has a great balance of textures. I can't wait to share the chicken fajitas that I served the rice with this month.
And, finally, I made one of the boys' absolute favorite dinners this month: French bread pizzas. The boys love this dinner because they get to customize their own pizza and make it themselves. In a stroke of inspiration, I actually used a loaf of garlic bread for the base of the pizzas rather than regular French bread. That was a very good choice; it made them even crispier and added another layer of flavor.
Before I start this month's recap, I just wanted to remind you that Google Reader will be going away tomorrow (*sob*). I've migrated my subscriptions to Feedly, which I'm liking so far. If you would like to keep reading (and I hope you do!) you can migrate to a new reader, or you can always subscribe by e-mail on the left side of the page!
Now that that's out of the way -- on to the recap, which I think is a pretty good one. I brought back quite a few of our favorites this month.
We're not quite to the height of zucchini season yet, but when you find yourself drowing in it in a couple of months, this rigatoni with bacon, zucchini and cream is the perfect way to use it...repeatedly. When I made it this time, I added in some summer squash as well. This is one delicious, luscious pile of pasta.
I made these bacon and egg quesadillas two more times this month. We just absolutely love them, and they're such a quick and simple weeknight dinner. I will say that when I make them now, I very rarely cook the quesadillas in the bacon drippings -- I just brown them in a separate skillet using cooking spray. They're just as delicious that way, and a little healthier too.
I actually made two batches of pepperoni pizza puffs this month: one for dinner one night, and one for the boys to take in their lunches throughout the week. They absolutely love these things. I've been meaning to experiment with different pizza-like add-ins, but I haven't gotten around to it because we all love this version so much.
These sweet potato and black bean foil packet tacos are one of Joe's favorite meals, and if you knew how carnivorous he is, you'd be really impressed with this statement. They're so flavorful and filling, we don't miss the meat at all. I did make one change this time: I used salsa in the packets rather than tomato sauce, and I'll definitely be doing that going forward. It made them even more flavorful.
I made creamy stovetop mac and cheese twice this month, too: once as a side dish for some of Joe's grilled ribs (mmm...) and once as a main dish. When I made it as a main dish, I added bacon and broccoli -- both delicious additions. It made me remember being a kid, when my mom used to mix the boxed broccoli Velveeta with the boxed bacon Velveeta. Ahh, childhood.
Shrimp po' boys are Joe's absolute favorite meal, so I made these sandwiches for him for Father's Day dinner. They were just as much a treat for me, honestly, because I just can't get enough of this sandwich (the sauce, in particular).
This chicken parmesan pasta is one of those back-pocket dishes for me. I always have these ingredients on hand, it comes together so quickly, and it's always a hit with everyone in my family.
I had completely forgotten about these jerk pork cheeseburgers with green apple slaw, but I was reminded of them when I made another recipe with ground pork. Once I was reminded of them, I couldn't get them out of my mind. Thankfully, they were just as delicious as I remembered. The slaw is amazing, and the perfect complement to the spicy-sweet burgers.
I love a good five-ingredient meal, esepcially when that meal is as delicious as these spinach lasagna rolls. They're just so simple, and so, so good.
When I was cleaning out my freezer recently, I discovered a plastic bag full of pureed butternut squash that I'd cooked...sometime. I have no idea when. I decided to put it to good use and whip up a batch of these delicious butternut squash enchiladas. Much like the sweet potato and black bean foil packet tacos, these are so flavorful and filling that you won't even miss the meat. Joe and I have happily been eating these enchiladas for dinner for the past two nights.
I can't believe we're at the end of May already! This month has absolutely flown by, and I'm so ready for our evenings and weekends to slow down a bit in June. (Ha. YEAH RIGHT.) There were quite a few nights in May when cooking dinner went by the wayside, due to extracurricular activities or just plain exhaustion on my part. I still managed to pull together a pretty delicious recap for you, though, thanks in part to Andrew's birthday party.
We've been grilling out a ton since the weather's warmed up, and these grilled chicken Caesar flatbreads are one of our absolute favorite things to make. The chicken has tons of flavor, and it's so tender. This meal is basically like a portable Caesar salad. In my mind, the only possible way to improve upon a Caesar salad is to make it portable. Win!
You probably know by now how much I love a good sandwich, and these chipotle chicken cheesesteaks are one of my favorites, for sure. This time around, I upped the smoky flavor even more by using roasted red peppers instead of a regular bell pepper, and I topped my sandwich with ranch dressing instead of mayo. I loved the way the ranch cooled down the heat of the chipotle. I also skipped the avocado this time, and surprisingly, I think I preferred them without the avocado (but either way is delicious).
I made these pepperoni pizza puffs twice this month: once for Andrew's Super Mario Brothers birthday party (where they masqueraded as "Toad's Pizza Muffins") and once for us for dinner, because they are so dang good. The boys absolutely love these, and Joe and I are pretty fond of them too. I don't know why I don't make them more often, but that is definitely going to change going forward. (Side note: We actually prefer dipping them in ranch rather than the pizza sauce in the picture. We are Ranch People, if you hadn't noticed.)
I also made pesto pasta salad for Andrew's party and called it "Mario and Luigi's Pasta Salad" (I got really into the theme, if you haven't noticed). I doubled everything and used a block of mozzarella rather than the fresh stuff. It was just as delicious. This was one of the first things that was gone at his party, and even the kids seemed to like it!
One last party-related recipe: I made a batch of soft sugar cookie bars and decorated them to look like the question mark blocks in Super Mario. These are always a huge hit, and the frosting is just to die for.
I'm not joking when I say that I could eat taco rice three nights a week and never get tired of it. This is by far one of our family's favorite dinners. Joe and I actually fight over who gets to take the leftovers to work every time I make this, without fail.
I'm pretty sure this broccoli salad has been on my last three recaps, and here it is again. I made this for Memorial Day because everyone always requests it. I don't blame them! This stuff is seriously so good.
When pierogies went on sale recently, I jumped at the chance to make this bacon pierogi bake. Gah, you guys, this is just so good. The cream cheese sauce is amazing, and the bacon pairs so perfectly with the pierogies. The chopped tomatoes and sliced green onions give the whole dish such a wonderful freshness.
I made Cuban sandwiches and shredded pork po' boys on back-to-back nights, using the same batch of shredded pork. This is the best recipe I've found for making pork loin in the Crock pot. The meat is rubbed with vinegar, oil, garlic and spices and marinates overnight, which makes it so tender and flavorful. I love that the same batch of meat can be used to make two completely different, but equally delicious, sandwiches.
April has been our busiest month so far this year, and throughout the month I found myself relying on tried-and-true family favorites rather than trying a lot of new dishes. As a result, the recap this month is rather large, so bear with me! Hopefully you'll find something delicious that you missed the first time around!
These ranch chicken tacos are definitely one of my favorite quick meals. This recipe has come in handy a few times this month when we had a 6:00 soccer game during the week. When these are on the menu, dinner is literally ready in minutes.
We had a small party at our house to celebrate Joe's birthday at the beginning of the month, and I made broccoli salad and ranch macaroni and cheese (in addition to quite a few other dishes). I've sung the praises of the broccoli salad many times before, and this macaroni and cheese recipe is still one of my favorites. It's so deliciously different.
I made these BBQ chicken and cole slaw wraps on another busy night this month...I believe it was the night I registered Andrew for kindergarten (SOB...not ready to talk about it). Anyway, they're delicious and simple and a great meal for a warm evening.
Asparagus is definitely the spring vegetable I look most forward to, and this simple and flavorful shaved asparagus pizza is the perfect way to highlight it.
There's nothing like a meal you can just plop in a dish and toss in the oven and forget about for an hour, and this chicken, potato, and green bean one dish dinner is exactly that. A few notes about this one, though: In the past, I've had trouble getting my potatoes to cook through completely when I make this. To counter that, I always use baby red or yellow potatoes and slice them very thinly (differently than in the picture). I should also mention that Joe doesn't like the texture of the chicken when it's cooked this way, so if you have a weird-texture-person in your family, you can always saute the chicken off in a skillet separately and just cook the green beans and potatoes together. The green beans and potatoes are really delicious seasoned this way.
Oy, not the prettiest photo, I know. It definitely doesn't do justice to these pork loin chops with roasted garlic cream sauce. These pork chops are so simple, and I'm telling you: The sauce is amazing. You'll want to lick every single bit of it off your plate. I realize that isn't very ladylike, but there you have it.
This rosemary ranch chicken is the best chicken ever, and I should know: I eat a lot of chicken. It's so juicy and succulent, and the flavors of rosemary and ranch just work so well together. I serve it with grilled asparagus and some type of potato dish so I can pawn two-thirds of dinner preparation off on someone else -- namely, Joe, who is the grill master in our house.
I served fettuccine alfredo (minus the chicken) when I hosted my cooking club's Italian night earlier this month (along with a yummy chicken saltimbocca that I didn't photograph -- boo), and let me tell you: I am so happy to have this alfredo sauce in my life. It's perfect. Not grainy, not too thick, not too thin...just right. (Sorry to channel Goldilocks there, but seriously. This sauce is amazing.)
This "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake was the third recipe I posted here (FIVE YEARS AGO! OMG! I just realized I missed my five-year anniversary!), and it has become one of the most beloved recipes in my family. I've made it for countless birthday celebrations, and it is definitively the best chocolate cake I've ever had. It's moist, fudgy and rich, and the frosting is simply to die for. Since posting the recipe, I have made one change to it, and that's to add some instant coffee granules (just a teaspoon or two) to the chocolate batter. The bitterness of the coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate even more. I also make it in a 13 x 9 pan, since the layers tend to break apart because the cake is so moist. Whenever I eat a slice of this cake, I think of Bruce Bogtrotter, the little boy in Matilda who ate an entire chocolate cake. This cake is what I imagine the cake in the book tasted like.
We eat this Crock pot pork roast with potatoes and carrots at least once every couple of months. It's perfect for every season, and it comes out delicious every single time. Joe and Will love the pork, and Andrew and I prefer a larger helping of the potatoes and carrots, mashed with butter and salt. Everyone's happy.
When I first posted the recipe for these banana nut pancakes, I urged you to have them for breakfast or dinner that very day. Well, I'm going to tell you the same thing again. Have them for breakfast, then have them for dinner the same night! These pancakes are amazing. They don't taste like they start from a boxed mix, trust me. And that topping! To die for.
