May Re-Make Recap

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 Re-Make Recap

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.

This ravioli with bacon pesto mushroom cream sauce is another quick and easy weeknight meal, but you'd never know it by looking at it. It's definitely a bit more special than your average ravioli dish. I serve it with buttery cheesy garlic bread, which is easily adaptable with whatever Italian herbs or spices you have on hand.

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.

March Re-Make Re-Cap

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I haven't posted for a week! This entire month has just gone by in a blur; I'm busy at home, busy at work, and have absolutely  no energy for anything because the winter weather is really starting to take its toll. Thankfully it's finally starting to warm up around here, at least a little bit, and I can already start to feel my attitude and energy levels improving.

Despite not having a lot of energy, I've been making some fantastic dinners lately. Most of them are new, though (and I'll share them in the coming weeks), so the re-make re-cap this month is pretty light.

On the night I made this farfalle with bacon, onions, and gouda, the dinner table was completely silent because we were all so busy stuffing our faces. These ingredients are staples for me (yes, we've reached the point in food blogging where gouda cheese is a staple in my home), so this is a great meal to pull together when I don't have a lot of time or inspiration to cook. It's so, so delicious.

Every year during the week of Dr. Seuss's birthday, the boys' school celebrates by devoting an entire week to Dr. Seuss. Each day has a theme based around one of his books, and I always take green egg candies on Green Eggs and Ham day (which also happens to be pajama day). They're always a huge hit with the kids and, with only two ingredients, they're a cinch to prepare.



This Mexican sour cream rice is one of our favorite side dishes whenever we have Mexican food. While it's probably not very traditional, it is absolutely delicious: creamy, cheesy, and mild enough for the boys to enjoy. I can't wait to share the chicken that I served it with when I made it this month.

We love these shrimp po' boys so much that we could easily eat them once a week. Maybe even twice a week. There's just something about the combination of crunchy and succulent shrimp, crisp lettuce, spicy sauce, and juicy tomato that is so irresistible. This time, instead of soaking the shrimp in regular milk, I used buttermilk that I had left over from another recipe. It made the shrimp taste even better, so I'll continue to do that whenever I make these.

I've been making these Tuscan-style grilled chicken sandwiches for years, and they're still a family favorite. This time, I used chicken left over from another recipe (which I'll share soon, because YUM) and, after layering on the mozzarela and artichokes, I put the sandwiches in a warm oven to melt the cheese. I think I preferred them with the melted cheese, and I don't know why I never thought about doing that before.

This broccoli salad is one of the dishes I'm making for Easter dinner this year, and Joe's family (with whom we're having dinner) is practically forcing me to make it. I make it a lot for get-togethers with his family, and they are all insane about this stuff. I usually double the recipe when I make it for family gatherings, but this time they asked me to quadruple it, because they're always disappointed to not have seconds. If you haven't tried it, you really need to remedy that soon. It's amazing.

I'm also making carrot cake for Easter. Joe's grandma loves it, and I'm always happy when I make something she likes since she's an amazing cook. I love this recipe so much, and I think the best thing about it is how simple it is. There's nothing fancy or complicated about the recipe, but it truly is the best carrot cake I've ever tried.

The boys have been talking about Easter for weeks now, and I can't wait to see their faces on Sunday morning when they see all of the goodies the Easter Bunny brought for them. I'd like to wish all of you a Happy Easter! I promise I'll be better about posting next week. :)



February Re-Make Re-Cap

I am just completely over winter. I'm done with it. I know that this is reflected in my attitude lately, as I find myself feeling irritable and just kind of blah. I tell you this because the truth is that I haven't had a lot of energy to cook lately, so a lot of the meals I'd planned for the month just didn't get made. I still cooked a fair amount, though -- some great new recipes I'll share in the coming weeks, and a few of our favorites. Here's what I re-made during February.

Joe requested fried pickle ranch burgers for dinner on Super Bowl Sunday. He also requested that I add bacon to them, which was a stroke of genius on his part. I loved the way the smoky flavor of the bacon worked with the briny pickles. I used refrigerated deli pickle slices this time, but I actually think I prefer the plain old dill variety for these burgers.

Joe also requested this spicy sausage dip for the Super Bowl. It definitely wasn't our healthiest night of eating, that's for sure. This is hands-down my favorite dip in the entire world. It's probably a good thing that I generally only make it for football-related sporting events and thus won't be enjoying it again until September. I'm sure my waistline will thank me.

This chicken with feta, roasted tomatoes, and garlic butter spinach spaghetti is one of the simplest meals I prepare, but it's probably one of my absolute favorites. I just love the way all of the flavors work together. And you know how I am with roasted tomatoes. I'll eat them on or with practically anything. I took my own advice this time and used half a pound of spaghetti noodles rather than just a quarter pound. I know my boys were happy about this, because they were slurping up the noodles like they were candy (green stuff included!!).

I never miss an excuse to use festive sprinkles, or to make these soft sugar cookie bars. This month that excuse was Valentine's Day. I made these for the boys' classes, and took the other half with me to work. It would just be dangerous to have these hanging around the house, because I simply can't resist them. Andrew calls these "sugar brownies," which I just love.

These Southwest sloppy joes with honey-lime coleslaw are our favorite version of sloppy joes. The creamy, sweet and tangy coleslaw pairs so perfectly with the spicy beef mixture. I love the texture that the corn and beans provide. When I made the sloppy joes this time, I also sprinkled them with some shredded queso quesadilla cheese.

My boys (and my husband, for that matter) get so excited whenever they hear we're having pizza panini for dinner. I always have all of these ingredients on hand, so this is a quick, easy, and family-pleasing meal for the nights when I just don't feel like making anything too complicated.

Biscuits with sausage gravy is one of my favorite comfort foods. Newer readers may have missed this recipe, since I posted it so long ago. I really, really encourage you to try this one. My version of sausage gravy is far from traditional, and uses maple sausage and cream cheese. Every time I make this, Joe reiterates that it's one of the best things I've ever made.

One of my coworkers celebrated her birthday this month, and lemon cake is her favorite dessert, so I made her a batch of these lovely lemon cupcakes. I frosted them with the same buttercream I use for the sugar cooke bars and gave them a good dose of sprinkles (of course). I really think these are just the best lemon cupcakes. They have such wonderful flavor and texture.

These BBQ chicken sandwiches with onion strings are so good, they're crave-worthy. I love everything about these sandwiches; all of the ingredients just work. We just had these for dinner last night, but now I totally want to have them again tonight.

January Re-Make Re-Cap

If you're wondering how my January has been, take into account the fact that I just now remembered that I owe you a monthly re-make re-cap post today. The entire month has flown by, and as we begin February, I'm feeling behind on pretty much everything, even though I'm really not. But it has definitely been a struggle to keep up at times!

On to this month's re-cap. During this busy month, cooking dinner tended to fall by the wayside. But we still managed to enjoy quite a few of our favorites.

I could eat these Greek beef tacos once a week and never, ever get sick of them. These are ready in just about 15 mintues, and they're full of delicious Greek flavor. This is definitely one of my favorite meals.

There are few things as comforting to me as a big bowl of broccoli soup, and this broccoli-cheddar soup is my family's favorite version. The boys both really love this soup, too, especially if I serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches for dipping.

I love this shredded buffalo chicken salad. The flavors all work so well together, and it's so simple to throw together. This time, instead of adding the avocado to the dressing, I just diced it and mixed it into the salad. I also added tomatoes to the salad this time, which worked really well.

I made this mozzarella-baked gnocchi using whole wheat gnocchi I found at Aldi. This meal is always a winner in our house; it's so simple and flavorful. The stringy mozzarella cheese is just so divine, and makes this really special.

I don't normally do this, but this time I am making an exception: I've updated the photo on the original post for this spinach and chicken tortilla bake. This recipe is so good that it really needs a presentable photo. When I made it this time around, I used a 9-inch pie plate rather than a square baking dish, and I found that worked much better. I also cut the spinach into ribbons so it absorbed into the sauce more evenly.

I made our favorite spinach dip for Will's birthday party earlier this month and it was, as always, a huge hit. This stuff is insanely good and so, so simple. I highly recommend making it for the Super Bowl this weekend! This time, I pre-portioned spoonfuls of it into tortilla cups (like I recently did for these spinach-artichoke bites), and they were so easy to eat.

Roasted potatoes are definitely one of my go-to side dishes. They always turn out perfectly crispy and delicious. I could probably eat an entire pound of them on my own. Don't tell anyone I said that.

This cheesy sausage penne is a near-monthly occurrence in my house, and whenever I make it, Joe and I have to fight with the boys for the leftovers. It's that good.

It had been way too long since I last made these individual shrimp pot pies, and I had practically forgotten how delicious they really are. I served them with mashed potatoes this time for soaking up all of the leftover broth, and that was a very, very wise decision.

Last week was the sixth anniversary of my mom's passing, so I made her creamed chicken over biscuits for dinner. The boys love this meal, and it means so much to me for them to be able to share my memories of her with them through her food. 

I forgot how much I love these ranch chicken tacos since the last time I made them. They just really hit the spot for me this time around. In addition to the toppings in the picture, we also added diced tomato. These are just so flavorful and so, so good.