Recipes I've Tried and Liked, continued....

Side Dishes

Sesame Parmesan Zucchini (I make this without the cayenne. Chris is very sensitive to spices.)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sesame-Parmesan-Zucchini/Detail.aspx

Zucchini Cornbread Casserole

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Cornbread-Casserole/Detail.aspx

Lightened Up Mashed Sweet Potatoes

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/rubys-lightened-mashed-sweet-potatoes/

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Pepper-Green-Beans/Detail.aspx

Carrot Zucchini Saute

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Zucchini-Saute/Detail.aspx

Garlic Grilled Tomatoes (Haven't tried these yet, but plan it. They are by Paula Deen!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/garlic-grilled-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

Pineapple Casserole (another Paula Deen recipe- made this Christmas Day and last Easter. Great side dish with ham!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pineapple-casserole-recipe/index.html

Corn Casserole

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corn-Casserole/Detail.aspx

Stir-Fry Snap Beans

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stir-Fry-Snap-Beans/Detail.aspx

Rice-so-Nice (Haven't made this in in a very long time b/c it's very fattening, but I remember it was good!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rice-so-Nice/Detail.aspx

Recipes I've tried and liked...

Here are some links to some recipes I've tried and liked. I now have these bookmarked on our laptop, so you know they must be good! :)

Main Dishes--

Angel Chicken Pasta (I add fresh mushrooms to this and only use a 1/2 pound of angel hair instead of the pound they call for.)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Angel-Chicken-Pasta/Detail.aspx

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Pork-Tenderloin/Detail.aspx

Poppy Seed Chicken

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Poppy-Seed-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Corn Dog Chili (a Rachael Ray recipe)

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/corn-dog-chili/

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (I add fresh mushrooms and take out the onions in this one)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Beef-Stroganoff-I/Detail.aspx

Baked Pork Chops

(I do this all on the stovetop and skip the oven on this one. It wasn't necessary in my opinion.)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Pork-Chops-I/Detail.aspx

Hawaiian Chicken (I serve this over brown rice with a side of broccoli)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hawaiian-Chicken-II/Detail.aspx

Artichoke Chicken (So easy!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Artichoke-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Chicken Casserole Mississippi (I don't use nearly as much chicken as called for. A pound and a half, at most is what I use.)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Casserole-Mississippi/Detail.aspx

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/farmhouse-chicken-dinner-94487.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-cmft_fds_clsc_rcps-_-mag

Crockpot Red Wine & Cranberries Glazed Pot Roast

(I made this on Christmas Eve except with a 4 lb. pork loin instead of a pot roast and it was awesome!)

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/03/crockpot-red-wine-cranberries-glazed.html

Cordon Bleu Chicken Rolls

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cordon-Bleu-Chicken-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff (Haven't made this yet, but plan on it this week!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Stroganoff/Detail.aspx

Mimi's Cafe's Buttermilk Spice Muffins

I made these couple weeks ago and boy, are they good! I got the recipe off of Mimi's Cafe's website. I used the jumbo muffin tin but it says you can use a regular sized one. I think I put too much sugar on top, as you can tell from the picture. If I make these again, I will use brown sugar instead of white.

Here's the recipe:

BUTTERMILK SPICE MUFFINS

Muffin Batter:		Nut Topping:
1 cup sugar		1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine		1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3 eggs		1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour		1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Grease the baking tins with butter or margarine
Method
Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon. Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts. Make the nut topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry. Home ovens heat differently from commercial ovens so you may need to adjust the temperature or the baking time accordingly. Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six Mimis size muffins. If using the jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.

First Post

Hey everyone!

I just recently decided to make a cooking blog since I enjoy cooking and baking so much. I hope this will give you a few ideas for meals, snacks, desserts and everything in between. Feedback is always welcome, so feel free to leave me a note on here anytime.

I don't claim to have invented these recipes, so please don't think these are all mine. In fact, I get most of them from www.allrecipes.com. But I will be posting my opinions on recipes and pictures as much as possible.

First up, I made these Peanut Butter Blossom cookies a few weeks ago for Chris's co-workers and he said they went over really well. I ate one and thought it was pretty good (if I do say so myself!) They were easy and look so pretty with the Hershey's kiss on top.

Here is the link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jif-Peanut-Butter-Blossoms/Detail.aspx