New Favorite

I've been sitting here trying to think of a good excuse for why I haven't blogged in 3 months. I haven't cooked in 3 months? Not true. I was on vacation for 3 months? Don't I wish. My computer died? Sadly yes, but that was only a few days ago. I think the simple answer is that I kept putting it on the back burner (a little cooking humor there) and never took the time to keep up with it. But here we are at the beginning of Fall and I am starting back up with documenting my adventures in the kitchen in hopes of giving you some new ideas, too.

Without further ado, are the best meals of the last few months, including one that jumped to the top of our favorites list. Just click on the titles to get the recipes.

5. Jalepeno Popper Chicken

I made this one because I knew this was right up Michael's alley. I've never tried to make chicken "stuffed" with anything before, and it's a little bit of a challenge. The act itself isn't hard, but it's a little tricky getting it to stay inside. The recipe suggested holding it together with toothpicks, which turned out to be helpful. Mine didn't hold together quite like it was supposed to, but the flavor was still good. The one thing I would definitely change for next time is the size of the chicken I used. The pieces were too big and the chicken-to-stuffing ratio was off. I recommend using small to medium chicken breasts. Michael was a bigger fan of this than I was, but it was still a tasty meal. 

4. Baked Spaghetti

I love spaghetti and I love a good casserole. Combining those is a brilliant idea. Enter the baked spaghetti casserole and you have a yummy dish on your hands. Spaghetti has always been one of my go-to, don't have anything else to make meals. This is just a good way to shake it up a little and put a twist on an old fave. I had a funny "duh" moment while making this one when I realized I'd left out the browned meat after mixing everything else together in the casserole dish. I had to just dump it on top--thus the different look mine has compared to the recipe page. If you like spaghetti, you'll enjoy this one.

3. Crockpot Cube Steak

This has been my ultimate Pinterest meal so far in that every part of the meal came from Pinterest recipes. The main course was the cube steak, which had cooked all day in the crockpot. You can imagine how tender this was by dinner time. It was hard to even get on the plate because it was falling apart...in a good way of course. It was really delicious. I also made Balsamic Honey Oven Roasted Carrots, which were awesome. If you like carrots, you'll love these that have a little extra flavor. However, as much as we liked the first two, the star of the show ended up being this Macaroni & Cheese. Holy moly, was it delicious. The only homemade mac and cheese I've ever attempted is my aunt's recipe that has always been my favorite. This one is baked in the oven as opposed to hers which is done in the crockpot. This version was ooey, gooey and a little crispy on top thanks to the panko crumbs. Seriously delish! If you like mac and cheese, this one is a must! One note: I didn't use all of these cheese it called for as it looked plenty cheesy to me only using about 2/3 the amount. You can alter it based on how much cheese you like.

2. Chicken Fajitas

Mmmm, Mexican food. One of my favorites. This recipe could easily become a regular: it's easy, super yummy, and makes for good leftovers. One of my favorite things about crockpot meals is how I come through the door after work and the whole house smells good from what's cooking. Just throw the chicken and veggies on some tortillas and you're all set. Grab a margarita and you have the perfect weekend meal!

1. Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

OK, people. If I can stress one thing to you, it's this: if you like pork, you HAVE to make this recipe. As soon as we tasted this, it shot to the top of our favorites list. This is seriously delicious stuff. Once again, the crockpot works its magic on this one, and my oh my, did we love it. I even got the comment, "This is restaurant quality!" The blend of spices on the meat smells so good, and after this has cooked for hours, the meat just soaks up all of the wonderful flavors. I actually didn't even make the gravy that the recipe calls for...I really don't think it needed it. I cooked two roasts and sliced the first and then shredded the second. We saved the shredded for leftovers and if it's possible, it was even better the next day. My friend that was visiting for the weekend had a bite and immediately asked for the recipe. If you are looking for a good meal this week, I promise this won't disappoint!!