Our Favorite Recipes!

I've really tried to limit our eating-out to two or three meals a week. Considering that we used to eat out eight or nine times a week, that's really good for us.

It took me a little while, but I finally have a small bunch of recipes that I use and rotate through. Some more than others, but all really good.

My criteria of whether or not I attempt to make the recipe is:

1.) Meat that I normally have on hand or easy to get,
2.) The list of ingredients that I usually have in my pantry/fridge/spice cabinet,
3.) Preparation/cook time, and
4.) How many pots and pans I'm going to dirty up.

With me working full-time and Chris's uncertainty of his skills in the kitchen, trying a complicated recipe during the week just isn't practical. I don't want to spend my time after work entirely in the kitchen then bed time; I want a little time with my husband somewhere in there!

I have to admit, I keep forgetting about our crock pot. We have two of them, too! I just don't always have the meat for a crock pot on hand. I need to get better about that, though. It's so easy, there's really no excuse for me not to.

I think I'll make that my New Year's Resolution: use my crock pot more.

I'm about to brag on myself for just a bit. Don't worry, I'll come down from my high-horse in a second.

I am definitely my worst critic, but I have made some killer recipes that have even impressed me. Some I knew would be good; others I were very skeptical of that, but they turned out to be some of my favorites. Honestly, there haven't been too many that I have made that I really didn't like.

I did say 'too many,' not any.

I've made a couple of duds. They just didn't work out, at all, whatsoever. I was so hopeful of them, too! Nothing that hasn't been un-edible, but it was definitely something I didn't want to eat if I didn't have to.

I think my head would've become too big if I didn't have a failure every now and then.

I decided that I would compile all of my favorite recipes and put the links in this entry. After all, I want to share the wealth! I have put some of these dishes on here before, but they're scattered all over the place. I like to have mine close-in-hand so I don't have to search everything to find what I'm looking for, so I wanted to do that for y'all! So much easier than digging through the archives.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did!

*DINNERS*

'Healthified' Mexican Pasta Skillet - I didn't do the 'healthified' version. I just used the normal ingredients. It's expensive to use the 'healthier' stuff!

Pioneer Woman Sour Cream Noodle Bake - Chris's favorite! I've used ground chuck and ground beef (1lb instead of 1 1/4lb), and we actually prefer the beef.

Doritos Taco Bake - super easy!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole - don't use too much garlic like I did!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese - warning: it's definitely spicy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole - I used Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs, it added more flavor!

Quick and Easy Shepherd's Pie - I use instant mashed potatoes, make sure you add plenty of salt and pepper!

Chicken Enchilada Skillet - it was okay, a little bland, but read the comments. They have great ideas to make it better!

Jolean's Cheese Potato and Smoked Sausage Casserole - love, love, LOVE!

Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken - this makes a TON! I think it's even better the next day.

*SIDES*

Corn Casserole - Chris didn't like it too much, but I did!

Weight Watchers Ranch-Roasted Red Potatoes - so very good!

*DESSERTS*

Simple Apple Cobbler - I used a can of Sprite instead of butter, and it was still delicious.

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate - the pumpkin didn't dissolve at all, and I used it straight out of the can. Probably needed to be pureed a little more.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake - I didn't use the pecans since I don't really like nuts, but I think it would've really added a lot to the dessert.

*APPETIZERS*

Cheesy Potato Fries - I used potatoes that were waaayyyy too big, so the potatoes didn't cook all the way through. Still so good!

Hot Corn Dip - Amazing. One of the best dips I've ever had.

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I really hope you enjoy these as much as we did! And please let me know what you think!

I think it's almost time to go back through my Pinterest pages and see what else I can try out. I've got some days off coming up, so maybe it's time for me to go all and cook up something extravagant then...

We'll see :)

BTW, buying Christmas decorations for a new home is hard. When you have absolutely nothing and you need to get absolutely EVERYTHING, it's very overwhelming.

We did decide that our tree will be decorated in red, black and silver this year.

That's as far as we've gotten.

But at least it's a start!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese