Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Looking For Love

I've been cooking like mad lately. It's what I enjoy doing. Preparing a good meal for my family.....choosing healthier options than what most restaurants offer....saving money by eating in....all around? Win, win, win.

I love to cook and love to learn new recipes. I get stuck, though. And, right now, I'm stuck on The Pioneer Woman. She spells everything out so beautifully in photos and makes it all seem very achievable. Fairly simple meals and room to make them your own. I'm hooked.

Let's start with Cajun Meatloaf. Yum. Double yum. Cajun flavor and a honey glaze on top. Delish.

And, I had to try this one....Not Your Granny's Mac n Cheese....if for no other reason than to shut Coco up. She's been telling me for months to make it. And, she was right. You heard it here. Doesn't happen often, so I will give it the attention it deserves. Coco got it right.

A new request in this house....Crispy Yogurt Chicken. Much healthier than fried chicken and just as tasty.

Blake's new favorite meal? Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. It's similar to one my grandmother used to make and just as tasty. Best thing about this dish? Leftovers for days.

And, let's not forget about dessert. Oatmeal Crispies. So simple and delicious.

Wait. One more. Chocolate Sheet Cake. Marrying into this family required me to figure this out. How do I attempt to re-create Blake's grandmother's masterpiece? The pressure! He insists I'm pretty darn close.


Why am I telling you all this?

Because I need a new drug.

A new recipe site.

A new love.

A website is preferable, although I do love a good cookbook. Can you help me?

25 comments:

Shannon said...

I just read Julia Child's book "My Life in Paris" and now my new drug will be her cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I love that woman. I assume the recipes will be divine.

QueenBeeSwain said...

I still think it all looks really amazing!

kHm

Dee Stephens said...

My favorite cookbook is the Jr. League of San Diego's last version.
Not sure it would work for kid eating though?
I swear I've made nearly 1/2 the recipes in there. All very healthy too! I love it so much I bought 4 of them. One for myself and the 3 others I gave away as wedding gifts. They all love it too!
http://www.jlsd.org/?nd=full&key=22

SASS said...

I owe you a Thai Chicken Wrap recipe! It's my mom's-I keep forgetting to copy it down.
I'm going to keep up with your comments-I need ideas, too!

Coco said...

Oh my. I am blushing. Thank you for FINALLY realizing I am way right all the time.

I have been pulling stuff from my Better Home and Gardens and Country Living magazines. All are really fresh and healthy. Tonight we are having Espresso rubbed steak with green chile pesto and creamed cauliflower. Low carb but filling. Yum.

We usually stick with salads and sandwiches during the summer but "back to school" I am a cooking fool as well.

Kelley Loredo said...

Can't wait to try these! The pictures make everything more urgent for me - they look awesome! I'm always intimidated and get stuck on the same things. Boring... So this will be great!

If the shoe FITZ said...

I get Cooking Light Magazine once a month...pretty cheap subscription. I think it's like $13 a year. Tons of recipes. Articles on health and pairings and such. Love it!
I am a southern living and cooking light gal...I pretty much get all my recipes from there. I also go to foodnetwork.com and look at their quick and easy section. i built a recipe box by adding my email and i save all the recipes in there. Really easy and if I watch a show on foodnetwork i see a recipe i like i go the site and add it to my recipe box online so I can make it soon.

Clare said...

Now my stomache is growling!
I live by www.allrecipes.com, you can find anything and if you sign up for their daily recipe you find recipes for things you wouldn't normally look for.

donatelli98 said...

Southern Living has the best recipes. I have used my Southern Living cookbook for so many things. You can get their recipes online at southernliving.com. I also like foodnetwork.com for recipes too. I made Giada's lasagna rolls and they were so good.

Heather said...

y'all are out of my league on cooking, but I can bake like a son of a gun. I make the best chocolate sheet cake EVER and the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. everyone in Keller will tell you.

Sorry, no recipe site to refer you too. I've been meaning to check out Pioneer Woman, but haven't had the time. I was so excited about my homemade lasagna last night...I told Halle Caroline about it 5 different times....finally she said, "Mom, I know we are having lasagna, quit telling me!"

I'm trying to get in the groove of cooking too, now that we are back in school.

starnes family said...

Donatelli - I've made Giada's lasagna rolls and they were good!

Heather - Is this sheet cake recipe a shared one? If so, do send it to me!

Monica said...

Gee, thanks. I'm starving now.

The Lenzers said...

Oh how I wished I shared your love for cooking! I want to love it, perhaps I could if A. I were any good at it, and B. I cooked for people who appreciated it. Mark never eats at home and he is just not that into food. Connor is in a stage where he does not like anything. Thank goodness for oatmeal because he lives off it. So that leaves me and Colton. He eats so little that it leaves too much food for me. My favorite recipes come from friends and family. I try to use Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals often. And when I want so comfort food, as cheesy as it sounds, I like Paula Dean. I also have the cookbook by Jerry Sienfields wife, where she hides vegetables in everything....it is pretty good stuff. Anyway, you should share your recipes for us less kitchen savy fools!

The Lenzers said...

oh, I just got hooked on cook yourself thin. I have made several things from them, got it off their website because I am too cheap to buy the cookbook. Made the best tomatoe sauce EVER!!! I actually just ate it w/o pasta or vegies-sick huh? but it was good.

Leona said...

www.smittenkitchen.com recipes with photos and they all look DIVINE!

Allyson and Dave said...

I am a huge Paula Deen fan. I have a few of her books and have used many recipes from her website. But I am a southern cook and so is Paula. And there is nothing healty about that.

FROGGITY! said...

i just bought a cookbook called sephardic flavors from amazon and i am so excited about it! hubby likes that particular style, so i had to get it! :)

The Soladay Family said...

Casey, I am fortunate to have the most incredible cook as my mother in law, and i swear, Carol has a million recipes! She should have her own book! She is constantly pulling from magazines like Courtney.

Jennifer said...

Please tell me you have River Road Recipes, Junior League of BR's cookbook, or have heard of it. It's like the Bible of Southern Cookbooks. All yummy goodness, but really fattening! The spinach madeline is the most famous of all the recipes. My mom grew up making it for special ocassions and holidays! Very yummy!

Malinda said...

I am very cooking challenged but even I have had success with allrecipes.com. I search for things that have a 5 star rating by at least 100 people and that is how I choose what to make. Oh yeah, they have to be easy too. If the preparation time is listed as more than 20 minutes, I move on. I honestly do not think I qualify to be giving you any tips because I really don't have any! I do make a mean frozen pizza.

Kelly Beatty said...

Paula Deen is the best. I have all her cookbooks. But, her magazine is the best because she always has recipes for the season you're in. Oh and the Rachel Ray Magazine is awesome. They both have websites too! Is the Pioneer Woman online? I'd love some new fab recipes!

starnes family said...

Yep, Kelly. www.thepioneerwoman.com. Fantastic!

Kelly said...

Got it! PS. I couldn't get on your fb page...did you delete me as a friend? :)

5 Boys And Me said...

Wow - Perfect timing for me- this all looks delicious and I will definitely try some of these recipes out - please share if find something else yummy!

Live.Love.Eat said...

It all looks good!

I hope to get your wine glass out this weekend. Been a hard week with the little guy starting kindergarten.