Kale Lasagna

I almost forgot to post this amazing dish! The boy ate it up as if he didn't even realize it had kale in it. But, really, kale makes a great substitute for spinach. Also, this recipe originally called for sausage, but I used a random manager's special selection of ground chicken meatballs and bacon. :) I did make this the night before and was a great treat to just toss it in the oven. Looking back, I think this recipe would be great to put in the crockpot for a few hours and call it good (and without heating up the house). Overall, this was a great recipe to sneak some greens in your child's dinner and have him coming back for more. :)

http://www.marthastewart.com/313468/lasagna-with-sausage-and-kale

Chicken Zucchini Fritters

"Oh wow--delicious!" That's what I kept hearing in between bites from my boys. Thanks to a Facebook share by my mother-in-law (who lives in North Carolina), we had a great dinner. I shredded a couple of leftover chicken breasts and added to the mix. It only took one zucchini (shredded with my food processor accessories)--of course the zucchini (from our garden) was 14 inches long. :)  After it was done, the boys decided to douse the fritters with Frank's Hot sauce and ranch. I prefer mine plain. Yummy! Thanks Judy!

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/13938/connies-zucchini-crab-cakes/?mxt=t06rda

Pillsbury's Taco Crescent Ring

So the poor teenager has been subjected to quite a bit of kale and "rabbit food", so I promised him a break. A lot of my recipes are from facebook scrolling and Pillsbury has some really fun ones for kids/parties, not to mention, this one was really pretty when it was done. Now, the boy liked it, but the hubby thought it would have been perfect as an Italian type of Stromboli. Agreed and likely will be my next recipe down the road. Tonight I'm going to see if the teenager will like Kale Sausage Lasagna....:)

Also--I substituted sour cream with plain fat free yogurt and homemade salsa (I made earlier in the day). 

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/taco-crescent-ring/a52fade5-13ce-483a-b1d6-55c22aeb5c5a

Hasselback Potatoes

This was a pinterest "must try" item. One night this week we had grilled chicken, corn on the cob and I decided to finally try Hasselback Potatoes. It was easy to get on the skewer and slice, but the tricky part was getting stuff in between the slices. I actually used torn up pieces of the jalepeno cheddar cheese slices that we had purchased at our local deli and some salt, pepper and olive oil on the tops. I see why the recommend parmesan since the cheddar melted out the sides, but it still had plenty of gooey goodness to make them spicely delicious. It seems like a great make-ahead item to take to a bbq party--all your friends will love it and the flavor combination options are endless!

http://amuseinmykitchen.com/2012/07/22/hasselback-potatoes/

Peach Pecan Crisp

I love a good homemade dessert after dinner, so I opened up the fridge and found 7 peaches that needed used up...then I consulted my High Altitude Baking Cookbook (which has become invaluable at 6224 ft elevation) and found this delicious recipe for Peach Pecan Crisp. It's pretty straight-forward to make but anything but ordinary to taste. It went well with Ice Cream and put smiles on everyone in the house. :)

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut Reubens

So-here's the other half of "his vs hers" dinner. It's almost embarrassing how easy this recipe was; literally just salt, pepper, sauerkraut and pork roast in the crockpot all day, then using rye bread (or pumpernickel), horseradish (or garlic cheddar) sliced cheese from the deli, thousand island and a panini maker made several day's worth of meals that the boys willing ate over and over. It was a huge hit....and again...can't believe such a simple meal kept the family satisfied for so long. Definitely need to find more recipes like that! :)

Grilled Eggplant & Portobellow Sandwich

This was a his vs hers dinner. For the boys, I cooked a pork roast and sauerkraut in the crockpot for reubens--separate blog for that one (equally delicious!). For myself, I pan fried eggplant and the portobello, then used garlic infused cheddar cheese (fresh sliced from the deli), fresh tomato, romaine and mixed the mayo spread as suggested. Then I used the panini maker to create a delectable (vegetarian) meal. Since it was all just for me, I had enough to make it again for lunch and dinner for the next couple of days after, which I didn't mind because it was so yummy! Thumbs up. :)

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_eggplant_portobello_sandwich.html?socsrc=ewfb0809153

Chicken, Kale and Lentil Soup

Oh boy...garden goodies starting to come in...kale and chard....we'll see if I need to freeze some or if I can get creative enough to sneak kale into recipes for the next few days wink emoticon 

So, I perused the internet and found this recipe from food.com...

http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-lentil-soup-with-kale-286773

It was delicious!

Nutella No Bake Cookies

Trying to avoid heating up the kitchen, so when I found this while trolling facebook, I, of course, had to try them. Nothing short of delicious. Probably going to make a new batch again since last night's didn't last long. lol  Definitely a scrumptious alternative to the peanut butter version. Apparently, they are known as "gorilla poops". haha. [I saved time by spreading the mixture onto a cookie sheet and refrigerating creating no-bake bars--just as yummy.]

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/03/nutella-no-bake-cookies.html

North Carolina Barbeque

I love trying new recipes and Jason loves the manager's specials at the grocery store so we make a great team--he buys the surprise foods and I get to figure out what to do with them :) So these blogs will essentially be my "recipe box" that I will share with you and retrieve for me later. I will highlight my favorites as "must-haves" and "keepers". Those will be the ones I will definitely make again.

I'm not a fancy blogger (with step-by-step photos, instructions, etc...). It will mostly be links to websites and pictures of recipes I snag from magazines/books. 

Today is from one of my "must-have" cookbooks. As a busy mom, wife and career woman, I consider the Crockpot to be one of my essential kitchen tools. I found the Fix It and Forget It Book for slow cookers and love it! It's especially great for those on a budget. Definitely worth the purchase. :) 

Since my hubby grew up on Virginia Beach and up and down the North Carolina coast, he requested North Carolina Barbeque today for the pork loin roast he bought. In the Crockpot now...can't wait for dinner!