Finally back in my *cooking era* and it feels good.
I used to cook all the time when I lived on my own, but have gotten spoiled since livng with Jon (he has come to be maybe a better cook than me!) and I’ve been in a recipe rut. But a few new cookbooks from Christmas and finding some new favorite cooking blogs has me feeling inspired and back at it.
This week I whipped up a few old favorites along with some new recipes – and every. single. one. was a winner. It doesn’t get more motivating than that.
Enjoy this week’s recipe roundup! And please don’t judge the amount of wine.
1. Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken – Half Baked Harvest
10/10
Great kick spice wise and feels more unhealthy than it is. I will say having a food processor made making this one much easier – just a few pulses and you’ve got the most delicious, crunchy coating! Would recommend dredging twice to get them extra covered/crispy in the end! Use an on olive oil sprayer if you have one and give them a sprtiz before they go in. Served with air fryer sweet potato fries and salad. Leftovers were great in the air fryer. Jon loved!
2. White Wine-Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Orzo Pasta (Super Simple)
8/10
I have made this recipe countless times and it never fails – probably only docking points on this roundup because I’ve almost overdone making this one so many times! It comes together super quick, making it perfect for a weeknight. I keep bag of Trader Joe’s frozen artichokes in the freezer on deck for this recipe specifically. My only note is that for whatever reason, I don’t love this one as leftovers. Add extra feta if you’re a feta person!
Note: I can’t link since this recipe isn’t on the the blog, but it’s from her Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook (a favorite of mine, I would recommend getting if you don’t have it already)!
3. Jalapeño Popper Pizza – inspired by Dash of Mandi
10/10
A friend and I had a pizza making day date (I recently got an Ooni pizza oven so our house is now a pizza factory) and this jalapeno popper pizza was the favorite one we made! And maybe my favorite pizza that I’ve made with my Ooni yet! We both agreed it felt a little wrong spreading ranch dressing as the base when we were assembling, but didn’t look back once we tasted it. A few tweaks – obviously swapped out the naan bread for pizza dough, and I cheated and used bacon bits instead of polenta. Would cheat again.
4. Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
9/10
This is one of my go-to apps to bring over for a dinner party! Super easy, super delicious, and it’s a Skinnytaste recipe so it feels healthier. If you’re in a pinch, use pre-packaged bacon bits. Can easily be made GF – in fact, the time I made these with gluten-free breadcrumbs was my favorite batch! Tip: I always end up with extra/leftover stuffing. I save it and use in with eggs to make the most delicious breakfast burrito the next morning!
5. Lasagna Soup – Half Baked Harvest
7/10
7/10 only because I wasn’t 100% in a soup mood the night that I made it – but that’s on me. We took the recipe recommendation of making with half bison – didn’t really tell a difference taste wise! This is one that you can make ahead of time in a dutch oven and let simmer on the stove until you’re ready. We went full heavy cream, lots of parm cheese on top when served, felt decadent and super filling. Definitely thickened up as leftovers but was just as good!
Tina says
The crunchy chicken dish and mushroom apps look amazing! Will have to try them with the gluten-free options. Yum!