Noteworthy Recipes

In an attempt to condense my recipe rantings, I've decided to make one weekly post whereby I pass along noteworthy recipes from the prior week. I make no promises that I'll be able to stick to just one measly post but I shall do my best.

Here are the ones from the last couple of weeks that made the list:

Rachael Ray's Cheesy Hot Dogs - I know, totally not my style but for a Friday night these were

da bomb! I didn't make the onions, I just used the grill seasoning and stuffed them with cheese. Everything is better with cheese, right?!

Easy Breakfast Pie - Wes and I had an outstanding breakfast pie when we stayed at Willis Graves Bed and Breakfast and I wanted to recreate it at home. I knew theirs was probably loaded with cream, cheese, and pork sausage but I wanted something a little more healthy. This recipe hit the spot. We all loved it even with my substitutions. I used turkey sausage and refrigerated Santa Fe hashbrowns instead of the frozen variety. This is definitely a keeper and would be great for dinner, a brunch, or a hearty breakfast.

Risotto-Style Fregula - This was a play on risotto. It was good but wasn't quite as creamy as the regular risotto that I love so much. I substituted whole wheat Israeli couscous for the fregula and agave nectar for the abbamele. The goat cheese makes the dish and provides the creaminess necessary to call the dish a risotto.

Butter Baked Chicken and Gravy - I've a similar dish courtesy of Southern Living and both are equally good. The only differences I can think of are the type of milks they use and the flavor of condensed soup (I'm not usually a fan of condensed soup but I do make the exception from time to time.). I cut the butter in half and we never missed it. The gravy is slightly runny but if you serve it over rice, as I did, that just allows the flavor to soak into the rice.

Simple Steak Sauce - Wes volunteered to plan and cook dinner for me when Colin and I got back from Nashville. I appreciated the thought so much and of course I took him up on his offer. He cooked steaks, creamed spinach, and baked potatoes. To jazz up the steaks, he found this simple steak sauce that we both fell in love with. It's a great alternative to a high fat butter and or cream based steak sauce.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - There's a nationwide debate as to the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Some like them soft throughout, some like them crunchy, some like a combination and I just like them thick and dense - more cakey I suppose. Wes loves him some chocolate chip cookies and being the good wife I am, I decided to try to find him a stellar cookie. I found it! These cookies are to die for - seriously. I'm not sure if it's the browned butter, the random addition of yeast, or the fact that I used premium chocolate that I chopped, they were just down right good. Oh and don't be scared off by the amount of butter. These actually have about 1/4 less than most of the other recipes I was looking at - yet another factor in my decision.

Lemon Blueberry Cake - Last but certainly not least is this wonderful cake! I made it for a coworkers birthday and I was very pleased with the results. The cake was dense, as a few of the reviewers had complained, but I actually preferred that as it allowed you to actually taste the flavors of the cake. I didn't make the white chocolate icing that goes with the cake, I made a traditional cream cheese frosting since that's what the birthday boy requested.