Skillet Pork Chops and Gravy with Fried Potatoes

Finally some pork chops that James liked enough to want again.  It is probably because you cook it with apple juice.

I didn't make the fried potatoes because anytime I make potatoes like that, even though I love them, James and Ethan don't care for them.  So I made it with mashed potatoes.  Even Tybee ate all of her dinner and she hasn't been liking mashed potatoes lately.  I think it was the yummy gravy.

Chocolate Peanutbutter Cup Cookies

I took these cookies to a potluck yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to try a whole cookie.  I split one into fourths before we left so we could all try a bit.  I liked what I had, but James thought they were a bit salty.  I think that's because I used crunchy peanutbutter instead of creamy.  I will have to try that next time.  There weren't any left at the party, so they must have been alright :)

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

So delicious!

Buttermilk Banana Bread

This is, by far, my favorite banana bread.  I even like it better than the lion house recipe.

Crumb-Topped Apple Pie

This pie is delicious and easy!  It was perfect for me because I still have not mastered a pie crust and this recipe uses the crumb topping for the crust...genious!

Low Calorie Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Unfortunately (or not unfortunately) I was the only one in the family who enjoyed these muffins.  The recipe made 18 muffins and I ate all of them except for the one James had and the half of one that Ethan had (I ate his other half).  Not even Tybee liked them.  I, of course, had no problem finishing off the rest.

The only thing about these muffins is that the batter is really thin, so the chocolate chips settle on the bottom.  I'm thinking next time I will put 2 cups of oatmeal instead of 1 3/4 and maybe use a total of 1 cup of yogurt instead of 1/2 cup of applesauce.

They are a great less guilty treat when I need one, but I have to be prepared to eat the entire batch.

Ritzy Chicken

I totally forgot to make the sauce on this one, but it was still a big hit.  James wants it every week and even Tybee loved it.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

These muffins have no flour and no oil and are delicious.  Ethan even said they were the best muffins I have made.  I had a hard time stopping at just 3 :)

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting

This cake was super delicious!

The only things I would do differently are:  2 Tbsp of jam on each layer and make the cakes the night before so they are cool enough.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

This salad is amazing and I think these recipes may even be better than the real thing!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas are amazing.  James said they were the best enchiladas he has ever had.  We have had them many times since I discovered them a couple of months ago.

Since James does not like green enchilada sauce, I make the sauce a little different.  I use one can of cream of chicken soup with a cup of sour cream and then add the remaining marinade to that.  It is delicious!

Carrot Cake Supreme

I made this cake for Easter and it is as supreme as the name says it is.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  It definitely took some time to make, but it was well worth it.

Pizza Sauce

This is a great sauce for pizza.  I don't usually put as much red pepper flakes because I get complaints that it's too spicy :)

Pizza Dough & Breadsticks

So far this is my favorite recipe to use for pizza dough.  I always add 2 Tbsp of honey to it and sometimes substitute some of the flour with wheat flour.  The recipe makes one large pizza pan size pizza.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

These were so yummy and so easy to make.

We had bean burritos the first night and then taco salad the next night with these very tasty beans.

Maddox Dinner Rolls

These rolls were easy to make and very light and fluffy and delicious.

I let them rise in my mixer bowl and they spilled over.  Next time I need to transfer them to a bigger bowl.

I only have 24 muffin tins and so I put the last of the dough in a loaf pan and made a loaf out of it.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This soup was delicious, but it became very rich and so I couldn't eat very much of it.  It makes a ton of soup, so either cut it down or make sure you have a lot of people to eat it.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cooke 'n Oreo Brownie Bar

I thought these were really good, but very rich.  Vanilla ice cream is a must.  I halfed the recipe and made it in an 8x8, which was good since I was the main one eating them, but I think they would have turned out better in a 9x13.

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

This was a huge hit with the family.  I have never had so many compliments on a meal before.

I boiled my chicken in garlic, pepper, and seasoned salt.

I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

Easter Countdown

This is a 30 day Easter Countdown that uses "The Living Christ".  We are trying it for the first time this year.  I'm excited to have a way to bring the spirit of Christ into Easter more instead of the Easter Bunny.

Stuffed Bleu Cheese Potatoes

These potatoes are a favorite of James and Ethans.  I made them again last night with the Asian BBQ Chicken.  When James was watching me make it, he realized I put bleu cheese in it...he hates bleu cheese...I thought for sure he wasn't going to eat it, but you can't even taste it.  Yay!  These have great flavor!

Asian BBQ Chicken

This chicken had really good flavor, but I definitely do not like chicken thighs.  If I make it again, I will use chicken tenderloins instead.  Everyone else also liked the flavor, but not the thighs.  They were too fatty.  This would be really good meat for a stir fry or fried rice.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

This dish was delicious, but the sauce wasn't a hit with the boys.  Ethan said I can definitely make this again as long as I leave off the creamy lemon sauce and James agread that the sauce was too strong.  When I made this, I did not measure the lemon and am pretty sure I put way too much.  I promised them that when I make this again, I will measure and put half as much lemon as the recipe calls for.  They seemed to like that idea.  I also used turkey bacon instead of the real thing and it tasted just fine.  There wasn't much grease and so I didn't have to get rid of any.  I love it when I can skip a step.

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

This dinner smelled so good while I was cooking it, I couldn't wait to eat it.  Unfortunately, though, it was only liked by me.  The taste was too strong for James and Ethan complained about it before even trying it.  Ethan eventually liked it alright, but I think both of them would be happy if I never made it again.  So I will have to save this one for when it's just me.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

This one was a surprise hit.  When I was asked by the boys what I was making for dinner and told them Tuna Noodle Casserole, they both stuck up their noses with a look of "what?"  I actually wasn't too sure of it myself because I am not fond of seafood, but it was a hit with everyone.

Some suggestions I received were to add peas and carrots and maybe substitute the tuna with canned chicken or ham sometime.  It was wonderful just the way it was though.