After moving in with my fiancé, I’ve had a lot more motivation to cook, mainly because I get to choose what it is I make! I have used both recipes online and some from family to fill up this year’s kitchen, and I’d like to share some of my favourites with you!
What recipes have you tried and loved this year? Let me know, I’d love to try some!
Sweet Treats
- Starbucks copycat hot cocoa by My Frugal Adventures
- Cake pops by Simply Homecooked (I learned that I would really prefer melting chocolate over regular chocolate chips melted in the microwave… otherwise very easy to make, I should have just followed the recipe haha)
- Sugar Cookie Bars by Locus Imperium
- Chewy and Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies by Butternut Bakery (will never make any other recipe ever again)
- Sweet Potato Casserole by Paula Deen (I replaced sweet potatoes with yams)
- Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch by Half-Baked Harvest
Soups and Savories
- Vegetable Soup by Simple Vegan Blog
- Chicken Noodle Soup by my mom*
- French Onion Soup by Passionate Penny Pincher
- Broccoli Cheese Soup by Eating on a Dime
- Pasta e Fagioli by Cooking Classy (I learned that sometimes you need to let the veggies cook before adding in acidic ingredients like tomatoes and tomato sauce. Otherwise it was awesome!)
- Brown Sugar Meatloaf by A State of Madness
- Eye of Round Roast Beef by My Nana*
- Soft, Moist French Bread by Liluna (I learned not to bake three loaves on one pan unless I want half-baked bread)
- Best Baked Potatoe by Gimme Some Oven (I won’t be able to make baked potatoes any other way!)
*Below are the recipes given to me by my family members! I have no idea where they learned them, so I figured I’d just type up what they shared with me!
Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- one bag of egg noodles (cooked and drained)
- 3 boxes of chicken broth
- 1 rotisserie chicken (shred the breast)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- Mirapox or a combo of celery, onions and carrots**
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp thyme (optional, my addition)
- 1 tsp parsley (optional, my addition)
- 1/2 tsp basil (optional, my addition)
**I use two or three celery sticks, a full white onion, and two or three carrots, but the amount you use is up to taste/personal preference
My mom sometimes uses Italian seasoning as well, however it isn’t to everyone’s taste, so definitely give it a whiff before adding it in!
Directions:
Mix together everything except the noodles and let cook in a crockpot for about 4-5 hours on low-medium heat. Add noodles when about to serve.
Nana’s Eye of Round Roast Beef
This recipe creates an incredibly tender, juicy roast beef to serve on any occasion! I grew up loving it, and still do.
Ingredients:
- Eye of Round Roast (I typically go for a 2 lb roast)
- 2 cans of gravy
- 1 cup of brown sugar (optional, my addition)
- White vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- garlic and onion powder to taste (optional, my addition)
Directions:
- preheat oven to 350 and place roast in a shallow dish
- Pierce roast with a fork several places on the top
- pour about 1 tbsp of white vinegar on top of roast
- salt and pepper to taste, add garlic and onion powder if desired
- Cover with foil and secure tightly (in a cross shape)
- Cook roast one hour per pound (ex: 2 hours for a 2 lb roast). If still greyish after this time, leave in for another hour or until it starts to brown
- Carefully remove roast from dish and slice into half inch pieces
- Mix together the juices in the dish with your gravy in a separate bowl and add your brown sugar. Stir well
- Replace your roast in the shallow dish and cover with your gravy mixture. Do not submerge the roast, to avoid boiling it, just add enough to cover the slices. You can save any extra gravy for later.
- Return to oven for another 45 minutes
- Remove from oven and serve with extra gravy if you have it
