...oven-roasted broccoli... pg. 199

I made this for a side dish with the Cordon Bleu. Ya know, I don't make broccoli alot. Not because I don't like it, cause I do. I REALLY like broccoli. I just really didn't know HOW to cook it. I usually would just steam it. It was never my favorite though, because it would be so soft, and almost soggy. I like it crunchy.

This is something I will make on a regular basis! SUPER YUM! and super easy. In fact as I was throwing the broccoli in the pan, I kept referring to my cookbook, looking for what I was missing. Which was nothing.... It was that easy!

before oven after oven

...chicken cordon bleu... pg. 112

Why haven't you made these homemade before??? Were you thinking what I was thinking.... WAY too complicated?? Yeah, that's what I always thought, so I never bothered looking up a recipe for it. These are waaaay easier than I thought they were going to be! And they were so good!

Next time I will NOT use shredded cheese. That was kind of a pain to deal with, cause it kept falling out while I was dipping it in the different things.

...spaghetti and meatballs... pg. 162

You can find this recipe HERE

I had made this before, I briefly talk about it in this post... This spaghetti sauce is so yummy. This time when I made it, I did it from fresh tomatoes! I have never done that before! So see, there's another thing I learned from doing this challenge. Our neighbor gave us a ton of fresh tomatoes, and they were all pretty ripe. I figured I needed to use them fast before they went to waste. So I decided to crush them myself and add them to this recipe! And if you know me, you know that I HATE tomatoes. I know, weird, huh? I try them all the time, but I just can't do it. So needless to say, I never want to see a tomato again, after doing this! I QUADRUPLED this recipe! Yes, you read right... I figured since we had so many tomatoes, why not make a big batch, and freeze it? PERFECT.

This pot was filled to the brim, in the picture you can see the ring where the sauce was before I put it in another pot with meat for dinner that night.

After I crushed the tomatoes, I strained (best I could) the juice from the tomatoes, to get the seeds out. Then I did everything else in the recipe. Next time, I will definitely add tomato paste to the sauce. When I did it with the fresh tomatoes, it came out more on the runny side. But if you're using them canned, don't change a thing. Oh, I didn't add sugar to my batch. My mother-in-law always adds sugar to her spaghetti sauce, and I actually really like it. But 1: my husband doesn't like it with sugar, and 2: I'm trying to cut back my sugar intake... So if you've never had sugar in it, try it. You just might like it.
Seriously, before this I had NEVER made homemade spaghetti sauce. I just assumed it would be too hard, with too many ingredients. Boy was I wrong. This is so easy, and just so yummy.

Sorry Prego... You've lost a customer..... for life.

P.s. I forgot to mention those heavenly meatballs! Yes, I made them before I started this challenge, so no picture. You guys. These meatballs are so amazing. I don't even LIKE meatballs! So freaking good.

...fluffy orange fruit dip... pg. 9

Yesterday my mom and I were throwing a baby shower for a friend. We were getting the fruit ready to put on the tray, when I was just thinking, I wish there was something else we could serve with this. I immediately remembered there was a recipe in my fancy schmancy cookbook for fruit dip! My sister ran to the store for ingredients, and in no time flat we had DELICIOUS dip for our beautiful fruit tray! This seriously was sooo easy.

After I made it, my mom and I were 'testing' it... Then my mom made the comment, "why do you need fruit? Just grab a spoon!"

Yes, it's THAT good!

...slow cooker french dip sandwiches... pg.134

I have actually been making french dips like this for a couple years... I just have never used a recipe, or measurements with it before. This recipe is excellent!Iif you've never made french dips like this, do it.

 So easy, and sooooooo tasty!! My family was going crazy with them!

My brother actually added mustard to his. If you know me, you know my thoughts on that. He actually LOVED it. Kinda weird... but to each their own! :) 

A side note for a small family: When I started making this years ago, I would buy like a 3-4 lb roast and cook it the exactly the same as in the recipe, just don't shred it. Serve like a pot roast meal... potatoes, gravy, carrots, etc.... reserve the liquid in the fridge. Then the next day, dump the left over roast in a pot with reserved liquid, heat, shred, and you've got yourself some french dips! Two meals in one!

...cranberry-orange chicken salad... pg.82

Chicken salad... my first thought is 'baby showers'. Seriously. I swear every baby shower I've been to serves these. I have never been a fan really. Chicken and mayonnaise?! yuck. At one shower, i finally sucked it up and ate one... quite frankly, cause I was STARVING... and I didn't want to fill up on cake. Yes, my fault in the first place. Anyhooo... It wasn't that bad. As long as I didn't think of what was in it. :) 

THIS, was delicious. The grated orange was such a perfect addition.

 I have to admit something though... I didn't add the coarse grain mustard. Okay, if you are reading this and you know me at all, you know why. For those of you who don't... I HATE mustard. I actually think it's a fear of mine. Touching a bottle of mustard, actually makes me gag. In fact, even though my husband likes it, I won't keep it in the house. Okay, you get it?! :)  let's move on...

So anyway... while shopping for ingredients for this recipe, I read "1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard". I threw up a little in my mouth, and then searched for it. Alas, I could not find it. And quite honestly, I had NO idea what I was looking for! Is it a type of deli mustard? Is it just a spice? I gave up looking.... Would it have changed the taste of the sandwich? I don't know. And I know I"m doing this challenge to try new things, I did try, I just couldn't find it. Maybe the recipes with mustard in them will be like the de-boning a duck like in the movie. :) We'll see. 

Also, as I was devouring this delicious sandwich, I realized I hadn't taken any pictures!! So that's why the bowl is almost empty!

Changes to remember: A few comments I got was that it needed more chicken. However, I had added more chicken than was called for. I will probably cut back on how much cranberries and celery I add... or just double the chicken.

...garlic bread seasoning... pg. 53

You can find this recipe HERE

OH MY GOSH. this is soooooo good! One night I decided to make homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade breadsticks, homemade meatballs, and then of course, homemade garlic seasoning (all from this wonderful cookbook)... all in a 100 degree kitchen. yikes.... despite the heat, it was all amazing. But of course, it was before I started this blog, so I didn't take any pictures, so I get to make it all over again! (not a bad thing)

So with this, I buttered a loaf of french bread, and sprinkled some of this magic on top. When I had made it, I put it in an expired spice container. Then it goes in the fridge for 3 months! Love it!

Highly recommended.