...garlic-balsamic asparagus... pg. 192

You can find this recipe HERE

My sister had left some asparagus at my house from the party the night before. So after I made sure I could use them, I whipped up this fancy little diddy. These were so easy & quick to make... so that was a major plus! They were tangy, and crisp, and just yummy!

...roasted pork tenderloin... pg.148

You can find this recipe HERE

I was hosting a dinner party, and thought pork tenderloin would be perfect. I searched high and low on pinterest, and random googling {yes, that's a word}. I just was not thrilled with what I was finding. Then duh, I looked in the Best Bites cookbook. They have three different recipes to cook the pork tenderloin. I chose the Rosemary-Balsamic. I bought just over a 7 pound roast. So I septupled { ? } the recipe! Everything was smelling very good while I was rubbing it into the roast.

Then I left it in the fridge for just about 6 hours to marinate.

While it was cooking, I was getting really nervous that the roast would taste too vinegary (okay, so I like to make up words...) I was sooooooooo nervous. When I pulled out the roast, I cut into it to make sure it was done. A section for the corner fell off, so I grabbed it and threw it in my mouth. oh. wow. My nerves turned to excitement, and I couldn't wait for everyone to taste it!

this was amazing. I will probably never use another recipe for pork tenderloin again!

...black beans... pg.202

You can find this recipe HERE

I knew I was making tacos on this particular night. And in the morning i was supposed to turn on my crock pot to cook my homemade refried beans. But I didn't. So an hour before dinner, I realized I didn't have any beans to go with our tacos! {GASP}

Well thanks to my handy dandy cookbook we did not go bean-less. {un-gasp}

Sorry, didn't take pictures through the process. These beans are so easy to make. SO easy. I'm not even a lover of black beans. But these are GOOD. My husband especially loved them. And of course my kids did too.

...caramelized green beans... pg.188

You can find this recipe HERE

I love green beans. but I honestly never cook them because I don't know how. I remember 2 summers ago, I was so proud of myself cause I bought a big bag full of green beans from a farmers market, for super cheap. I got home, cooked up a batch... and threw them out. They were nasty! Bitter, and just not good. I just don't know how to cook green beans! Sad...

Now I do!

These beans are sooo flavorful, and crunchy, yet soft, and the bacon just adds such a nice salty flavor! So scrumptious! I even got my son to eat them! :)

okay, this picture is a little scary. I totally over cooked the onions. But my husband and I don't like onions anyway, so we didn't care.

...oven-baked steak fries... pg.182

You can find this recipe HERE

There's not much to say here. They are french fries. They are really easy to make. REALLY easy. So if you are looking for a side... this might be it! And my kids loved em.

They weren't like out of this world. but they were good. And I would definitely make them again!

...pizza sauce... pg.155

You can find this recipe HERE

I needed a pizza sauce recipe. That's all. Nothing special. Thought I would check out my handy dandy cookbook before I checked the internet. Well of course there was in there. I started mixing my things together.

The page across from this recipe is titled, "How to make great pizza in the oven".

Well, the tip I was most thankful for was it says, "drizzle crust with a little olive oil and brush all the way up to the edges. Sprinkle with garlic salt." Simple enough. But it adds sooo much flavor, and wonderful texture to the crust before you put the goods on!

This was hands down the best homemade pizza we've ever cooked!

...creamy corn chowder... pg. 97

You can find this recipe HERE
I've been wanting to make this for a while, but my husband never wanted me to. He's not much of a corn guy, unless it's off the cob. Well it was the day before we were leaving out of town, And we were going to be gone for almost 10 days. I was trying to cook up things that would go bad by the time we got back. I had a huge loot of bacon. GOOD bacon. And I was NOT going to let that go to waste. So I guess the hubby didn't have a say in this one!

First of all, has anyone heard the amazing trick to fry your bacon in the oven???? Oh my gosh. I am furious to those that knew, and didn't tell me sooner. Really... thanks. But wow, I'm glad I know now! This has changed the way I think about preparing meals.

You just throw some slabs of bacon on a cookie sheet, bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. That's how long I cook it for, cause I like it on the crispier side. Just adjust to your liking.

That's it! No flipping, no splattering, no juggling three things at once while you're preparing your meal. brilliant.

Now back to the soup. It was pretty easy to throw together. And this was absolutely amazing. When my husband got home, I explained to him why I made this soup. Then he tried a bite. Then he finished his bowl, and had MORE! Ohhh this is so yummy.

HAVE TO TRY