In kitchens around America: Catch-Up

Its been awhile since anyone has posted due to the Holidays but as things start to settle back down we should be able to get caught-up again. Natalie and I are working on putting together a new schedule using more of the winter recipes and starting into spring recipes. If anyone has any special requests leave a comment or email me.

Stuffed Shells- This was a definate WINNER! The entire family loved these. The bonus was that they weren't difficult to make, just a little time consuming. I was a little intimidated by them at first, but it wasn't bad. Jacob especially, could not seem to get enough of these. My kids are pretty good spinach eaters over all, but I love how this recipe "sneaks" more into our diet. The recipe serves way more than the 4 it claims to. I doubled the recipe since there are 6 of us and leftovers are always good for Jared's lunch. It ended up making 2- 9x13 inch pans with noodles left-over. I guess that good part was that it fed us twice that week. We will definately have these over and over again.

Relief Society Ham roll-ups- I was a little skeptical of this recipe when I saw it called for curry. We have a chicken curry recipe we make on occasion but I couldn't reconcile the thought of using curry with ham. It was a pleasant suprise. I enjoyed the taste of the sauce over the ham. It was almost a little too rich in larger portions, but was excellent in small portions. It was a good way to use our left-over Christmas ham that we froze before heading to Ohio.

Mini-cheesecakes- My husband is the world's biggest cheesecake fan, so he was excited when he saw the day's menu. When people have brought these to parties and potlucks in the past, I always assumed they took a lot of time. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity. My biggest problem was realizing that I didn't have any paper muffin liners. I did however, have some silicon liners and used those instead. They worked just as well. Its not Cheesecake factory caliber cheesecake, but for the most part everyone liked them.

Halibut Supreme- My kids are unfortunately NOT fish lovers. The nights I do serve fish are filled with complaints and grumbles. When asked what we were having for dinner the night I made this, I slyly replied "Halibut". The kids were curious as to what halibut was, so Jared told them he'd show them a picture before bed. Jacob and Bella ate the meal without any complaints and without identifying that halibut was indeed fish. Xandy and Katy were a little smarter. I believe Katy's exact words after dinner were "I'm not stupid mom, I know that was fish. But I ate it and it wasn't so bad" Xandy too agreed that it wasn't bad for fish. Although I prefer to eat my fish grilled with a spice rub, I guess this is a good compromise. I got to eat fish, and they didn't complain.

Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cake- This recipe should come with a disclaimer that it may case a heart attack. I don't EVER want to know how many calories were in that delicious dessert. It will be saved for only special occasions and served to lots of guests to ensure I can only eat one small piece. My self-control is only so strong! But it was very good!! I had a little trouble getting the frosting to stay on the cake but overall I think it turned out okay. I only put half of the frosting on and we put spoonfuls of the remainder topping over our slices. I was glad there are 6 of us this time cause we each a piece for two night and then it was gone.