14 in 2014 - #10 (Recipes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16)

It was a busy summer of new recipes! I last posted a recipe update near the beginning of the summer, and now I've adding 9 recipes to the list! Woo hoo! I have no doubt I will hit (and exceed) my goal of 20 new recipes in the year. Although there have been a few easier recipes, I've had a good number of substantial ones too. I'm happy with my progress. Each recipe I do makes it a little easier. I continue to learn new things, and get more comfortable in the kitchen.

Without further ado, here are the recipes I've tried since the last recipe post.

8. Egg and Brie Strata
I made this recipe for WOWZA cabin weekend, and it's one of my favorite recipes taste-wise that I've done this year. I found it in our favorite cookbook (that I also referenced in my previous post), Cooking Light Comfort Food. You can find the recipe here. It was a bit putzy to put together, but it was nice because I could prep before hand, and then just pop it in the oven.

It was really, really tasty - I'll keep this one around!

9. Greek Orzo Salad
I got this recipe from Andrea at the MN Blogger's Favorite Things party. As her favorite thing, Andrea gave away the recipe, along with a box of orzo and a fun salad dressing bottle that has recipes for various dressings with the measurements built in (does that make sense?...I'm not sure how to explain it.

Anyways, I made this for a Faith Group picnic. In hindsight, I realized that I got the measurements of the dressing a bit off because I made 1 1/2 times the recipe. So the flavors were just a bit off, but it was still really good. It was a really nice alternative to the "typical" pasta salad. (Note: I left out the olives, because I don't like them.)

You can find the recipe on Andrea's blog here.

10. Enchilada Stuffed Shells
I made these one night when Jeromy suggested either enchiladas or a pasta bake. I searched both on Pinterest, and low and behold there was a recipe that was BOTH. I think if you asked Jeromy, he'd say this has been his favorite recipe I've done this year.

I had a bit of a mishap and added way more cheese than it called for...but there are worse things, am I right?

The recipe (found on Eat Cake for Dinner here) was pretty easy, and with pretty basic ingredients (both important credentials for recipes I like to do). And it tasted GREAT...one of those recipes that almost tasted better when reheated! We'll definitely do this one again.

11. Blueberry Lemon Bread
If you are a regular reader, it'll make sense to you that I have a couple blueberry recipes in here. If you'll remember, we went blueberry picking as part of my Summer Bucket List.

We had a lot of blueberries, and we were not going to make it through them just eating them plain. So I searched out good recipes and found this one. I didn't do the glaze, but followed the rest of the recipe (though didn't use nuts).

The bread (though almost more of a cake!) was really good. I had several breakfasts consisting of a small slice, topped with yogurt and some fresh blueberries. Yum. Very summery.

12. Blueberry Breakfast Bake
We didn't make it through all of our blueberries with the above, so I needed to find another good recipe to use some up.

I searched Pinterest again, and found this one. Admittedly, I made it a little less healthy, as I didn't use whole grain bread (used more of a French bread), and I used regular cow's milk instead of almond milk.

The recipe was good...not fantastic, but one I might try again. It's nice to have a tasty breakfast casserole that makes for easy, hot breakfasts during the week.

13. Caprese Pasta Bake
Pasta bakes are something Jeromy makes quite regularly. It's generally the same "equation" with just slight variations.

To mix things up a bit, I tried this recipe from a college friend's blog. This bake did things differently than Jeromy does - instead of cooking the pasta first, you cook it in the oven.

We both agreed that we liked the flavor - the fresh basil and mozzarella was yummy. However, we didn't like the consistency of the whole wheat pasta, and felt like it was more hassle than it was worth to bake the pasta. It didn't quite cook right, and it took way longer than if you just cook the pasta, and then bake it after that.

I would make it again, but with regular pasta, and cooking the pasta first, and then baking.

14. S'more Muddy Buddies
As I've said before, Jeromy and I both love s'more flavored stuff. Marshmallows, graham crackers, AND chocolate?! Perfection.

When out running some other errands I decided to mix up this recipe as a treat for Jeromy to bring to work. It was a little dumb that this recipe, the easiest one in the bunch probably, gave me a bit of trouble. The chocolate seized (I didn't even realize this was something chocolate did until Jeromy told me), so it didn't coat the cereal as well as it should have.

So when all was said and done, there were a bit more clumps than there should have been, but what I tasted of it still tasted good. In hindsight I should have saved a little bowl for myself. Jeromy took it to work to share, and I never saw it again. I guess I'll just have to make it again!

15. Mexican Street Corn Salad
I saw this recipe on a blog I follow, and was really intrigued. Fresh sweet corn is pretty much the best ever. The ingredients sounded like a really good mix, and it was just a bit different than everything we've tried.

While I didn't use fresh sweet corn, I was able to use frozen sweet corn that Jeromy saved from last summer. The recipe was quick and easy. Jeromy was a little unsure of it at first (I have no idea why, since it seemed right up his alley), but I immediately liked it. It was really yummy on our tacos, as a chip dip, or just plain. As Jeromy sampled it more he liked it more and more - and since has requested that I make it again. I'll keep this one on "the list."

16. Crescent Roll Egg Bake
This was another recipe I found randomly on Pinterest. I've had it pinned for a bit, and finally decided to try it out. It was originally found here on Bran Appetit.

This was another recipe that fulfilled the criteria of simple ingredients and easy to put together. Egg bakes, like pasta bakes, are something that Jeromy makes quite regularly. However, we haven't done one with a crescent roll bottom.

The flavor was good, and it was a nice to have something a bit different than what we usually do. We'll keep this one around I think.

So there you go! Only 4 more recipes to hit my goal of 20 new recipes for the year!