Biscuits and Gravy

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? I've been making these biscuits from the Homesick Texan for a few years now and I think they're wonderful. We must have had a light lunch the day I made these because I thought we needed gravy for our biscuits. I found a great recipe from Katie Lee Joel's Comfort Table cookbook which I adapted a bit to use bacon instead of sausage (because that's what we had). I suggest making a double batch of the biscuits because they freeze quite well. Just line the extras up on a sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes or so. Then, place the frozen biscuits in a plastic freezer bag. (the pre-freeze helps keep them from sticking together) When you're ready to enjoy, just take out the number of biscuits you need and bake at 400° for 20 minutes or so. Hope you enjoy these as much as we do. Oh and the scrambled eggs in the picture were made by Chris. The eggs are always better when he scrambles them.

Linguine Alla Vodka

I made this as our meatless meal for the week awhile back and we both really enjoyed it. It's a classic dish for a reason and also happens to be really quick cooking. The vodka and touch of cream makes it filling without being too heavy. I used fresh pasta for this (just the kind you buy in the refrigerated section) and the more expensive San Marzano tomatoes since they are really the star of the dish. I served it with my Caesar Salad and some garlic bread. I adapted this recipe from the Joy of Cooking. Enjoy!

Twice-Baked Potatoes

This is a great make-ahead recipe and while it takes some time, it's really easy. I like to overstuff the potatoes so there is usually one or two halves of the skin leftover for potato skins. To make potato skins, I slice the skins into a few pieces, spray them with oil and bake at 400° for 5 minutes or so. They are a great pre-dinner snack and Chris really loves them. I like to serve these with steak, pork tenderloin or any other grilled meat. They are also great leftover for lunch with a salad on the side. This recipe is one of my own.

Time: 2 hours
Serves: 3 (or 2 with leftovers)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

I recently won Katie Lee Joel's cookbook at a girls card night. While my friend did not buy this book with me in mind, it definitely landed in good hands (thanks, Brooke!). We all bring a $10 gift to card night and the winner of each round gets to pick a gift. Anyway, I've used this book more than many cookbooks I've asked for and the recipes are all great. You might remember Katie Lee as the original host of Top Chef. She only made it one season and she kind of fell off the map after that (aside from the fact that she's married to Billy Joel). I recently saw her promoting her southern cookbook on TV and with an endorsement from Paula Deen, I knew she must be for real. Well, she is. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake was so yummy. Be warned though - it makes a HUGE cake. I might actually try to half the recipe next time because the cake is also very rich. If you are a fan of the chocolate, peanut butter combo, this is a must-try.

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

This was my most-requested meal growing up. While not the easiest dish to make and certainly not the healthiest, this is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of comfort food. I like to make a giant batch of these so we have leftovers to freeze. The key to the leftovers is to freeze them just after you roll them and before cooking them - this keeps them from drying out when you reheat. Feel free to play with the recipe too. My mom sometimes adds fresh cilantro and fresh jalapeno.

Time: 2 hours
Serves: 12?

Chicken Taco Filling

I am often disappointed by the shredded chicken that Mexican restaurants serve in their tacos and enchiladas. It is so easy to add some spices to your chicken to make it more flavorful. This is a great use for leftover chicken and makes for some really flavorful tacos, enchiladas or quesadillas. The recipe is pretty versatile too so feel free to improvise with what you have on hand. It's a great dish to make a lot of too since you can easily freeze leftovers to use for a quick meal. This is my own recipe - enjoy!