Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I never ate brussels sprouts growing up. Turns out my mom doesn't like them so she never made them for us. I think that never being forced to eat them as a kid made me want to try them again as an adult and that's a good thing. I love them if they're cooked the right way and Chris even likes them too. This method is based on one from Simply Recipes. I think this recipe might even make my Mom a brussels sprouts convert. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Snickerdoodles

This might be one of the first cookie recipes I made successfully. The recipe comes from All Recipes and has received thousands of rave reviews over the years. Most of ya'll already know that baking is not my strong suit. The measuring and precision just takes all of the fun out of being in the kitchen for me. The results of baking though are often worth it and these cookies are a prime example. Chris loves these and they've received many rave reviews from friends as well. I'll never forget taking these in a cute tin to a Christmas party a few years ago when I told the hostess, "You can either put these out for the party or stash them away for yourself." She kept them for herself and admitted to me later that most of them were consumed late-night after the party. Hope you enjoy these too!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite recipes. I hesitate to order tortilla soup in restaurants because I've almost never had a version I like as much as this one. It comes from my friend, Taylor, and I think it's a family recipe. When it starts getting cold outside, this is one of the first things I make. This recipe is double the original one Taylor gave me. The leftover soup is even better the next day and it freezes well (if it makes it that long) so I always make this amount. If you're not a spice-lover (well, you probably don't like a lot of my recipes if that's the case) you can leave out one of the jalapenos but serve some Cholula on the side for your guests. Hope you love this as much as we do!