Are you staying for dinner?

After a few requests, here are some of my favorite recipes. Apparently these are my current favorites because they are the only 6 meals on my iphone camera roll right now (if you don't include baby food and take out) also, while we are at it excuse the iphone quality.

One of my favorites but I don't seem make it very often. I've probably actually made it three times for my husband in three and a half years. But after seeing a different recipe a girlfriend blogged (here), I decided to give it a try and loved it! Actually, I froze some peppers from this batch for a quick meal next time. I did also end up using rice instead of quinoa because I'm not familiar with cooking with it.

Found this on Pinterest and it is absolutely perfect as is so I have'nt made any changes to it. No need for a list of ingredients since the picture above is self explanatory, and you just throw it all in your crockpot on high for about 6 hours or low for 8. The first time I made it i wasn't so sure about not adding any water but I promise you. Do. Not. Add. Water. As it slowly cooks, it will create its own glorious juices. I kid you not, the first time I made it my husband said it was better than his moms (don't tell her he said that though ha)

Found this recipe in my favorite cook book '2011 Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes', but the recipe is also online (here). Whats neat is the recipe is rather large and calls for two casserole dishes but references to cover and freeze one for up to 3 months, and even includes directions how to prepare the frozen pan. Though, we love this dish so much we usually end up eating both pans within days of each other. Side note: yes, I am that person who uses foil baking pans, regularly actually. Recipes like this are easier to freeze and store in a foil pan. Plus, cleanup is a piece of cake!

One of my Husbands favorites. He usually takes all of our dinner left overs to work for lunch the next day so his friends always ask about the different things he brings in. I'm sure this one isn't regularly seen (but becoming popular) I found the original recipe (here) on Pinterest. I also never seem make it the same way twice, as I add and remove and change things every time to make it better. Sometimes I use spaghetti noodles, but more often I use penne pasta since its less of a mess for my little one and it holds together better when you cut the loaf. I also use a can of Pilsbury whole wheat pizza crust instead of rolling out a ball of dough. Aint nobody got time for that with two kids.

Actually got this one from a commercial (I'm sure you've seen it) so theres a lot left to the imagination. I've made it a few times and have just about perfected the recipe by this point with trial and error. According to the commercial you can flatten an unbaked Grands biscuit, fill with sloppy joe meat and sauce, top with cheese and fold over the edges to make a "hot pocket" type sandwich. Fail. The biscuit was not big enough to fold over and seal with anything more than a tablespoon of filling. Instead I suggest using smaller biscuits and flatten one for the bottom and one for the top. The results were more satisfying, in my opinion. I also suggest brushing with egg whites for that "finished look" and sealing the edges with a fork. Bake on 350 for about 15 minutes.

My favorite the night before very desperately needing to make grocery trip. At any time, you will almost always find these ingredients in our pantry and fridge so its an easy go-to meal. I'm sure its pretty self explanatory.. mashed potatoes, corn, shredded cheese and fried chicken. But for this recipe I like to use my favorite homemade loaded mashed potato recipe, found (here also from my Taste of Home cookbook), and Lefty's mix for battering and frying the chicken. Though I usually skip the second step of the potato recipe unless the mashed potatoes are a dish in themselves, I think they give a little personalization to an otherwise very simple meal. I've even been quoted as better than KFC but what does my husband know ;)

What are your favorite meals to prepare? Any suggestions on recipe tweaks? Happy eating!