It has been so amazing to have our kitchen back. And not just back, but insanely functional and fresh and open. So I’ve been cooking quite a bit and trying lots of new recipes. I even made one recipe twice, which is a record for me! Here are some we’ve really loved (that were also really easy):

My first Paula Dean recipe- and with no butter!! Shocking. This Apple Stuffed Pork Loin had so much flavor! I was intimidated at first, but it turned out to be very do-able. Make sure you have plenty of apple cider vinegar on hand.

The meal I made twice comes from Martha Stewart- Sweet Potato Sausage Soup. The sweet Italian sausage really ups the ante (and is just about the cheapest meat I’ve ever bought). Perfect for colder months. I hear it’s going to be an especially chilly winter, so I’m expecting to make this even more.

This BBQ Chicken Quinoa Casserole was super easy and really great for lunch leftovers!

I was looking for easy dishes to feed a big group for our small group’s Christmas party and decided to on a couple baked pasta dishes. While the chicken ziti was just meh, this Baked Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta was super yummy. I’ve been having a bit of thing with ricotta lately. I seriously can’t get enough and want it on everything. I made this in advance, which meant no dirty dishes in the sink when everyone came over!

And to finish it off, dessert! I “baked” this Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Oreo Pie for the Christmas party dessert and OH MAN. Incredibly rich and just divine. As much as I love chocolate, I’m not a big baker, so this recipe was perfect as it didn’t even require the oven!

In January, Dan & I will be back to mainly paleo eating, so I’ll be back to constant chopping of everything and putting approximately one million different spices in every dish.

And if you have any great recipes you’ve loved lately, please share 🙂

Happy NYE!