Culinary creativity

So lately... as in the past several months... I've been in somewhat of a cooking rut.

Like, big time.

Between the kids' school schedule, my school demands, and the daily comings and goings of life in general, creative cooking gave way to old favorites. Same ol' same ol'. Yummy, but boring and predictable!

But since it is summer time, and since I lack much else to do since moving to a new state and not yet feeling established here, I have branched out and began experimenting with some new recipes.

Last week, I made jambalaya for the first time.

Mine didn't look this good :-(

To be honest, I didn't like it. The Husband, and my two boys did. My daughter and I... not so much.

It wasn't that it tasted bad or anything. For my daughter, I think she just found it too spicy. For me, I found it a little dry, and it was lacking something- something I couldn't put my finger on. So I'm going to find a new recipe and try again.

Yesterday was much different. I made a Four-Cheese Penne, and holy crap balls it was delicious!!!

Granted, for someone who is sensitive to dairy, it wasn't the smartest choice, per se. But it was super yummy all the same. It just requires a little portion control- both for the extreme amount of cheese in it, and for the simple fact that it is crazy high in calories and sodium. I made steamed broccoli to go with it, in an attempt to beef up the health factor of the meal. And I just have a deep love of steamed broccoli!

Crazy delicious!!!

Tonight, I'm going for something quite a bit healthier. Chicken and Roasted Veggies. In the crock pot! (I haven't used my crock pot in... years)

I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight

I'm using chicken breasts, rather than thighs, because I find chicken thighs repulsive. I also added extra gravy to it, because I added extra potatoes, so I figured it should balance out (hopefully). This recipe has less than half the calories of the penne dish, as well as less than half the sodium content. And the addition of veggies is always a plus in my book!

I may make some homemade bread to go with it, but I haven't decided yet.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Both the chicken and penne recipes came from this little Casserole & Slow Cooker cookbook I grabbed one day in the check-out line at the grocery store. And then proceeded to forget about. For years.

Upon moving, I rediscovered it in my stacks of cookbooks, and the rest is history!

Yummy, easy, cheap, and family-friendly recipes? Score!