And then I randomly started sharing recipes

Food. I don’t normally say much about it, which is ironic because I love it and my job revolves around it. Now that I’m home, I have more time to think about the food I’d like to serve my family. I’m not saying I’ve found the time to prepare it all, because let’s face it, juggling a toddler and a baby leaves little free time. However, these are recipes that I’ve gotten around to making, and they’re all exceptional, so I thought I’d share them. Apologies, there’s some wacky formatting stuff going on here.

Ina Garten’s Carrot and Pineapple Cake

Hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever tried. It’s a bit time consuming, but I’ve made it twice, and it’s amazing. I leave out the walnuts simply because I’m not a fan of nuts in baked goods. The cream cheese frosting will blow your mind.  I add a little extra cream cheese to cut the sweetness a bit.

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Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Yes, more Ina. I’ve never made a recipe of hers that didn’t work. We served this at Thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit. Plus, it’s crazy easy and pretty healthy, too. The homemade cocktail sauce takes seconds to prepare and beats the pants off of anything you’d find at the store.

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Cranberry Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce from the November, 2011 issue of Taste of Home magazine.

I work on this magazine, and was lucky enough to try this in taste testing (every recipe in any Taste of Home magazine goes through a test kitchen and taste testing panel). It was crazy good and is easier than you think to prepare. Brown butter sauce? I could drink it.

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Velvety Chocolate Butter Pecan Pie from the October 2011 issue of Taste of Home magazine

Again, another treat I experienced in taste testing and served up to guests at a party. The pie vanished in minutes. Are you thinking that I just wrote “I don’t like nuts in baked goods,” and now I’m gushing about a baked good chock full of them? If the dessert is of the really stellar kind, I make an exception to my nut rule. And this one’s among the most stellar I’ve served.

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Sensational Spiced Salmon from an old issue of Taste of Home’s Light & Tasty magazine, which is now known as Healthy Cooking, a magazine I used to work on.

My husband’s not a big fish eater. I love it. He’ll eat it, because he can tolerate it and is aware of its health benefits. This is the only way he’ll eat it and really enjoy it. Another easy recipe, and one that you can feel good about eating. I make the entire seasoning mixture but apply it more sparingly than the recipe calls for.

Hope you try these out. I promise you’ll be happy you did.

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