October Ipsy

Ipsy must have heard my cries of how bad my September bag was.  This bag makes up for it!  I loved it!  It was probably one of my favorite bags of the whole year.  I loved the bag itself.  The color is great and it has a really neat texture.  And I really enjoyed everything inside!  Here's what I received:

September Ipsy

Goodness, I am literally posting this almost 2 months late because this bag was so bad.  I haven't even used what's in it because I had no interest.  Even the bag was ugly!  It looks like a belt I would have worn in 8th grade during my rebellious days. Yikes.  Anyway, here's a list of what I received.

Easy Sesame Noodles

These sesame noodles are soo easy and quick!  They are one of my favorite things to make because they are simple and satisfying.  They are even good leftover the next day, straight from the refrigerator.  Here's how to make them:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Cold and flu season is definitely here.  I've been battling a cold the past few days and couldn't think of anything I'd rather eat than chicken noodle soup.  I add a whole rotisserie chicken and lots of lemon juice to give it a nice tang.  It's easy and delicious.  Here's how to make it:

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Cornbread is one of my favorites!  I love to add different flavors and turn boring, plain cornbread into something new.  I use Jiffy mix.  Yes, Jiffy...the boxed stuff.  I see no problem with using boxed mix because all it is is pre-measured ingredients.  It makes things easier.  Serve this cornbread as table bread or with your favorite chili.  I served mine with Black Bean Chili!  Here's how to make it:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi!  It's so good and a great change from regular old pasta.  Gnocchi are little dumplings that are made with potato.  I had some sweet potatoes laying around and thought it would be fun to make sweet potato gnocchi instead.  It's easy to make and is stored in the freezer which makes it great for a quick dinner.  Here's how to make it:

 

Banana Bread French Toast

After making a loaf of Gam's Banana Bread, I really wanted to use it to make some french toast.  This is a really easy recipe and great for brunch!  You may need a nap afterwards though.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Fall is here and that means comfort food. We had some friends over on Sunday to watch the Panthers game.  What better dish to make for a crowd than a big batch of mac and cheese?  Buffalo chicken mac and cheese sounded perfect for a football game.  I've been wanting to come up with a recipe like this for a while.  Blue cheese is one of those things some people just really hate, so I didn't want this dish to be overpowered with Blue cheese.  I used Gorgonzola cheese because it is a little milder than regular Blue cheese. Everyone agreed that it was subtle and really good!  Here's how to make it:

Gam's Banana Bread

My grandmother, Gam, left me her recipe box and it is full of great recipes that I want to start recreating.  I want to start making some of her basic recipes, such as this banana bread recipe, and turn them into different things.  With this banana bread, I made Banana Bread French Toast! Gam's recipes are very simple, and here on my blog I like to be very detailed with instructions, so I will be writing a little more than she has written.  Here is her recipe:

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pudding

Finally, a new post!  It's been a while since I've been able to get in the kitchen and make anything.  I've got a fracture in my knee, so I've really been trying to be on my feet as little as possible.  I think this might be my first dessert recipe I've posted.  This isn't "real" salted caramel pudding.  There's no caramel, but I've combined different flavors that make up that caramel flavor like brown sugar and butter.  I made this on a whim, just using what I had in the fridge and pantry one night when we really were craving something sweet.  Pudding is really easy to make.  A lot of recipes are very similar and you can change things around to get the flavor you're looking for.  Here's how I made it: