December Re-Make Recap

It's hard to believe that 2013 is over. I feel like I just get used to writing, thinking, saying the current year and it's time to switch to the next one. 2013 was full of so many wonderful times for our little family and I can't wait to see what 2014 brings. We have a lot of fun things planned.

December was quite a hectic month, as it is for most people. I surprised myself by doing a good amount of cooking, relying on tried and true favorites to round out my meal plans.

This weeknight spaghetti and meatballs is, hands down, one of my family's favorite dishes. Whenever I ask SP for dinner ideas this is the first thing he suggests.

I revived this cheesy pearl couscous with broccoli one night when I wanted something a little different. We all love pearl couscous and you can't go wrong with broccoli, bacon and cheese. I forgot how good and cheesy this dish is.

This taco rice is one of my personal favorites. I use the beef recipe for regular tacos as well - it's the perfect blend of seasoning with a little bit of sauce. Delicious.

I wanted something easy one night when SP was out of town so I made a batch of these hot ham and cheese sandwiches with Brie. They were amazing - the melty Brie went perfectly with the mayo/mustard sauce. I have a stash in the freezer and, just like the last time I made these, I add a fried egg for breakfast.

These citrus chicken burritos are another one of my favorites from 2013. I'd make them once a week if they didn't take so much prep work.

As I've said in just about every recap, I can't make any Mexican meal without these homemade refried beans.

I like to keep these salted fudge brownies individually wrapped in the freezer to take out when I have a craving for something sweet. I finally ran out of my previous stash so I had to whip up a new batch.

SP really liked these chorizo and egg burritos so I had to replenish our freezer stash. I love the trick of heating them in a paper towel so they don't get soggy. Perfect every time.

This was the month of restocking my freezer stash since I also needed to make more sausage and spinach egg bake. This is my current favorite weekday breakfast with a little mayo mixed with hot sauce.

Our grocery store was out of broccoli the week I made this bacon broccoli mac and cheese so I made it with cauliflower instead. What a revelation. I think we liked the cauliflower more than the broccoli. We'll definitely be making it this way from now on.

SP always insists on these baked stuffed shrimp for Christmas Eve dinner. This year I made the filling ahead of time so getting them ready to go in the oven was a snap.

Christmas Eve dinner isn't complete without our favorite asparagus with fried egg and cheese. I always serve this as the first course while the shrimp cook.

This Christmas morning strata is what my mom made when I was growing up and even though my family doesn't like it I decided to make a batch this year. I ate the leftovers for breakfast until it was gone.

For SP and Baby Girl I made this overnight baked French toast. They both enjoyed it and there were enough leftovers, even with a half order, for them to enjoy during the week.

Once again I hosted Christmas dinner with roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, Yorkshire pudding and garlic bread. It was a huge hit and we all stuffed ourselves silly.

SP planned to make a roast chicken for Sunday dinner with my parents one week but the store was out of roasting chickens (the same week they were out of broccoli), so he switched gears to meatloaf. I told him he had to make Tyler Florence's ultimate meatloaf. We all loved this.

A few weeks later I made a roast chicken and decided to make potato gratin rather than the usual mashed potatoes. We love this recipe - so creamy and delicious. We always eat way more than we should in one sitting.