March Recipe Re-Make Recap

I know it's not the last day of March, but since the 31 falls on Easter, I'm giving it to you a little early this month!  March was a bit of a trying month in my kitchen. My son went on a hunger strike for 2+ weeks (it's still not fully over) and considering his weight is already a concern it was very stressful. We noticed a bunch of teeth popped in this week, including 1 random tooth in the back, so I am guessing that was the source of the strike. He's still not fully back in the swing of eating, but we'll get there! However, while Landon may not be eating, John and I sure did this month. I remade a lot of our favorites and I have to say it was a tasty month!

I started off the month making a double batch of these waffle sticks. Landon ate one for breakfast almost every day this month (prior to the hunger strike of course). He eats them with apple butter spread on top since I don't want to introduce him to syrup just yet. The combo is surprisingly good! These freeze great- they are still holding up perfectly in my freezer.

This pesto chicken and alfredo casserole brings back great memories for me. I remember making it for the first time in preparation for Landon's birth. I also remember being a walking zombie with a newborn and pulling this from the freezer, so happy it was there. It was just as good as I remember this time around. We love this meal.

I dug deep into my forgotten favorites on this blog to find this recipe for saucy baked chicken. This was SO SO good. I forgot how much my family loved it the first time around and it was even better this time around. This time the chicken roasted up so wonderfully, it was perfect. I didn't pre-bake it 10 minutes without sauce because the chicken was thin, but it was still cooked perfectly. I even managed to shovel a few bites into Landon!

We love pizza, as I'm sure you know, but this time around we had one of my favorites- eggplant ricotta pizza. This time I put the ricotta over the eggplant then sliced it into thin strips and sprinkled the strips over the pizza. I liked it better than how I did it last time where I put the whole eggplant cutlets on because this way it was more evenly dispersed.

This month I also had an order of sugar cookies with royal icing to make for a bridal shower. Ironically it was the same design as the one in the picture, but my skills are better and the cookies looked much neater than this first attempt you see above. I also decided I'm probably out of the cookie favor making business- it's too hard with Landon! I've been averaging an order every month or so for some time now but with the baby it's difficult. I'll miss it, but I think I need a break.

When I decided to launch my Toddler Tuesdays series I wanted to go with mac and cheese muffins, and I knew the perfect recipe- lighter baked macaroni and cheese. One thing I've learned over the years is I am not a fan of heavy macaroni and cheese. This recipe is just perfect- it uses part chicken broth and part milk for the base which is just how I like it.

So I mentioned Landon's hunger strike. When it started I assumed he just was sick of his waffles, so I made a batch of these mini maple pancake muffins but mixed in blueberries instead of chocolate. He is definitely a fan of bread products so I figured these would be a hit. He STILL hasn't even tried them due to the strike, but they're in the freezer, waiting for my good eater to return. He did nibble a couple bites of one and didn't spit it out, so I claim victory.

Crockpot ropa vieja is my new go-to recipe whenever I see london broil is on sale. This past week they were really marked down at the food store so I grabbed one and made it. This time I served it over noodles and it was even better because the sauce was perfect with the egg noodles. Delicious!

 I made another order of cookie favors in March, but this time I used these cake batter cookies and drizzled blue and pink chocolate over them for a baby shower at work (2 boy babies and 1 girl baby are on the way at my school). I used 1.5 tbsp of dough per cookie and it made a really nice sized cookie that made for a decent sized favor.

Every Easter I stick to the same menu. I find that my family expects certain things, and one of them is this dip. Spinach dip is a favorite of everyone who attends, so I know it'll be a hit come Sunday.

I made this corn casserole for the first time for Easter 4 years ago and have since made it for every major holiday. It is, by far, the food I make that is most requested and expected by my family.

Classic macaroni and cheese was added to the menu at the last minute for the littlest ones- Landon and my niece, Gracie. However I know my family and cheesy pasta is a hit with people of all sizes. I am so excited to have this recipe again- it's just so good.

Lastly, I will be making two varieties of this quick quiche. I do one exactly as mentioned in the link, and one with just cheddar and bacon. I don't eat quiche but every year these quiche are completely finished, so I am guessing they're good!