{recipe} vintage recipe roundup

Back when I started this blog in April 2010, I had about 3 followers. Maybe 15 by November 2010; of which were all my friends & family members. I blogged a little less then, but wrote about some of my FAVORITE recipes. For example, some of mom's specialty recipes that I begged her to email to me so that I could make them in my college apartment and pretend like I was back home in Tampa. Others were fun recipes that I made for my roommates and best friends. All were super simple, as I was learning my way around the kitchen for the first time.

These posts may only be two years old, but I think that they deserve to be highlighted again.

Favorite Pasta Salad: Mom's Orzo Salad- This is always a favorite in the Smith household. We typically make the entire box of orzo (a whole recipe) and snack on it for lunch and dinner for a few days. This salad is best served cold. I love anything with tomatoes & basil in it. The feta adds a nice bite that mozzarella doesn't.

Favorite vegetarian entree: Baked Eggplant Parmesan- I love this recipe because it is a wee bit of a healthier spin on eggplant parm than the kind that you typically get in restaurants. Instead of each eggplant slice being battered and fried, they are baked and then added into layers with pasta sauce and two kinds of cheeses. To make it even better, this dish is super cheap to put together, like most Italian food.

Favorite chicken dish: Date Night Chicken- Y'all. This recipe is SO DELICIOUS. I've made it multiple times since. It is incredibly easy to make but looks and tastes fancy. (Date night anyone?!) Switch up your boring old grilled chicken with grape tomatoes, caramelized onions, feta, fresh basil, and balsamic. This dish made my kitchen smell so good that my roommate's boyfriend was begging to try some as they were walking out the door to go get dinner at a restaurant together.

Favorite copy-cat recipe: Chipotle Bowls with homemade tortilla chips- There was once a time when the nearest Chipotle was 2 1/12 hours away in Gainesville, FL. That is just WRONG in a college town. My roommate and  I were craving Chipotle bowls one night, so I decided to attempt to make it myself. I will definitely say it was a great success. After a successful Facebook campaign (yes. FSU students really love Chipotle), the wonderful fast-food restaurant opened up in a few locations in Tallahassee in 2011. I still managed to find nights to make this dish again though.

Favorite cookout recipes: BBQ Grilled Chicken, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, & Corn on the Cob - This was one delicious day of eating. After spending most of the day at the pool, my roommates and I decided to have a BBQ. It was a lot of cooking but totally worth it! All of the recipes are on the same post.

Favorite pizza recipe: Roasted Veggie, Feta, & Basil Pizza- If there is one thing you should learn from this post, it is that tomatoes, basil, and feta drizzled with balsamic is DIVINE. Add in some roasted mushrooms to the mix and top all of it onto a pita, and it is your own personal pizza of love. For real. Try it out!

Favorite dessert: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Squares- I saved the absolute best for last, obviously. I have made these so many times that I have lost count. It is definitely my go-to dessert to contribute for potlucks and dinner parties. It is always a hit with all of my friends and family members! I love that you don't need a springform pan to make this delectable cheesecake. All you need is a square baking dish. I also REALLY DO use fat-free cream cheese and fat-free sour cream to make this. Obviously using full-fat will make it richer, but let's just say that there has never been any leftovers of my fat-free (cream) edition.

I hope that you enjoy some of my favorite recipes from past blog posts. As always, check out the rest of my recipes on my Food page!

xo, Jen