Chocolate Cobbler

Amazing. That's really all I can say about this recipe. I've made it twice, and it was even better than I remembered when I had it the second time. It's similar to a molten lava cake, with gooey chocolate goodness underneath, and a yummy crust on top. You must serve this warm, with vanilla ice cream.

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog, which is a Pioneer Woman project. I always assume that everyone knows who Pioneer Woman is, but I'm finding that not everyone does. Be sure you check out her blog when you get a chance- it's highly entertaining.

Anyway, I did not modify this recipe at all, nor do I ever intend to, so instead of recreating it here, I'm just going to direct you to the original source. Go check it out. You'll thank me later.

Chocolate Cobbler on Tasty Kitchen blog

Sausage and Pepper Penne

I found this recipe while browsing some cooking blogs. I thought it sounded delicious and wanted to try to make it a little lighter than the original recipe. By making some easy substitutions (whole wheat pasta, turkey sausage), I was able to make it a little healthier without losing any of the flavor. This is definitely a keeper. I will say that this made a ton of pasta, and we actually froze the rest of it and ate it a few weeks later.

Sausage and Pepper Penne (adapted from Kelly's Culinary Adventures blog)

You will need:

• 4 cups whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
• 4 turkey italian sausages, uncooked
• 1 red pepper, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 green pepper, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped (optional- I did not include the onion because I knew the sauce I would use had plenty of onion, and we like our onion in moderation)
• 1 cup frozen spinach, drained (or 2 cups fresh spinach)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional- again, I knew the sauce had plenty of garlic)
• 3-3 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I used my homemade marinara)
• Parmesan cheese and oregano for garnish

Slice sausages into 1 inch pieces. Cook in a nonstick skillet (sprayed with cooking spray) over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Once the sausage is cooked, add spinach, peppers, onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Add pasta sauce and cook until warm, about 5 minutes.

Drain penne and add to skillet with sauce. Garnish with parmesan cheese and oregano.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I've recently starting making my own marinara sauce, and I'm not sure we will ever go back to the stuff from a jar. The flavors are just so much better, and I love that I know exactly what we are eating. The recipe below is for one batch, which makes about 3 1/2 cups of sauce. This is the equivalent of a regular sized jar of sauce. I have quadrupled the recipe each time I've made it, and then divided it into 4 freezer containers to freeze and use when we need it. This isn't a difficult recipe, but for me, it makes more sense to make several batches at a time.

This recipe is from "The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook". I've adapted it slightly to our tastes.

You will need:

• Olive oil spray
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp crused red pepper flakes
• Salt, to taste

Spray a nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until they become tender but not brown (4-6 minutes).

Reduce heat to low, and stir in remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.