time for yum yums.

another installment {i totally wanted to type instillation but i knew it wasn't right!} of pinterest recipes.

spinach artichoke pasta: so good. so good. i'm sure if you needed some protein, chicken would be a good addition. hmmm, or maybe even a can of tuna or chicken and you probably wouldn't even taste it. ben was a big fan too.

chick pea and tomato salad:  quick and tasty. my basil went bad so i didn't use as much as the recipe called for... added some red onion because i had it and why not. was pretty good!

blt mac n cheese: eh. i blame the velveeta. i'm not a huge fan. but the more i think about it, it didn't taste like a blt. ;(

slow cooker salsa chicken: yum. yum.  yum. nick hates anything chicken in the crock pot. it's rare that i can find a keeper. two days after we had this, he asked if i could make it the following week!

zucchini fries: can't find the exact recipe i used. off the top of my head, it was: sliced zucchini dipped in egg wash followed by a dip in bread crumbs. baked at 350 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. i would add a bit of parm. cheese to the bread crumb mixture next time i make em. maybe a touch of garlic powder. served em with my mom's fish stick sauce: mayo, mustard, and ketchup all mixed together to taste. yum.

mexican manicotti: make sure you have the shells under the sauce. otherwise, they can be a bit tough. or maybe cook it covered rather than uncovered as the recipe directs.

red velvet brownies: nick saw them when we were looking through pinterest. he said we needed to make them asap. they were good. the frosting was ah-mazing.

cheesy broccoli orzo: loved that it was a quick and easy side. with ingredients that i always have on hand. 

buffalo chicken tenders:  wasn't very buffalo-y. next time i would use panko crumbs instead of plain ole bread crumbs. which was my plan but i didn't have any! good flavors in the breading.

crescent cinnamon rolls: super tasty. so much less work than cinnamon buns. and nick said that they aren't as cinnamon-y so he liked them even better than the real thing. 

zucchini brownies: different. good. like that they have fruit and veg in them. and no oil or egg. fingers got a bit sticky but that's okay!

red, white, and blue burger topping: this was delish. totally adding it to our regular rotation of burger recipes. definitely needed a crunch on the burger though. will serve with lettuce on the burger and not just plain next time. maybe even celery?

four cheese baked skillet rigatoni:  reminded both nick and myself of fondue. nick loved it. had multiple helpings. was a bit rich for me.

crock pot chicken and noodles: i have no idea where the recipe came from. none. sorry. i'll share it here though! 3-4 chicken breasts. 42 oz chicken broth. 2 cans cream of chicken. stick of butter sliced. package of egg noodles. combine first four ingredients in crock pot. cook on low heat for 8 hours. shred chicken. add uncooked noodles. cover and cook an additional one hour. {stir about halfway through so you don't get any stiff noodles!} delicious! so homey. very fall. too bad i made it on an almost 90 degree day. would be good with some veg tossed in too: corn, peas, carrots. and ben said it was his favorite. love when that happens!