Pecan Pie Brownies

This is the time of the year my Costco always has these "Ghirardelli Brownies" box mix in stock.  I don't eat them but my son does so I bought them for him.  I decided to try and perk it up by making a topping and found this recipe.   I subbed maple syrup for the corn syrup.

Crock Pot: Chicken and Dumplings

I saw this on social media and for some reason I wanted to make it.  I had to pull out my crock pot which I've never really liked.  I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but I did want to try it.  I detest peas so used edamame in its place for my adaptation of the recipe.

Instant Pot: Spicy Black Bean Soup with Smoky Bison Sausages

I saw this on Food Network one time and wanted to give it a try so I based my recipe on it.  I soaked my beans overnight just to make sure, but with an instant pot you probably don't have to.  I just didn't want any surprises.  I remember in the show she said lard was a must for this and I bought it for this recipe.  She said it made a great difference to the flavor profile (paraphrasing as it's been a while since I watched it).

Baked Chicken Cacciatore

It was a rainy, miserable day that matched my mood.  I had defrosted some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and this is what I decided on for dinner.

Ras el Hanout Lamb Shanks with Prunes and Pearl Couscous

I have always wanted to try the spice "Ras el Hanout".  I picked some up at a local gourmet shop in town.  I had some antibiotic/hormone free grass fed lamb shanks in my freezer from a local farm and thought this would be suitable to use with it.  This is what I created:

Japanese Fried Rice

I'm calling this Japanese fried rice because I used a medium grain Japanese rice to make it.  I also used Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise in it.  I really like that stuff, probably because it has MSG in it, but I find it really creamy and tasty.  The first 2 recipes I looked at for Japanese fried rice both included it.  Other than that, this is pretty much the same as I'd make my regular fried rice.  I use whatever is in the fridge/house at the time to assemble it together.

Thanksgiving: Funeral Potatoes

My son requested these for our turkey dinner tonight after I listed the potato options.  I have never made or eaten this before but it sounded delicious.  I have made similar casserole dishes for breakfast.  For me, the Thanksgiving meal should be comforting so this would fit right in with the stretchy pant nosh... I used real potatoes and parboiled them rather than frozen bagged hash browns which I'm not a fan of.  

Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad

I saw this salad on social media and I could not stop thinking about it.  I tried a Honeycrisp apple first, to see if I liked it enough to make the salad and I did.  Wow, extremely yummy apple!  Haven't tasted an apple as good in quite some time which is why I'm guessing they're twice the price of all the other apples...  What I used is what I had on hand to construct this today:

Lemon Brownies/Blondies

I had company coming and I was making 3 courses.  I almost bought dessert but it got tough as I wanted to make sure I served something they'd like.  I know lemon is okay with them so came up with this, as it's easy.  I decided I could make it the night before as well and if it sucked, I could pick something up the day of...