10 Recipes You MUST Try!

10 recipes-you-must-try

Everyone has “go-to” recipes…things they make over and over because they’re sooooooooooooooo good. Or maybe you’re like me and you get on a kick and you make that same food over and over because it was so good the first time, you just gotta have it again.

But then, there comes the problem of The Rut. The Rut is when your family says “Oh…spaghetti again?” Or “Mom, can we please have something besides meatloaf?” The Rut is a dangerous place to be – because you can lose your love of cooking all together. And that, my friends, is a saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad day.

So, if you’re in The Rut I wanted to make sure and help you dig out. I want to share several of my very favorite recipes from other sites…so you can try them too. You MUST try them too – I would not lead you astray. 

Image by Bakerella

1. Mini Maple Pancake Muffins from Bakerella. Really, these are AWESOME. Then again, Bakerella doesn’t put anything out that’s not awesome. Sometimes it takes a bit of conversion for us…like using wheat flour instead of white. These are SOOOOO good and they’re great for little hands. You can eat them plain, or we like to dip them in little bowls of syrup. Pinch bowls work great for this! I can’t make these often enough.

2. Banana Flax Muffins from Kitchen Stewardship. I love having ways to use up browned bananas and this recipe fits the bill. They have just the right amount of sweet…and they’re full of fiber. I should name myself The Fiber Queen.

3. BLT Quesadilla Wrap from Perry’s Plate. Holy cow. The first time I made these, I was in heaven. I fixed them several nights that same week…and then I’d fix them during the day for lunch when Barry was gone. SO easy and SO good. I want one right now – please?

4. Baked Potato Nachos from How Sweet Eats. These  are fabulous. FABULOUS I SAID! Do not underestimate the power of the potato. These are good for lunch, a meatless dinner, or even a nighttime snack – I’m just sayin’. I’ve made them for me, for my family, and for company. They always get rave reviews. Make them. Right now. I mean it.

5. Alyssa’s Chicken Enchiladas from Tasty Kitchen. Seriously, these are the best enchiladas I’ve ever put in my mouth. I would make them every week if I had a reason too. Company goes NUTS over these. Even my picky Daddy loves these. The goat cheese just really makes these stand out. Think you hate goat cheese? Think again, my friend. Think again.

Image by Pioneer Woman

6. Cajun Chicken Pasta from The Pioneer Woman. If you follow me on Facebook you know I’m a fan of this dish. It’s my FAVORITE Pioneer Woman recipe, hands down. It’s what food is really all about. Yes, I have a female crush on Ree, but I can accept that. Make this. Your family will thank you…but, invite me to dinner, okay?

7.  Easy Butterscotch Bars from Heavenly Homemakers. If you need something to go with ice cream, this is IT. Holy moly. It’s really easy and it has good, whole foods ingredients. Whole foods CAN be tasty and easy…if you don’t believe me, make these. Amen.

8. Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble from Branappetit. Brandi has GREAT recipes. You should totally subscribe her to blog…I love everything she posts. This is so easy…and you can usually find rhubarb at the farmer’s market if you don’t have some growing at home. Again, another great one to pair with ice cream. If you bake it, they will come.

9. Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles from The Humbled Homemaker. These things should be illegal. You have two options: you can make them when people are around so you won’t eat them all….or, you can make them when everyone is gone so that you CAN EAT THEM ALL. I aim for the second one. These are a great little snack when you need something quick to grab and go. And trust me…they will go.

10. Polish Mistakes, a family favorite. When I married Barry, his cousin Lori (also my mentor) made these for me…and I’ve been hooked ever since. I did find the recipe online. These are THE party food. The only party food. Amen and amen. If you’re a woman and you want a man to marry you, make him these. He’ll propose immediately.

Image by Zesty Bean Dog

What is one recipe that you think I should try?

Disclosure: Some posts include links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so it helps to support this site, so thank you!

About Stacy

Stacy is the author of Crock On: A Semi-Whole Foods Slow Cooker Cookbook and a stay-at-home mom to her two children, Annie (3) and Andy (newborn). After an “awakening” in March 2011, her family switched to a more natural, whole foods diet. She likes to blog about how to live on less than you make and how to eat good food while doing it. Her passion is teaching others how to save money and she tag teams with her husband in this endeavor. At Stacy Makes Cents you’ll find information on how to save money in the kitchen, how to have fun with your kids, and how to be thrifty in all areas of life. Her passion is teaching others how to live debt free. Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her daily antics.

  • http://www.branappetit.com brandi

    thanks for linking!! that crumble is one of my favorites!

    • Stacy

      Mine too…but you know that now. LOL

  • Danielle

    I want to try the enchiladas, but I need a substitute for the goat cheese. I am highly allergic to goat’s milk. :(

    • Stacy

      I’d just switch out any cheese that you like. :-) I’ve made them without the goat cheese when I didn’t have any on hand..they’re just as delish!

    • Marama

      I know that you can get cow’s and sheep milk feta – they don’t have quite the same taste, but you still get the same effect with them.

      • Stacy

        <3 feta!!!!

  • sherrie

    my go to recipes have to be butterfinger cookies found here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/butterfinger-cookies
    (i add about 3/4 cup of semi sweet chips and i use REAL butter and creamy pnut butter)
    not so excited about cooking real food. my homemade lasagna is prob my favorite for a crowd. i’ve found your crockpot spaghetti sauce makes the BEST lasagna ever. :)

    • Stacy

      That’s a good one – I like that it makes a good bit so that I can freeze it. :-)

  • Rosy

    Thank you so much for sharing this. I find myself in a rut all the time. I love the Baked Potato Nachos idea. :)

    • Stacy

      Those are DIVINE!

  • http://simplydesigns.org Mindy

    I love you Stacy! And I love this list :) I just made the Mini Maple Pancake Muffins and they’re a keeper for sure. I’m going to work my way down your list until I’ve tried everything on it :) Thanks!

    • Stacy

      Oh my gosh! I love those…wish I had some right now. PS – I pinned a bunch of your recipes this morning. :-)

  • http://www.thehumbledhomemaker.com Erin@TheHumbledHomemaker

    These all sound so yummy–and thanks for linking to my truffles! I’m the same way…I end up eating most of them here myself!! :)

    • Stacy

      Girl, you’re never supposed to tell on yourself!

  • http://www.zestybeandog.com Jen

    Thanks for the link back, the my Grandmother gave me the recipe for the Polish Mistakes, they are a crowd pleaser for sure! :) Cheers!

    • Stacy

      No kidding….I could eat an entire batch myself – and then visit the ER. Ha!

  • Susan

    For an easy crockpot dinner, one of our “go to” recipes is Goop! I know it sounds awful, but its yummy and has a mexican flair. Boil several chicken pieces, cut up meat and place in crock. Add 1-2 cans black beans and a few handfuls of frozen or canned corn and dump salsa over all (be generous with salsa). Cook on low all day, or high a few hours. In last hour or so of cooking, stir in 1 x 8oz block of cream cheese, chopped up. Serve over pasta, rice or in wraps. Very versatile and my family of 10 loves it! If you don’t have time to boil chicken and its early enough in the day, you can put frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock and then chop it up when its all cooked at dinner time.

    • Stacy

      Sounds super delish! Thanks for sharing. :-)

    • http://homemakerhow-tos.blogspot.com/ Kayla

      I’ve heard this recipe called Santa Fe Chicken. Same ingredients and made in the crock pot. I love it. But my hubby can’t eat it. We’re not sure if its the beans or the cream cheese.

      • Stacy

        Dude – cream cheese and I are tight.

  • Holly

    I think I need to cook up these recipes one by one….
    I love PW’s Olive Cheese Bread, too-and Paula Deen’s Pine Bark around the holidays.

    • Stacy

      Anything that PW makes is amazing!

  • http://wholesomehomemaker.com Deb

    Oh man, I love finding new recipes to try! My dream is to someday get paid to read food blogs all day. These all look awesome.

    • Stacy

      Man, wouldn’t that be an awesome job? :-)

  • Donna

    The PW Cajun Chicken Pasta looks great. . Do you use wine or do you substitute something for the wine? I never know what to do when a recipe calls for wine. . .other than skip the recipe.

    • Stacy

      I keep a bottle of white wine just for recipes, but any time you see that in a recipe you can always substitute chicken broth. :-)

      • Stacy

        does the chicken broth make it taste a lot different? If you’ve done it both ways, which do you like more?

        • Stacy

          Nah, it doesn’t effect the taste that much. And if you’ve never had it otherwise, you won’t know. :-)

  • http://snailpacetransformations.com Victoria@snailpacetransformations

    I have to try the first two on your list. My daughter adores muffins and those look like great ones!

    • Stacy

      Man oh man….they ROCK!

  • http://yourgardeningfriend.com/ Holly

    The BLT Quesadillas look so delicious!!! I will definitely be trying those.

    Thanks.

    • Stacy

      You won’t be disappointed!

  • Christy

    Awesome. I can’t wait to try these. I LOVE finding new recipes. And I love the way you write, Stacy. You always make me laugh! ;)

    • Stacy

      I hope you love them as much as we do!

  • http://quickeasycheaphealthy.com Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy

    Great list! I like the potato nacho idea, since I’ve realized that almost all readily available tortilla chips are made with very bad oils. (Doesn’t stop me from eating them entirely… just makes me feel icky when I do, lol!)

    • Stacy

      I could make homemade chips….but it takes a lot of time and effort to get them right. :-)

  • http://homemakerhow-tos.blogspot.com/ Kayla

    So my all time favorite recipe that you HAVE to try is this: BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing http://www.erinsfoodfiles.com/2011/06/bbq-chicken-salad-with-creamy-bbq-cilantro-lime-dressing.html

    To Die for! & Bonus it’s pretty good for you!

    Lately I’ve been having trouble getting fresh cilantro. So the last time I needed it for a recipe I tried the stuff in the tube. Its organic and tasted so good. Plus saved a lot of work. It’s a little pricey but anything organic tends to be. I really liked it thought. :D

    • Stacy

      THANKS!! I pinned that one for sure! :-)

  • http://intentionalbygrace.com Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace

    Yes. Cajun Chicken Pasta form Pioneer Woman rocks! Oh yes it does!

    • Stacy

      It’s the BOMB DIGGITY. :-)

  • Reagan

    I am so glad to see someone call those Polish Mistakes too! Everyone looks at me like I’m nuts because they call them sausage loaf. In case you didn’t know those freeze really well too!

    • Stacy

      Girl, I wish I had a big ole plate RIGHT NOW! I would eat them all and not share. :-)

  • http://www.perrysplate.com Natalie

    Hi Stacy! I noticed you linked up to my BLT Quesadilla! Thanks! I wanted to let you know that I updated the post with new photos. When I did that, the url changed (I didn’t anticipate that…), so here’s the new one if you want to update the link in your list: http://www.perrysplate.com/2012/09/blt-quesadilla-wrap.html Sorry for the hassle!

    • Stacy

      That’s one of our favorite recipes of all time. :-) Thanks for the update! I’ll fix it right now.

  • http://www.paisleypumpkin.blogspot.com Robin

    These look fabulous…the Polish Mistakes crack me up. Around here that recipe is called one of two things…Hanky Pankies or Sh*t on a Shingle. LOL

    Oddly enough, my mom’s side of the family is Polish and i’m surprised i’ve never heard them called Polish Mistakes. Awesome. They are soooo good. Def. a go to for the holidays every year.

    • Stacy

      I wish I had some right now….since Barry is at work, I wouldn’t have to share. LOL

  • Hannah

    This was a great post. I love hearing peoples top 10 tried and true type recipes, then you know you are really getting something good. I pinned a few to try later, thanks so much!

    • Stacy

      Right! I love reading recipe reviews…helps me miss the duds and stick with the spuds – or something like that.

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