My Go-To Foods

Sometimes people ask me what sort of food I like to cook.  I'm never really sure what to respond.  I'm that sort of person who tries 1-3 new recipes per week.  A lot of things I make once and totally forget about and never make again.  So ya, we don't really eat the same things over and over.  This week though, I made my in-laws some roasted chicken legs, potatoes and carrots.  Thanks to a tick bit, my father-in-law is currently allergic to dairy, pork and beef so chicken and veggies roasted with olive oil was the perfect option.  As I was eating it, I realized that I do not like bland-ish food.   I mean I'll it eat it and it is fine but I'd take a good curry over that meal any ol' day.  I particularly love acidity so balsamic vinegar and lemons are some of my favorite flavors.  
Today, I thought I'd assemble a list of some of my go-to recipes that are on the internet.  Even though we don't eat the same food day after day, we do find ourselves coming back to a few recipes over and over.  So here is a list.  Perhaps you'll find something that you like off it.  I will say as a word of caution, I probably change at least one thing on every recipe I'm about to post.  Even if I cook the same thing twice, I always mix it up based off of personal preference or what I have in my refrigerator/pantry at the moment.

• Bread: Lately, I've been dabbling in sourdough so my bread preferences are changing.  But up until the past few weeks, this has been my main sandwich bread recipe: Simple Whole Wheat Bread.  To be honest, we eat lunch meat about 2-3 times a year.  We do enjoy our fair share of PB&Js and a few tuna melts.  We also love this bread as toast.  
• Light and Easy: These P.F. Chang knock-off chicken lettuce wraps are super easy and very light.  They cook up in one pan on the stove and you feel super healthy stuffing these yummy wraps in your face. 
• Casserole: For some people, comfort foods mean things like mac 'n' cheese or fried chicken.  While we like those things, curry is one of our comfort foods.  I don't cook a lot of casseroles but these are two casserole type dishes that we love.  The best thing about this Pakistani Kima is that I almost always have everything I need to make it one hand. It is a good one to serve to large crowds and even people who have never had curry seem to like it. I also really sweet potatoes so anything with those magical orange bits of goodness really speak to me.  Give this Moroccan Shepherd's Pie with a Sweet Potato Topping a try for twist on a classic casserole.  Both of these recipes are gluten and dairy free so they are perfect for serving to guests with allergies. 
• Comfort Foods: Some days you just need meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  This is my main meatloaf recipe. For those days when I want a meatloaf type dish with some real flavor, I make up these kofta kebabs and serve with homemade pitas and tzatziki sauce.  Killer, seriously killer.   
• Soup:  We eat a lot of soups in the fall.  One of our favorites is this vegetarian Sweet Potato, Carrot and Apple soup.  Yes, it does look like baby food but it is so sweet and yummy!
• Bachelor Party Food: This is good for women too, but I've sent this Seven Layer Tex Mex Dip to two different bachelor parties (for the record, I was invited to neither).  Both times I got rave reviews.
• Fancy: One of the easiest and cheapest "fancy" company dinners to make is a whole roast chicken.  I love this Roast Sticky Chicken - Rotisserie Style and Ina Garten's Engagement Roast Chicken. 
• Vegetarian: I know I've mentioned my love of sweet potatoes probably 10 times already, but this Roasted Veggie (SWEET POTATOES, PEOPLE!) and black bean bowls really knock it out of the park.  You can add meat, but why?  
• Pizza: Because we all agree that pizza deserves its own food group.  I always do the Pioneer Woman's Pizza crust.  It is just the right amount of thickness with a crusty bottom.  Aaron loves it grilled.  We eat all different types of pizza.  Sometimes we top with roasted garden veggies, other times it is more tradition like sausage and black olives, and other times we really crank up the flavor and go for BBQ pork with fresh mango or pineapple drizzled with some sweet Thai chili sauce.  

Whelp, there is my list.  I'm sure there are about 10 others I'll think of later but thanks to the fact that I eat all of these yummy things in large amounts, I know have to go work out.