2011 was a very sparse year here on Jenn Cooks. I posted a grand total of 8 recipes, and most of those in the last couple of months. It’s been a weird year for me, as I think a lot of people would say about 2011. I continued to bookmark many recipes that I’d like to try, but mostly relied on old favorites as the time went by. I do enjoy cooking, baking, and sharing those goods with others so I hope to do better in this regard in 2012.

In the meantime, I hope you are sending 2011 on its way in the manner you best see fit! Have fun and be safe, I want to see everyone around to enjoy 2012!

March

Seven Layer Bars

May

Crockpot Sloppy Joes

October

Cake Batter Bars

November

White Bean Chicken Chili
Caramel Apple Cookies
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Mini Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

December

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last year I posted my intention to post more recipes… I eclipsed my 2008 list by three whole recipes, so I call that a success, however limited! I don’t have any specific goals for 2010 except to continue trying new recipes and sharing them here with all of you! Thanks for reading and commenting, I appreciate every single one of you!

January
Taco Soup, Take One
Chop Suey
Scrabble

February
Potato and Double Corn Chowder
Taco Soup, Take Two – Far better than take one!
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

March
Cherry Fluff
Fiesta Taco Casserole

April
Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Brownies
PW’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes

May
Salisbury Steak
Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells
Jenn’s Favorite Salad

June
Coconut Lime Banana Bread

July
Jello Shots

August
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

September
No new posts.

October
Cheesecake Marbled Brownies
Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes

November
No new posts.

December
Coconut Fudge Cups
Peanut Blossom Cookies

Thanks for a great year here at Jenn Cooks! I look forward to sharing the coming year with each of you. I wish you all a healthy and happy new year!

As far as plans for the future, I’d just like to post more often in 2009. This will require me to continue to try new dishes on a consistent basis– an area I’ve struggled with in the past. I have 101 Things in 1001 Days list on my other blog, and one of my goals was to cook 50 things I’ve never made before. I’m partway through that list, but I still have quite a ways to go. I also have a few recipes backlogged that I’ll be trying to get posted over the next several weeks.

As far as the past, below you’ll find a summary of what I’ve made and posted about in the past year. Enjoy!

January
Turtle Pumpkin Pie
White Chicken Parmesan
Chili Mac
No Bake Cookies

February
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
Chocolate Chip Cookies

March
Peanut Butter Fingers
Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwiches

April
No recipes! Bad food blogger!

May
Dump Cake

June
Chicken Salad

July
No recipes! Slow summer?

August
Puppy Chow
BLT Sandwiches

September
No excuses, just no cooking either.

October
Chili

November
Pizza Soup

December
Chocolate Mint Pudding Pie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Corn Bread Topped Italian Sausage Pie

I look forward to cooking and sharing with you in the coming year. I hope it is both a happy and a healthy one for you and your families.

Cheddar brats, mustard potato salad and amish macaroni salad. Usually I like my brats more grilled than that, but that can be a little difficult to accomplish on a George Foreman grill. Someday I’ll have a house, and therefore I’ll be ABLE to have a REAL grill. *sigh* The salads are from the deli counter at a local grocery store. It was some nice summery food which helped out a little bit with the winter blues. Certainly not very carb friendly though!

A couple of people commented on my Macaroni and Cheese Casserole about the state of my pans. Yes, I admit, they are rather sad. Most of what I have is what is left out of one of those really cheap sets they have out at the beginning of every school year for college students. I’ve had it since I was in college. I’m honestly surprised that the pans have lasted as long as they have for being as junky as they are. Even I will admit that they are on their last leg, but I just don’t have it in me to worry about whether or not the gouges in the bottoms of my pans mean that non-stick coating is flaking off into food just waiting to give me cancer.

And frankly, I just can’t afford to buy new pans right now, no matter how much they are needed! If you’re willing to buy me a new set of pans though, I will gladly trade in my “cancer pans” for new ones!

I hope you’ll join me over the next year as we try new dishes, and new foods. Some will be good, and some won’t, but it will all be a learning experience, which is the whole point isn’t it?

That’s miracle whip and shredded cheddar cheese. Sounds disgusting, I know, but it’s really good and couldn’t be more simple! Bring a pan of these to one of my family get-togethers, and it generally doesn’t last too long! Sorry for the unappealing photo… the celery didn’t want to sit pretty and I was too eager to start eating it to care.

Do you know what this means?? Well, yes, it means that I am considerably more broke than I was just a couple of hours ago… but it also means that I will be cooking soon! Tomorrow night, I’ll be making quick Sloppy Joes. Since I’ve already blogged about those, this is probably all you’ll hear about that. Sunday though, I’m planning on making dinner for my mom and her husband. I’ll be making my very first lasagna, and my favorite salad. So be looking for posts on those at the beginning of the week.
I’ll go ahead and confess now though– I cheated and got oven-ready lasagna noodles. I also got the ingredients for a cookie recipe that I found on the internet. They sound really good, so hopefully I’ll find the motivation to make them for Thanksgiving.

1. How do you like your eggs cooked? Any special ingredients?
Over medium, with toast to dip in the yolk. Or cooked completely through and slapped between two pieces of bread with miracle whip and mustard.

2. What’s your favorite cold sandwich, made on two pieces of bread?
Cold cut combo from Subway. Or a turkey club.

3. What is your favorite pie?
A mint chocolate pie that my mom makes every Thanksgiving (cause I’ll whine if she doesn’t). Full fat/sugar version though… she made fat free sugar free last year, and I was disappointed. It was alright, but just “not the same”.

4. Name one food you refuse to eat and why.
Shrimp. It’s nasty. Even if it wasn’t, just the thought of trying it again makes my stomach turn.

5. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant, and is it small or part of a chain?
Hacienda, and a little of both? It’s a non-authentic Mexican restaurant. They are fairly local– they are all over around here, but not much further away.