Foodie Friday: recent recipe links

Happy Friday!  I thought for today I'd share links to some new recipes I've tried and give you our honest reviews.   That's one of the things I love about finding recipes online is that many of them are from sites with a review system, where readers can give their opinions on the recipe.  So....here you go!

Ina Garten's Weeknight Bolognese (pictured)- This was really delicious!   I'm not a huge fan of too much oregano flavor in recipes, so I put a tiny bit less than what she used.  Also, I used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream and it was just fine and didn't take away from the creaminess at all.

Grilled Chicken Sliders w/Apricot Chutney (pictured) - One of our favorite recent recipes.   Just yummy.   I used my grill pan to cook the chicken and the peaches (couldn't find apricots at the store).  And I cooked the chicken more than 5 minutes on each side.   I'm very wary of undercooked chicken, so I start off with the pan hot to give it a sear, but then cook it longer and a bit slower for the rest of the time.  I wish that I had done the chutney on just a few pulses and left it a little chunkier, just because I think the texture would have added a little extra oomph to it.   But the tastes in this recipe are amazing..and it's light!

Pioneer Woman's Breakfast Sandwiches -  I love Ree, love her show on Food Network, and I'm sure if I had made these exactly how she made them they would have been drippy, gooey, yummy and completely unhealthy, ha.  I made these one morning before school for Noah and he really liked it.  David did, too, especially since his had the jalapenos on it.  But we used wheat bread (I don't buy white Texas toast, although I love it!) an all-natural sausage, and very little cheese.  You have to make the sausage patties BIG because they really shrink up when cooked and will look like that 80's Wendy's commercial, "where's the beef?" with that little pattie in the middle of the bun. :)   So, we liked them but I think Ree's way they'd be even better.

Guittard Chocolate Chip Cookies - Ok, these aren't new to us, but I did make some last week.  It's really hard to beat Guittard chocolate chips!   They aren't waxy or artificial tasting, which I find unappealing about many brands of chocolate chips.  Oh, and they are completely nut-free, which I know is important to many people with nut allergies.  I like to add chopped pecans to them and a dash of cinnamon to the batter.  If you don't want to make a whole batch, make one pan and then make a bunch of dough balls, freeze them on a sheet pan where they aren't touching each other, then when frozen you can put them all in a ziploc freezer bag to use later.  Warm, fresh cookies anytime!

What new recipes have you tried lately?    Have a wonderful weekend, friends. :)