Tuna melts

These were delicious and lovely, and I have never liked tuna salad this much before. The flavors are so amazing. One thing I changed is that I used bread and butter slices instead of gherkins (because I like bread and butter slices and didn't want a jar of gherkins hanging around in my fridge), and it still tasted great! I also used a little more tuna than the recipe called for because I like my tuna salad a little drier. And leftovers were great on crackers as well.

Pioneer Woman's tuna melts!

Pioneer Woman's bruschetta

This was lovely, easy, and delicious! We had it as a side for dinner and I ate it for lunch for a couple days after. This makes a ton of tomatoes, so make it for a crowd or halve the recipe (unless it's your main dish or you REALLY love bruschetta)! :)

Pioneer Woman's bruschetta: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/01/bruschetta/

Mexican rice

This recipe was a surprise for me. I ended up loving it more than I had imagined I could. In fact, I ate it all by itself for lunch one day. We used it as a side with Mexican pizzas and in burritos for breakfasts and dinners. Makes a lot of rice, so it's great to plan multiple meals where you can use it.

Mexican rice from Annie's Eats

Spicy whiskey BBQ sliders

Just make these. They are so good!!

Pioneer woman has done it again: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/spicy-whiskey-bbq-sliders/

Basic granola and peanut butter granola bars

These recipes are insanely easy and adaptable. You can mix in any add- ins you want to suit you and your family's tastes. No big surprise here, but I like to add chocolate chips (mini chips for the granola bars and regular, dark chocolate chips for the granola). Bake granola and cool before adding your extras! I also added toasted wheat germ to the granola bars (and left out the chia seeds-- what are those)? Another tip: watch the granola carefully as it bakes, because it burns quickly. :)

Basic granola

Peanut butter granola bars

Jalapeño kettle chip crusted chicken with jalapeño ranch dipping sauce

I found this recipe on pinterest, and we tried it last night. It was a huge hit (with Caleb and I, anyway; I made regular chicken fingers for the boys since I wasn't sure how spicy this would be, but I think they would have liked it fine). Silas even really liked the dipping sauce for his chicken as well as carrot and celery slices. Seriously, this was yummy and easy! A couple things I did differently: I couldn't find Kettle brand, so I used another brand of jalapeño kettle chips (I think they are Lays). I also used chicken tenders rather than breasts so that they would cook faster. One last note: the only mayonnaise I had was the horseradish mayo that my in- laws have gotten me addicted to, so that is what i used. The sauce turned out deliciously. I even used it on my sandwich today for lunch. I think you all will like this recipe as much as we did!