Home Sweet Kitchen

The past few weekends I've been lucky enough to get home and spend some time with family.  One of my favorite parts about getting to go home is having a kitchen to cook in.  Being in college and having no kitchen I really miss getting the chance to cook.  In high school I would often cook dinner for my family and plan out what I was going to make by looking through my array of cook books.
So as you probably could have guessed being home these past few weekends I took my time in the kitchen very seriously and made a few recipes from Giada De Laurentiis' new cook book Weeknights with Giada.
Cooking and food has always been a large part of my family's life- celebrating around good food, having Sunday family dinners, and always gathering in the kitchen at family parties.  Food brings people together and I truly believe that.  In Giada De Laurentiis' life cooking obviously plays a big role, but from following her journey on the Food Network family is also a very important part of her life as well and that's why I enjoy cooking the recipes she puts in her cook books and makes on her show.
Here are three of the recipes that I tried...

Scallion and Mozzarella Cornbread

Orzo with Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette 

Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies 

I have linked the recipes from the Food Network website, but they read the same as in her cook book.

First, all of the recipes were fairly simple.  The cornbread recipe called for boxed cornbread mix as the base, which made things much easier.  I would have liked to have tasted even more flavor in the cornbread, so next time I might add roasted red peppers to add flavor and color to the cornbread as well.  The orzo was also a simple recipe.  The vinaigrette was easy to mix and the fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar added a nice kick to the orzo pasta.  I served the orzo with parmesan breaded chicken, corn, and a salad, but it would be a nice complement to any piece of meat or even the star of your meal.  It tasted great reheated the next day for lunch which I was even more excited about.  Last but certainly not least, the oatmeal cookies were some of the best cookies I have ever made.  The cranberry and chocolate together with the oatmeal was a perfect combination and the cookies are great for dessert or a quick pick me up snack with the added dried fruit.  Warm out of the oven and a few days later the cookies were still fantastic.  I would definitely recommend all of these recipes, not only were they simple but they were delicious and my family and friends even liked them too!
So get in the kitchen, bring your family together, and make some of these fantastic recipes.