Homemade Granola

I love granola like you wouldn't believe, but lately I've had trouble finding any I can eat (what with the whole, low-carb healthy-eating thing). So I was quite happy to learn it's not impossible to make your own! While I don't know whether this is actually healthier than the store-bought versions, it was a nice thing to do while post-tropical storm Irene raged outside but did not steal my electricity. I like chopping nuts -- oh, comforting rhythm! -- and I like baking slowly in the oven. It was, all in all, a very relaxing thing to do. The craisins were a little overdone though: next time I'll put them in just before the last time I stir it so as not to end up with burnt craisin bits. I got the original recipe from the blog Honeycomb, but has to alter it since I couldn't get all the ingredients.

Broccoli and Three-Cheese Mini Frittatas

These mini-frittatas are amazing! I found the recipe on the blog Kalyn's Kitchen. The only thing I did really differently was that I don't have giant 1-cup muffin tins, so I used custard bowls instead. Anything that holds 1 cup and is both microwave and oven-safe will work. But subtract about 5 minutes from the cooking time if you're using glass!

Individual Taco Lasagna

My obsession with putting taco meat in everything continues! This one was pretty much a success, although very messy to eat (as I suppose most lasagnas are). Anyway, hope this inspires you to create your own 'taco' dishes! I got the idea for a pureed vegetable mixture from having dinner with a friend, who did it for fajitas.

Leftover-Chicken Parmesan

Have you ever had half a chicken breast left over after making chicken salad, and realized you'd rather chew off your own hand than have chicken salad yet again? Well, the hand-chewing thing may be a bit extreme, but everyone has had enough of chicken salad at some point. Anyway, make this instead! Any excuse to combine Parmesan cheese with tomato sauce is a good one.

Garlicky Swiss Chard

To be honest, I found the chard to be a bit bitter. I bet this would be awesome with spinach, though!

Individual Nectarine-Strawberry Crisp

I actually made this for breakfast, but it would also make a lovely dessert! Fruit, cereal, a bit of sugar and butter and voila: breakfast crisp for one. I got the idea from the blog The Chic Life, but I changed it up a bit -- my recipe seems a bit on the less-healthy side. What with the more butter and everything. Anyway, here it is.

Orange-Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

This little experiment turned out quite well! The sauce was nice and really came out well on the meat, while the vegetables still tasted a bit of ginger. I've never eaten this in a restaurant (though I've heard of it, obviously) so I can't say how it compares, but as an at-home stir-fry it was great!

'White-Trash' Grilled Cheese

This is the grilled cheese from the Kraft Singles commercials. It is also the grilled cheese I grew up with, only better, because we have a sandwich-press now. It's magical because it gets all flat and melty and perfect, the bread becoming the perfect foil for the cheese. Mmmmmm: cheese! I call it the white-trash grilled cheese because, in order to be its amazing self, it has to be made with ingredients that have virtually no redeeming nutritional value. Comfort food at its finest!

Warm Spinach, Orzo and Pistachio Salad

I love orzo! Okay, so the truth is I love basically everything. But I really really love pasta (like who doesn't?) and have been on a low-carb diet for quite some time now, so eating orzo was pretty amazing! This recipe was tangy and a nice combination of flavors. Without the spinach it would have been too much, but as-is it just kept from being overwhelming.

Pan-Seared Portabellas

Wow! I love mushrooms and, as it turns out, these are really nice! Hypothetically you could use any mushroom you want for this, but sometimes it's nice to use a giant mushroom, you know?

Steamed Asparagus

I love asparagus! Back in the old days I used to hate it, but for the last year or so I've really come to like it. This steamed way isn't my favorite, but it's nice to have options, to do things differently every once in a while.

Creamy Smashed Potatoes

Mmmmm: so creamy, so good! This is what mashed potatoes should be like. They were fluffy and well-blended and delicious, with hints of the different flavours and textures blending together so well. Best mashed potatoes ever!

Noodles with Hearty Tomato Sauce

Pasta with sauce is kind of my weakness. Well, one of them anyway. This one turned out pretty darn good, although next time I'm going to add more salt and pepper. It's a sauce almost from scratch, so you can feel good about it!

Maple Martini

This drink was smooth and creamy and delicious. If you like crem liqueurs, then this little treat is for you! It's supposed to be served in a martini glass, but since I didn't have one (as you can see from the picture) mine was poured into wine glasses.

Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

These cookies were a huge hit with everyone who ate them! The cookie is a bit denser than a normal cookie but still feels somehow fluffy, and isn't as sweet as you think it would be being so crammed full of chocolate. They were a great success! The number of cookies you get really depends on how big you decide to make them; I got about 5 dozen, which is quite a lot. The secret is to use really good quality cocoa: it should be dark with a deep smell to it.

Basil-Infused Strawberry Lemonade

I may not be the first person in my family to go to University, and even if I don't finish my program I won't even be the first the drop out of graduate school...but I am the first one to make lemonade from scratch! Woo: I finally achieved something unique around here! I never thought I'd do something like this, but I found the recipe on the blog Babyfood Scoops and just had to try it! In case you're wondering: yes, making it from scratch really does make a difference.