Recent Recipe Reviews Round 2

1. One Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Oh how I love this easy mac and cheese recipe. There is something to be said for macaroni that takes a loooonnng time, maybe has eggs or bechamel...  but this one pot meal is delicious and quick to put together and I recommend you try some on any weeknight. It has been a family favorite of ours for years, and I am so thankful to have found it! I have made it with various kinds of cheese, and I sometimes add ham or bacon or peas depending on what I have in the house. I don't usually bake it with breadcrumbs, but you can to make it extra delicious.

2. The Kitchn's Instant Pot Beef Stew which was amazing. I didn't follow the exact recipe; I added extra broth, mushrooms, and barley... but these were a welcome addition and my husband thanked me multiple times for making such delicious stew. He is picky when it comes to stew, so I know this recipe is a winner.

3. Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This was delicious, and one of my first real sourdough successes. Aside from the bottom being a little dark (user error) it really came out wonderfully. I recommend this recipe to any beginning sourdough bread maker, since it was definitely a relatively easy win.

4. Betty Crocker's Baking Powder Biscuits

This recipe comes out perfect every. single. time. I always think I'm going to mess it up, because you guys I am a yankee. I do not hail from biscuit territory. I do not have special Lily brand flour or big hair or as much butter as Paula Deen. But y'all, these biscuits always come out good. They puff up gorgeously and are layers of biscuity deliciousness.

I let my kids use cookie cutters on these too, and they work great. Several friends swear by grating frozen butter into your dough, but for biscuits and scones I have always found that rushing through it with fridge-cold butter smushed between your fingers into pea sized clumps works perfectly well.

This is not Libby's pie. This is delicious, local farm made pie that I cannot get enough of. It was SO GOOD!

5. Libby's Pumpkin Pie Recipe (the one on the back of the can)

You guys, I really want to love this recipe. Everyone loves this recipe! For years, I have used it and loved it too. However, all that changed in the past two weeks when I had the most delicious pumpkin pie from a local farm here. That isn't the first time I've had pie from this farm, in fact, my family has been buying pies there since I was a little girl. This year though, I made the mistake of making a Libby's pie the week after I had that fantastic farm pie, and Libby's sure fell flat.

I don't know if I mixed it wrong or what, but my pie was overspiced, with too-brown crust and too-soft filling. It wasn't terrible pie, I still ate it of course (even mediocre pumpkin pie is a delicious thing)... but it wasn't the star recipe that I had thought it was. Now I'm going to have to hunt for a new one. Or maybe give Libby's another chance.

Do you have a favorite pumpkin pie recipe? Or have an opinion on Libby's? If so, I would love to hear, because my pie-pinions have been turned upside down.