I created chaosinthekitchen four years ago to chronicle my personal recipe box for family and friends.  Its popularity over the years with people I’ve never had the pleasure to meet in person has been a tremendous, humbling surprise.  I am forever grateful to all of you who have read and shared and participated on this site.  Since changing my work schedule to a traditional Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 shift, the quick favorites in the recipe box have become even bigger players in our lives.  I have also come to terms with the idea that we eat breakfast for dinner, jarred spaghetti sauce, and macaroni and cheese (still homemade at least) much more frequently these days.

I’ve never posted many side dishes on this site because we primarily eat steamed broccoli or some other simple vegetable with our meals.  These sweet potatoes are an example.  Simply scrubbed and popped in the microwave for 8 minutes, perfectly “baked” sweet potatoes ready while the table is being set.  I hadn’t shared them with you before because its not really a recipe, but as it’s a side we’ve been enjoying a lot more often lately-with a chicken breast, piece of fish, or small steak and the ever present steamed broccoli-I thought you might enjoy it as well. (...)
Click here for the recipe Chipotle and Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes

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My mom’s Shepherd’s Pie is one of my favorite recipes from childhood.  Every now and then she makes a few small pies and gives me one to heat up on a busy weeknight. I am always thrilled to dig beneath the warm potatoes to the tender beef and vegetables.  She is the one who actually turned me on the the Shepherd’s Pie at the Cheesecake Factory-one of our favorite restaurant dishes.  It’s luxurious and rich with mushrooms and zucchini and an amazing gravy.  Our quick, easy version doesn’t hold a candle to it.

I don’t typically make Shepherd’s Pie myself but I have always wanted to re-create that rich, meaty pie from the Cheesecake Factory.  I think I may have actually stumbled upon an even better recipe.  It’s not a quick dish but it’s not hard and once you’ve got it in the baking dish you can refrigerate it or freeze it until you are ready.  It’s a good long, slow weekend dish: one that takes some time but gives you plenty of delicious leftovers for the week.  (...)
Click here for the recipe Copycat Cheesecake Factory’s Shepherd’s Pie (but better!)

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These little candies don’t look like much but trust me they are something special.  The butterscotch chips mixed into the semi-sweet chocolate smells amazing and leave people wondering what secret ingredient makes them so addictive!  They are a Christmas tradition in my office and but you will find them a welcome treat any time of year.  This recipe makes a lot of candies so be ready to give them away.  If it doesn’t make quite enough for all of your friends and family, then luckily it is easy enough to make more.

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Click here for the recipe Chocolate Haystacks Candy

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Am I too late to post about apple pie?  Are apples too fallish to celebrate at the end of December?  All who know me know of my unending love affair with pie of all types.  I can’t pick a favorite but apple is definitely one of my must-haves.  As soon as the air gets crisp and the leaves start to fall I start to crave all things apple and I don’t stop until summer’s berries and peaches take over.

I haven’t posted an apple pie recipe in the last few years because I wanted to find a favorite, signature pie.  Over the years though I have most enjoyed fruit pies that are exactly what they should be: tart with just enough sugar wrapped in a tender crust and baked until the juices are thick and the fruit is soft.  They don’t need anything extra to be delicious (except maybe a scoop of vanilla melting slowly over the top).  (...)
Click here for the recipe Apple Pie

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This wonderful rice casserole is one of my mother-in-law’s holiday side dishes but it is delicious and comforting with any meal.  It bakes in the oven leaving you time to worry about your other dishes.  Her original recipe calls for a can of sliced mushrooms and a can of condensed french onion soup but the french onion soup has gotten difficult to find so this year we fancied it up with fresh sliced mushrooms, sauteed onions, and beef stock.  (...)
Click here for the recipe Oven-Baked Mushroom Rice Pilaf

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