One of my resolutions for the new year is to read more books and as I’ve been cooking my way through Cravings, I’ve fallen in love with a type of book that wasn’t originally on my list, cookbooks, but even more so I’ve fallen in love with cooking. I don’t know what it is about the preparation of food, but it calms my every anxious worry or thought, the chopping of fresh vegetables into a dice, the slow simmer of a sauce, and the aroma of a Mirepoix on the stove, they’re my safe place, they remind me of all the smells and all the warmth of my mom cooking when I was little.

I was reading every book’s back cover in Target when I spotted Magnolia Table. as if it were meant to be, I opened it right up to the chicken enchilada recipe and immediately traded two books in my basket for this one instead. There’s something about the possibility of a cookbook that I get lost in and I’m glad I did, because so far everything has been amazing!

Chicken Enchiladas

The first recipe I tried was for Jo’s chicken enchiladas, is it too soon to pretend me and Joanna Gaines are on a nickname basis? Regardless, they were so good, not to mention simple! She frequents using a rotisserie chicken instead of having to cook chicken and it made this a really quick after work meal. The recipe is easy to follow, everything extra you need to buy that you wouldn’t have in your cupboard or fridge, you use all of it, so you don’t have a random container with 1/2 a cup of anything sitting leftover, and this makes enough that I took it for a few days after as my work lunch; bonus points, it reheated well too! The only thing I would maybe add is some spice! While this recipe was creamy, cheesy, and had all the makings of one of my favorite meals, I would maybe add some jalapeños to the garnish, or even bring a side of salsa to the table to spice things up. Other than that, this one is going to be a new staple meal for me!

Fettuccine

Is it crazy to say I spent an entire day thinking about fettuccine? Are you ever so in the mood for one particular thing that it is literally ALL you can think about? Is it weird that all I think about is pasta? I got home from work late one night, but that didn’t stop me from stopping at the grocery store on the way home to get noodles, butter, garlic, heavy cream, parmesan, and parsley. This recipe was delicious! I was so impressed with how the sauce turned out, it paired nicely with white wine, and the whole time I ate it I thought about the scene in The Holiday, where they eat Christmas fettuccine and decisively decided that this could be a forever Christmas fettuccine recipe incorporated into a new family tradition. The only bad thing? It does not heat up well! I should have cut the recipe in half, but I didn’t and had tons of leftovers, but when microwaved the sauce separates, so next time I’ll just have to eat all of it in one sitting, not a bad thing, right?

Beef Enchiladas

I made these for me, Darren, and my mom one night this week, and I swear they’re starting to think I am a good cook. Darren took seconds, and even I was impressed at just how good they turned out, and with such minimal effort. I browned beef, onions, and seasoning, as Darren fried tortillas, and this dish, especially with the green onion and sour cream garnish, was everything I ever needed for a “taco night” meal. It was delicious, and still is, I’m eating some leftover at the moment. This enchilada recipe had the perfect amount of spice, flavor, and cheese, it reheated like a dream, and is crunchy and gooey at the same time, what more can I ask for?!

Do you have a favorite recipe, or a favorite cook book, are you enjoying these mini reviews of the recipes I’m trying? Let me know in the comments!