{cooking}: my favorite things

I love to cook-and I especially love that I've got the time to do it (ideally).  Back when it was work and school, or even just work it was super hard to have a desire to cook-even though I do love it.  Now that I've been home I've really grown to love it-so I thought I would share a couple of my favorite things!!

• Bountiful Baskets:  If you haven't signed up for this YOU NEED TO!!  I love getting fresh fruit and veggies every weekend and it practically plans my meals for me!!  If I get potatoes we have Shepard's pie.  If I get tomatoes, we have bruschetta...cooking couldn't be easier then having some of those decisions made for you!
• Pesto:  Costco's pesto is SOO good and only $7 for the HUGE jar.  I love keeping it in the back of my fridge to toss up with some chicken, pasta and veggies.  It makes a super fast last minute meal fresh and easy!  It is also SOO good smothered on fish and then sprinkled with crushed Ritz and baked.
• Red Bell Pepper:  I have grown to love these because they are so sweet after you saute them!
• Cottage Cheese:  This is my new favorite breakfast.  I've really tried super hard to eat protein with every meal and this is perfect with fruit!
• Whole Wheat Flour:  in chocolate chip cookies.  Just half though-it makes a much heartier cookie and I get compliments every time I do it!!
• Whole Wheat Pasta: speaking of whole wheat-I love doing half and half with pasta too.  It makes a heartier meal and I feel like it brings out the good flavor in both.
• Homemade tortillas: are a cinch to make.  I had no idea they were so easy or I would have started making them from scratch a long time ago.  I already was in love with the ones you buy raw and make-but making up the dough and rolling them out is SUPER easy and SOO delicious!
• Frozen Chicken Breast/Frozen Fish Fillets:  I always keep in my freezer!  They thaw in 15 minutes in warm water and are super easy to just throw in the oven or in a skillet and eat with some veggies. 
• Good Knives:  are worth asking for for Christmas.  I promise.  Jon got me a set 2 years ago and I love them-it makes it so much easier to want to cook knowing I won't be sawing away at veggies-the knives falling apart in my hands.  He found a set for pretty cheap on Amazon and I love them!

This last week I made the most delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup...I know it's not really soup weather here right now but this was SOO good!  Of course it's a pioneer woman recipe and you can find it here, I can't recommend it enough!!  Happy Cooking :)