Amy Jean’s Kitchen Returned?
If you have been around this little corner of the internet for awhile then you might remember one of my longest running series centered on food called Amy Jean’s Kitchen. In this series my goal was to cook my way through every cookbook I owned, rating recipes, and hoping against all hope that maybe forcing myself to cook would result not only in some actual cooking knowledge, but also, a love for cooking. Spoiler alert….my lack of love for cooking hasn’t changed much and the series died like my motivation during my ADHD side quests, before I was even halfway through one cookbook. HOWEVER, during my latest rebrand I have stepped into the role of gym girlie with a need to meal prep which sparked my desire to go back out on the hunt for new recipes and share them with you once again. In the word’s of Pitbull, “I’m bringing it. I’m bringing it. I’m bringing it back.” So welcome to the new Amy Jean’s Kitchen. Welcome to My Kitchen Chaos Adventures.
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One of my goals with this new series is to force myself to FINALLY make the dishes I have been saving across my different social media accounts so this first section is dedicated to them.
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Cheesy Cajun Potato Soup - Makayla Thomas
I LOVE a good potato soup. Arguably, in my mind, it is the best kind of soup out there…which really just means I have very very high expectations for any recipe I attempt. This recipe was a lot less work than the previous Pioneer Woman one I had tried (and love) previously in my Amy Jean’s Kitchen days so I was unsure of how the flavor would compare. I’m going to tell you right now though that I had no reason to worry. This soup was a flavor explosion and made all my potato soup dreams come true. (Although I will say it definitely did NOT have ANY cajun flavor to it in my opinion.) Absolutely delicious and a must try recipe if you are a potato soup lover like myself.
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Would make again? Without a doubt.
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Recipe linked here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR5yEUIjEUA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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Crockpot Lasagna - Macy Blackwell
As a lazy cook I LOVE a good set it and forget it meal (as long as I remember to set it and forget it with enough time to actually cook lol). AND, as a carb fiend, I also love me some pasta. When I saw this recipe combining those two magical elements I knew I had to give it a try. Unfortunately though this recipe missed the mark for me. The ravioli didn’t cook right in the crockpot leaving a lot of it crusty and dry and the whole dish was missing that ooey gooey cheesy saucy goodness of lasagna that makes it hit every time. I guess it goes back to the whole, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” line.
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Would make again? No. From here on out we are making lasagna the classic (and truthfully already pretty easy) way.
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Recipe Linked Here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSAW8SRke2K/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese - Cooking in the Midwest
Buffalo mac and cheese. A flavor combination that I will do all I can to get my grubby little fat kid fingers on. So, with that said, it comes as no shock to anyone that I was excited to try this recipe out. Unfortunately in the end it was operator error that landed this recipe on the “redemption needed” block. Sometimes, while in the kitchen, the darndest thing happens; I forget how to read. In this case, it led me to forget to add the sour cream to the crockpot, which contributed to the dish lacking the creamy texture seen in the TikTok video and left my heart aching just a smidge. However, the addition of extra buffalo sauce and sour cream AFTER removing servings from the crockpot managed to save the dish enough to enjoy.
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Would make again? Yes. Without forgetting to add the sour cream. *sigh*
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Recipe linked here: https://cookinginthemidwest.com/blog/crockpot-buffalo-chicken-macaroni-and-cheese/
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For this next section I am going back to my roots and featuring recipes from cookbooks! Yes…cooking through my cookbooks IS BACK BABY. All of the following dishes came from the Supernatural cookbook and were featured during my celebration for my “husband” Dean Winchester’s birthday! ;)
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Mark of Cain Smoothie - Supernatural Cookbook
Sorry for the blurry picture. I took a video of this for a tiktok that has yet to be posted and of course forgot to take an actual picture of it. Sooo blurry screenshot is the best I got.
Y’all I’m going to be honest. There is probably not a fruit based smoothie on this planet that I will not enjoy. They are my freaking jam and this one, this one is a winner. There isn’t a single thing in this smoothie I don’t like and it even has some green snuck in with the addition of some spinach. Which coincidentally is exactly how I like my spinach; hidden to the point where I can’t tell if it is even in there. lol
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Would make again? Yes.
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Cocktail Weenies Two Ways - Supernatural Cookbook
Initially this was supposed to be cocktail weenies three ways buuut I am not a huge fan of bacon wrapped things (it is hella crispy bacon or nothing…sue me) so two ways it is! First was the classic pigs in a blanket (minus the cheese because I forgot to buy it at the store) while the second was arguably one of the best ways to have little smokies, crockpot BBQ style. There was a nice welcomed tang to the BBQ smokies I quite enjoyed and the pigs in a blanket were still just as addicting as expected.
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Would make again? Yes to both!
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Chicken Taquitos - Supernatural Cookbook
I am convinced taquitos are forever my cooking downfall. No matter how hard I try or what recipe I follow, I can never seem to make them taste as good or better than the frozen taquitos. Yeah I said it. I LOVE the frozen taquitos. The mush that probably isn’t even real meat mixed with the trademark crunch of the tortilla shell just hits every single time. These on the other hand just ended up being another rendition of chicken burritos. Good flavor just not the taquitos I was hoping, wishing, and praying for.
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Would Make Again? No. BUT solely because I cannot face the disappointment caused by my own inabilities. The flavor was 100% on point!
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Scarecrow Apple Pie - Supernatural Cookbook
Like my “hubby” I am a pie fanatic so of course there had to be pie to celebrate him on his day! I decided to keep it classic with an apple pie and y’all it was delicious. Definitely a good bit of work, but it was so so worth it.
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Would make again? Sure. However, I am very partial to buying already made pies as I don’t want to wait to enjoy the best food ever created. lol
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So that is going to do it for adventure #1! I hope you guys enjoyed reading about what I have been cooking lately, hearing my thoughts, and maybe even finding some recipe inspo for yourselves! I am actually really excited to see where this series goes and I hope you are too! See y’all in the next adventure!