Here's something for tempting the palette...

A couple of times a month I will be sharing new recipes I have tried as part of our meal plan. We had another few recipes that were winners in this group - I think all are absolutely repeatable and I also think all of them were enjoyed by our ENTIRE family.  (This is a trait which makes any recipe worth its weight in gold.  Lots of pasta featured here, so you low carb types might want to look away.  Remember, I also repin the pins for all of the recipes I try through Pinterest on my board "I Made This" so make sure you are following!

Spicy Sausage Pasta - My aunt and I have this tried and true theory that pasta ALWAYS tastes better when you warm it up and eat it as leftovers the next day.  This pasta does not disappoint AND it also happens to taste AMAZING fresh off the stove (or out of the broiler, in this case.)  I cannot say enough good things about this pasta.  It is teeny bit on the spicy side even with the mild rotel, but The Incredible Hulk (who loves to call things "spicy" even when they aren't) devoured every bite.  As per the original poster's suggestion, I used both turkey sausage and campanelle - both made the dish even more fantastic.  My husband doesn't even like smoked sausage and still went and had seconds (plus I had to fight him for the leftovers.)  It's a little on the heavy side, so it would be perfect for a Sunday night dinner.  We will definitely be reprising this recipe in the winter months.  I just have to make sure I can guard the leftovers again...

Ingredients ready to go before cooking in the slow cooker.

Crock Pot "Fried" Rice - What an awesome and SIMPLE recipe for "fried rice" (fried in quotes because it's all cooked in the slow cooker, no frying about it.)  The night before we had this, we used a rotisserie chicken as filling for some quesadillas we made.  (By the way, if you haven't tried making chicken quesadillas using a rotisserie chicken, DEFINITELY check that out.  It is FAB.)  Knowing that the original poster for this recipe utilized leftover chicken, I bought a bigger chicken than usual and saved half of it to throw in the crock with the rice.  This plan worked out splendidly!  I used two of those Uncle Ben's "Boil-in-a-Bag" brown rices (also, these are total life savers), one diced yellow onion (some sliced scallions would be awesome in this as well) and some frozen peas/carrots.  Basically, you're throwing a mostly cooked meal (and one raw egg) into the crock pot for a few hours to warm up and cook together.  It could not be more simple and was absolutely delicious.  My husband and I could order Chinese takeout weekly and never get sick of it, but with the hefty delivery price, this is an incredible substitute.

Lemon Bruschetta Pasta (with Grilled Chicken) - This didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but it was, without a doubt, a successful recipe.  The flavor is light and fresh which makes me think it might be a better recipe for summer.  I did not use the recommended seasoning, opting instead for my own blend of seasoning.  Unfortunately, it resulted in me needing to add a lot of salt to the dish to make the other flavors come alive a little better.  Otherwise, it was absolutely perfect and I enjoyed the nice fresh sauce the romas cooked down to make.  (And basically anything that that involves fresh snips of basil is a winner in my book.)

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I'll be back sharing my newest meal plan (for October, my FAVORITE MONTH!) next week.  We're at the end of the month...did anyone try a meal plan for the first time (monthly or weekly)?  How did it go?  Share the good recipes!  We like to eat.

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