I know, I know, fried cheese isn't exactly news, or healthy for that matter, but what husband and kid doesn't like Fried mozzarella? My daughter and husband are nuts about fried mozzarella and every now and again I will treat them to this more sophisticated version - if there is really such a thing. Don't forget to serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

I love having soup for lunch in the winter and what better way to do it than with a hearty bean soup that is filling and delicious? I made this with dried beans so it took a bit longer than the recipe but the bean flavor was great. The tomatoes are roasted with carrots and onions giving the soup a strong roasted vegetable flavor that I particularly liked.

I made this for a potluck dinner and it was a huge hit. It's a very warm, comforting dish with lots of flavor.

I have found Orzo to be quite versatile and fun and I love trying out new things with it. This recipe is great for a weeknight meal as well as for a impromptu dinner party. The flavors have a real Mediterranean feel which I love and the presentation isn't too bad either.

I love pancakes but for some reason they just never taste great when I make them at home. Until now that is. This recipe is simply amazing. The secret ingredient is sour cream - that's right sour cream in pancakes! The result is very fluffy and very tasty pancakes. I didn't make the blueberry topping instead I use some of the pancakes to wrap-up sausage to make pigs-in-a-blanket and the others we ate with Maple syrup. This recipe makes a lot of pancakes so you may want to cut it in half or just freeze any leftovers by layering them in waxed paper so they don't stick together.