So, maybe it’s because I’ve spent my Friday night eating chocolate chip cookies and weeding through old recipes, or maybe it’s because I finally got around to revamping the ELR recipe index after years of disorganization (prepping to launch a temporary new blog design as we work on ELR 2.0–yay!), but I just feel compelled to share my Top 5 favorite recipes ever featured on this blog with y’all. Speaking of cookies, the winner of the Thursday Cookies is comment number 534–Ashley! Ashley please email me at jenna [at] eatliverun.com to claim your victory cookies!
Pull up a chair and get your apron ready. It’s go time.
I love this chili for so many reasons, but most of all because it’s my mom’s recipe and brings back memories of my youth. Sigh. We used to eat this chili over elbow macaroni with heaps of grated cheddar cheese on top. Just looking at this photo both makes me hungry and reminds me that fall is right around the corner…which reminds me that I’m going to a college football game in the SOUTH next weekend and can’t wait!
Please try to see beyond my awful photography circa 2008 and just see the beauty of this dish for what it is: shrimp, garlic, butter, pasta and bread. Did I just pasta and bread in the same sentence? Yes. Yes, I did.
I’ve clearly got football season on my mind now. Baked beans? Tailgating? Chicken? Cornbread? Done and done. This recipe is my go-to side dish recipe for any and every event and it’s slightly on the sweet side. If you’ve never tried homemade baked beans you’ve never truly lived. Trust me on this.
Spicy, hearty, healthy….what more could you ask for? I need more channa masala in my life. Stat.
This recipe deserves two photographs because it’s clearly a winner-winner-chicken-dinner!
I don’t know what was better: the taste of this homey, creamy delicacy topped with flaky, buttery, cheddar cheese biscuits…. or the look on Almanzo’s face when he first tasted it.
I mean, really. Chicken & Biscuits for the win.
Becki @ HikeBikeEat
August 27, 2010 at 10:36 pmI made your channa masala a month or two back and it was AMAZING! Definitely needs to make an appearance again soon!
Sarah
August 27, 2010 at 10:39 pmMy dad is well known for his homemade baked beans. And now I’m spoiled and won’t eat them any other way…
And boy would I love to try your winner-winner-chicken-dinner!
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write
August 27, 2010 at 10:45 pmI remember both 1 and 2 as items I decided I’d want to cook from your blog. My fam is from kentucky, so chicken and biscuits is right up my alley.
I hope you’re having a great night!
Mastering Public Health (@MasPublicHealth)
August 27, 2010 at 11:21 pmHomemade baked beans tutorial, please! 🙂
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
August 27, 2010 at 11:33 pmExcited to see ELR 2.0.
I didn’t have a much more exciting night. I could have used some warm choco chippers around here though ; )
Shannon, Tropical Eats
August 27, 2010 at 11:50 pmcounting down the days til college football! september 4th 🙂 those baked beans do look yummy!
Nancy @ The Wife of a Dairyman
August 27, 2010 at 11:55 pmThe baked beans with the cornbread look SO good right now! I just arrived home from a Sacramento River Cats game and I shouldn’t be hungry after ball park food, but if I had a plate of beans and cornbread in front of me, I would not have a problem eating the entire thing:)
Nicole - yuppie yogini
August 27, 2010 at 11:56 pmThe channa masala looks good….I’ve never made that but like it at restaurants.
amanda
August 28, 2010 at 3:34 amI am really drooling over these pictures!
sarah
August 28, 2010 at 3:52 amI made those baked beans a while ago and they were very delicious! I have found the way you write recipes so easy to follow and as someone who isn’t very fond of cooking, I’m starting to improve my skills!
LisaR
August 28, 2010 at 3:53 amI love how your blog has a totally new feel to it. It stands out from the other blogs, and thats awesome! I still love and read the other blogs but this is just a nice fresh change from it all 🙂
Lauren at KeepItSweet
August 28, 2010 at 4:18 ami can’t wait for fall and an excuse to eat chilli!
Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble)
August 28, 2010 at 4:30 amWow, drooling. Everything looks delicious. What awesome comfort foods!!
xo
Kris
Sara @ myfancytuna.blogspot.com
August 28, 2010 at 4:46 amYep, next weekend is definitely game day at UGA and people are ravenous for some football, even if we are playing a high school team.
I won’t be attending said game 🙂 Mwahaha!
Staceyhttp://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/
August 28, 2010 at 4:54 amI remember all of those recipes.
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
August 28, 2010 at 4:55 amAhhh I love chicken and biscuits. Tastes like home!
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down)
August 28, 2010 at 5:14 amMmm…chicken and biscuits would top my list too. What a great idea to list your top 5. 😀
Chelsey
August 28, 2010 at 5:30 amMy family will totally appreciate that baked beans recipe – thanks for the reminder of some of your faves!!!
Errign
August 28, 2010 at 5:31 amHey Jenna,
When you say tomato sauce in your baked bean recipe, do you mean tomato puree? Thanks! The recipes all look fabulous!
Tina
August 28, 2010 at 5:40 amI love knowing bloggers’ favorite recipes. You always wonder which ones steal their hearts more than others.
Angharad
August 28, 2010 at 5:46 amChana masala would defo be on my top five list. I make it slightly differently to you but im sure the smiles on our faces are the same. Spicy for the win!
eatmovelove
August 28, 2010 at 5:46 amDefinitely a Southern girl. And this has football and fall season written all over it!
Chelsea (Chelsea's Chew and Run Fun)
August 28, 2010 at 6:47 amOh man, these are all so hearty and delicious looking! I’m really looking forward to the release of your cookbook specifically for recipes like this, not mention all of your wonderful writing.
Joelle (The Pancake Girl))
August 28, 2010 at 7:04 amI can’t wait to try that chicken and biscuits recipe in my new kitchen!!
sarah k. @ the pajama chef
August 28, 2010 at 7:43 amthese look amazing. i can’t wait for fall!
Alyssa
August 28, 2010 at 7:48 amI love turkey chili! I make mine sweet and spicy!
~Alyssa
Kristen @ That Hoosier Girl
August 28, 2010 at 8:03 amThe chicken and biscuits remind me so much of growing up!
Marie
August 28, 2010 at 8:14 amOhh man, I can’t wait to try the chicken and biscuits recipe (with seitan instead of chicken!). I hope it comes out okay 🙂
monicanelsonfitness
August 28, 2010 at 8:20 amGreat top 5! I hear ya on the Channa Masala.:) BTW, I had a dream last night that I won the cookies and I am sad it was a dream,lol 🙁 Maybe next time, eh!
Kristen
August 28, 2010 at 8:40 amThe chili and chicken and biscuits look really yummy. I think i’m going to try both sometime.
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
August 28, 2010 at 9:20 amOooh, I think I want to make that channa masala very soon. I remember bookmarking it when you first posted it and now you’ve reminded me of it!
Kim@BudgetOrganicLiving
August 28, 2010 at 9:53 amI am excited about college football too! You will have a blast in College Station, they LOVE their football down there.
Your chicken and biscuits reminds me of my hearty and creamy chicken soup. I am looking forward to a cool fall day so I can make it.
And i am going to have to make your homemade baked beans for my husband. He loves baked beans and I have never made them from scratch.
Laughter-Loving Stacy
August 28, 2010 at 9:57 amlol, so funny you posted this. I bought all the ingredients for the chili last night and plan to make it tonight! I’m also going to make your granola, haha. 🙂
Kayla @ Let's Live Wholesome
August 28, 2010 at 10:35 amI had to make biscuits the other day in foods class (okay, had to? I wanted to) and they were SO delicious. We used Crisco and they were simply perfection 🙂
Annie@stronghealthyfit
August 28, 2010 at 12:08 pmI might try that chana masala recipe soon… I want to learn how to make Indian food!
eatmovelove
August 28, 2010 at 12:30 pmI Love this new layout! Wow.
A Teenage Gourmet (Sami)
August 28, 2010 at 12:49 pmThese look awesome! But I hope you know how much I love the PEANUT BUTTER STEAL CUT OATS. 😀
Monique@She's Going The Distance
August 28, 2010 at 1:12 pmInteresting that all of your recipes are very winter-y or fall-ish… I sense some of these coming back on the blog very soon, huh??
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
August 28, 2010 at 1:40 pmYAY for Thesis!!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
August 28, 2010 at 1:40 pmYAY for Thesis!!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
August 28, 2010 at 1:54 pmI’m so excited to eat tons of chili again in the fall! It is the food to cozy up with on a chilly night!
Rachael
August 28, 2010 at 1:56 pmYour recipe index is always great for inspiration! I recently used a version of the channa masala in a stuffed pepper recipe, and it was pretty amazing.
Chicken and biscuits – all Southern-esque recipes are making me homesick. North Carolina in less than a month!
Enjoy your weekend.
Penny (VEGGIEtarian)
August 28, 2010 at 2:01 pmLove the new layout Jenna. Looks really good. It looks cleaner and more organized. Good job. 🙂
lori
August 28, 2010 at 2:26 pmthank you, thank you, thank you for updating your recipe index!!! I am so happy to be able to find them all in one place, and they are fantastic recipes to boot. My family has been really enjoying them:)
Jordan
August 28, 2010 at 2:40 pmI used the chocolate chip cookie recipe on your website to make my boyfriend a cookie cake for his birthday! I accidentally cooked it on broil … oops, but it turned out more than delicious! The chicken and biscuits looks so delicious!
Caitlin
August 28, 2010 at 3:07 pmSO(oooo) psyched for college football! Go bears (even though we aren’t ranked this year)! Cal games are super-fun when you sit in the student section, so I can only imagine how incredible a game is in the south.
Also I’m really glad to find a baked bean recipe because I’ve yet to find a canned vegetarian version that I like. Thanks!
Marie
August 28, 2010 at 3:15 pmthanks for sharing these, i’ve got to try the chicken and biscuits!
Diana @ frontyardfoodie
August 28, 2010 at 3:34 pmMmmm looks like chicken and dumplings! I used to make that all the time…..maybe I really should eat meat again.
Heather
August 28, 2010 at 4:50 pmi absolutely love the new design by the way…i feel like before everything looked a little crowded (just in the in between stage) but now it’s beautiful!
Julie
August 30, 2010 at 9:30 amThat chili looks so good! I’m going to have to make it. Also, the chicken&biscuits. Your chana masala recipe has actually become my go-to recipe when I want something delicious, quick, and.. delicious. 🙂 Plus, the bf LOVES it, too! win win. I actually just came back from Austin for work. Beware, it’s HOTTTT.