When I made this recipe, I was very impressed by the simplicity of it all and how it turned out to taste quite well. However, I made some changes: I didn't have bacon, so I used pork-bacon sausage that I had. It added just as much flavor. I also did not shred my cheese, I cubed it and stirred some in last minute, and also garnished with a few cubes to make it look more appealing and less dull. I added some spinach for green color and just a HINT of hot sauce (mexican hot sauce in my case, I like to add some spice to things). The soup was VERY filling and very much a comfort food. Also for visual appeal, I pureed HALF of the soup to make it creamy, and added the rest back to it for texture. I added a tiny bit of heavy cream swirled in last minute.

I had very, very high hopes for this recipe. I followed everything VERY closely, except I used more sausage. In fact, I used spicy and sweet italian sausages, so I'm not sure what went wrong. I have to say that the lasagna ended up VERY bland. My boyfriend SAID he loved it, but I'm positive he was just covering up for it. What he really meant to say: his mom's lasagna was better, which is what I was trying to beat, of course! I personally believe that where this went wrong is the lack of seasoning in the ricotta. There should be a little more. It doesn't really matter WHAT season you want to add to spice things up, but whatever you DO decide to add... add a bit more of it.

This is a VERY similar recipe to something I threw together off of the top of my head. I change things occasionally just by a little bit: I personally prefer a little more curry, so I increase that just by flavor. Anyone familiar with curry would know you add it to your liking. Also, I like to add those thin, translucent rice noodles? I can't remember the exact name, but if I don't feel like rice, those noodles cook so darn quickly and blend perfectly with the soup.

I used to make these as a child. I don't remember if I got the recipe out of class for a food/craft day, or if I found them in one of my children's cookbooks. Either way, they're easy to throw together and fun for children because they look like a pile of twigs. you could even use chocolate instead of butterscotch on Halloween to create creepy muddy bones (obviously use melted white chocolate and 'paint' the 'bones'). They're so easy to make, nice and cruncy, and they keep for a long time. I like to make them and shove them in a jar, or give them out to people. It's kind of a funny little recipe that you look at and think, "Wow, that's boring," but really, it's a nice treat when you don't want to bake anything spectacular.

It's super simple and honestly, REALLY good compared to the other kalua pig recipes I've had made someplace other than the ground in Hawaii. I went to Hawaii once, ate the most AMAZING pig, and have been sad at the thought of not having it again for a VERY long time - and then I found this recipe! I used less salt (couldn't tell you how much less, I just know I didn't want that much) and stuck with the norm on everything else except the weight of the roast and the time. I do about half or three quarters of the weight (I'm only feeding myself and my boyfriend, and we have leftovers for days), and I only cook it from morning (about 6am) to when we eat dinner (about 5pm). It's AWESOME.