A variety of recipes to put on the 'to-try' list for 2015

I have been looking through some magazines that I put aside during the busy Christmas season. Most of the magazines that friends share with me are cooking and recipe magazines. As I looked through them, I started finding a few recipes that I want to try. I thought some of them were worth sharing and passing along to you.

Today there is no theme to the recipe column; it is a combination of recipes that are on the to-try list for this new year. Maybe you would like to try them as well.

Shrimp and Roasted Pepper Pizza

1 pound fresh or frozen peeled, cooked medium shrimp

1 recipe pizza dough

1 (12-ounce) jar Alfredo pasta sauce

2 tablespoons purchased dried tomato pesto

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips

3 tablespoons pine nuts

Thaw shrimp, if frozen; set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pizza dough as directed, using the individual size pizzas directions.

In a small bowl, combine Alfredo sauce and pesto. Spread evenly over dough in each pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Top pizzas with roasted peppers and the shrimp. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust bottom is crisp and brown. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Bruschetta-Topped Chicken

8 ounces uncooked whole wheat spaghetti

4 boneless skinless chicken breast (5 ounces each)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup prepared bruschetta topping

1/3 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle with pepper. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat 5-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Transfer to an 8-inch-square baking pan. Spoon bruschetta topping over chicken; sprinkle with cheeses. Broil 3-4 inches from heat 5-6 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Serve over spaghetti. Yield: 4 servings.

Southwest Mac-n-Cheese

6 slices sourdough bread

1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1 cup shredded chipotle Gouda

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup chopped sweet onions

4 ounces Spanish chorizo, chopped into small pieces

6 tablespoons butter, unsalted-divided use

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt-divided use

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 cups whole milk

10 ounces uncooked dry, medium shell pasta

1 teaspoon chili powder

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1/2 cup crushed nacho chips

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Trim and discard crust from bread then cut bread into 1/4-inch cubes. Line a 10x15-inch baking sheet with foil. Place cubes on baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until dry. Remove from oven and put in a medium mixing bowl, set aside.

Place all the shredded cheeses in a gallon plastic storage bag, seal and shake bag to combine. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside. Heat oil in a 8-inch nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions to skillet, saute for 3 minutes, add chorizo, saute for 3 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon to paper towels. In a 2-quart saucepan melt butter, remove 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle over bread cubes. Stir flour, 1 *¼ teaspoons salt, pepper and garlic powder into saucepan with melted butter. Gradually stir in milk, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat.

In 4 or 5 quart pot bring 2-quarts of water with 1 *½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add pasta, return to a boil cook for 6 minutes, pasta should be slightly under cooked, pour into colander, drain. Return pasta to cooking pot, sprinkle with chili powder, add white sauce and stir gently to combine. Add cooked onion and chorizo and 3 *½ cups of the cheese mixture, stir to blend all ingredients, cheese does not have to melt. Add crushed nacho chips, cilantro, and remainder of the cheese to bread cubes and toss to combine. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle bread mixture over top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Caramelized Carrots

1/3 cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of butter

Pinch of salt

Pinch of ground pepper

3 carrots, peeled and cut length wise

4 tablespoons of water

In a saucepan over medium heat, add in the ingredients and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and is thickened.

Thyme-Roasted Vegetables

2 pounds red potatoes, cubed (about 9 cups)

3 cups sliced sweet onions (about 1 1/2 large)

3 medium carrots, sliced

*½ pound medium fresh mushrooms, halved

1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 large sweet yellow pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine vegetables. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Roast 45-50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Yield: 10 servings (3/4 cup each).

Sweet Toffee Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 eggs

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

*½ teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/3 cups toffee bits

1/2 cup coconut, flaked

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease cookie pans lightly.

In a large bowl, beat well: the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to the bowl a third at a time and blend in. Add the oats, toffee bits and coconut, beat slowly just until the ingredients are mixed well or stir with a spoon. Using a teaspoon create rounded teaspoon dough balls and drop onto cookie pan leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, approximately. They are done when they just start to turn brown around the edges. Cool them for one minute only and move to a wire rack. Cool a bit more, they are good warm with milk! Makes 4 *½ dozen cookies.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.