Creating a gingerbread house is one of the quintessential Christmas crafts: a combination of baking, constructing, decorating, and tasting. I have always wanted to bake a gingerbread house from scratch, but I have never gotten around to it. The pre-baked kits are well prepared and come with almost everything you need to create a delicious […]
How to Cook and Pumpkin
Every year I bake at least half a dozen pumpkins during the fall to use through the following year. The small sugar pumpkins are used for sweets and baking, and the large “Halloween” pumpkins are used for soups and stews. Yes, you can bake and eat a Halloween pumpkin too. Just don’t eat it after […]
How to Roast the Perfect Turkey
Preparing a turkey on Thanksgiving is the crème-de-la-crème for the home cook. It can be incredibly intimidating if you are new to cooking or have never prepared one by yourself before. But when you place the finished product on the table and everyone praises your efforts, there is nothing better. Serving undercooked or overcooked is […]
Pumpkin Chili
This recipe is for a super healthy vegetable packed chili. The pumpkin adds bulk without the calories of additional meat. The pumpkin was prepared using a large “Halloween” pumpkin rather than a sugar pie pumpkin, but you can use any pumpkin you have including Libby’s pumpkin puree. The larger pumpkin is less sweet and more squash-like […]
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are an American staple. They are gluten-free and easy to make. The best potatoes to make mashed potatoes are the brown russet potatoes. They are the easiest to peel. Ingredients 5 russet potatoes ½ -3/4 c milk ½ t salt ½ t pepper 2 T butter Wash the outer skin of […]
Pot Roast with Vegetable Gravy
This turned out to be one of my favorite meals in a while. I know I cook a lot, and my cooking is good, but this one turned out much better than expected. At first, I was disappointed because I had cut the carrot and vegetables too small, and they got very mushy during roasting. As […]
Spinach with cheese
This is a great way to get picky eaters to eat their vegetables. Cheese makes everything taste better. Ingredients 1 -8oz. package frozen spinach 3 green onions or ½ c white onion chopped ½ t garlic powder ½ c queso fresco or parmesan cheese 1 T butter Salt and pepper to taste Place frozen […]
Honey Ginger Glazed Carrots
Sweet candied carrots with a ginger twist. If you do not like ginger, you can substitute lemon. Ingredients 1 package baby carrots 1 T honey 2 t powdered ginger 1 t garlic 1 T butter Salt and pepper to taste In a 3 qt. sauce pan, place carrots with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a […]
Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll-ups
These are a super easy and delicious breakfast snack. The buttery crescent dough, salty ham, and creamy cheddar cheese go very well together. I brought these to a brunch that was filled with sweet pastries and cookies. The guests loved them, and the roll-ups were the first item to disappear even though I made three batches. These […]
Chocolate Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Icing
For a Christmas spin on chocolate cake, add eggnog. This recipe uses cake mix and prepared eggnog along with flavorings and spices to get that “I spent all day in the kitchen” taste without the mess or labor. The icing is a mix between buttercream and glaze to get a nice thick “melting snow” look. […]