Hello again! I'm back today with the Easter menu I prepared this year. So, from breakfast to dessert, here goes! I'd been saving this recipe for Strawberry Bread since last spring and decided to make it for breakfast. Definitely making this again! It was so good and moist, and more like a poundcake than a bread. I put out a bowl of chocolate eggs to go with it. After breakfast we had a meaningful time of worship and then finished up lunch preparations.***** Easter Menu Brown Sugar Glazed Ham (recipe below) Cheesiest Mac and Cheese Bacon and Pea Summer Salad (With one change: I cooked and crumbled the bacon because I didn’t have packaged bacon ... Read more
Hello, Instant Pot!
Any Instant Pot people out there? I may be way behind on the trend, but after having absolutely no interest for the last year in purchasing and making room in my cabinets for another appliance, I finally took the plunge and got one! What finally won me over? Well, besides learning that I could cook frozen meat in an hour, and dried beans in less than an hour without presoaking, what really stopped me in my tracks was hearing about the EASY PEEL EGGS!!! WHAT?! I love boiled eggs, egg salad, deviled eggs, you name it. But I absolutely loath peeling the eggs! So much so, that when I ask a hostess what I can bring to a meal, I’m secretly saying in my mind, “Please no deviled eggs, please ... Read more
New Year’s Menu 2020
Hello! It's back to my regular schedule this week, but, as promised, I want to quickly share some recipes from our New Year's Day lunch we enjoyed with our parents. After our moms have hosted all the holiday meals from Thanksgiving to Christmas, Joel and I like to take New Year's Day to treat them to a break from cooking and cleaning for company. Every year I go with the traditional New Year's pork, collards, peas, and cornbread, but this year we decided we needed a steak! Joel and I could not remember the last time we'd bought steaks, and thought it would be a nice surprise for everyone. New Year's Day Menu 2020: New York Strip Steak Shrimp and Bacon Stuffed Potatoes Roasted Parmesan ... Read more
‘Twas the Weekend Before Christmas….
'Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all through the house... every creature was stirring, and you better believe my table was set! With new dishes! Yay! I've always wanted a set of Christmas dishes. You know the ones with either a Christmas tree or a snowy scene or holly encircling the border of the dish? So when my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I decided on the dishes! He told me to pick them out and he would get them. I know, he's a keeper, right! I searched the entire internet, looking at patterns, reading reviews, and narrowing down my favorites. But then, I saw something I wasn't expecting: the prettiest solid green dishes with a textured lacy pattern! ... Read more
Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
We hosted a Christmas party for our Bible study group last night. Everyone brought their favorite finger foods and the assortment of savory goodies was outstanding, followed by yummy desserts and a s’mores bar! I’m still quite filled this morning, from both food and fellowship! We love our small group so much. One of the party foods I prepared was Pepperoni Pizza Rolls. Think of it as the pizza version of a cinnamon roll. Pepperoni Pizza Rolls Ingredients: 1 frozen loaf bread dough, thawed but not risen Pesto Shredded mozzarella Parmesan Pepperoni Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 12-x-18” (doesn’t have to be exact). Spread a layer of pesto in ... Read more
Holiday Brussels Sprouts
Hello, again! I’m posting Christmas recipes this week, and today I’d like to share one of my (and my kids’, believe it or not!) favorite holiday vegetables: Brussels Sprouts! Brussels sprouts used to get such a bad rap, but that’s simply not the case anymore. Up until a few years ago, the only option our grocers offered was frozen. Now that fresh sprouts are stocked in most food markets, they have definitely taken on a new reputation for being a tasty little leafy green! For a weeknight meal, I just roast the sprouts on a baking sheet with salt, pepper, and olive oil for a healthy side dish. They are delicious just like this! But for special occasions, I jazz them up with a few extra ... Read more
Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
Merry Christmas season, my friends! Christmas is in full swing here at the house, with Christmas movies, parties, shopping, wrapping, cooking, and baking going full throttle! I have so many posts I'd like to share this month, and since cooking and baking are two of my favorite aspects of any holiday, I'll start off with some recipe posts. Twice-Baked Potato Casserole is a perfect potato dish for any special occasion or holiday year round, and can be served alongside just about any meat. A friend gave me this recipe over twenty years ago when we were in the young marrieds group together at church. She served it at a couples' shower with pork tenderloin, and before the night ended, I was ... Read more
Thanksgiving Week in the Kitchen
Happy Thanksgiving week! I've had several recipe posts in mind leading up to this week, but with our busy school schedule and a computer crash, I just haven't been able to make them happen. However, I'm excited to report this week that not only are we on our holiday break from school, but I'm also sporting a new computer. So, hold on to your seats because you're about to get several recipe posts in one! The table above is from last year's Thanksgiving gathering. We hosted my husband's side of the family and enjoyed so many blessings from the time together. This year, we'll be eating with my side of the family at my parents' home and are expecting a large crowd. My parents have always been ... Read more