Many times when I go to a party, potluck or some other function, I end up finding a great new dish that I’d like to make myself.  When I complement the person, they say, “Oh, it’s really easy.  You just need a little broccoli, some onions, a little this, and a little of that.”  It’s so frustrating because you can’t repeat the dish without the recipe.

Then Wednesday I made a sausage and spinach quiche.  Wouldn’t you know it, someone asked me what was in it.  I think I said something like, “Uhhhhh, some sausage, eggs, spinach, cheese, uhhhh.  Hmmm. Let …read more

Fall is here and many of you are looking to cook and bake with yummy ingredients such as pumpkin, cinnamon, and apples.  I’ve searched the internet and found 20 great sounding pumpkin recipes.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal at GoodLife Eats
Pumpkin Waffles at Smitten Kitchen
Black Bean Pumpkin Soup at Smitten Kitchen
Pumpkin Spice Latte from Kettle and Cup
Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte from A Year of Slow Cooking
Creamy and Spicy Pumpkin Soup (low carb) at Low Carb Diets
Spicy Pumpkin Bisque at About.com Home Cooking
Baked Stuffed Pumpkin at About.com Home Cooking
Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake at Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup at Think …read more

Now that October is here, we can fully embrace fall.  When I think of fall desserts, I think of cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, and warm sweet goodness.  I’ve been surfing the web for fall inspired desserts that I thought you might enjoy.

Pumpkin treats
Texan Pumpkin French Toast
Pumpkin Latte
Pumpkin Cookies (with cream cheese icing)
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Napoleons
Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Espresso Cakes with Pumpkin
Pumpkin Spice Cake
Scrumptious Pumpkin Parfait

Apple treats
My Favorite Apple Cake Recipe
Caramel Apple Bars
Caramel Apple Pie
Chocolate Caramel Apples with Sprinkles
Apple Dumpling Dessert
Apple Upside-Down Cake
Apple Bread
Apple Pear Crisp
Blushing Apples
Weight Watchers Low Point Options:
Apple Pie
Warm Pear Cobbler
Pear Upside Down Cake with …read more

I have never purchased a store made cake for my kids’ birthdays.  For a few years, I was fortunate to have my mom make the cakes for me.  Due to travel reasons, my mom can’t make the cakes any longer so I try to save money by finding something cute that I can do myself.  Usually I do quite a bit of searching on the internet, decide on some options I can do myself, and then present those to my kids to choose from.  Here are some cool cakes and cupcakes I’ve found.

Animals

frog cupcakes
barn cake with farm animal cupcakes
pony cake
panda cake
monkey cake
dinosaur cake

Sports

easy …read more

School is back in swing, football season has begun, and many parents are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of work, school, homework, sports, and cooking. Quaker Maid has shared a few recipes with us to make dinner time a little less stressful.
 
Easy Meatball Dinner

One 15 oz. can whole potatoes, drained, rinsed, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped onions
14.5 oz. beef broth
32 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
12 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
Approx. 15 oz. meatballs.

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, onions, beef broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, pepper and vegetables. Bring to a boil on …read more

I just have to say a big shout of CONGRATULATIONS to my friend and fellow blogger Marye Audet.  Marye has been enthusiastically blogging away at Kettle and Cup and Baking Delights for quite a while now.  I’m always amazed at her creativity and inventive spirit.  I don’t know how she does it.  Now, she is a published author!

If you’re looking for something yummy to make for your family or just to drool, you should check out her sites.  You can find Marye at Kettle and Cup, Baking Delights, Everything Cookies and Brownies, and MaryeAudet.com.  Marye’s not just baking up cooking …read more

Occasionally, I have told you about some kitchen gadgets and products that I have found useful in my kitchen.  These are items that I feel are essential for my cooking needs.  Today, I want to tell you about a kitchen gadget that I feel is unnecessary; it is the spoon rest.

I have seen spoon rests in people’s houses.  The spoon rest sits on top of the stove and many times it will match their decor.  I just sits there, usually unused.  One time I asked a relative about the gadget and asked her why she used one.  She said to …read more

Real Simple is known for their great ideas to simplify life.  I was at their site today and found a handy tool for planning a no-fuss dinner.  You can have a healthy and delicious meal on the table in 30 minutes or less.  With these options, there is no excuse not to cook.

Go to RealSimple.com/20MinuteMeals, answer three quick questions and you’ll be given a list of recipes from which to choose.  Here are the questions and possible answers:
1)  What is your main ingredient?

poultry
meat
pasta/vegetarian
seafood

2)  What is your preferred cooking method?

stove/oven
no cook
grill

3)  How much cooking time do you have?

15 to 20 minutes
25 …read more

A few weeks ago, I gave you the recipe for the ridiculously easy blueberry cobbler.  This recipe only requires five ingredients – butter, sugar, self-rising flour, milk, and fruit.  Harris Teeter had a big sale on strawberries so I decided to make a strawberry cobbler.  Since we were having company, I doubled the recipe.  Here it is before putting it in the oven to bake.

And after baking . . .

Mmmmmm. Warm delicious goodness. And oh so easy to do.
So far, I’ve tried this recipe with canned peaches, blueberries, and strawberries.  It’s simple to switch it around according to your tastes and …read more

You may be looking at the title of this post and be wondering what in the world is sharing prepared foods.  I’ll share a little story of how this worked for me.

Several years ago before I had children, I had a very close friend.  We did almost everything together.  We were both married without children and we shared similar interest and faith.  We went to church together, shopped for clothes and groceries, clipped coupons for one another, watched movies, went out to eat, and hung out together.  
My friend and I also did a lot of cooking.  Sometimes my husband and …read more