We’re right in the thick of football season, and baseball season is coming to a close, so it’s the perfect time to get some delicious snacking in (and what better excuse?).

Nachos seem to be the penultimate sports-watching snack. Pretty much the only constant are tortilla chips and cheese, with other toppings ranging from beans, chili, chiles, sour cream, tomatoes, quacamole — the list goes on! The great thing about nachos is that they can be easily tailored to individual tastes and preferences, and can be a casual presentation with a big pile of chips with toppings dumped on top, or …read more

I never really would have thought you could make your own candy corn at home until one of my family members sent me a link with instructions. She knows how much I love candy corn so being able to make my own at home might be trouble!

Your candy corns won’t look the same as the ones you buy at the store, and they do taste a little different (the store bought are usually flavored with honey) but that’s ok — you’ll still impress your family, kids and friends when you present them with these!
Homemade Candy Corn
from suite101
2-1/2 cups of powdered …read more

Though you have to be careful what holiday treats you let your dogs have, here’s a fun one that includes pumpkin for a yummy seasonal flavor (well, to us anyway — I don’t think the dogs care what season it is!).

Make sure you plan ahead though, as the treats need to sit in the oven overnight to completely dry out. You can also make them a little bigger or a little smaller, depending on your dog’s size.
Pumpkin Dog Treats
from best dog treat recipes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry milk
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon …read more

I don’t know why, but we always have donuts with our chili for Halloween dinner. I can’t figure out how a sweet pastry was paired up with a bowl of hot chili, especially since the kids leave for trick or treating not long after anyway!

Though ours were always store-bought when I was growing up, I think this year I’m going to make my own. That way I can also have some fun with the glaze or sugar by adding some orange or black food coloring for the kids to dip the donuts into.
If you don’t feel like going to the …read more

One of my favorite ways to take care of breakfast for my family is to have it either prepped and ready to go by morning, or to have it completely done by morning. I especially like things like cinnamon rolls that can hang out in the fridge overnight before being put in the oven first thing in the morning, and I love doing oatmeal in my slow cooker during the night as well.

The most important thing to keep in mind when you’re leaving the slow cooker on when you’re sleeping is to make sure there is absolutely nothing around it …read more

Yesterday afternoon I realized that I had some apples sitting on the counter that should be used pretty soon. I had bought a bunch last week and the kids had snacked on them over the last few days, but the last four sitting there were begging to be baked into something.

I didn’t have enough for my usual apple pie and I wanted to shake things up a bit anyway. I did a search for apple recipes and came across this one for a Sour Cream Apple Pie. I had never heard of it before and luckily I had everything on …read more

During the cooler months I like to spend a bit more time on my kids’ breakfast. That’s not to say they don’t still get the “quicker” breakfasts like cereal or a bagel — especially on a school day — but on the mornings that I know I’ll have a few extra minutes I’ll fire up the oven and pull out a casserole dish.

Thankfully, my kids all like oatmeal, and though they’ll eat it with a little bit of brown sugar and milk, I like to surprise them every so often by adding fruit or baking it, like this baked apple …read more

Bologna isn’t really a food I would have expected to get its own “national” holiday, though if you think about it, as one of the most popular lunch foods in the U.S., it makes more sense! But did you know you could do more with it than just make a sandwich?

National Bologna Day is this Friday, October 24th. A sausage that’s typically sliced for sandwiches, bologna is available in a lot of varieties, like beef, chicken, and turkey, and can also contain various spices.
It doesn’t need to be just for lunch anymore either, and you don’t need to resort a …read more

The slow cooker is the perfect kitchen appliance to make homemade split pea soup. The canned stuff just can’t compare to the yummy smell of this thick, comforting soup!

When I make split pea soup, before I take the ham off the bone I like to use an immersion blender on the peas at the end of the cooking time to get a nice, creamy texture, and then add the ham back in. You can also carefully pour it into a blender as well — just make sure you put a cloth over the top just in case, it’ll be very …read more

One of my favorite things about fall is the excuse to use pumpkin for pretty much anything. From muffins to cakes to breads and even cheesecake, you can add pumpkin to pretty much anything.

Whether you make this for dessert for Thanksgiving (a nice twist on traditional pumpkin pie) or even sooner for a Halloween party or other get-together, it’s sure to be a hit and may even convert those who don’t like pumpkin pie (I can’t even imagine!).
Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
adapted from yahoo food
1 1/2 cups finely crushed ginger snaps
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 (8 ounce) …read more