Have you noticed how simple my recipes are? This one is not an exception. The hardest part is cutting the squash into thin strips (mine are not perfect 1/4 inch thin strips). I have seen pictures of a kitchen tool that will julienne your vegetables for you, but I have never tried one and don’tRead More
Italian Squash Salad
This side dish is easy and does not involve any cooking. Ingredients: 1 yellow squash, cut into thin slivers with a peeler 1 zucchini, cut into thin slivers with a peeler 1 small onion, finely chopped Italian dressing. Use a peeler and cut across the cross section of the summer squash and zucchini to makeRead More
Easy Homemade Fudge
One of my earliest memories is of my Dad making this fudge at the holidays. My Dad handed over the recipe and the responsibility for making fudge to me when I was in my teens. It is quite easy to make. Like my peanut butter fudge recipe, the marshmallow cream simplifies the process and makesRead More
GF/DF Peanut Butter Cookies & DF Butter Substitutes
To make this recipe dairy free substitute vegetable shortening for the butter. Here is a conversion chart: 1/4 cup butter = 1/4 cup vegetable shortening + 1 1/2 t water1/3 cup butter = 1/3 cup vegetable shortening + 2 t water1/2 cup butter = 1/2 cup vegetable shortening + 3 t water2/3 cup butter = 2/3 cup vegetableRead More
Orange Chicken: From Crock Pot to Stir Fry
A conversation with a friend about reusing leftovers ended up being the genesis for this blog. I had thrown a party for twenty, but cooked enough for thirty. My friend was helping in the kitchen afterwards and lamented the amount of food that would go to waste. I told her that I would use itRead More
Kitchen Tips for Cooking in the Summer
I keep forgetting to prep the corn on the cob, so that my husband can grill it when he is grilling the meat. I am determined to remember this Saturday, but in case I forget again this is how I cook it using a minimum amount of heat: Put the cleaned corn in a largeRead More
Super Easy Sauteed Summer Squash
My mother-in-law shared this fast and easy recipe with me. I have made it with different summer squash and it always delicious in its simplicity. I layer the squash on top of the onions and cook them together. Super Easy Sauteed Summer Squash Recipe Ingredients: 3 summer squash, thinly sliced 1 small onion, chopped 2Read More
Groceries and Menu Plan – Week of July 20th
We have been eating from the pantry, freezer, and garden for the last couple of weeks. I realized that I had meat in the freezer that was approaching the four month mark and pantry staples that were approaching the six month mark, so it was time to use those items or risk having to tossRead More
Garlic Pasta with Vegetables
Ingredients: 1 pound of pasta (GF $1.99) 2 cups of uncooked peas (free from garden) 1 cup of uncooked carrots (.25) 2 T butter (.13) 2-4 garlic cloves, minced (free from garden) 2 T flour (GF .14) 3/4 C vegetable broth (.25) 3/4 C milk (.10) 1 T parsley, finely chopped (free from garden) BringRead More
White Chicken Chili
My family loves this easy white chicken chili recipe. It is made with chicken, white beans, rice, and corn. I realize that a lot of people view chili, soups, and stews as winter foods, but as soon as temperatures dip below 80 degrees, I make a batch of chili and serve it with a largeRead More
Peanut Butter Fudge and Peanut Butter Tip
Peanut butter fudge is one of our favorite candies, but as much as we enjoy it, we have a friend who declares it her absolute favoritist candy EVER. Before I visit her, she asks if I will be bringing her some peanut butter fudge…and the correct answer is “Yes, of course!” I keep trying to convince herRead More
Tomato and Basil Soup
I am overrun with fresh basil and I will soon have an overabundance of tomatoes. This soup recipe will help me eat into the excess produce. This is a very accommodating recipe so experiment with other herbs and spices growing in your garden. I have used both a pressure cooker* and a crock pot toRead More
The Pressure Cooker: Grandma’s "Microwave"
Big Bertha – My 20 year old pressure cooker. As a newlywed I called my Grandma to ask her for some cooking advice. I wanted to know the secret of putting a home cooked meal on the table within thirty minutes of my husband coming home. This was back before cell phones and my husbandRead More
Rice with Garden Vegetables
I wanted to use $5 Dinners Rice with Garden Greens recipe, but I was unable to access her site so I made up my own version which ended up including an ingredient that was inspired by Amanda at Coping with Frugality. As it turns out I did not have the 4 cups of spinach calledRead More
Dinner Menu – Week of July 6th
I am so excited! I think we will be eating from the garden for every one of our meals next week. I should be able to pick 5 tomatoes tomorrow and use them to make spaghetti sauce along with onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and parsley from the garden! I am planning on adding green beansRead More
Hooked On Cookbook Holders with Splash Guard
I have seen many pretty cookbook holders and had toyed with the idea of getting one for years, but always held back for some reason that I did not fully understand. When I spied the below cookbook holder at Walmart ($9.99), I realized what the others were missing: A splash guard! I have many recipesRead More
Using the Last Dregs of Salsa
Tonight I will make Chicken Tacos using the last dregs from the salsa jar. One day when rinsing an “empty” bottle to put it in the recycling bin I noticed that instead of truly being empty there was actually a layer of really thick salsa on the bottom. It had not reached its expiration date,Read More
Menu Plan – Week of June 29th
Last week when I broiled Chicken I decided to broil 4 pounds. I used 2 pounds in last week’s salads and froze the rest. I will pull out the frozen chicken on the mornings when I need it and let it thaw in the refrigerator, so it will be ready to add to dinner inRead More
Scotcheroos Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Scotcheroos Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats combine the flavor of Scotcheroos with the ease of making Rice Krispie Treats. Scotcheroos are made with Rice Krispies, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Like Rice Krispie Treats, Scotcharoos are a no-bake bar recipe. The difference is Scotcheroos are made by heating corn syrup and sugar toRead More
Baking With a Limited Number of Cookie Sheets
Most of my cookie recipes make several dozen cookies, which is a good thing since I live with several cookie monsters. The problem lies with the fact that I only own 2 cookie sheets. After removing freshly baked cookies to a cooling rack, I wash the cookie sheets in cold water and thoroughly dry itRead More
