Category: cooking

  • Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes

    Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes

    If you are lucky enough to have leftover mashed potatoes, you have to try this side! My kids say they taste like tater tots. If you want to add meat, it could be a full meal with a side of veggies. While you make the batter, go ahead and put the oil in your pan…

  • Apple-Ginger Chicken in the Instant Pot

    Apple-Ginger Chicken in the Instant Pot

    This is the perfect fall meal! Kids love it, adults love it, it’s easy and comes together in one bowl for serving. Ingredients Instructions Add the apple cider, soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic powder, and ginger to your instant pot. Whisk it until combined, then add the chicken thighs, turning to coat.…

  • Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs: A Simple Guide

    Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs: A Simple Guide

    Hard-boiling eggs can be harder than it seems, but the best method I’ve found is just to jump and and try a few different techniques. Here’s what works for me. Step One: Boil the water. Make sure it’s enough to cover the tops of all the eggs you want to make. The water needs to…

  • Dinner Hero: Roasted Veg

    This is my favorite quick side dish to add to a meal, and it could not be easier. Pre-heat your oven to 425, toss your veggies in avocado or olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes and serve. My favorite vegetable to cook this way is broccoli.

  • What We Ate: Dinner #3

    What We Ate: Dinner #3

    Night One: On this night I cooked a brisket in my instant pot, shredded it up, and served it over chips with a can of ranch pinto beans, a homemade white cheddar cheese sauce, tomatoes, end green onions. Everyone loved this and it was filling. Night Two: We had leftover chicken from another meal, so…

  • Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe with Real Ingredients

    Have you looked at the ingredients in breakfast sausage? I took a peek last year and I was shocked. The one we had been purchasing for years contained pork, corn syrup, salt, natural flavor, sugar, pork broth, and MSG. I was determined to make it myself, with actual real ingredients, and I think I’ve done…

  • What We Ate: Dinner #2

    What We Ate: Dinner #2

    Night One: This night I used the instant pot to make one of my favorites: porcupine meatballs! They’re not actually made from porcupine, of course, but the kids love to act shocked at the name every time we have them. I paired them with mashed potatoes and corn. This was a total comfort meal as…

  • Basic Bread Pudding

    Basic Bread Pudding

    I did not grow up having bread pudding, but after I’d been a homemaker for a few years and I was staring at my budget spreadsheet, it became a staple in our house. Anytime I have a bread end, an extra hamburger bun, a stale bagel…I cube it up and stick it in a big…

  • Master the Spatchcock Method for Perfect Roast Chicken

    Master the Spatchcock Method for Perfect Roast Chicken

    Roasting a whole chicken is a great skill to learn and it’s not as hard as it might seem. I’m a huge fan of the “flattened” chicken method, or spatchcock method. The first thing I do when I’m going to roast a chicken is to mix up my seasoning. Equal parts garlic powder, salt, and…

  • Preservation: Mustang Grape Jelly

    Remember a few days ago, when I wrote about picking Mustang grapes? Well, we got 8 pounds. Within two days I had seven jars of grape jelly and 6 cups of grape juice for fresh drinking. Now a bit of transparency: grape jelly isn’t my favorite. I have always been fully in the strawberry jam…