So if you haven’t gotten the hint already, I love my bread machine. LOVE IT. And I have loved it for quite a few years. I don’t know what we ever did without it, and sometimes I think I use it more than the microwave. Just in case you aren’t sure if you need one or not, let me give you a run down of some of the things we’ve made in the last few months alone. 1. Bread Duh, right? Yes, we make bread in the bread machine. But we make lots of it on a regular basis. Which if that alone isn’t a good reason for you, think of this – we’ve given loaves of bread for gifts before, and they loved it. We also eat bread minus the nasty preservatives in store bought (did you know there’s high fructose corn syrup in it? So much for “in moderation” when it’s even in bread of all things!). 2....
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While I don’t use my crockpot that often, I’ve found it works well for nights when I’m short on time and also for chicken breasts in general. This isn’t the first time we’ve blogged about a crockpot chicken meal, but I’ve yet to make the same dish twice. (See the other two recipes here and here). I’m officially calling this the “whatever I’ve got on hand chicken and noodles” recipe, because obviously I use whatever I’ve got. This time we used chicken breasts, garlic flakes, garlic salt, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup (a family size can), and cream of mushroom soup. No veggies this time, although I probably should have. I started the chicken around noon, dumping in all the ingredients plus a can of water, setting it on high. I stirred here and there, but for the most part...
Last week I decided to make hot wings as a main dish, and thought onion bread in the bread machine would have made a nice side for it. Unfortunately, as par for the course around here, I was missing just ONE ingredient from every onion bread recipe I could find. Out of three or four, I was either missing onion soup mix, sour cream, or cottage cheese. So when I went to the store you better believe I bought all three! The recipe I ended up using was the one which used the onion soup mix, because it sounded the easiest and probably was going to be the best. Sure enough it was good, and everyone really enjoyed it. We even had some left overs for the kids to take to school the next day for lunch, and a few bites for me to munch on during the day as well. This onion bread recipe was a little strange to me, since there was an option of using dry...
Even after cooking a roast all day last weekend, I was still in the mood to cook and really (REALLY), hungry for chocolate pie. And doesn’t it always seem like you can have all but ONE ingredient for whatever you’re craving? Seems to be the norm around here, and I’ve gone to the store a half a dozen times this week just to get ONE item. *SIGH*. But at least I got my pie. The recipe I used was the Chocolate Cream Pie from our recipe site. Even though I had chocolate pudding mix, I had no whipped cream or pie crust, so I was going to have to go up to the store regardless. This recipe didn’t use pudding mix, but rather chocolate chips (which I had as well) and whipping cream. I almost didn’t use it because it looked like a little too much work and I was being very lazy after making that big meal, but I gave it a...
We’ve gotten into a new habit around here, and that’s reading off the school lunch menu at the beginning of every month. The kids decide what they will and will not eat, and I make a note of when each kid is taking lunch (and more often it’s been both of them on the same days…hmmmm….). I started sending just basic turkey sandwiches with a small bag of chips (you know the kind – the ones that come in those big packs of 8-20), plus a juice box and some dessert like item (Oreo dippers, for example). But now that there are several days in a row each kid is taking lunch, I had to come up with some variety. Here’s what’s on the menu for our cold school lunches this week: - Summer sausage I spotted this at the store and thought my eldest son would love the idea. He loves basic items like meat and bread...
On Saturday I got ambitious. I decided it was a great day for a roast since we weren’t doing anything special, but I took it a step further. I wanted hot beef sandwiches complete with homemade bread, mashed potatoes, and gravy. So I stuck the roast and potatoes in the oven and went off to find my best white bread recipe. Just before the bread and roast were finished, I made my gravy, which I used sausage and cream of mushroom soup for. Now here’s the two major mistakes I made… 1. The potatoes I had thrown in with the roast because that’s what I normally do when we just have roast. What I didn’t take into account was it has a different flavor that’s just not right for mashed potatoes. They came out alright, but they had a beef and spice flavor to them. 2. I used sausage gravy instead of just going to...
For supper last night I decided to try something a little different. I’ve got I don’t know how many cans of untouched corn in the pantry, but I seem to just keep buying it without using it that often. While adding more recipes to RecipesForMom, I came across a yummy looking corn recipe that I thought I’d give a try. It was a big hit! We used the Scalloped Corn recipe, but changed it slightly. Instead of frozen corn I used canned, and it worked just fine. I also sprinkled a little cheese on the top just for the heck of it, which added a bit of extra flavor. It happened to be the best part of yesterday’s meal, since I also tried making corn dogs from a mix I had bought at the store. It was NOT so great, and the corn dogs ended up tasting like grease-soaked hot dogs. The breading just didn’t stay on. I don’t...
For the past several years, we’ve been taking care of a site called Recipes For Mom. I hate to say, but it’s been neglected for quite some time. All that changed a few weeks ago when we started working on redesigning it and making it a little easier to navigate. Unlike the general recipe ideas you’ll find on Idea Queen, Recipes For Mom focuses on “real” recipes with ingredients and instructions. One of the biggest changes to the site you’ll now see is an easy to navigate category including recipes by main dish (such as pork, chicken, vegetables, etc), recipes by type (like breakfast dishes, restaurant copycat recipes, smoothies, etc), and hoards of dessert recipes in their own section. Another feature you’ll now see is the ability to rate and review each individual recipe. Comments are always appreciated...
What started as something ‘cute’ to bring to a family reunion (the “Crabb” family), turned into a tradition. I am no longer allowed to bring any other food aside from these crab cakes that I’ve been making for at least 7 years in a row. This recipe is doubled to make enough, but really I think it’s easier to make as is. I’ve had this crab cake recipe so long I’m not even sure where it came from. Regardless, it makes the BEST crab cakes I’ve ever had. So good that I’m not even waiting for the reunion this year – we’re having it for supper tonight! Crab Cakes Italiano Sauce 1/2 cup mayo 2 Tablespoons pesto Crab Cakes 1 lb crab meat (I use imitation) 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs 2 Tablespoons pesto (check around the pasta section at the store) 1 egg, beaten 2 Tablespoons...
