Yum - It's cold outside and soup is my BFF.  Here's a different take on Sausage and Corn Chowder.  It's surprisingly good considering that it's healthier for you.

"Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night."

The final lines of what was my favorite Christmas story growing up, only followed by the story of Jesus' birth. 

Here's hoping that your holiday is wonderful and magical.

Hugz,
Hope
(MizWasy)

I've made the "Filet of Beef Bourguignon" by Ina Garten in the past and we loved it.  So here's what happened . . . I thawed out what I thought was a beef roast - oops!  It was actually eye of round steaks.  I thought, "OK, I can cut it into stew meat or slice it for stroganoff . . . hmm, I've got red wine . . ."

German Chocolate Cake - oh yum, oh yum!  I've never made the cake batter from scratch, but the frosting is so super easy to make!  It also tastes better than pre-made stuff and is more affordable.

Bean soup - the ultimate comfort food when paired with a wedge of cornbread - yum!  Today would have been Mom's 68th birthday and I recall making pots of pinto beans cooked with ham hocks (if we could afford them) and making a pan of cornbread in Meemaw's old iron skillet. 

I don't remember where I found this recipe - I've made a couple of adjustments to it, too, so I call it mine.  I love getting this ready before heading to work (or the night before) -- it's ready when I get home.  Make the salad and dinner's on!

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I'll be busy cooking other things, I like to make it easy on myself for breakfast.  I just finished prepping what I plan to serve for breakfast.   I'm using a quick and easy breakfast casserole recipe that uses croutons so the bread is already cubed for you.  (I love shortcuts!)  Simply prepare it the night before and next morning just set it on your counter for 1 hour to "warm up" before baking. 

I've always heard or read that you should brine a turkey before cooking it.  Usually, I am lucky to get it completely thawed in time to cook, much less try to brine it.  Plus I felt just a bit weird about putting a turkey into a cooler in my garage.

Chili - my absolute favorite cold-weather comfort food.  I first had White Chili at Tumbleweed restaurant in Louisville, KY.  I was surprised, since it looked like a chicken soup but tasted like chili.  I was won over.  I searched out several white chili recipes and this is the one I finally created based on the research.

Yum - Chicken Pot Pie - I'm sure my Granny made them from scratch, but I don't recall eating a homemade one until I was in my teens.  I usually felt lucky if Mom bought the frozen ones for us to eat from time to time.  Here's a pot pie recipe that's got a couple of shortcuts to make getting it to the table a breeze - even on a weeknight.

It's Halloween!  Cue spooky music.  The second (or maybe even third) most popular day where kids all over the place go into sugar overload (behind Easter and maybe, Valentine's Day).

Tips/Tricks in the Kitchen

You spend hours in your kitchen and may not know some of the shortcuts or helping hints that are passed down from generation to generation.  I found some of these in an old community cookbook and learned a few from my Granny.

I love strawberries - I used to tell people that Granny grew strawberries just for me!  I did believe that as a kid, but who's kidding who?  This recipe combines two favorites, cream cheese and strawberries.  I forget who gave me the recipe way back when (I think I was in my late teens), but it's made the rounds of regional community cookbooks the country over.

Cakes - my Granny almost never made a cake from a mix until later in life.  This one was one of my Granny's signature recipes - except she didn't create it. 

I love making breakfast casseroles - one, they're easy, two, they give me time with family or whomever I am cooking for and three, they travel fairly well (like to work or potluck brunches).

Miz Paula Deen may call it a Gooey Butter Cake but where I'm from, it was called a Cheese Kuchen.  I guess I was about a teenager when Carolyn Jones gave my mom the recipe.  It was a favorite since I love cream cheese and anything made from it.

I love carrot raisin salad even though I am not a huge carrot fan.  On Sundays after church, Mom and I used to go to a place called the Blue Boar in Louisville and it was a huge treat to grab an order of the carrot and raisin salad. 

Low calorie, whole grain and tasty, too!  This salad makes a nice lunch if you add about 3-4 ounces grilled white meat chicken to each serving.  Something to keep in mind; there are as many varieties of curry powder as Carter had liver pills.  Depending on your palate's sophistication, you can use a hot curry powder or not.  It's all up to your individual taste.

Growing up, we ate tuna, so much so that I developed a major case of dislike for it.  Since white tuna has became more readily available and somewhat more affordable, I came back to eating tuna from time to time.  Here's an easy tuna casserole that can be waiting for you when you return from running errands or perhaps at the end of a busy workday if your slow cooker is one that flips to "keep warm" at the end of your cooking cycle.

You've heard of French Dip Sandwiches - here's a slightly different version that is great to start before you head off to work, so that it's ready for when you get home.  This is perfect for potlucks or church dinners.  This recipe is similar to one given to me by a lady at work.  Thanks, MM for the original recipe.

I love French Onion Soup - I fell in love with it when my husband and I went to a restaurant called Max & Erma's.  I wanted a way to re-create the soup at home.  I'm not so good with caramelizing onions on top of the stove - I don't have the patience and end up cooking them on too hot a burner and, you guessed it, they burn - badly.  The slow cooker is the best way to turn out great French Onion Soup.

Even though Mom taught me how to make "instant" mashed potatoes taste non-instant, I'm not always a huge fan.  I like them to have small bits of potato like when you use the hand mixer to mash them.

Strawberries and Cream - summertime's most definitive combo is dressed up with drizzled chocolate.  This can be served chilled or as a frozen dessert.  Here's an easy treat that you can make ahead for later.

I remember just after Thanksgiving, my Granny would start making her holiday candies.  She would make trays for people at church, the mail lady, friends and more.   Peanut butter balls (Buckeyes) were my all-time favorite, but she also made divinity, haystacks, potato candy, puppy chow and more.

Granny passed away 20 years ago today and it still feels like I lost my best friend. 

Grilled Chicken - the quintessential Fourth of July staple (not counting fried chicken).  Here's a way to grill it up with some great flavor.

It's with a broken heart that I write this post.

My Mom passed away last night.

I love you, Mom.

It's summertime and the grilling is easy.  OK, the birthdays are over and our Seventh Wedding anniversary is coming up tomorrow, so what better way to celebrate than using an easy grilling recipe (oh, and this time happens to be Father's Day, too!)

Today is about tips rather than a recipe.  No, not tips as in 20% of your bill, either (unless you plan to apply a price tag to your home-cooked dinner and put the appropriate tip into a piggy bank). 

My husband is famous for saying that his meal would be worth $15 at a restaurant (that's how I know something was a hit, when he compares the home-cooking to a restaurant).

Some say it's a cottage pie when made with beef, that only meat from a shepherd's flock would make it a shepherd's pie, but either way it's named, it's a mighty tasty dish.  Here's my version of this easy one-dish meal.

Who doesn't like mac & cheese?  Especially when it transforms into a one-dish meal that bakes in the oven?  Awesome enough for a weeknight dinner (with leftovers for lunch the next day).

Here's my version of your favorite comfort food.

This one was adapted from a recipe card found at a major grocery store. It's really easy and when served with a salad and a sensible dessert - it makes a healthy evening meal.

I adapted this one to suit the ingredients I had on hand - it turned out well enough that hubby told me it's a keeper.

I love to grill chicken breasts on my panini grill ~ or ~ use the Showtime Rotisserie.  It sounds silly, but the best ones I've had were marinated in Italian Salad Dressing before grilling.

Who doesn't love sour cream?  Creamy, mushroomy, beefy stroganoff - the secret is slow cooking it to perfection -- but don't add the sour cream until the last hour to prevent it from separating or curdling.

Alfredo Sauce - oh, my favorite!  Granted, it's clogged arteries or a heart attack on a plate - but if you save this recipe and have it only two times a year, then you should be ok.  Use good quality ingredients, this is not something you want to skimp on.

Oh boy - this one takes me back to my childhood - Granny made pimento cheese when she could.  Usually to take to a church dinner of some sort - and usually gone before we left to come home.  Sigh!

Hello, everyone!  My hubby's family came from Eastern Europe - specifically the Ukraine (from there to the US, then on to Canada).  So he grew up on pirogies - handmade by his momma, no less.  I can cook, but there is no way I could make handmade pirogies - nor raviolis, either.  OH - I could probably learn - like anything else, it probably just takes practice -- but then again, you can buy them frozen - all ready to go, so it seems kinda silly to take all the time to make them when you don't have to.  SO . . .  here are several ways I've done them lately.

Normally, I don't like cabbage - or at least, not the mushy, smelly, boiled cabbage like I grew up with.  But change up the cooking method, add some other ingredients and mmm - you've got a tasty dish.

Yes, I am a bit Irish (way back in the gene pool on my granddaddy's side of the fence) - it's where I get my red hair :)  St Patty's Day would not be the same without Corned Beef, Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes.  You already have my mashed potato recipe -- I will share my cabbage recipe soon so here is the corned beef recipe.

Tender juicy roast - YUM - an Atkins Diet follower's delight.  Here's how I do it and hubby raves!  Serve this with green beans and mashed potatoes - and you've got a 5 ★ meal.

One day I wanted to make sloppy joes to take to work for a potluck, but didn't want to use canned "sloppy joe sauce" so I decided to make my own joes. I had ground beef and italian sausage in the freezer and added a few other things and this recipe was born. My co-workers (and my hubby) raved over it. Bonus: if you have leftovers, it makes a great pasta sauce.  Serves at least 20 (depends on the bun size).  This is from my recipe box on Taste of Home's website.

I love bread - sadly.  I say that because it's always been my nemisis in my quest for a healthy lifestyle (along with sweets, but I digress). 


Here is something I usually make "on the fly" when having something Italian-ish.  I never realized that there were already recipes out there like this until I went to post it on AllRecipes.  I didn't post it there, but I am including it here since it goes with my theme of "easy" recipes.

Yes - this is going to be unhealthy and high calorie, but OMG, talk about comfort food.  Yum!  Remember, I am originally from Kentucky - I grew up on sausage gravy and biscuits.  The ratio to keep in your mind is 1 tablespoon of fat to 1 tablespoon of flour to 1 cup of liquid.  

Oh, homemade biscuits are even better . . . . . but that's another post.  Enjoy!

Biscuits & Gravy

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:
1 lb bulk pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean or Purnell's Old Folks)
3-4 Tablespoons Flour (all purpose)
salt/pepper
3-4 cups milk (warmed is best)

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage until no longer pink, crumbling it up as it cooks.  You'll need 3-4 Tablespoons grease in your skillet (add olive oil or leftover grease from cooking sausage or bacon  if you don't have enough fat).  Move cooked sausage to the side and sprinkle the flour over the rendered fat.  (Remember, flour and fat are cooked into a roux).

Cook 1- 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper (go light for now - you can always add more later if needed).

Pour in about half of your milk, stirring very well, so that you won't have clumps.  As it starts to thicken, add in the rest of your milk, stirring it in.  Mixture will be thin, as full thickening power from the flour/fat mixture doesn't occur until it reaches a boil.  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  When it reaches the boiling point, remove from heat, taste for seasoning, adding salt or pepper as needed.  My Granny said to pour it into a bowl while still on the thin side and it will be perfect when it gets to the table.

Serve over baked biscuits.

***********************************************************

Need a shortcut?   Take 4 - 6 precooked sausage patties (Great Value brand from Walmart - 2 pound  package - in the freezer section) and place on a plate.


Microwave for 2 minutes, then dice up into small bits.  Proceed with recipe above, but you may need to add a couple tablespoons of oil or grease so that you have enough to make your roux.

OK - there are hundreds of rub recipes out there. 
But this one is tangy and sweet but with a slight kick.  Be sure to liberally coat your chicken and wrap it up tight to "get happy."

OK, it may sound simple, but making sauces always seemed to be a gigantic mountain to me.  They don't have to be, though.  I researched making a cheese sauce (we had asparagus recently and I can't do asparagus without cheese sauce).  Here's what I did.

Mmm - roast with onions and mushrooms - pass the mashed potatoes, please?  Not sure that I need say any more.  Enjoy!

My hubby loves cabbage rolls - his heritage is Eastern European - but I really have issues making them from scratch - the time, the trouble, the sheer tediousness!  SO, to that end, I saw this on a TV show, and of course, I didn't write it down.  I came up with the following and it works.  No, it's not exactly cabbage rolls, but if you want the flavor of them, this is a very good substitute.

OK - here is something silly easy - really!  I wouldn't kid you.  It resembles a chocolate croissant, sort of.

OK - first - sorry about the delay between posts, but, my Mom came up to visit someone who was terminally ill in the family, then they passed away, meanwhile, we got 20-something or more inches of snow (grr!), and to top it all off - I went into the hospital!  YISH!  My poor hubby.  Anyways, I'm home, Mom is now home and I should be able to continue giving you some great recipes.

OK - some purists say that these are NOT brownies, but then I've always made cake-like brownies, so . . . sue me.  These are really great if you want something brownie-like and don't have the stuff to make them.  It was a recipe from the web that I altered to create what appears below.

I love strawberries and blueberries so the dish originally only had those two fruits. I adapted a baked french toast recipe that originally sat overnight in the frige - but one time I wanted it now, not tomorrow, so I used plastic wrap to force the egg mixture into the bread - and it worked! Now that I have married, I added raspberries to the mix since my hubby loves them and we grow them. He says it's a winner every time (he also says it's too good for breakfast - I should serve for dessert!)

OK, in keeping with the "soup makes me feel better" campaign, here is another of my favorites.  Please make this one for yourself rather than cracking open a can - you'll never go back to the can again.

Since I've been sick this last week or so, I thought I would post about something that is supposed to make everyone feel better when they're sick or at least my Granny thought so.  Chicken Soup, or something like that.  This one turned out really good.  I marked this one as "medium" since it takes a bit longer to make, it's a bit more involved, but it is very worth it in the end.   Oh, the noodles I used - I won't use any others.  These are much like the homemade noodles my Uncle made one holiday.  Normal egg noodles just won't cut it.

Hmmm, who doesn't love Onions, Mushrooms, Garlic and cheese?  OK, maybe there are a few people out there, but won't stop me from enjoying it.  Here's my take on a fancy French onion tart.


Enjoy!

This recipe evolved from a recipe in "The Cookie Companion"  from The King Arthur Flour people.  It has had a couple of modifications, but not enough for me to claim it as my own creation.  My husband loves these and that from someone who told me they didn't like peanut butter.  Oh, important - use a stand mixer, you won't regret it - otherwise, your arm will get very tired with a hand mixer.  These are awesome!

OK - we'll start with an easy one.  I was looking for a recipe for lentil soup.  I found several on the internet at various sites and well, I didn't really follow any one recipe.  Here is the one I made after reading dozens of them.  Bon Appetit!