Home Cookin' - A Family Recipe Book!

Wow, we love our cookbook!  It's our Go-to for great home-cooked meals every. single. day!

155 pages of great little recipes, easy-to-make and budget-friendly. Great for kids leaving home, newlyweds, or Moms trying to decide what's for dinner.  Desserts, elegant entrees, sumptuous salads and side dishes, breads, party foods and appetizers!  Something for everyone!

Fun and tasty, quick and easy, mouthwatering, prize-winning family favorite, delicious recipes! 

You'll love it, and we love you! Order HERE ↓

$15 + Free Shipping

What's for Dinner?

Chicken Pot Hot Dish!!

Here is Chicken Pot Pie with a twist!  Instead of making an actual pie crust, skip it altogether!  Instead, grab a bag of frozen tater tots for your crust. 

Here's the recipe, with my adjustments.
Melt:        3 T. butter
Add:        3 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces       
                1 small onion, finely chopped
Saute for about 10 minutes.

Stir in:     5 T. flour
Cook for 1 minute.

Add:       1-1/2 c. milk
Stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Repeat with another 1-1/2 c. milk

Stir in:     3 t. chicken base (I prefer Better than Bouillion Roasted Chicken Base)    
                1/2 t. Thyme
                A few turns of fresh ground black pepper

Add:        1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces.
Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Adjust seasoning if desired.

Add:        1 c. frozen petite peas

Pour into a 9 x 13" casserole dish. then top with a 32-ounce bag of Tater Tots.  I prefer Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Tater Tots seasoned shredded potatoes.

Line up the frozen tater tots to cover the top of the filling, then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Mmmm!  It's beautiful, tastes great, and is so easy to make!  Definite comfort food, and we love it.  Sometimes I split it into two 9 x 9 dishes and either freeze one or give it away.

Tasted so good, my honey offered to do the dishes!

Evan:  "No man was ever killed while doing dishes."

He's a keeper, all right!  Now, this post is making me hungry!  I wonder, what's for dinner??

~the Momma

What's for Dinner? Special Occasions

 Looking back through photos, I started to get hungry!  Here are a few of our family's favorite delicious dinners for St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or whenever!

~~ Crock-Pot Corned Beef ~~
Steamed Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes & Onions

What is it about this annual St. Patrick's day meal that just tastes so. darn. good!?  Must be the briny sauce from the corned beef poured over the veggies.  Just follow the directions on the Corned Beef package, and steam the veggies separately.  Delicious!

~~ Three-Cheese Ravioli (made with Gyoza Wrappers) ~~
 Homemade Bolognese Sauce & Basil/Pistachio Pesto

Evan was surprised it tasted so delicious! OK, this was an experiment, but judging from the quick disappearance of it at dinnertime, we'll be sure to repeat.  Recipes are from the 3rDegree Bakery's HOME COOKIN' Cookbook.  This one is good for any day of the week.  We tend to do Italian dishes on Sundays.

~~ Garbage Can Dinner ~~
 Severed Toes (Sausages)
Steamed Potatoes, Carrots, Mushrooms, Onion, Broccoli, Cauliflower
Dijon Mustard

Quickest meal in the West! Load up the steamer with a little water in the bottom, then comb through the fridge or garden for everything you can steam together, plus a few Polska Kielbasa sausages.  A little butter, salt & pepper, and a sprinkle of dill on the top, with a side of Dijon mustard, mmmm! The perfect meal on a Sunday afternoon, or for Hallowe'en.👻

~~ Thanksgiving Feaste ~~

Mediterranean Salad with Tomato, Artichokes, Cucumber, Feta & Ranch Dressing 

Lemon-Baked Braised Cornish Hens
 Freshly Mashed Idaho Russets with Cream, Butter & Nutmeg
 Balsamic-Glazed Carrots & Parsnips
Fresh Fruit Compote with Citrus Zest

This is the layout of a feast with two of my sisters who came for a mini Hen Party/Craft Day.  It wasn't quite Thanksgiving, but we laid out a fun spread and enjoyed delicious food and a fun time together!  We didn't use recipes, just grabbed stuff out of the refrigerator to put the dishes together.  Oh, yum!

Now, this post is making me hungry!  I wonder, what's for dinner??  Better go check our family recipe book!  

Fun and tasty, quick and easy, mouthwatering, prize-winning family favorite, delicious recipes! 

You'll love it, and we love you! Order HERE ↓

$15 + Free Shipping

~the Momma

What's for Dinner?

Jordie and Kari are raising chickens!  

They started with four chicks, picked up at the pet shelter.  Jordie built a sweet little chicken palace beneath their deck in the back of their house for Posie, Petunia, Poppy, and Peony.  

These four were rescued from a dumpster!  Two are naked-necks and the other two... well, let's just say they turned out NOT to be "crowing chickens"!  Poppy and Peony found a new farm, and four new chicks came home: Pixie, Pazazz, Pippi, and Peace.  

It didn't take long until everybody was busy in the henhouse!

You're doing a great job, gals!

One of the chickens just happens to have a lot of twinners....

So, what's for dinner?  Quiche of course! A classy cheese pie! 

Start with a couple of Marie Callendar's frozen pie crusts, or make your own.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

To each pie crust, add the following:

1 cup of strong cheese, something with flavor or bite:  Swiss, Extra-sharp Cheddar, Feta, or a combo.

1  to 1-1/2 cups of meats and/or veggies cut into bite-sized bits.  (This is a good meal to clean out the leftovers in the fridge.)  Use your fingers to combine the cheese/meat/veggies together.

Beat together 3 large or 4 small eggs, then add 1 to 1-1/4 c. milk, 1 t. Dijon mustard, and a little salt and pepper, then pour over the filling.

Repeat for each pie.

Place filled pies on a large cookie sheet to catch any spillovers.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the middle no longer jiggles.

This one had ham chunks, zucchini fresh from Sassy's garden, and mushrooms sautéed in a little butter and Worcestershire sauce.

This vegetarian combo included spinach, sauteed mushrooms, minced red onion, and grilled marinated artichokes.  Both had a combo of the cheeses as listed above.

Mmmmm, mmmm!  Looks so delicious!  And we still have 4 eggs left for omelets!

Before leaving their little homestead, we garnered some fresh salad tomatoes from their garden.  Delicious - I ate half of them in the car on the way home - juice dripping down my chin!  Nothing better!

Dinner is served!!

For morLove you two!  Keep up the good work!

For more fun and tasty, quick and easy, mouthwatering, prize-winning family favorite, delicious recipes, check out our family cookbook, "Home Cookin'" You'll love it, and we love you! 

~the Momma

Spaghetti Pie!

Leftover spaghetti?  It's time for Spaghetti Pie!

For each crust, mix together:
2 cups precooked and drained spaghetti, thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
Mix ingredients together and press into a buttered 10-inch pie plate to form a "crust".

Over bottom of the crust, spread:
1 cup cottage cheese

Spoon:
3 to 4 cups leftover meat sauce to fill each pie

Top each pie with:
1 c. shredded mozarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Slice & Eat.

Oh, Mmmmm!

For the best-ever homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe, see our family cookbook "Home Cookin''".  Your purchase can help send Evan to Europe!  Read all about it HERE.

~the Momma

Spaghetti Zoodles

Zucchini is still going.

Making "Zoodles" ~ Zucchini Noodles ~ with a Julienne slicer.

Chelsea whipped up a batch of "The Best Homemade Marinara Sauce" (see recipe below),

Chopped up some leftover grilled chicken.  We marinate it in Berenstein's Italian dressing and the Dad is the grill chief.  Tastes so good, it's a miracle there are any leftovers!

Boil some spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  Zoodles go in for the last minute of cooking; drain.

Mix it all together and throw it in the Pyrex.  Bake at 350o until heated through.  Add grated cheese to top.

Mmmmm!

Dig in, and slurp noodles all over your face.  Pass the napkins, please.


The Best Homemade Marinara
Saute':
1 T. canola or coconut oil
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced

Add:
14-oz can whole tomatoes, pureed
14-oz can diced tomatoes
14-oz can crushed tomatoes
8-oz can tomato sauce
2 t. oregano
1 t. basil
1/2 t. thyme leaves
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 t. sugar
1/4 t. garlic powder (use only if not using fresh garlic clove)
1 - 2  bay leaves

Simmer until thick (up to one hour), stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaves. Spoon over any pasta of your choice, and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan to serve.

Add 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground beef or sausage to the onion/garlic for a terrific Spaghetti sauce!

~ the Momma