Leftover Mashed Potato Bake
Leftover mashed potatoes can be given new life with a few basic ingredients. You can even top them like a stuffed potato if you like. Whether you’re baking pies and stuffing the turkey right now or hitting the highway en route to family and friends, chances are you’re rather busy and not thinking of adding…
Crispy Baked Chimichangas
Crispy Baked Chimichangas skip the fryer and use the oven for an easy, healthy approach to a family favorite meal! My hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania has an impressive restaurant scene. From an international perspective, the offerings rival any big city. There’s literally something for everyone: Greek, Thai, Australian, Nepali, French, Latin American, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean—the…
Slow Cooked Chicken for the Week (or to Freeze)
Why did the rooster run away? He was chicken! What do chickens serve at birthday parties? Coop-cakes! You’re either laughing or groaning right now. 😂 Either way, chickens have come to define the world of silly jokes as much as they have influenced our way of eating. The ongoing popularity of this lean protein source…
A-Plus Swiss Steak
A saucy, slow cooker favorite that’s delicious over pasta, polenta, potatoes, or with a crusty roll for mopping up every last drop. And don’t miss the quick and easy way to transform leftovers into a new meal! Ratios, conversions, measuring, multiplying: there’s a lot of math in cooking. Every so often, I even use…
Top Dinner Picks
So many recipes, so little time! Following is short list of family favorites I return to again and again.
Salsa Chicken
Quick and easy to make. Short list of ingredients. Tastes great. This flexible meal is destined to become a family favorite! While perusing the magazines at an airport newsstand several months ago, I spied one with a title indicating that all of the recipes had five ingredients or less and could be prepared in 15…
Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms with Feta
This garden-fresh dish is super simple to make and complements most any protein. When tossed with pasta, it becomes a complete meal! At the start of each season, I spend a little too much time pondering how to fill the three months that follow. Sometimes, I have a minor panic that I won’t have…
Sandy’s Tomato Pie
Essentially a crustless pie, the unique ingredients in this seasonal favorite create a crusty base that’s loaded with flavor and fabulous texture. (For those who need it, there’s an excellent gluten-free option in the recipe notes.) Soft foods like mashed potatoes, soup, Jell-O, and ice cream are normally on the menu the day someone…
Barbecue Sandwiches
The “Sloppy Sauce” that envelopes the ground beef in these classic sandwiches is quick, easy, and contains less sugar than many traditional recipes. The taste, however, is spot on! Breakfast for dinner is always a hit in our house. Come six o’clock, eggs are conveniently quick and satisfying, and an occasional stack of pancakes…
Pesto Baked Chicken
A short list of ingredients and speedy prep make this healthy, flavorful chicken dish worthy of the weeknight rotation － and it’s as easy to cook for one as it is for a big group! I recently saw a list of the top 10 most popular backyard herbs, and basil sat in the number one spot.…
Low Country Shrimp Boil
This festive, all-in-one meal is sure to become a summertime favorite! For a small gathering or fun weeknight family meal, simply cut the recipe in half. When I offered to cook for a dozen or so family members this past Mother’s Day, I pondered the perfect recipe long and hard. Ideally, the meal would be…
Special Sauce recipe… and tips for a better burger
The sauce that makes the burger plus all the tips you need for the best backyard burgers! “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun….” Can you almost hear the music? This iconic McDonald’s jingle was etched into my childhood brain, even though I never quite made the…
