This recipe is fast and easy to prepare, especially if you use leftovers from your holiday dinners. Shepherd's Pie is often made using ground beef, but it is an especially delicious way to use up leftover roast. You can also use leftover vegetables and top it with leftover mashed potatoes if you have them on hand. If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, make mashed … [Read more...]
Split Pea and Asparagus Soup with Parmesan-Garlic Toast
Warm and cozy. Deliciously filling. A savory winter soup, pureed to perfection... So this meal went down two ways at our dinner table...One way for my bowl, and another for Steve's bowl. Steve wanted the dip his Parmesan-Garlic Toast in the soup, almost scooping it out. I, on the other hand, preferred eating the soup with a crouton-version of the toast (see photo … [Read more...]
Holiday Salad
Looking for a quick and easy side dish to bring for Christmas dinner? Try my favorite Holiday salad. It takes minutes to put together and looks great! Holiday Salad Yield - 12+ side dish servings Preparation Time - 15 minutes Cooking Time - 0 minutes Ingredients 2 heads of red or green leaf lettuce, washed and dried 1 medium red onion, diced 6 oz. container … [Read more...]
Pecan Streusel Stuffed Egg Nog French Toast Bake
Christmas Morning Casseroles. So many options, so many choices. Tradition vs. something new. (I just added a few casserole ideas to my "Holiday Food" board on Pinterest.) Here's one for this year. Or next, if you've already got this year's figured out. (If you're into trying new ones!) It's a basic stuffed french toast bake. That I hopped up with pecan streusel, … [Read more...]
15 Bean Pot Pie
So I can't claim this idea. It came from a friend...and I knew I had to try it out with the Hurst Beans. And boy, oh boy. It worked. And by golly, it's delicious! So all you vegetarians out there, this one's for you! (And anyone else who likes pot pie too!) (Beans are much cheaper than chicken...just sayin'.) It's amazing that something so simple can be so … [Read more...]
Easy Cashew Bark
This cold winter weather is the perfect excuse to stay indoors and make lots of yummy desserts like this super simple cashew bark! We like to make lots of this yummy stuff during the holidays and give it away as gifts. I bought some Christmas themed coffee mugs that I plan to fill with cashew bark and wrap with pretty cellophane for the kids to give as teacher … [Read more...]
Holiday Baking on a Budget & Holiday Cookie Recipes
Holiday Baking on a Budget: Creative Cookie Exchange Ideas to Sweeten the Season It’s in the mess that memories are made. Right? At least that’s how it seems to be work at our house. Be it in the kitchen or outside in a pile of leaves or with bubbles in the bathtub. It’s the fun and messy activities that make the best memories. My oldest elf Ryan helping scoop … [Read more...]
Pizza Quesadillas
My family is pulled in so many directions during December: Church Christmas pageants, caroling, recitals, school finals, parties, and shopping. All of these activities make it harder for us to sit down as a family and enjoy a meal together. My solution? Fast and easy recipes that can be assembled in minutes and made with ingredients that will convince everyone to find room in … [Read more...]
Cake Mix Cookies
I have no time to bake, yet cookies are needed at pre-school, scouts, the party at dance class, and oh yeah, I did sign up for that cookie exchange. Ok, no time to panic. Let's put away the Martha Stuart aspirations and go with something easy, fast and of course, tasty. When I have no time to bake but have to have baked goods in less than 12 hours (mom, I promised we'd bring … [Read more...]
Waffle Iron Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Waffle Iron Sometimes all a girl wants is just a chocolate chip cookie. Or two. Or four. (At least that's how I feel about cookies.) And that's one of the reasons I like to keep dough in my freezer at all times. For "one of those days." Before we go on... Patiently waiting. (Such is the life of a child of a food … [Read more...]