Here is my version of Italian Wedding Soup. Simple. Delicious. So yeah. There's going to be a wedding this year. My sister's!!! I'm honored to stand beside her as the matron of honor, and I'm thrilled that Charlie gets to be a ring bearer! And there's going to be an Italian at the wedding. My sister's fiance is Italian. Dark headed, dark eyed with a last name that's … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Batch Cooking: The Super Supper Saver
Having that ground meat, already cooked and ready to pull out of the freezer is a super supper saver. It's a strategy that works with busy toddlers under foot, hungry teens hovering and all those in between. (that's us!) For about two years now I’ve been batch cooking with my slow cooker every shopping trip. My friend, Little Sanctuary, shared how she cooks ground meat in … [Read more...]
Storing Yeast in Your Freezer
If you bake bread regularly, or you are thinking about starting, here's a little tip for you... Store your yeast in the freezer! It is certainly cheaper to purchase a jar of yeast than to purchase the strips. If you are planning to make more than 3 loaves of bread or 3 batches of dough for rolls, pizza crust, cinnamon rolls or other yeast bread, then … [Read more...]
Smothered Okra with Chicken and Rice
When Steve and I lived in the Dominican Republic, one of our favorite side dishes was smothered okra. I would go into the fruit and veggie market and get a pound of fresh okra. I'd grab some peppers and an onion, then I'd probably pay $1 for it all...maybe $1.25, and I'd be on my way. Eddy was my market man...and he always gave me a great deal! Nothing had prices on it, but … [Read more...]
Sweet Potato – The Perfect “Table Food” for Older Infants and Toddlers
Tyler loves sweet potatoes. He would eat them at every meal if I let him. He went through a beans phase, and now it's sweet potatoes. I'd prefer to "steam bake" them, but I often don't remember in time, so I just microwave them for a few minutes after slitting them. I intentionally choose longer, skinnier ones that will cook faster and feed him for two meals. I also add a … [Read more...]
Spanish Rice – Vintage Recipe (fail!)
The Spanish Stew the other night was a hit. This Spanish Rice...not so much! Maybe it would have been tastier if I'd have used green olives instead of black olives. I know I just said I don't share nasty recipes, but in the name of "It's Vintage Recipe Week," I'm sharing the experience! If anything... ...this recipe is a hoot! We'll just leave it at … [Read more...]
Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding
About a year ago, I was introduced to "chocomole" by Katie from Kitchen Stewardship. She included a link to a recipe in one of her e-books, "Healthy Snacks To Go" and I was intrigued. So intrigued that I made in the next week. I could not believe it. I still can't believe it. It's a dairy-free pudding. (I can't remember the last time I had pudding.) This chocomole … [Read more...]
Sharon’s Italian Chicken Sub Sandwiches
A Portion of the Ingredients - Italian Bread, Salad Mix and Prego Sauce Ingredients 2 Loaves of Bakery Fresh Sesame Italian Bread (sale $1 each) $2.00 26 oz. Jar of Prego Sauce $1.88 2 pounds of Perdue ground chicken $3.98 4 ounces of Cabot sharp cheddar cheese (an 8 oz block is $1.88) .94 cents 1/2 a bag of Dole romaine salad mix (12 oz bag cost $1.75) … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Make Chili
There are probably 1,000 different ways to make chili. Beans, no beans. If so, what kind of beans. What cut of meat. Diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. Fresh crushed garlic, or fresh minced garlic. Heat, or sweet, or both. Top with sour cream, or shredded cheese. Green onions or red onions. Sharp cheddar or mild cheddar. Or... Endless … [Read more...]
Spanish Stew – Vintage Recipe
The other day the lovely Beth from The Natural Mommy (who incidentally is "in real life - IRL" friends with some of my IRL friends...which makes us virtually IRL friends. We are totally virtual friends, but as far as I'm concerned we are IRL friends, even though we haven't met. Follow that?!) tweeted that I never post anything nasty here on the site. I'm often asked that...what … [Read more...]