You likely have the ingredients needed to make this homemade sloppy joe mix and sauce in your fridge and pantry! We make a.l.o.t. of sloppy joe type meals around our house and over time, I've developed this delicious homemade mix of spices to use to make my own homemade sloppy joe sauce. It's a mix of spices, that get stirred in with ground beef, ground turkey, … [Read more...]
How to Flat Freeze Bacon
Ever buy a package of bacon that was just more than you needed? (I know, kinda seems silly right?!) Well - what do you do with the extra bacon that you don't use for that meal. (Again, seems like you wouldn't have extra bacon.) But when you do.......like that time I received 6 lbs. of bacon in my Savory Butcher sampler box?! I had extra - almost 4 lbs. … [Read more...]
How to Make Brown Rice in the Instant Pot
Learn to Cook PERFECT Brown Rice in the Instant Pot Brown rice can be a bear to cook on the stovetop. It doesn't always cook evenly, it takes a full hour, and it sometimes leaves a "crusted" layer on the bottom of the pot. Well - you don't have to worry about any of those things anymore. Enter "Instant Pot Brown Rice." It cooks and fluffs perfectly - in a fraction of … [Read more...]
Grammy’s Summer Tuna Pasta Salad
I think I could eat my weight in this pasta salad. We make it by the giant bowlful every summer and enjoy it for brunch, lunch, snack and dinner. It's delicious, filling, and stretches a long way! TIP: It takes much better the day after you make it! :) Here's what you need to make it... 1 pound cooked pasta. Halved cherry or grape tomatoes. 2 cans of … [Read more...]
Hot Cocoa Mug Gifts
You wanna know why I adore this gift. 4 reasons. It's oh so easy to make - no crafting skills required! *high five from a non-crafty gal!* The jar doubles as a mug. I love drinking from mason jars and mugs! It's perfect for making several batches so that you can gift to friends, neighbors, and teachers! 'Tis the season for all the hot cocoa and is great to have some … [Read more...]
The Evolution of Learning How to Cook
How did you learn how to cook? As we look back through the history and time spent in millions of kitchens around the world, an evolution seems to have taken place. And, if you read to the end, you'll see that the evolutionary clocks might be turning backwards...thanks to new technology! Back in the day, recipes were passed down orally - like the special kind of story that … [Read more...]
Pico Guacamole
I think I can say with 99% confidence that I have some kind of avocado every day. Sometimes it's on a salad, sometimes I just add some lemon juice and scoop it right out of the skin, and sometimes I inhale an entire bowl of guacamole! (For real.) I don't know what it is about avocados, but we get along really well! ;) Recently, I made up a simple homemade guacamole … [Read more...]
Homemade Cherry Vinaigrette
Jazz up your next salad with this easy, tasty homemade cherry vinaigrette dressing! I love a delicious homemade vinaigrette and this one can be made year-round - either using cherries from the frozen food section, or fresh cherries that you score on sale (in the summer months.) Enjoy! Homemade Cherry Vinaigrette 1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened pitted tart … [Read more...]
Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa
I'm a salsa nerd. I judge (and choose) which TexMex restaurants we dine at, based on their salsa alone. (Being in San Antonio, there are LOTS of options and I am not alone in my salsa snobbery!) When my mom made this for me and said it was from her favorite TexMex restaurant in North Dakota (where she grew up), my eyes ROLLED. Like...no way, why do you love this salsa … [Read more...]
Make Ahead Smoothie Packs
One. Step. Ahead. That's my mantra when it comes my family's "hunger management." When feeding 4 boys and a husband on a daily basis, you have to be prepared - with fast, simple, delicious and nutritious "grab and go" options for all meals of the day. (If you haven't heard, I'm a freezer meals queen too - so much so that we built this to make freezer meals as easy as … [Read more...]