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5-Cheese Meaty Lasagna
For the Lasagna lovers out there, today — July 29th — is National Lasagna Day! Lasagna is such a crowd-pleaser meal. It is hearty and feeds a crowd. And surprisingly, it’s not the hardest thing to make. So today, I present a recipe for a meaty, cheese version of the classic lasagna. And as a bonus, I have included a recipe for a meat sauce that you can use in this recipe. It’s a two-fer! 5-Cheese Meaty Lasagna To save time, prepare the meat sauce ahead of time or use your favorite store-bought sauce instead. Fortunately, the meat sauce recipe referred to below can be made in large batches that…
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Loaded Stuffed Potato
Happy Monday! We have been staying at home for almost 3 months now. School is finally out so the homeschooling portion is over for now. I haven’t really been cooking that much during this time. I had really great intentions but very little time. Now that summer is creeping up, perhaps I can do a better job! Next up is graduation. Surprisingly, the school district has scheduled an outdoor graduation ceremony. We have to figure out how we are going to handle it. I am still concerned about being around people who may not really believe in masks and social distancing. We have to figure it out. May is National…
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A Chicken Salad with Strawberries, Feta, & Pecans Using an Instant Pot®
I have had an InstaPot® for a long time. I haven’t used it all that much. It’s my mother’s fault. My mother had a pressure cooker when I was a child. It was one of the older pressure cookers — one that had manual pressure release. She used it when she was canning — especially the year my father had his huge garden. She was uncomfortable with it to say the least. When I bought my pressure cooker, she put the fear of the pressure cooker in me. Even though the new pressure cookers are much safer, she got into my head again. Mothers can be good with that right?…
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National Shrimp Scampi Day
Having an allergy to seafood has played a large role in my life. My mother figured it out when I was a toddler. However, my family was a regular seafood-eating bunch so I found reasons to get out of the house on Fridays. I had not interest in eating most types of seafood — although I was jealous of the hush puppies and fries at the local fast food seafood joint! But… I did like shrimp. I didn’t eat if often but I did eat it. Probably dodged a few bullets in my youth… Now I steer clear. Everyone else in the house eats seafood but they know that I…
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National Pecan Month: Pecan-Crusted Pork Chops with Plum Sauce
Another National Pecan Month recipe! When I was a child, pork chops was one of my favorite meals! Juicy fried pork chops! Yum! My mom used a basic flour recipe when making her chops. This recipe would have been a welcome addition to the dinner repertoire when I was a kid. Enjoy!
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Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Butter Sauce
It’s National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day! Did you know that most people (me included) thought that this dish was French? It actually originated in Switzerland. The Swiss need to reclaim their recipe — the French are getting all the credit! As a child, my mother served frozen versions of this dish. However, I don’t believe anyone ever served me a homemade version until I was an adult. I really liked the frozen version. However, I love this one. Have fun!
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How to Have a Healthier Easter Dinner
Easter dinner isn’t going to be the same this year. Most people won’t be congregating together at church or having big Easter dinners this year. Social distancing and all. But you may be having a small dinner for just your immediate family. Even with a scaled-down meal, you have some of the same family dinner constraints, where the main courses, appetizers, and desserts are often filled with fat, calories, carbs, and sugar. If you are trying to be healthier this — especially since we are all eating a lot at home — here are some tips to incorporate healthier ideas into your Easter dinner. You will be able to start…
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Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
My goals were to start the month off right with this roasted tomato soup recipe. But fate had other plans. It’s been a weird 12 hours! First… Site Drama! Because of everything going on in all of our lives, I was behind on getting this post up. I finally sat down at my computer and decided to update some plugins. Down went 2 of my sites! EEK! I couldn’t get into the site dashboards or anything. So, I had to talk to my hosting service to get some help. It took a while. Luckily, they have a rewind service that overwrote my sites with info from a time before the…
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Comfort Food: One-Skillet Lemon Chicken Orzo
Stuck in the house? This dish is also perfect for those busy weeknights when you want something quick and satisfying. Not dirtying every dish in your kitchen is a bonus. This recipe pairs bone-in chicken thighs with lemony orzo for a hearty meal you can have on the table in just over half an hour. Quite the comfort meal! For this recipe, the chicken thighs are cooked with skin on to impart extra flavor. However, the skin is removed for serving to save a few calories.
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Gluten-Free Garlic-Parmesan Turkey Meatballs
Mmmmm, meatballs… Mmmmm, garlic… Mmmmm, parmesan… All things that I love. Combined together in a gluten-free turkey bundle of goodness? I am in! I am sharing this recipe today because it is (March 9th) National Meatball Day. These scrumptious, gluten-free meatballs are a real crowd-pleaser. Here, traditional breadcrumbs are replaced with a hearty portion of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, while a combination of spices and fresh herbs pack tons of flavor into every bite. This recipe freezes well, so make a double or triple batch if time allows. Then simply pull out of the freezer, reheat, and serve for a quick and delicious weeknight meal. Pro Tip: To help the…
