Joy in the Kitchen!

When I was growing up, most of the time Mom fixed meals using foods we grew in the garden and meat we had raised.  Most meals were meat and potato meals.  Usually four items on our plates at dinner:  Meat, potatoes, vegetable, and some sort of salad. Most always a dessert accompanied that, often though it was a bowl of home canned fruit.  Once in a great while, Mom would make a casserole or dinner using ingredients we had to buy such as cheese, pasta, or rice.  It was such a treat to have a meal out of the norm.  One of the dishes Mom would occasionally make for Sunday dinner was Chicken and Rice.  So easy to put together and throw in the oven to cook while you do other things.  This dish is such a comfort food for me!  Creamy, warm, delicious!  I'm not sure where she got the recipe, but the original name was Busy Day Chicken.   I buy whole chickens and cut them up into 10 pieces for this, or sometimes I buy chicken l...

ECLIPSE EGGS! It is August 21, 2017 and here in South Eastern Idaho we are ready for the eclipse!  My home is not dead center for totality, but we'll have 99% totality and that's good enough for me.   Our kids started school last week, but we are out today to enjoy the eclipse and avoid the anticipated traffic (that is non-existent!).   We have picked out the best viewing spot in our back yard and are looking forward to enjoying a few hours of family time! Here a great suggestion for breakfast if you haven't enjoyed that yet, or any other meal to celebrate Eclipse Day! The recipe for Eclipse Eggs can be found disguised as Peek-a-boo Eggs on THIS page of my blog! Happy viewing!!

Our son was married a few weeks ago!   We held an Open House at our home in their honor and had a great time figuring out what all we would serve for refreshments.  There was no doubt that we would serve these lovely little Cream Cheese Mints.   My Mother-in-Law made these so often for weddings and Quinceanera's.  We needed to have these in her honor as we've been missing her since she passed away last December.   These little mints are so easy to make.  We use a soft plastic candy mold but you could just as easily roll into a ball and press flat with a glass or fork.  Give these a try on your next fun occasion! Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints 1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese, softened to room temperature 2 lbs. of powdered sugar (7-8 cups) mint flavoring In a mixer, blend cream cheese and powdered sugar until it is a soft crumble.  Add a few drops of mint oil or about 1/2 tsp. of mint flavoring and mix again until well blended.  ...

Several years ago I inherited my Mom's old yogurt maker from the 70's.  Well, to be truthful, I borrowed it for so long she forgot where it was until I confessed.  She let me keep it!  (Wish I could "borrow" her 100 year old upright grand piano! LOL)  I've made many batches of yogurt in this machine.  It has been well worth the money Mom paid for it.  :) You do NOT, however, have to have a neat little machine to make fine yogurt!  The only thing that machine does, is keep the yogurt at a constant temperature while it incubates (I know that makes it sound like it's going to hatch, but it's the only word I can think of to describe it at the moment!) .... around 100 degrees.  There are several other options for keeping it warm but I'll just share the two I've used. There are a few items that are useful for making yogurt:  a cooking thermometer the one I use looks like THIS .... a larger, heavy bottomed pot.... glass jars, quart, p...

It's almost time again for April Fools Day!  I'm not a big believer in mean or hurtful pranks, but in our household a few little surprises or twists here and there are a lot of fun!!!   Generally I don't allow things that make a mess or hurt feelings.  Here are a few of the fun FOOD pranks we've done the past few years.....   I can't use them again very soon, but YOU CAN! These pranks are all quality tested in my own home.  :)    My 8 year old son was looking over my shoulder as I was putting this post together and he said "That was so fun!  Can we do it again this year?"  I had to explain that surprise is the best part of the fun... but I'd better get on the ball and find a fun surprise for him!   Maybe THIS year my April Fools Surprise will be doing NOTHING!   They'd be able to enjoy it all day!   Click through each link to see more pictures and details on our April Fools Fun.    Chicken Sandwiches with...

My daughter Audra has been making delicious, chewy pretzels for her family for a while.  They were getting rave reviews from her hubby and kids.... so of course I had to try them!  We decided to try them as pretzel bites rather than a full sized pretzel.  It worked perfectly.  Family loved them!  Win! Audra and I made several batches of these Pretzel Bites for a meeting I was attending.  So many of the people there loved them as well.  I've never had store-bought soft pretzels before, but several of the meeting attendees said they were as good as Pretzel Maker Pretzel Bites.   The recipe is simple and not too time consuming for bread.  Give it a try! Soft and Chewy Pretzels and Pretzel Bites 2 3/4 C. flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 2 1/4 tsp. yeast 1 C. warm water Pretzel Salt or Coarse Salt 3 T. melted butter (for brushing after baking) Put all dry ingredients in mixer bowl.  Pour warm water over and stir with a ...

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Yet, that's often one of the most difficult times to take a few minutes to nourish yourself!  This breakfast scramble can be cooked in under 10 minutes and is quick to eat.  Ingredients can be prepped ahead to save time. I often fix this just for myself, though if my husband is home he enjoys it as well.  It works well to just double the ingredients and cook for two.  It doesn't work as well to cook for six people as the eggs take longer to cook and the spinach goes too soft and the color leaches out into the eggs.   Dave and I have been participating in a health program through his work that gives us support on making healthy changes to our activity and food.  One of the challenges is to eat a high protein breakfast each day.  This recipe supplies around 15 grams of protein and 260 calories.  Add a piece of whole wheat toast and you're above 20 grams of protein....