We have been alternating between high temperatures and flash floods. Every time it rains, I want comfort foods like pot roast and potatoes. But it is so hot that I don't want to turn on the oven. My slow cooker once again came to my rescue! I love that is allows me to cook family favorites without heating up the house. When I make my pot roast, I put the vegetables … [Read more...]
Sloppy Dogs
The Perfect Way to Use Up Leftover Sloppy Joes --> Sloppy Dogs! A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to be taking a vacation "sorta." Well, I hope you don't mind that I didn't tell the full truth (for security reasons!), but I really did take a vacation. I really was in Cincinnati by myself with the baby...but my husband and children were home. But the week … [Read more...]
Juicy Salsa Burger
My boys love burgers. It's generally what they order off the kids' menu when we go out for dinner, and what they would request if I asked them what they wanted to grill for dinner. When Hellmann's asked us to give this new recipe for the Juicy Salsa Burger a try, I hoped it would be a hit with the family. I knew the burger part would be a hit...but I wasn't so sure about the … [Read more...]
Beef & Bean Oven Tacos
Tacos. We love tacos. The boys devour them. They love the crunchy mess. They love the flavors. They love to see how full they can make them. And they love to eat them on their special taco plates. (My mom gave us some for Christmas...GREAT gift!) I love the concept of making tacos in the oven...and melting the cheese over the top of the meat. Then piling on the … [Read more...]
Southwest Steak and Avocado Wraps
My husband called me while waiting in an airport for his flight home last week. It soon became obvious that he was hungry because he started telling me how much he loved my wraps. Then he started sharing ideas for wraps that I could make him in the future. I was pretty sure by "the future" he meant for dinner shortly after he arrived home that night. One of the good things … [Read more...]
Balsamic Meat & Mushroom Kebabs
Y'all...the grilling bug has hit our house. It seems we are outside grilling and eating at least 3 nights a week these days. The last few weeks have been out of town on the weekends, so during the week it's been a "pantry and freezer clean-out." Literally...clean out the food and then clean out the cabinet and freezer. (See.) Much of the meat that we had in the freezer ended … [Read more...]
How to Season Hamburger Patties
So I might be the last one on the planet to do it this way... In the past, I've seasoned hamburger patties on the grill...while they were grilling. And while it works, it wasn't going to work for me last weekend when we were having a bunch of family over for dinner. I wanted to prep as much as I could ahead of time so that I could enjoy them while they were at our house, … [Read more...]
Zucchini Meatballs
Summer is upon us. (Maybe, I did see a ton of sweater and coat comments in my FB feed over the weekend from my friends up north.) One of the things that I love about summer is the fresh produce, farmer's market and being able to get great prices on fruits and veggies throughout the summer. One veggie in particular is usually easy to find at super low prices...zucchini. Zucchini … [Read more...]
Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
There was a lot of buzz at the start of 2011 about "your word for the year"...and if I had to pick a word then, and a word now, I'd say simplicity. I've been reading the book Abundant Simplicity, and in doing so, thinking a lot about our time in the Dominican Republic, the slower pace of life and the simpler way of life. Simplicity...I long for it, I need it...it keeps me … [Read more...]
Beef and Blue Cheese Bites
I love a nice tender steak topped with crumbled blue cheese. That got me thinking about how to make a recipe to get close to that flavor yet enjoyable for the kids and used what I had on hand. By the time I got it in the oven, I was really craving that meaty blue cheese flavor and crossing my fingers it was going to turn out like I wanted. I'm very happy to report that this is … [Read more...]