I love the idea of homemade anything … especially tater tots. I prefer tater tots to french fries any day. I think it’s a texture thing. Anyway, we already make homemade fries, so why not expand that to include homemade tater tots? It’s just a natural progression if you ask me. Homemade Tater Tots 8…
Chicken in a Jar?! Yummier Than You Think
I’m all for convenience foods … really, who isn’t? I love the ability to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible on some nights. These days we are all over Texas – house hunting, delivering honey, meeting clients near and far, and then going to Krav Maga twice a week. Yes … we’re…
Hot Drink Mixes
I love cold weather because it’s my time to sip on hot drinks. My two favorite recipes are listed below this section (Decadent Hot Cocoa and the Spiced Tea Mix). However, there are times I’d like something different. I went on a search and found the following hot drink mixes. I hope to try them…
Pie Crust 101
Making pie crusts can be tricky, but don’t get discouraged. With a few tips and a little practice, you can make scrumptious and flaky desserts, too. So, let’s take a look at Pie Crust 101. Flaky Pie Crust This is for a 10″ pie. 1½ cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt ¼ cup shortening ¼…
Spiced Tea Mix
This is spiced tea mix PERFECT for cold winter nights. It makes quite a bit so you can even package some up in a pretty container to give as Christmas gifts. Spiced Tea Mix 2 cups Tang 2 cups sugar 1 cup instant tea 1 package lemonade 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cloves Mix together…
Ah, the Mighty Chile Pequin
Chile Pequins are an extremely hot pepper rating above 30,000 Scoville Units. Yep…hotter than a jalapeno. I’ve grown to really love these peppers as they are tiny enough to provide a great amount of heating using just a little bit. This is the first year we ever planted a chile pequin, although we’ve tried to…
Canning Marinara Sauce
We have been so blessed this year with an abundance of tomatoes. I’ve been able to put up (can) many jars of salsa, marinara, and even Italian tomato sauce. It’s been awesome. Here is the recipe I use for when we are canning marinara sauce. It’s easy and tastes incredible in spaghetti, pizza, etc. Ingredients: 7…
9 Ways to Use Excess Squash
It’s the middle of May and I’ve already picked about 9 yellow squash and two green squash. We only planted 3 summer squash plants and one winter squash. The winter squash takes about 90 days to mature (as it’s more like a pumpkin than a summer squash). So, while that’s growing, we are getting quite…
Cooking with Bulk Meats
One thing we’ve done for many years is cooking with bulk meats – whether it’s turkey, ham or even brisket. It’s a great way to make many meals at once saving money and hours in the kitchen. For a turkey, I will roast it like I would for Thanksgiving, carving the meat into 2-3 cup portions,…
Roasted Chicken
Roasted chicken is one of our family favorites. Check out this easy recipe and enjoy a scrumptious dinner at home tonight. 1 whole chicken ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons dried rosemary 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon lemon pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 lemon, quartered 2 celery stalks, cut in half or smaller sections…