I love to recreate recipes that are childhood favorites. Most of the kids I know love chicken strips (or nuggets) and fries. It's inevitable! When I was a kid it was also a favorite for me, and I actually know grown adults who will just order chicken strips and fries at every new restaurant they go to. It's just one of those meals that's easy and comforting, so I decided to spruce it up a bit! For this sponsored post I’ll be using the Foster Farms Simply Raised thin-sliced boneless skinless … [Read more...]
Sheet Pan Dinner: Chicken, Asparagus, Mushroom and Tomatoes
Today we're going to chat about some good ol' comfort foods. These are the meals you might have grown up with that make you feel good inside. These might be recipes you grew up eating or even things you make that just make you feel warm inside. Recently my husband and I attended an event in San Francisco that celebrated the New Comfort Food and discussed how comfort foods have changed and evolved over the years. It was a fascinating look into culinary trends and I found myself nodding in … [Read more...]
“Super” Spinach Bowl
I admit, I love going to parties and get togethers for the appetizers alone. Something about finger foods and dips just makes me very happy. You can have a little of this, and a little of that and taste it all without committing to a full meal. Since this weekend is the Big Game, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things with you. Spinach Dip. If you're at all like me, spinach dip is essential at any type of gathering. The bread bowl, with that creamy spinach combination is a dream. I … [Read more...]
Brown Rice, Chicken, and Veggie Casserole with Creamy Pepper Jack Cheese Sauce #CountryCrockStars
There are two big things that remind me of food and the whole kitchen experience as a child. Those two things are casseroles and Shedd's Spread Country Crock! Both of my parents worked a lot when I was growing up, so one thing my mom loved to make was a good casserole. As a busy parent, nothing compares to a one dish meal that you can prep ahead of time and pop in the oven for twenty minutes or so once you get home and Voila! Dinner is done!Another staple in my family's kitchen was always … [Read more...]
Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
Au Gratin Potatoes is originally a french dish that is common in the boxed mix area in your supermarket. It's a dish I grew up eating and another favorite that I consider a comfort food. I've mentioned before that I love to make those old comfort foods and instead of making the boxed mix I like to learn how to make them from scratch and ingredients that I typically can find in my pantry at home, free of preservatives and additives.This was made for Christmas dinner with a beef roast and red … [Read more...]
Chicken Pot Pie made with Pillsbury Pie Crusts
As a child I grew up eating those cute little frozen pot pies. I learned at a young age how to poke holes in the top and heat them up. To be honest, it's still a comforting meal to me, and sometimes I'll find them on special at the grocery store for $.75 each and buy a few. I like to recreate some of my favorite boxed or frozen meals that I enjoyed growing up, and make them homemade without all that nasty sodium and preservatives. A few months ago (before our move) I posted a status update on … [Read more...]
Ham, Potato, Corn & Cheese Chowder with Fried Shallots
I love a good hearty soup after the holidays are over. You eat so much heavy foods, sweets, and appetizers that once the new year arrives you're ready for something new. Most people have a New Year's resolution to lose weight, and soups are great for that as well. Since it's also still so cold out, soup hits the spot just right and warms you up from the inside.I love a good chowder. Corn chowder and clam chowder are some of my all time favorite comforting soups. So while this ham and corn … [Read more...]
New Year’s Day Black eyed Peas
Happy New Year!!! I'm planning on making 2013 the best year yet!! We have a lot of plans for our family, our home, and this blog. I'm excited to see what's to come!This New Year's Eve we spent at home with the kids. We rolled in the New Year with homemade noisemakers and pots and pans, dancing and singing. The kids stayed up, even the little ones, and I cooked my way into the New Year. Would you expect anything less?All evening this slow cooked black eyed pea soup was cooking away, and we were … [Read more...]
Easy Slow-Cooked Pork Roast
I've gone into my love for my slow-cooker a few times here, but this is one of my all time favorite "go to" recipes with my slow cooker. This is perfect for those days you have mouths to feed, but have a ton of things to do and can't slave in the kitchen for hours! Perfect for this time of year when family and friends are always visiting, people are last minute shopping or getting the last of the presents wrapped.It seems there's never enough time around this point in the season, and this is a … [Read more...]
Hearty and Comforting Shephard’s Pie
One of a handful of the first things I made when I started really getting into cooking was a Shephard's Pie.This came at a time when money was extremely tight for us, and it cause me to get very creative in the kitchen.(You can read a little more about that here) Sometimes piecing together ingredients with a tight budget can be the times you get most creative in the kitchen! I wouldn't trade those hard times for anything, because that's when I was forced to learn to try different things when it … [Read more...]
