Beef Stew and Bread by the Fire

We are having people over so I am preparing a make-ahead dinner that is easy to eat outside. This is a hearty beef stew with bacon, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, baby potatoes, and onions. I am making my recipe for Cheesy Grits bread that was published in Southern Living Magazine in 2005. You can find thatContinue reading “Beef Stew and Bread by the Fire”

Apple Salad

Oh, we love this one. I was introduced to it when we did a series of “healthy meals” for events at work to try to get our employees to see that food can both taste good and be good for you. I’m not sure that worked with our employees, but I have been making thisContinue reading “Apple Salad”

Mike’s Favorite Meatloaf Dinner

My husband LOVES meatloaf. And when we have meatloaf, he always wants to have homemade garlic mashed potatoes, and peas (because we both like to mix our peas with our mashed potatoes.) So here we go. Aunt Josefa’s Mashed Potatoes–My dad’s youngest sister who lived in Chicago 4 lbs baking potatoes peeled and quartered 1/2Continue reading “Mike’s Favorite Meatloaf Dinner”

White Lightning Chili Beans

We like white chicken or turkey chili as an occasional alternative to the traditional red/beef chili. Since our poblano harvest has been so abundant, I thought I would make some beans to go into white chili to make meal prep super easy. It is critical that you read the instructions for using your pressure cannerContinue reading “White Lightning Chili Beans”

My Husband’s Favorite Squash Casserole

My husband loves yellow squash. I planted 6 of them this year and they have started producing enough that I could make some squash casserole. I didn’t make a huge batch, but enough to put a couple of small dishes in the freezer. They work well for us, because generally we’re just two people. YouContinue reading “My Husband’s Favorite Squash Casserole”

A Versatile Quiche Base

I took a recipe from my mother in law and made a few modifications to make it a really adaptable filling for quiches. Quiche Filling (makes 3-9″ quiches or 2-10″ quiches) 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise 6 tbsp flour 2 rounds of Boursin cheese 12 eggs 1 1/2 cups of milk Combine all ingredients inContinue reading “A Versatile Quiche Base”

Summer Salads–Marinated Green Beans

This is my grandmother’s recipe for three bean salad that I have adapted because I really don’t like cold kidney beans. Dressing: 1/2 cup sugar (I usually reduce to 1/4 or 1/3 cup) 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/2 tsp tarragon 1/2 tsp basil 2 tbspContinue reading “Summer Salads–Marinated Green Beans”

Vegetarian Dinner Salad

We often have a hearty vegetarian salad for dinner. That’s what we did the other night. With the beans and the cheese, this salad has enough heft for a light dinner or lunch. You can substitute cannellini beans, navy beans, or garbanzo beans for the great northern beans–I just really like the texture of theContinue reading “Vegetarian Dinner Salad”

Steak, Arugula, and Asparagus Salad

I have a TON of arugula right now because it was starting to bolt so I had to pick it all. I sliced an onion into about 1/8″ thick slices and then broke them into rings and put about a tablespoon of oil on them and broiled them on a foil lined cookie sheet untilContinue reading “Steak, Arugula, and Asparagus Salad”

The BEST Potato Salad

This is my version of the potato salad that my mom used to make. I have been making it since I have lived on my own. Even people who don’t usually like potato salad, love this one. If you already love potato salad, you will love this one. I like it because it isn’t tooContinue reading “The BEST Potato Salad”