This is a super easy recipe for a great spreadable cracker topping.  The sour cream softens the cheese just enough to make the dip scoop-able, but not too much to make it runny.  The spread can be shaped into a ball or dome and won’t break the crack as you dip it.   Ingredients 12 […]

A relative made olive penguins for the Christmas potluck.  They were so cute; I had to make them for our next friend get together, which happens to be a polar bear plunge.  Perfect, right?   I made a few modifications to make them taste better.  First, the carrots were softened and the vegetables were marinated […]

Who would have thought cake pops would be so difficult to make?   Mix cake and frosting, dip in chocolate coating and done, right?  Well, maybe if you are lucky.  I attempted to make cake pops once before.  Apparently, I added too much frosting because the ball would not stay on the stick and fell through. […]

Creating a gingerbread house is one of the quintessential Christmas crafts: a combination of baking, constructing, decorating, and tasting.  I have always wanted to bake a gingerbread house from scratch, but I have never gotten around to it.  The pre-baked kits are well prepared and come with almost everything you need to create a delicious […]

Preparing a turkey on Thanksgiving is the crème-de-la-crème for the home cook.  It can be incredibly intimidating if you are new to cooking or have never prepared one by yourself before.  But when you place the finished product on the table and everyone praises your efforts, there is nothing better.  Serving undercooked or overcooked is […]

This recipe is for a super healthy vegetable packed chili.  The pumpkin adds bulk without the calories of additional meat.  The pumpkin was prepared using a large “Halloween” pumpkin rather than a sugar pie pumpkin, but you can use any pumpkin you have including Libby’s  pumpkin puree.  The larger pumpkin is less sweet and more squash-like […]

Mashed potatoes are an American staple.  They are gluten-free and easy to make.  The best potatoes to make mashed potatoes are the brown russet potatoes.  They are the easiest to peel.   Ingredients 5 russet potatoes ½ -3/4 c milk ½ t salt ½ t pepper 2 T butter   Wash the outer skin of […]

This turned out to be one of my favorite meals in a while.  I know I cook a lot, and my cooking is good, but this one turned out much better than expected.  At first, I was disappointed because I had cut the carrot and vegetables too small, and they got very mushy during roasting.  As […]

This is a great way to get picky eaters to eat their vegetables.  Cheese makes everything taste better. Ingredients 1 -8oz. package frozen spinach 3 green onions or ½ c white onion chopped ½ t garlic powder ½ c queso fresco or parmesan cheese 1 T butter Salt and pepper to taste   Place frozen […]