I needed to do something, well Different, with basic chicken bone in, skin on thighs. I wanted crispy but tender thighs packed with flavor. As I started going through the pantry thinking, what can I use to create a new dish, my eyes landed on Sriracha sauce, onion soup mix, umami powder and a small … Continue reading How to Make a Perfect Umami Chicken
Category: Cooking
Cooking from scratch: healthier, cheaper, and a great creative outlet
How to make the Best Ever Caramel Apple Pie
I had quite a few apples this week - more than we would just eat. Enough for my favorite Caramel Apple Pie! There are so many apple pie variations. This one makes a caramel base in a 10" cast iron skillet, then the crust and filing go in on top of it. The caramel in … Continue reading How to make the Best Ever Caramel Apple Pie
How to Create Smoky Cauliflower Side dish
Cauliflower is a wonder vegetable, but pretty bland on it's own. I stumbled across a recipe in a magazine (sorry, I've forgotten which one!) and modified slightly for our tastes. Although the original instructions were for a whole head of cauliflower, just two of us would never eat that much. I usually cook 1/3-1/2 of … Continue reading How to Create Smoky Cauliflower Side dish
How to Make a Super Easy Elegant Dessert
Sometimes I just need something quick.... Puff Pastry to the rescue! It makes a quick easy dessert or brunch Danish without much fuss. Not only that, but it looks so fancy. People will ooh and aah. I always have a box of Puff Pastry on hand. The local grocery has it 2 sheets to a … Continue reading How to Make a Super Easy Elegant Dessert
Organizing A Pantry, Part II
Now that your inventory and master list are made, time for a plan of action. Like Things Together As with everything else in my kitchen, things belonging to the same "family" are stored together. All cast iron pans in one place, all pots in a large drawer by the stove, all flours or sauces are … Continue reading Organizing A Pantry, Part II
Learn to make Flavorful Easy Chicken Stock
Chicken stock is one of those staple items I always have in my pantry. And though I buy some store bought cartons of stock to keep on hand, I most often just make my own and either can or freeze it in pints and quarts. Every time I make chicken I save parts - necks, … Continue reading Learn to make Flavorful Easy Chicken Stock
How to make Easy Spicy Noodles
I make a few stir fry's - in fact my husband says my food is better than our local Chinese Restaurant (which isn't saying much - their food is probably the worst Chinese take out I've ever had). But when I made these Spicy noodles the first time, I was in love. Really tasty, a … Continue reading How to make Easy Spicy Noodles
Surprisingly Easy Air Fried Butternut Squash Fries
I have a number of squash residing in my pantry, and quite honestly we're tired of sauteed squash, pureed squash, squash soup, and so on. One of y sister told me about baking squash fries, and I thought, why not spice them up and air fry? One of the most important things about air frying, … Continue reading Surprisingly Easy Air Fried Butternut Squash Fries
How to Make Easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Creamy, tasty, luscious homemade ice cream - who doesn't love that? Ice cream is much easier to make than most people realize. Basic ingredients like milk and cream, eggs, a little sugar and flavoring. It takes a little time, but most of it is waiting for the custard to cool. And yes, some form of … Continue reading How to Make Easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Homemade Lasagna is the Greatest
Sometimes I just cook because I like to, and something totally homemade is food born of love. Like lasagna - yes, it can be made from box noodles and canned sauce, but there's something tastier about it when the pasta is fresh homemade and the sauce bubbled on the stove top. I just had a … Continue reading Homemade Lasagna is the Greatest