Author: krista

One side dish that speaks to my soul is Baked Beans. To me, they are their own food group. They can be a side, the main dish, or even dessert! My favorite way to eat them is using Potato Chips as the vessel to deliver them to your mouth! This works great when you are at a BBQ and don’t want to worry about using silverware or carrying a spoon or fork with you. The Potato chip can be a great scoop for most BBQ sides, especially Baked Beans. Sure, you can go to the store and buy a can…

Read More

With the weather changing, it makes me think of hot cocoa, hot coffee, bonfires and scarves.    It also reminds me of my dad’s Irish cream that he would make around this time.   He would send it home with us in glass milk jugs to add to our coffee or cocoa! It is super simple to make all on your own, and it keeps in the fridge for a while (not that it will last that long!!!!) **Must only be consumed if over 21 years of age, please drink responsibly** RECIPE “Irish Cream” **This recipe is intended for consumption…

Read More

I am not a pie person… I know, how can someone live in this great nation of ours and not love pie??  Or even like it a little? The saying goes; “As American as apple pie”… There are plenty of other pies that you see represented too, cherry pie, rhubarb pie, banana cream pie. But I feel like Lemon Pie gets overlooked, and you know what? It’s my favorite! It’s probably my favorite because by great grandma would make it and let me lick the spoons. It’s probably how my love of tart flavors came about too! To me, there…

Read More

This recipe was the one that my mom always got asked to bring to family gatherings. It is tasty, can easily be doubled or tripled, and the leftovers are just as good as the day you made it! It is one that you can have less guilt about grabbing seconds and it so tasty, even the kiddos will eat it! RECIPE “Broccoli Salad” Tips Dressing can be adjusted based on taste I like Craisins for added sweetness Can use Miracle Whip if preferred (then cut down on sugar a bit) Gets better as the dressing…

Read More

This is a sure fire way to get your kiddos to eat veggies!   The age old trick – hide them in cream cheese and cheddar cheese! This is easy to make, a great party appetizer, and I have been known, maybe once or twice to eat it as a meal! I call it pizza so the kids want to eat it even more! Ingredients CRUST 2 Packages Crescent Roll Dough SAUCE ¾ C. Miracle Whip 8 oz. Cream Cheese ½ tsp. Dry Dill 1 tsp. Italian seasoning TOPPING Raw Veggies of your choice 1 ½ packages shredded cheddar cheese Broccoli…

Read More

There is nothing more refreshing than snacking on fresh fruit.   Especially when it is mixed with cream cheese, marshmallow fluff and cookies!! This recipe is easy and quick to make! Great for any gathering!   I like to decorate the fruit with the holiday or theme of the party! Red White and Blue Fruits for the 4th of July!  Green and Red for Christmas!  Light Green and Pink for Easter!   The possibilities are endless! My kids love this, I love this, you’ll love this!!! Ingredients 1 Package Rolled Sugar Cookie Dough 8 oz Cream Cheese 1 Jar Marshmallow Fluff In Season…

Read More

Recipes are mementos that get passed down through the generations. They are held close like secrets of the past and only the worthy get to receive them. One time, I asked my grandma for her potato bread recipe and she gave one to me; not hers, but a different one!!! She said she didn’t want me to know it because then she couldn’t make it for us anymore… This is one of those recipes. The recipe that EVERYONE in the family wanted but we could never duplicate. 5 years ago, around Christmas time it finally changed. WE GOT THE RECIPE!…

Read More

Sometimes I pretend that I am “that mom” … you know the one that I am talking about. The mom that is always on time to their kids’ events, always volunteers to help with the school, always has perfectly planned birthday parties for their kids. Yeah. You can picture her. Truth is, I am not that mom. I work full time, my house is never clean, and I order out more often than I cook. BUT one thing I loved growing up was eating “Dirt” – and my kids do too! No – it’s not what you are thinking. I…

Read More

Growing up, one of my favorite desserts was my Grandma’s Lemon Cake. It was just the right amount Tart, sweet and tangy. The blob of cool whip on the top didn’t hurt either! My grandma would make this for anniversary’s, my grandfather’s birthday, Mother’s Day, and just because! I am pretty sure there was always a lemon cake in the house! The smell of it baking makes your taste buds dance with delight, and your mouth waters just a little bit from the anticipation of the lemon. As my grandma got older, the cakes became more of a treat because…

Read More

A snack, that sure… You COULD buy pre packaged, but there is something about the taste of homemade Nuts & Bolts (or Chex Party Mix if you’re fancy) that brings me back to walking into my Grandmother’s house during a game of Bridge.   My grandmother and her girlfriends always played Bridge once a week – they would rotate to a different house periodically, but my grandmother watched me while my parents worked.   So typically she hosted.  Some of the best memories are ones where I am sitting on her knee while her and her friends are laughing and passing snacks…

Read More

Hot Dish vs. Casserole Being from Minnesota the hot dish vs casserole debate is still going strong. People move here and look at us like we have a third arm when we call something a hot dish. I assure you; it has nothing to do with the temperature of the food! My argument has always been, a casserole is the dish that cook the meal in…  Whereas a hot dish is the meal. I have family from all parts of the Midwest and hot dish reigns supreme in my vocabulary. Cream of Mushroom soup is used in place of seasoning…

Read More

We all have stories of our cooking adventures when we are starting off on our own.  This is one of those stories… Growing up, my grandmother would make Chow Mien Hot Dish in double batches, and we would eat the leftovers for a week! It was delicious. The smell of it cooking evokes memories from my youth and times of crazy shenanigans with my cousins. Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it! I lived in an apartment with my cousin in college. We were your typical college kids, surviving on box Mac & Cheese, Ramen and Fast…

Read More

BLT Bowl In my humble opinion, BLTs are the quintessential summertime meal.  Yes, I am aware I just made a very bold statement. BUT I think a BLT defines summer. I am also very aware that it is fall right now, my kids are going back to school, the leaves are changing, and my parents are taking the swimming pool down for the winter. BLT’s though, just scream summer still.   As I was thinking about the next recipe to post, I was thinking about what I can do to make a BLT less of a summer staple, and more of…

Read More

A good chip dip is something that you get asked to bring to every event, everyone wants your recipe and even though you always give it out, you are always the one that makes it! This is that recipe! I promise you!! The best thing about this dip is that it is delicious with tortilla chips, Fritos, veggies, and even Doritos! This recipe is so simple, even I can make it!! My Grandma taught me this after I begged her for the recipe when I went to college. I wanted to have people over to my apartment and feel like…

Read More

How many of you learned to cook with recipes that used, “a little of this,” or, “a pinch of that”…  Or my personal favorite, “to taste”? This is exactly what my grandmother wrote in her recipes.  Those recipes that were handed down from her mother, or grandmother. It’s a right of passage to get a chance to cook in the kitchen with the matriarch of the family. As a little girl growing up in the Midwest I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. My grandmother was a so-so cook, and that’s me being kind. Things were…

Read More