If you google chicken pot pie, you’ll get recipes for an actual chicken pie, with a top and bottom crust. But the Pennsylvania Dutch version of chicken pot pie is more of a chicken stew with square pieces of dough added to the broth (a chicken pie in a pot). This recipe is from my…
Category: Weekend Cooking
Prepping By Food Group on the Weekend for Fast Meals During the Week
Eating healthier can be fast, easy and delicious, you just need a little bit of time early in the week to get organized. I find prepping by food group (ingredient) is the easiest way for me to pull together healthy meals during the week. Select the foods you want to prep within each food group: …
Morning Glory Oat Bran Muffins
If you’re eating muffins for breakfast, they should be hearty enough to sustain you throughout your morning, Most muffins are nothing more than a glorified cupcake but not these muffins. Packed with fiber-rich whole grains, golden raisins, shredded carrots and chopped apples, these are deliciously healthy “start your morning off right” kind of muffins. This…
Sweet and Moist Bran Muffins (with no added sugar)
It’s really hard to believe these muffins contain no added sugar. They’re sweetness comes from chewy dates and mashed ripe bananas. Granted, this recipes requires a few extra steps but once you have all of the ingredients out, make an extra batch to freeze for later. If you need more encouragement to bake them, these…
Football Tailgate Beef Stew
Fall + football = hearty beef stew. This recipe feeds 8-10 people so it’s perfect for a tailgate or for serving those fans that gather in your family room. I love it because although it’s hearty, it’s made with lean beef, lots of veggies and simple seasonings. Plan to start this early because it will…
Elevated Marinara
I’ve made many tomato-based sauces over the years but this is hands down the best marinara I’ve ever made. This recipe, which I adapted from Cookinglight.com, makes a rich, intense killer sauce. The difference is that it’s baked in the oven rather than simmered over the stove. Full disclosure, I did use my husband’s award…
Homemade Sushi Party
Here’s a fun idea for a hands-on dinner party. Homemade sushi rolls. Sushi rolls are actually easy to make, once you get the hang of it. The most challenging part is finding the ingredients and the supplies needed to make the rolls. My town just happens to have a Japanese market so that was easy…
Award Winning Turkey Chili
My husband and I make this chili when we are hosting big gatherings. It serves a crowd but it also freezes well so don’t be intimidated by the quantity it makes. We’ve entered this chili in several chili cook-offs and not to brag, but it has won its share of ribbons. That says a lot…
Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Tonnato Sauce
This recipe takes advantage of the convenience of store-bought rotisserie chicken but elevates it to a dinner party worthy dish. The star of this salad is the dressing (tonnato sauce) with its rich, vibrant flavors from tuna fish, anchovies, capers, fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. You can also serve this sauce over pasta, grilled…
A Chopped Birthday Party
My daughter turned 26 last week and she requested a Chopped birthday party. If you’re not familiar, Chopped is a cooking competition on the Food Network. She wanted to reproduce the show in a party format so we stocked the kitchen with food, organized utensils and invited lots of friends to cook, judge, cheer and…
After Thanksgiving Turkey Stew with Fresh Sage and Thyme
When the weather gets colder, I’m ready for warm, rustic, flavorful stews. This is a perfect recipe to make after Thanksgiving, allowing you to use up any leftover turkey or with chicken if you want to make it any other time of the year. Hearty herbs, like sage and thyme, are excellent in winter soups…
Rhubarb Oat Shortcakes
Delicious. One word to sum up this delightful summer dessert from Melissa Clark, food columnist for the New York Times. Fresh rhubarb is ready to harvest in late spring (my husband picked some beautiful rhubarb from our garden, featured below) and you’ll find it at produce markets throughout most of the summer. The colors in rhubarb are lovely…