Having a bevy of recipes for the backyard barbecue can come in handy, whether you are hosting your own party or need a dish to bring to someone else’s party. Make sure you have enough recipes that produce food that is both delicious and quick to prepare. This way, you can get back to enjoying summer. Here is a summer barbecue recipe that I hope will fit the bill. Sweet and tangy coleslaw, made fresh, will pair with any traditional summer food. In fact, it is a summer food in itself. Here is one tried and true recipe that can … Continue reading →

What could be cuter than an entire basket full of yummy easter cupcakes? Mix up a batch of cupcakes from your favorite recipe, try the basic cupcake recipe below or even use a boxed mix. Then go crazy with one or more of the following Easter Cupcake decorating ideas. Basic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Makes 24 cupcakes Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 large pinch of salt 10 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) 1-1/3 cup milk 2 cups white sugar 5 eggs 2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: Preheat an oven to … Continue reading →

A glazed ham is the traditional main dish for many families on Easter. How will you prepare yours? There are many different options for glazed ham, from the simple to the exotic. How do you glaze a ham? Glazing a ham is just the technique of combining ingredient and then brushing the mixture on to your ham. Most ham glaze recipes contain at least one sweet ingredient, such as sugar or honey. You can either glaze your ham throughout the cooking process or just during the last 20-30 minutes using high heat. I prefer to glaze the ham throughout on … Continue reading →

This is by far the best traditional mashed potatoes recipe that I have cooked so far. The mashed potatoes are creamy with lots of butter, as they are supposed to be. Use a little less milk (reduce about half a cup) for firmer potatoes. I find that the extra half cup makes the potatoes leave over well (even when freezing), preventing them from dying out. Ingredients 5 Pounds of Potatoes–Yukon Gold or other gold potato works best, but by all means use russet potatoes if that is what you have on hand. 2-1/2 Teaspoons of Salt 2-1/2 cups of Evaporated … Continue reading →

This version uses ground turkey instead of ground beef, but it has all of the flavor. Since full-fat cheese is used, I wouldn’t exactly call it healthy, but the milder taste of the meat really lets the other ingredients come through for a very tasty dish. This baked ziti is very kid friendly too and leaves over well. I usually make it up to a day in advance and then just pop it in the oven at dinnertime. It makes that crazy witching hour with the kids much easier, since I can give them all of my attention. Ingredients 16 … Continue reading →

What if it were so easy to make cinnamon rolls that you could do it in your bread machine? Bread machine cinnamon rolls are so delicious. They are much better than those prepackaged “tube” cinnamon rolls and take little extra effort when you use your bread machine. This morning, the kids are off of school for a teacher in service day. They had a late night, too, so I am hoping that they will sleep in a bit. I know however, that the aroma of the cinnamon rolls I am baking will probably wake them. We will be having a … Continue reading →

There you are with a house full of guests, friends, loved ones, neighbors, family, and the try turns our dry. There is plenty of advice out there about what you should do to prevent your turkey from drying out in the first place, from turkey bags to brining, but what can you do if it is too late? What if despite all of your efforts, the turkey turns out dry, say if some of your friends and family are several hours late, and you have been trying to keep the turkey warm? (Can you tell that this happened to me … Continue reading →

Are you worried about having a wonderful Turkey on Thanksgiving Day? Did you buy a big enough bird? Will it thaw out in time? These are just some of the common questions about preparing a turkey dinner. I’ll answer them plus give you a few different resources that you have in your back pocket, so to speak, in case something unexpected comes up that isn’t covered here. How big a turkey should I get? How big a turkey you need depends on the number of guests as well as whether or not you want leftovers. A good rule of thumb … Continue reading →