French Onion Soup

This is one of my families favorite soups. It's really fast and simple, but the flavors are pure comfort.  On a cold day this really hits the spot!

Baked Mac & Cheese

I love homemade mac and cheese.  Although it isn't as fast as the boxed stuff, it is better for you because you don't have all those preservatives.  This was my first attempt at making my own, and I am proud of the results.

Baked Mummies

I have made so many great recipes these last few weeks but haven't been able to keep the blog up to date, so I'll start with what I made for Halloween with the family.  It was a lot of fun!  I felt like a big kid while decorating these.  And although to me personally the olives were really sour, they really made the little buggy eyeballs on the dish!  I hope everyone had fun on their Halloween!

Tomato Polenta

We made a lot of this when Summer was in its first blush.  We had so many tomatoes and so much corn and fresh rosemary this dish was just the natural choice to make.  Now that that season is over we are still making this.  It was just too good to make it only seasonal.  It looks almost like a deep dish pizza or a pie.  I love this stuff and the way it smells when cooking is just..../happy sigh.

Lasagna Soup

We had this tonight for dinner.  It was SO good.  It was a hit and I'll be making this again soon! I swear it was like lasagna in a bowl. And that can't be bad!

Autumn Sausage Casserole

When I finished making this dish I was so happy with the way it turned out.  The sweetness of the raisins and apples played off so well with the spices and rice.  I'll be making it again next month for certain.  It just had that Autumn warm feel to it while I ate =)

Lavender Au Gratin Potatoes

I've never used dried lavender before and wanted to try something new.  So I decided to make this recipe.  It's very easy, albeit a little time consuming.  Fortunately for me, I just bought a new slicer at Sams Club.  You just put the potato in and press down and it slices it for you! I don't know how I've survived so long without it lol.  Especially since I always seem to start dinner late when I need to start early to have it ready in time.

Buffalo Chili

With a slight heat to it, this chili is sure to warm you up on a cold day.  Here in Oklahoma it's about 45 right now.  We went from 80's to 40's almost overnight.  That can chill a person to the bone.  So make this up and stay warm from the inside out =)

Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken

This is such a fast dish to make.  Just combine the sauce, put it on the chicken inside the crock pot, and walk away.  I think that's what makes any type of crock pot dish so convenient.  The simplicity of it.  I like to have this meal with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.  It's so yummy.  For some reason the bbq sauce didn't turn out quite like it normally does (I'm blaming running out of ketchup and having to mix two different brands).  It still tasted great, but didn't look quite up to what it normally does.  If you feel it'll have too much sugar and be too sweet, just put in less sugar and add a little at a time until it tastes the way you like it =). I like my barbecue sweet.

Oven Baked Beans

These beans are so good.  Perfect for fall weather as it warms you up and gives that happy glow feeling while you're eating.  

Chicken Pot Pie

This pot pie filled up the house with such an aroma we were all going yummmm just smelling it while it cooked!  I used 1 store bought pie crust (I know I know, someday I'll learn how to make my own), and one roll out pie crust for the top.  It turned out beyond my expectations and I'll be making this again.  I don't think I'll ever buy a frozen mini chicken pot pie again!  This was easy, and tasted way better =)

Crock Pot Chicken And Broccoli

This crock pot was super easy to make, and the flavors were spot on.  Although it looks a lot like a soup, I served it over a baked potato.  It would also go great over rice.

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

It's been a few months since I'd made this dish, so it was a welcome change to our nightly dinner.  Quick and easy, everyone loves a crock pot.  And the chicken is so tender and delicious.

Olive Garden Potato Soup

Imagine, if you will, it's Fall, and your family is having a pot luck, where everyone is to bring a dish.  Now, picture finding a soup loaded with sausage, potatoes, and bacon on the buffet table.  That is where I found this dish almost two years ago and after getting a copy of the recipe from my sister-in-law I've never looked back.  It's so yummy, and is guaranteed to warm you up on a cool day.  Plus, you can make it either as a crock pot, (just cook the sausage before adding it to the pot), or as an on the stove top dish.  I'll give you the big buffet pleaser recipe first, then the crock pot recipe.  Unless you have a ginormous mammoth sized crock pot (which I don't), you'll want to use smaller quantities.

Don't let this image fool you! This soup is to die for!

Chicken Tamale Pie

I absolutely love this dish.  The corn mix and creamed corn give it a sweet taste, while still keeping that spice from the seasoning and chilies.  I've made this so many times in the last few months, I've lost count.  

Bread Bowl Chili

Today I made a delicious bread bowl chili that became an instant classic with the family.  And what with cooler weather coming soon in the upcoming months (I hope!) this seemed like a prime opportunity to test this recipe out.  Warm chili nestled inside a bread bowl accompanied with crisp tortilla chips (recipe is here), and yummy nacho cheese drizzled on top.  I took the top I'd cut off the bread to make it into a bowl and cut small leaf shapes out of it. Once baked, it had a crouton crunch to it and made it fun to eat.

Celebrating Labor Day

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days.  Been busy, what with the monthly shopping, holiday, etc., but I thought I'd post a picture of what we had to celebrate Labor Day.  No recipe included.  It's just a roll of crescent rolls and a package of foot-long hot dogs.  Simple, and fast.  Perfect for after a long day of errands.

I also had a couple of failed recipe dinners.  Not going to share them with you! Let's keep you all from going down that path =)

Crustless Pot Pie

One word perfectly describes this dish. YUM.  When we were first starting to lose weight, I didn't want to cut hamburger completely out of our lives.  So once a month I make this.  It is pure comfort food and just melts in your mouth. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken And Pasta

I made this tonight for dinner and all things considered, it turned out pretty well.  It was a bit too spicy for me, but I know where I went wrong.  The recipe wanted green chilies and chopped tomatoes, but because I took the easy route, I put a can of tomatoes in green chilies.  Not only that, but I used a brand I'd never tried before.  Which, not surprisingly, turned out to be a lot hotter than the brand I usually get.    Next time I'm going to put tomatoes and green chilies lol.   But hey, nothing new here folks, just an average day in the kitchen ;)

Crock Pot Ground Turkey Soup

I had a really nice visit from an Uncle I hadn't seen in about 5 years today.  It was so nice catching up with him I completely let the time go.  My original plan was to take a picture of the crock pot before I got it going, and then after it was ready to eat.  By the time I realized I had never taken a picture of the 'ready to eat' photo, we were washing up dinner dishes and there was so little of the soup left, it was hardly photo worthy.  But, the 'pre' photo should give you an idea of what it'll look like when it's ready to eat.
For this recipe, we use either rabbit or turkey.  My Dad makes a really good Italian rabbit sausage, and I use it whenever we come across a dish that looks like it'll benefit from a little more zing.  However; this dish is really good with regular turkey as well =)