Homemade Ready

I always prepare a big, traditional Thanksgiving dinner every year, complete with all of the trimmings. As much as my family loves all of the usual fare, sometimes we enjoy a little freshness at our holiday table. These mashed sweet potatoes are a nice alternative to the typical super-sweet, marshmallow-laden casserole. They are just a little sweet, and a little spicy with just a hint of fresh lime. (I may even say they are a little bit...healthy.) Healthy or not, they are delicious and go great with a Thanksgiving turkey, or a Christmas ham (but are perfect for a an everyday lunch or dinner, too)! Recipe 6-8 Servings Ingredients: 4 large sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon hot chili flakes  2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 lime, juice and zest Directions: Prepare sweet potatoes by roasting in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, u...

Apple butter is one of my favorite treats for fall. I make a batch every year like clockwork, using my slow cooker to make it easy, and to avoid standing at the hot stove stirring for several hours. This year, however, I have found a way to make it even easier . This recipe still uses a slow cooker to do all of the work, however, instead of peeling and chopping all of the apples myself, I start with a big jar of prepared applesauce. I know, I know, it isn’t 100% from-scratch, and not peeling and chopping those apples somehow seems like a bit of a cheat, but trust me, this shortcut is downright practical when you are short on time or energy. Normally, I make an event out of picking up some fall apples to make apple butter, and also pie filling. This month, however, life was just not going to let that happen. It's just been one of those times when I’ve been really busy, and lots of other, more important things have needed my attention. That’s just the way life is sometimes. I...

Earlier this week, on our first chilly fall afternoon of the season, I whipped-up this easy beef and macaroni skillet supper.  Not for the first time, I appreciated that this dish is almost magical, with the ability to transport me back to my childhood, and a far simpler time. Back then, we called it goulash (I know, it’s not authentic goulash), or on the days  it was served in our school cafeteria, we called it beef-a-roni. I loved this meal as a kid, but now as an adult, I still love this little one-pan recipe - it is so darn simple to prepare, but still just so comforting and delicious. OK, maybe this dish seems a little old-fashioned, but it can’t be beat on a crisp fall day, when you want to get a hot, comforting meal on the table fast.   Let’s talk about dollars here, too - this recipe is not only simple, but totally easy on the wallet, too. Ground beef, noodles, canned tomatoes, a few vegetables and some spices – what could be simpler? When you look ...

It's almost hard to believe it when Labor Day rolls around every year - the summer always seems to be over just a little too soon. I’ve been thinking all week about recipes to celebrate the end of this summer season. Grilling outdoors is always a good option for celebrating Labor Day - we may be having nice weather now, but we never know just how many chances we’ll have for grilling before the weather turns cold and wintry. For those hardy souls living in the cold climates, this could be the last hurrah for the year, and it could be quite a few months before heading outdoors for a cookout again. In our house, we’ve had our fill of burgers and potato salad for now, so I decided on grilling some chicken. With the impending chilly months fast approaching, my mind (and my belly) immediately went to something with a warm and spicy Caribbean flavor: jerk chicken, a dish that I quickly grew to love during my years living in South Florida. Jerk is hot and spicy, and just a little e...

Peaches are so ripe and juicy this time of the summer, I just can’t resist them. They are one of those fruits that I enthusiastically eat my fill of when they are in-season, and when the season is over, I leave the fresh ones alone until next year. None of those rock-hard peaches found in supermarkets in the dead of winter for me!  I also like to freeze and can a bunch of peaches in the summer, so that I can use them in cobblers and other recipes, as a reminder of warm, sunny days during those cold months of winter.  I don’t limit peaches to desserts only - they work well in savory dishes, too. One of my favorite ways to use them is on a homemade pizza. It may sound strange, but the combination of the sweet peach with the salty cheese and spicy sausage is just so good! It’s budget-friendly, too, using just a handful of simple ingredients and a homemade crust (of course you can just buy a crust, if that suits your needs better). The crust I use for this pizza is adapte...

In my mind, succotash is kind of an old fashioned dish. It was popular in our grandparents' generation (especially if your grandparents lived in the Northeast U.S. or parts of the South), but doesn’t seem to make much of an appearance on menus today. It was also a popular dish during the Great Depression because it was cheap and made from common ingredients (just the kind of thing we like around here). Its simple goodness of is exactly what makes it a perfect side for a family meal. I like to make it as an easy side dish full of fresh, summer vegetables, and topped with a little bit of bacon, just to make it extra good. (It's also great for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas). There are actually many versions of succotash, but because of its Native American origins, it almost always includes two vegetables native to the Americas – corn and lima beans. Now, I know that the first inclination may be to dismiss this recipe because of those (oft-dreaded) lima beans, but ...

Back when I first started cooking from scratch, it came as a revelation to me that I could make my own homemade ranch dressing from scratch (without even opening a packet of that well-known seasoning mix!) Before this realization, it had never actually occurred to me that this tasty concoction could be made using various combinations of simple ingredients like mayonnaise, buttermilk, milk, sour cream and/or yogurt. Add in some herbs and seasonings, and a little lemon juice or vinegar, and there you have it - ranch dressing! Over the years, I have played with the recipe, based on what I like, and also based on ingredients I typically have on hand. With my herb garden growing full-blast right now, I thought it would be a good time to whip up a batch. For this recipe, I used my batch of ranch dressing to dress a simple salad of lettuce, tomato, and turkey bacon, tossed with a few homemade croutons and a tiny bit of thinly sliced red onions. This salad is great for a light meal...

Here is a recipe for an easy one-pot meal that my family just loves. Tender chunks of chicken in seasoned yellow rice, all cooked in one pot – so easy and delicious. The added bites of spring-green asparagus give this dish a dash of crispness and color. I like to serve this along with a simple green salad. For the yellow color and a punch of flavor, I use sazón, a Latin spice blend. It contains annatto, a spice that gives a beautiful yellow color, plus some other spices like oregano and cumin. You can buy it in little packets in many supermarkets, or you can just substitute a little bit of turmeric. (The turmeric won’t give it much added flavor, but it will give the dish the yellow color.) Recipe Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided 2 tablespoons butter 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces 1 small onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups long grain ...

These meatballs are pure comfort food, but with a lightened-up flavor for spring. Made with ground turkey, then browned in a skillet, and smothered with a creamy mushroom and dill gravy. I used low-fat milk in the gravy, but you can make it more decadent by using whole milk or even adding some cream. I recommend using beef or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, to give the sauce a rich, brown color. In our house, we like these meatballs served with some egg noodles or boiled baby red potatoes.  {Scroll for recipe} Recipe Serves 4 Ingredients: For the Meatballs 2 slices bread (sandwich-size) 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons minced or grated onion 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 ½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill) 1 pound ground turkey 3 tablespoons oil (any oil suitable for high heat, like vegetable or coconut) For t...

Deliciously gooey sweet rolls are on the menu. Get a pile of napkins and get ready for a gloriously sticky, sweet treat. Now I do have to admit, I am more of a salty and savory kind of girl, than a dessert kind of girl. Salty, savory, spicy and even sour flavors are my thing. Every once in a while, though, I just want something sweet. Maybe it’s the current frigid temperatures making me crave something warm, sweet and comforting, but when I saw the beautiful photos of sweet rolls baked in a cast iron skillet in the new issue of Taste of the South magazine, I just knew I had to make these. The recipe for these sweet rolls is so amazingly easy, and I already had everything in my cupboard to whip up a quick batch.

This Greek-inspired pasta salad is so simple and easy to make. It's light and flavorful, with the Mediterranean flavors of lemon, oregano and feta cheese - just perfect as either a side dish, or as a main meal. I like to serve it alongside some pan-grilled chicken for an easy supper.

I have a confession to make: right now I am loving my pressure cooker even more than my slow cooker. Don't get me wrong, I still love my slow cooker (actually, I have a new slow cooker recipe coming soon), but these days I use my pressure cooker far more often. I know, it may seem a little retro, and I know that there are lots of scary stories about exploding pressure cookers (yes, this really did happen on occasion with the  older models).