Home Canned Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is one of our family's favortie ways to use up garden produce. We've outgrown the pint-size jars and so this year I chose to can this sauce in 3 cup jars. I didn't even know they existed until I started searching for them, knowing a quart of sauce would be too much. They are as tall as quart jars, but skinnier. I hope they will be the perfect size for our needs.

Pizza Pot Pie

Sometimes we are in the mood for the flavor of pizza, but not the work. This recipe is a perfect solution for those nights. I always keep precooked sausage and hamburger in the freezer so this meal can be thrown together in a quick hurry. It is also one we love to do when we are camping. My husband is a scout master so coming up with recipes that can be done in a Dutch oven that 16 hungry boys will love is a challenge. This is one they all enjoy!

Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili

I like to spend my spare moments looking over cookbooks. I know that may sound odd to some of you, but I've found I enjoy it much more than reading a magazine. Sometimes I visit thrift stores just to pick up some new ones.

Freezer to Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I am continually looking for recipes that I can make ahead and allow to cook while I am shuttling kids to and from activities. This one is a keeper!

Freezer to Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Noodles

It's basketball season at our house which means weeknights are a little more hectic as we try to get our boys to and from all their practices. Weekends are also crazy as we watch 3-4 ball games every Saturday. I am relying on my crockpot a lot to have a meal ready when we make it home, hungry and tired after it all. This freezer to crockpot creamy chicken and noodles is a new favorite.

Mexican Garden Goulash in the Slow Cooker

We had just a few garden items left including tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. I created this dish to help use them up before they spoiled. It makes a large batch which is perfect to make dinner prep non-existant another night. Just freeze any leftovers in meal size portions and reheat another night.

Hearty Sausage and Red Lentil Soup

With the temperatures beginning to cool off, the warmth of a good hearty soup fills the need for dinner. Serve with some hot biscuits or homemade bread along with a green salad and you've got a full meal.

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Skewers

This is the all-time favorite skewer dinner at our house! I'm not claiming it to be the healthiest recipe out there since it does contain bacon, but oh, it is soooo good. We end up having it a few times each summer and sometimes in the winter. It is often requested for birthdays and other special occasions.

Overnight Chili Cheese Mac

I read a recipe in an old cookbook for an overnight pasta bake. It intrigued me since I had never tried this method. I decided to give it a try with this chili cheese version. I mixed it all together in the morning and then baked it up at dinner time. It left me free

Rustic Chicken Pandowdy

This is less of a recipe post and more of a method for doing the crust on a chicken/turkey pot pie. I've done fruit pandowdies often.  They are a fun, old-fashioned way

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

We've had a couple of chilly days even though the daffodils are blooming and the calendar tells us its Spring. This creamy chicken noodle soup is one of our family's

Lazy Lasagna Bake

Sometimes we are in the mood for lasagna, but don't want to go to all the work. This dish is a great solution to that dilemma. I never have Ricotta cheese at the house and sometimes

Herb Glazed Pork Loin

Pork Loin is one of the least expensive ways you can serve a nice meal. When seasoned just right it can be a big hit. This is one of those great recipes - so simple, yet so satisfying! We had my parents over

Lasagna Soup

The first night I served this soup, my six year old told me he had a new favorite meal! Score one for mom! It really is simple to throw together and can be on the table in about 30 minutes.

10 Freezer to Crockpot Meals

I've rounded up 10 of my most requested recipes that work to go from the freezer to the crockpot. We pull from my stash in the freezer a few times every week because of our busy family schedule. The studies are in and we all know how important having a family dinner is. These meals allow me the chance to get the kids to all the places they need to be after school and still sit down to a meal together. I hope they help you in your meal planning also. 

Freezer to Crockpot Mediterranean Chicken

Isn't it the loveliest of all pictures? This is another meal we enjoyed during our kitchen remodel when I was cooking in a crockpot on the bathroom counter and eating on paper plates in the basement. The activity tablecloth is on the table since the other half of the space was being used to paint a school project. Ahh - the joys of remodeling! During that remodel, I learned to love the freezer to crockpot method. It was the only way we survived the remodel with home-cooked food! It has made my life since the remodel so much easier also. I serve a freezer to crockpot meal at least once a week to free up my dinner prep time to be used shuttling kids to and from events.

My Version of Sopitos

Here is the description from a local Mexican restaurant. I did my best to recreate them at home for dinner.

Sopitos

Homemade corn masa shells filled with beans and your choice of shredded beef or chicken. Topped with lettuce, cheese and tomato. Served with rice and beans, sour cream and guacamole.

Taco Pulled Pork

This is a quick and easy way to flavor meat for tacos, tostadas, burritos, chimichangas, etc. We often use pork, but you can easily do it with chicken or beef as well. Start by cooking your meat long enough that it will pull apart. You'll find my instructions for cooking pulled pork here. I always have some unflavored pulled pork in the freezer to use as the base for meals. 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

A bowl of this comforting chicken and wild rice soup will make anyone feel better! The addition of brown rice makes this soup just a little more healthy and the white sauce mix leaves out all the fat. That means it can count as one of your "better for you" meals you've resolved to make this New Year. I created this recipe the other night because I was in the mood for something new. Everyone at my table - all 6 of them - gave me a thumbs up and asked for seconds - that's a winning recipe in my book! Hopefully your family likes it too.

The leftovers freeze well so don't hesitate to make a large batch while you are at it. It will give you an easy day down the road.

A Little More Healthy Lasagna

Lasagna is amazing - there is no denying that! When you are in the mood for something Italian, lasagna is a great choice. I wanted to make a little more healthy version so I added just a couple of ingredients.