I generally like my house, but sometimes it gets me down. Tacked onto our refrigerator is a list of renovation and remodeling projects for the house. The stove and accompanying vent are ugly and old. Our kitchen counter tops have a sprinkling of dents and nicks. Our kitchen cabinets need to be repainted. We have…
I never tasted biscuits and gravy until I was 18 years old and working as a counselor at a summer camp, where every Thursday morning the dining hall served the southern-style breakfast treat. This northern girl was instantly hooked. When I got married years later, I inherited a simple sausage gravy recipe from my mother-in…
This Spaghetti Pie recipe is my go-to casserole to bring to new moms or to friends who are recovering from surgery. It’s easy, makes a large amount of food, and everyone declares it to be delicious. I first got this recipe when someone brought it to my sister-in law as a way to help out…
Those cans of whipped cream the grocery store sells are admittedly cool. Who doesn’t like to give a can a good shake and spray creamy dairy deliciousness onto a slab of pie or a strawberry rhubarb crisp? My personal favorite healthy(ish) dessert is a handful of fresh strawberries with some whipped cream for dipping. However,…
My family loves these Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket. So do people at my church. I double the recipe and take them to church potluck breakfasts, and they always disappear in a matter of minutes. They’re that good. They contain everything that makes a filling breakfast: eggs, meat, cheese, and some carbs in the form…
One of the best parts of eating a ham for the holidays is making ham and beans with the leftover ham bone. This savory meal is good comfort food on a cold winter night. You can make ham and beans with the ham bone right away, or place the ham bone in a freezer-safe plastic…
I found this recipe for a vegetable-based side dish among my grandmother’s old recipe cards. She passed away last summer after living in an assisted living facility for several years, but back in the day, she really knew her way around a kitchen. She used to bring all kinds of tasty dishes to church suppers,…
We are typically a two-car family. My husband drives a small sedan to work daily, and I’m a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom who drives a small SUV for errands and to get my kids to extracurricular activities. A few years ago, a maintenance truck hit my husband’s sedan while he was leaving his employer’s parking lot at…
I’m all about using what you’ve got and taking advantage of all resources available. This includes certain “hidden” resources such as services your tax dollars pay for. In my family’s case, last year we had part of our lateral sewer line repaired, and our city paid for 90% of the work. In the fall…
Don’t throw away that bony turkey carcass after Thanksgiving dinner! Get to work making homemade turkey stock or broth. Using all of the turkey — even the bones — reduces waste and saves money. Homemade turkey stock tastes better than anything you buy in stores, and you can use it to make soup or use…
