It's been a while since I posted. I know, I'm a terrible blogger. But, in my defense, I've come up with new recipes while I was gone, so I hope I'm forgiven. I created a Soup Swap, starting on Facebook, and it has become a great outlet for my need to cook. We don't just exchange soup. Some are bakers, some make great soup, some make great cassseroles, so each month, we change what we exchange (did you see what I did there? HA!)
I'm making a pot roast as I sit here on this cold January day typing my thoughts, just to have something to do, and my house smells HEAVENLY! Can't wait till Gary gets home, so we can devour it. I usually make a pot roast with Onions sliced into the broth and meat, then I take the broth and thicken it with flour or cornstarch and it becomes a gravy for my mashed potatoes. Sometimes, I put carrots and onions and new potatoes in the pot and it becomes a meal in one pot. CHuck Roast is extremely versatile, so I cook it about once a month.
Today, simply because it is cold and I am an oppositional kind of gal, I am craving, and I mean CRAVING smoked ribs. Next weekend, the plan is to put some ribs on the smoker, maybe drive over to Cherokee and either hit the casino for an hour or two or try that tubing park just across from where Ghost Town used to be, come home and eat ribs and pretend it's spring. Gary and I have found a new smoker we intend to buy before it gets too warm. It is electric ( I know, I know... I like wood and wood only, myself, but this one is for the house, not for hauling around, so I compromised) and it uses less space than the three other electric ones I have, which will either be given to my girls or sold in a yard sale. At any rate, this one has a LOT of smoking room, for several differnt meats at once or for doing lots of ribs. I can't wait to post what we've cooked on it this Summer.
For the next few weeks, I will be posting Comfort type foods, such as One pot dinners, crock pot suppers, etc.
Hopefully, I will be better about posting regularly, but at this point, I'm not making any promises.
One exception... my grandmother made a wonderful version of ambrosia, which she called Heavenly Hash, and I am posting this recipe in her memory today. This is a recipe that even an inexperienced cook can make their own, simply by changing up the fruits included.
For now, I apologize for taking so long and I can promise this... it won't be this long again. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
Ideas and recipes,techniques, etc. that have worked for me in my 35 year journey as a cook, wife, mom and Grammy!
I began cooking when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and it was almost therapuetic, even then. After I got married, in 1982, I began really trying to come up with recipes and menus of my own.
I catered a few parties here and there, but I have no artistic abilities, so cake decorating wasn't my thing, and that limited my opportunities.
I do make a lovely display of food, and can, given time and space, make a lovely buffet or tablescape, but my food is what I focus on. After all, the beautiful cakes, etc. only look that way until they are cut... it is then that the true test of the cook begins. I'm not saying my food is ugly, because it isn't. You eat with your eyes first, so it has to be visually appealing.
I cook some really fancy things, and I will include those recipes here and there. But everyday food is where the majority of cooks need help. It is the newly married couple, or the beginning cook I want to reach; those struggling to come up with tasty dishes for the average Sunday meal or a dish they can make over the weekend and re heat or restyle during the week, to broaden their menu on a smaller budget.
I love to smoke foods, grill a steak, etc. But I am a southern "if it ain't fried, it ain't supper" kind of gal. Most of my dishes aren't typically low fat nor are they figure friendly. They are comfort food... pure and simple.
One of the hardest things I learned to make was a good mashed potato dish... sounds simple, but there are so many potatoes out there, and some are great for roasting, but few lend themselves to that creamy texture we love when sitting down to a true "Sunday supper at Grandma's" taste.
So it is the everyday cook who should most enjoy my dishes. I certainly don't advocate fried food everyday, but I truly enjoy my share of country fried steak and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc. I love to eat, I love to cook for others and my motto is "Never trust a skinny cook; if they don't eat their own food, why should I?'"
There are plenty of folks out there who can show you how to make a standing rib roast, and I may publish my own version, but I want you to be able to take that unexpected afternoon off or that lazy Saturday and turn it into something that takes you back to your childhood, or makes you think of your Grandma or Great Grandma when you eat it.
Please let me know how these recipes work for you and your family. Tell me and the followers if you put your own spin on a dish. I'd love to know if the tips, recipes, etc are helpful....comment on individual recipes or post as you like. I love to hear how someone has made a dish their very own.
The photos of recipes you will see here are pics of the actual dishes I have made and served my family... if you look closely, you may see a dirty dish or two, or a hand in the photos... I think you should only publish a recipe you have tried and tested on your own family. ENJOY!
I catered a few parties here and there, but I have no artistic abilities, so cake decorating wasn't my thing, and that limited my opportunities.
I do make a lovely display of food, and can, given time and space, make a lovely buffet or tablescape, but my food is what I focus on. After all, the beautiful cakes, etc. only look that way until they are cut... it is then that the true test of the cook begins. I'm not saying my food is ugly, because it isn't. You eat with your eyes first, so it has to be visually appealing.
I cook some really fancy things, and I will include those recipes here and there. But everyday food is where the majority of cooks need help. It is the newly married couple, or the beginning cook I want to reach; those struggling to come up with tasty dishes for the average Sunday meal or a dish they can make over the weekend and re heat or restyle during the week, to broaden their menu on a smaller budget.
I love to smoke foods, grill a steak, etc. But I am a southern "if it ain't fried, it ain't supper" kind of gal. Most of my dishes aren't typically low fat nor are they figure friendly. They are comfort food... pure and simple.
One of the hardest things I learned to make was a good mashed potato dish... sounds simple, but there are so many potatoes out there, and some are great for roasting, but few lend themselves to that creamy texture we love when sitting down to a true "Sunday supper at Grandma's" taste.
So it is the everyday cook who should most enjoy my dishes. I certainly don't advocate fried food everyday, but I truly enjoy my share of country fried steak and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc. I love to eat, I love to cook for others and my motto is "Never trust a skinny cook; if they don't eat their own food, why should I?'"
There are plenty of folks out there who can show you how to make a standing rib roast, and I may publish my own version, but I want you to be able to take that unexpected afternoon off or that lazy Saturday and turn it into something that takes you back to your childhood, or makes you think of your Grandma or Great Grandma when you eat it.
Please let me know how these recipes work for you and your family. Tell me and the followers if you put your own spin on a dish. I'd love to know if the tips, recipes, etc are helpful....comment on individual recipes or post as you like. I love to hear how someone has made a dish their very own.
The photos of recipes you will see here are pics of the actual dishes I have made and served my family... if you look closely, you may see a dirty dish or two, or a hand in the photos... I think you should only publish a recipe you have tried and tested on your own family. ENJOY!
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