This is a very simple recipe for a very simple side dish! I spent a good chunk of my early childhood days in the care of my grandparents while my parents were at work and one of the things we did a lot was cook. Like most kids, I wanted to get in on the kitchen action and like most grandparents, they happily obliged. One of the first dishes I got to "assist" with was making homemade mashed potatoes. Of course, the mashing of the potatoes was especially fun for me! Below I'm sharing the recipe I use to create my own homemade mashed potatoes and a nice addition that may be very familiar to some of you! As with any recipe, you can tweak it and make it your own and to your taste! Ingredients
* You can use whatever variety of white potato that you prefer. I just find these are a quick and easy option since I don't have to peel the skin off. * Instructions 1. Put on a pot of water to boil (enough to cover potatoes by 2 inches) and add salt. (You will want to reserve 1/2 cup of the water after the potatoes are done) 2. Cut potatoes into small chunks (or halves or fourths). (I just find it helps with making sure potatoes cook thoroughly and tenderly.) I leave the skin on the potatoes, but again...it's a personal preference. 3. Add potatoes, cover and bring water to a boil. Once boiling, remove cover and reduce to medium heat. 4. Cook until tender. (Typically 20 minutes for me on a gas stove). 5. Remove from heat and drain. 6. Add sour cream, butter, salt & pepper. Use potato masher to mash potatoes. Mash until creamy or desired consistency is reached. ** Using more sour cream can increase how creamy the potatoes are and less if you want a more dense result. As you can see, mine tend to be a nice balance of creamy and dense ** Fun option: If you are a fan of Ikea's mashed potatoes and meatballs, then you've likely had some of their delicious Lingonberries (that red sauce they put on the side..no it's not cranberries!) They now sell that berry sauce by the jar in store and I like to add a couple of spoonfuls to my plate whenever I eat mashed potatoes! You can see that jar picture in the top picture. It also adds a little color to the plate if you're into presentation.
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I am big fan of sweet wines so imagine the joy I felt when I discovered how to incorporate it into my baking! I knew that you could incorporate certain types of wine for marinades and such but never knew it could actually serve as a key ingredient in some of my favorite baked goods! One of my favorite brands of Moscato is from Sutter Home and I discovered the recipe on their website. For this recipe, you can choose your your favorite brand and flavor of Moscato. Pink Moscato will give you the sweetest result, while yellow is a happy medium of not too sweet but also not too dry, and red provides the least sweet taste but still packs a flavorful punch! For me and my sweet tooth, pink is usually my go to but yellow also hits the spot. I also want to note that while it does contain wine, children can still consume this sweet treat. The baking of the cupcakes will mellow the alcohol. Just be prepared for them to be on a sugar high afterwards! Ingredients
Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth 3. Bake for 15-20 minutes ** Yields 12-18 cupcakes ** Moscato Vanilla Frosting (optional) Ingredients
One of my favorite pasta dishes is chicken fettuccine alfredo. I tend to be a creature of habit and if I go to Olive Garden this will most likely be my order! With the pandemic going on, I have been doing a lot more cooking from home, not only for safety but also because it’s cheaper and usually healthier. For some reason, I was afraid to tackle my favorite dish until now and I’m so glad I did! This was my 2nd attempt with my first attempt using the Prego Alfredo sauce. I was somewhat underwhelmed and thought this just wouldn’t be a dish that I would make at home, but then I came across this wonderful alfredo sauce recipe and life changed! I honestly think I like my homemade version BETTER than Olive Garden! 😮This does not mean I will not be ordering up my favorite dish from OG anymore, just that I have an alternative option. I want to note the recipe is only for the alfredo sauce, but all you have to do is add the chicken and make noodles. Check out my YouTube video where I show my suggestions for what to add and a peek at my sauce in the making. For the alfredo sauce 1/2 cup butter 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream 4 ounces cream cheese 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp garlic powder 1tsp Italian seasoning 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Additional ingredients needed: Chicken (1-2 chicken breasts) or use a precooked chicken breast or grilled strips like the ones mentioned in my video Fettuccine or linguine noodles Instructions 1. Add butter, whipping cream, and cream cheese to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted. 2. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add grated Parmesan cheese. 3. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Toss with your favorite pasta! *This usually makes 3-4 servings depending on your portion size.* ** I usually cook my noodles as I make the sauce so they finish up about the same time.** Recipe found on https://therecipecritic.com/the-best-homemade-alfredo-sauce-ever/ Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits! There aren’t too many things that have peaches in it or are peach flavored that I don’t love to eat or drink, from wine to desserts! I wanted to find a recipe to experiment with since this would only be my 2nd time making a homemade jam ever in life. I do have pectin available but I figured that I’d save that for another time. Pectin can shorten or eliminate cook times and can sometimes give the jam a fresher fruitier flavor. I will tell you this non-pectin recipe is not lacking in sweetness. I almost thought it was too sweet upon my first tasting, but when I spread it on my toast the next day for breakfast, it was delicious! I would advise to taste it as you are adding sugar just to make sure the jam is to your sweetness level. My peaches were very ripe which also contributed to the sweetness and flavor factor. You do not need to wait for your peaches to be super ripe, just as long as they are ripe enough to eat at the time. Ingredients 3 1/2 pounds Peaches (1lb= 3-4 medium peaches) 2 1/2 cups of sugar Juice from 1 lemon ** Note: I only used a little over 2 pounds of peaches in my recipe which yielded 1 1/2 pints of jam.** Instructions 1. Peel, pit and cut peaches into chunks. 2. Add peaches and lemon juice to a medium saucepan. 3. Bring peaches to a a boil over medium-high heat. 4. Use a spatula or masher to crush the peaches to desired consistency. 5. Reduce heat to medium. Add Sugar, while bringing peaches back to boil stirring frequently. 6. Continue to boil and stir until peaches reach desired consistency (usually 15-25 minutes), Jam should stick to the spoon when lifted and turned sideways 7. Let the peach preserves cool and then can. If the jam is not at the consistency you like after cooling then boil for another 10 minutes and then let cool again. * Recipe found at https://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/easy-homemade-peach-jam-no-pectin-recipe/ Hi everyone! As I continue to enjoy my time social distancing (I'm an introvert and only child so this is heaven for me) I've been experimenting with some new recipes in the kitchen. I came across this easy, 4 ingredient recipe for making homemade strawberry jam in one of my Facebook gardening groups and decided to give it a try! This recipe will make about 1 pint of jam and should be good for at least 2 weeks. Can be stored in the refrigerator. No pectin required. Watch a short video on my process here! Ingredients:
1. Slice strawberries in halves. 2. Combine strawberries with honey, lemon juice and sugar in large pot. 3. Cook on a low heat setting for one hour stirring occasionally. 4. Remove from heat and mash strawberries with potato masher. 5. Pour into storage jars. |
Welcome to my Kitchen!One of the things I loved best about growing up in the south is the food! I spent a lot of time with my grandparents in my younger years and we cooked almost daily. As I got older and moved out on my own after college, I started to try my hand at cooking once again. I love to try new recipes and then modify them to my liking. I usually do a general Google search for a particular recipe and then go from there. I also love trying recipes from celebrity cookbooks & meal delivery services like Home Chef and Hello Fresh! Archives
April 2022
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