Tik Tok Dump Cake

My oldest daughter, age 24. called me from her apartment and asked what I was doing. “I’m making a dump cake from a recipe I saw on Tik Tok,” I said. She paused. “I have a lot of problems with that sentence, Mom. For one thing, DUMP CAKE?! And remember, we’ve talked about how parents

Easy Chicken

I haven’t posted any recipes on my blog for quite a while, so let’s start the new year with one, shall we? I am not what you’d call a “foodie”. My favorite recipes are those with very few ingredients, and I tend to prefer it if some of those ingredients are canned or premixed things.

How I plan dinners

Usually I stand in the kitchen and ask myself, “What will I NOT HATE that I can make tonight without too much trouble?” And then I answer myself, “Cold cereal it is!” No, I’m joking, obviously. I do have to cook so the people in the house don’t starve. The trouble is, I really HATE

Perfect Mashed Potatoes?

Before Thanksgiving I found myself interestedly reading about how to make the PERFECT mashed potatoes. (See this youtube tutorial on the subject, if you’re interested,) I watched a video on Facebook, read a top ten list, and even listened to a radio broadcast once. (My husband has his truck’s radio dial on AM talk.) Finally

Operator Error

Yesterday I made dinner in the crockpot before going out for the day. It’s nice to have that chore all done, I said to myself. When I came home, I expected the stew to be percolating cheerfully on the counter, its many flavors mingling into the savory mix my family enjoyed eating.  But when I

Funeral Sandwiches

Otherwise entitled “Putting the FUN in Funeral!” Wait, was that tasteless? Well, these sandwiches aren’t! (See what I did there? What a segue! I really should be in journalism, right?) I saw these sandwiches on Pinterest and immediately remembered eating them when my grandmother would have Ladies’ Parties. Well, I’d eat them after the party

Don’t Mess With My Dinner

I ordered a pizza one day last week with a “plan-ahead” order. I know what you’re thinking: Me? Plan ahead? That’s crazy talk! But on this occasion I did. Amazing, huh? But I digress… The pizza was supposed to be delivered at 5:30. By about five p.m. I was getting hungry, and at 5:30 I was looking

Chocolate Pudding Cake… in the CROCKPOT!

3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 (3.4 oz) box cook-and serve chocolate pudding 1/4 plus 1/3 cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup milk 2 Tbsp canola oil 1 Tbsp vanilla 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 3 Tbsp chocolate sauce 1 1/2 cups boiling water Coat

Baked Shrimp Scampi

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe I made last week. Delicious! Of course, my version was slightly less pretty. And I took out some of the complications. Here’s the recipe, with my modifications in (Notes): Baked Shrimp Scampi 2 pounds shrimp in the shell 3 tablespoons good olive oil 2 tablespoons dry white wine Kosher salt

Macaroni and Cheese

I saw a new way to make mac and cheese on pinterest. The difference is: You cook the noodles in the milk instead of water.  I know, right? CRAZY. But it was really good. It was super creamy, but did not use any butter or cream. There was only skim milk and cheddar cheese. Now,