Category Archives: Homecooking

Nov 10

Thinking of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving will be here in just a short little bit. Thanksgiving is also one of my very favorite holidays, I don’t like to shop, but I do like to cook.

I wrote up a little menu to get some ideas rolling around in my noggin…

  • Turkey
  • Ham
  • Stuffing
  • Dinner Rolls
  • Green Bean Casserole
  • Chicken Noodles
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Gravy

V: Scalloped Potatoes

V: Kale or Collard Greens

V: Vegan Loaf

and then the desserts…

  • Pumpkin Pie (2)
  • Cherry Pie
  • Apple Pie

Just seeing a menu coming together makes me want to prep the kitchen for all of the cooking!

 

 

Nov 22

Kitchen Days

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I can’t wait! I often say that Thanksgiving is my Super-Bowl, and I mean it. 

  
I started baking and cooking what I could on Monday. I finished shopping on Tuesday, before the kids were out for Thanksgiving break. 

Today I woke up extra early, grabbed a big cup of coffee, and got to it. 

I had two solid hours in the kitchen before the kids were up. I made four pies, and prepped five sides for Thanksgiving dinner. 

 

Mia helped with some of the dirty dishes.  
I threw dinner in the crock-pot just in case I’m tired of cooking later. 

Time to go get back to it, I’ve got to figure out what to make for lunch. 

Aug 9

Baked Goods: The Kitchen Never Closes

This Summer the kitchen has been in full operation twenty-four hours a day. Most days I feel like a short-order cook with all of the different dishes that I’ve got to get made.

I’ve been baking so many breads, cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ve been trying out a few new recipes too.

Dinner Rolls are a staple around our house. I think I make these at least four times a week.

I love baking fresh bread. It makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

I made a batch of snacking bread for Thade. That kiddo could eat these for breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, dessert, after dinner snack, and whenever I say it is time to go to sleep and get out of the kitchen, but he thinks it is time for another snack.

I decided it was time to make a Turkey, so that called for a Pumpkin Pie, and a double batch of Dinner Rolls.

I’ve been making icing from scratch, and I found a fantastic recipe for Vanilla Buttercream. It tastes just like wedding cake icing. The kids loved it too.

We’ve had so many tomatoes growing in our little garden, I wanted to try something new with them. I made a Tomato Pie, and it was amazing. Dylan and I practically ate the entire dish all by ourselves.

With school around the corner I hope to have a little more time to bake ahead cookies, snacks, breads, pizza rolls, and other homemade treats. I would love a break from the kitchen for a little bit, but I don’t think that is going to happen any time too soon.

 

Jan 14

Two Weeks 2/3 Vegan

I’ve been a vegetarian for the last two years, and I’m trying to transition into being a vegan. It should be easy. I’m allergic to eggs, and I’m also lactose intolerant, but I just can’t resist all things involving cheese pizza, and smothered in cheese, besides that’s what Lactaid is for. But lately my lactose intolerance is getting worse, and even three Lactaid isn’t helping. I’ve decided to start off slow, and make two-thirds of my daily meals vegan.

Every week when I go grocery shopping I start off by purchasing at least five things that are completely vegan. I really enjoy trying new products that I have found locally. I also stock up on fruits and veggies. I plan my vegan meals around using all of the fresh produce first. I keep fresh fruit ready to go, and the kids love to snack on it too.

I’m still cooking regular meals for my family. However, I am encouraging my kids and my husband to try vegan and vegetarian dishes too. I have been surprised with how many vegetarian meals they have really liked.

Today makes two weeks of two-thirds vegan dishes. Here are some photos of the tasty dishes that I’ve been enjoying .

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Vegan Chili

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Baked Sweet Potatoes, Homemade Veggie Rice-a-roni, and Roasted Veggies.

I use Earth Balance Spread instead of butter to toast the rice and pasta. It is also perfect on baked potatoes, and baked sweet potatoes. Roasted veggies are a favorite of my husband.

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Burritos, and Double Decker Tacos

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Rice with Soy Sauce, and Baked Sweet Potatoes

I try to bake several sweet potatoes at a time, and then I keep them in the fridge so they are ready to go.

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Pasta Salad, Pickled Okra, and Celery Slaw.

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Black Bean and Rice Tacos

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Avocados, Rice with Chopped Cashews

This has been one of my very favorite dishes so far. I add a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the sliced avocados.

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Salsa Rice with sliced  Avocados

 

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Black Bean Double Decker Tacos

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Guacamole Burritos and Guacamole Rice too.

I found a perfect bag of Haas avocados, so I ate them for just about every single meal.

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Vegan Tostadas

This is a favorite meal of everyone in the house.

I’ve been surprised at how easy it has been to incorporate vegan meals into my everyday cooking. The meals have really been delicious too. My stomach is behaving better, and I haven’t had any heartburn. My migraines are improving dramatically, and my knee pain and joint pain have eased too. Also my hair is curly now, which is strange, but kinda cool too.

I’m going to keep up cooking and trying out more and more vegan dishes. I’ll keep posting pictures too.