Double Baked Potatoes

Double Baked Potatoes- Creamy potatoes baked up in a crunchy skin.  A perfectly dreamy side dish for the holiday season! 

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These were a holiday staple in our house growing up.  They take a bit of time, but, are sooo worth it!

Ingredients Needed

• Russet potatoes
• Cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Butter

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Recipe Notes:

• Sour Cream: If desired you can use Plain Greek yogurt as a substitute.
• Cheddar Cheese: Not a fan?  Use your favorite flavor of cheese instead. A easy melting variety will work best.
• Storage: Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. They are best eaten within a week.
• Freezing? Yes! Prepare the potatoes and fill them. Do not bake them a second time!  Store them in a freezer safe, covered storage bag or container.  When you are ready, remove them from storage and let them come to room temperature.  Bake as noted in recipe.
• Topping Ideas:  Cooked bacon bits, green onions, additional sour cream, or additional cheddar cheese.

Do I Have to Bake the Potatoes in The Oven?

Honestly, no. If you want to cut back your time, pop them in the air fryer or microwave them for a bit before baking them in the oven.  You do want a crispy potato skin, so, avoid cooking them completely in the microwave. 

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Double Baked Potatoes

Cream Cheese Brownies

Cream Cheese Brownies- Fudgy brownies with a cream cheese swirl!

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Let's dress up our brownies today!

Ingredients Needed

• Cream Cheese
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Brownie mix
• Egg

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Do I Have to Use Boxed Brownie Mix?

Nope.  You can use your favorite brownie recipe, if you wish.  Just be sure it's for a 9 x 13 baking pan.  You can also use any brand/variety of brownie mix you want.  Again, it should be for a 9 x 13 pan or sometimes they are labeled "family size"

Cream Cheese

Be sure your cream cheese is nice and soft.  This will make your mixing easier and give your cream cheese layer much smoother.

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Cream Cheese Brownies

Simple Herb Stuffing

 Simple Herb Stuffing- Buttery stuffing baked up with a few simple herbs. A perfect side dish for whatever you are serving. 

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With Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) right around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to share this recipe.  We are kinda unique in our house, we eat stuffing quite a bit, not just for holidays.  My youngest is a huge fan.

This is a simple stuffing that can be made for a small group or a large gathering. Easy and so buttery good!

Ingredients Needed

• Stuffing cubes, herb seasoned 
• Butter
• Chicken broth
• Dried spices: Minced onion, garlic powder, sage, salt and pepper

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Stuffing Cubes

If you don't wish to use stuffing cubes or can't find them, you can also use a classic stuffing mix. I do recommend using a herb seasoned variety. 

Dried Herbs

We are pretty basic when it comes to our herbs.  However, feel free to increase/decrease the amounts as you wish.  A few additional herbs you could try are rosemary, parsley or celery salt.

Can I Add Anything to This Stuffing?

This stuffing is a really basic recipe and can be used as a jumping off point to make it your own. You can add in cooked sausage, chopped celery, dried cranberries or roasted nuts...whatever suits your fancy!

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Simple Herb Stuffing

Kentucky Butter Sheet Cake

 Kentucky Butter Sheet Cake- The classic buttery cake served up in sheet cake form! 

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Like the Banana Buttermilk Cake, this recipe comes from mother in law.  She was an extreme lover of all things dessert.  Especially, cake.  All the recipes I have from her are for cake.  So, you've been warned...many more cake recipes of hers to come. 

Now, traditionally, Kentucky Butter Cake is baked in a bundt pan.  I normally have lots of success with my bundt cakes.  But, this one?  It never seems to come out of the pan for me.  It's a mess.

So, I take the same batter and bake it as a sheet cake instead.  Using a 17 x 12 sheet pan,  I get the same delicious cake, but, shorter baking time and it's much easier to get out of the pan. 

A win in my book. 🖒

Ingredients Needed

• Flour + Baking soda + Baking powder  + Salt
• Sugar
• Butter
• Buttermilk
• Eggs
• Powdered sugar + Milk
• Vanilla

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A Few Quick Notes:

• Make sure your butter is softened. This is going to give your cake just the right consistency.
• No Buttermilk on Hand? Whisk your 1 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then, proceed with the recipe as noted.
• Bundt Pan: You can, in fact, bake this in a bundt pan, if you wish.  Spread the batter evenly into a 9-10 inch (well greased!) bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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Kentucky Butter Sheet Cake

One Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce

One Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce- Have dinner on the table in no time at all! Pasta, cheese, sauce and ground beef make up this easy dish. 

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Ingredients Needed

• Ground beef
• Dried spices: onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper
• Penne pasta
• Spaghetti sauce
• Chicken broth 
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese

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Can I Use Another Type of Pasta?

Yes. I either use penne pasta or rotini for this dish. It's smaller in size and cooks up quick.  Stick with something similar in size for the recipe to work. Keep in mind, it will need to be dry pasta.

Pasta Sauce

Use your favorite jarred version, make it homemade or you can also use a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes.  They will all work! 

Can I Use Another Type of Protein?

Of course!  If you don't like ground beef, go with ground turkey, ground chicken, crumble Italian sausage or a meatless crumble option.

Chicken Broth

None on hand?  It can be replaced with water.

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One Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies- Classic oatmeal cookies jammed packed with chocolate chips. 

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 Ingredients Needed

• Flour + Salt + Baking soda
• Oats
• Butter
• Ground cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Chocolate chips

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Can I Use Raisins Instead?

Yes, of course! Actually, this recipe is for oatmeal raisin cookies.  I use chocolate chips instead, because, well, nobody in my house likes raisins. 🤷  You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans. 

Butter

Be sure it's softened before using! This will give your batter its creamy consistency.  Need to soften it quickly?  Here are a few tips. 

Old Fashion or Quick Cooking Oats?

Honestly, you can use either.  If you use the old fashion variety, you can pulse them a bit in your food processor to grind them up a bit.

Why Do I Have to Refrigerate my Dough?

Refrigerating the dough will help your cookies from spreading.  It will also give you a fluffier texture in  your cookies.  Refrigerate it for about two hours or pop it in the freezer for 45 minutes.  

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies