Caring for My Chaos

Here's another from scratch recipe that was just for Hunny! He loves scalloped potatoes but I have never tried to make them from scratch because I thought it was too complicated. Imagine my surprise when I went looking at recipes and found out that it was simple! Of course, I took a little bit from a bunch of recipes and made it my own, so here it is! 4-5 good sized potatoes sliced about 1/4 inch thick. I used red potatoes so I didn't have to peel them but feel free to use whatever kind you have on hand. 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup chicken broth 2 cups milk 2 cups sharp cheddar (I think you can use whatever kind of cheese you like, but we love cheddar) Preheat oven to 400. Grease 13x9 inch pan. In medium saucepan, melt butter. When butter is all melted, whisk in flour, salt and pepper Let cook a few minutes until nice and bubbly. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking after each addition. Slowly add milk, again whisking after each additio...

Tonight, as I cooked dinner for Bubby and I, I realized how hard a concept this has been for me to get used to. After years of cooking for 5, most nights, it's just Bubby and I. You would think it would be easy to get used to cutting recipes down and lighten my workload, but for some reason, it has been an obstacle for me. One that usually ends up with us going out to dinner. But, I have resolved that this isn't going to happen as often anymore! (Notice I did not say ever. Gotta keep my options open.) Like tonight, I cooked one of my fall back reliable recipes that I adapted from a recipe for Beni Hana chicken that I had found years ago in a restaurant copycat recipe book my dad gave me. I easily cut back on the amount of rice and meat that was used and it came out perfect. I think I might get the hang of this cooking for two idea yet. Here's my recipe if you were wondering. Easily adaptable to feed a crowd, here's the amounts for 2 people. I also substituted bee...

Doodle had been asking for salmon cakes for over a week and I decided that I would make them last night. I used to make these years and years ago when the girls were young but hadn't in a very long time. I used canned salmon and I would double or triple the recipe on the seasonings if you use more than one can. One can makes about 4 good sized patties. Hunny likes to eat these on biscuits; I eat them as is. It's a personal preference. This recipe from My Recipes is really easy and really good. The panko gives it a slight crunch on the outside. 2/3 cup panko, divided 1 T parsley 2 T finely chopped green onions 2 T mayo 1 t lemon juice 1 t dijon mustard 1/2 t Old Bay seasoning 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce 1/8 t salt 1/8 t ground red pepper 1 egg lightly beaten 8 oz cooked , flaked salmon or 1 can salmon 1 T olive oil 1 lemon quartered Combine 1/3 cup panko and next 10 ingredients, (through the egg) in a large bowl and mix well. I used my...

I just got home from grocery shopping and had made up the menu right before I left.

I gotta tell ya, since I started this menu planning thing, my life has gotten easier; at least in the kitchen!

Today was grocery day so you know what that means!

I am a Facebook newbie. I have only been on there since November. But, in that short amount of time, I have fallen in love with how many recipes are on there! And it helps my quest to stop my family from eating out so much. Thursdays are my traditional grocery day and last night I decided that I was actually going to make a menu and grocery list and stick to it! That's the key factor there- sticking to it. I am notorious for saying that I'm going to stick to a list and then either forget said list or just ignore it.\  Here is my menu for the week, along with the links to the recipes. I only did 6 days, with one day either being "fend for yourself" day or eat out day. Thursday-- Pepper Steak from  South Your Mouth Friday-- Layered Dorito Casserole from  Spend with Pennies Saturday--Long John Silver's Chicken from  77 Easy Recipes --the secret is warm ginger ale! Who knew? Sunday--Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole from  77 Easy Recipes Monday--Smoked Sausage and...

I saw on Pioneer Woman a while back an episode about all the ways that you can use a waffle iron. I had never thought of using it for anything but waffles, but oh my goodness, there's lots you can make with them. I think the episode was about college living and she was teaching about cooking in a dorm room. Anyway, here are a few ideas on how to use your waffle iron for more than waffles! --Quesadillas! Spray the iron with nonstick spray and lay one tortilla down. Put all your filling on top and layer another tortilla on top. Close lid and cook. It even seals the edges! --Paninis! Instead of nonstick spray, butter your bread really well and put your sandwich on the iron. Close lid as well as you can and cook until golden brown. --Cinnamon rolls! Take the already made cinnamon rolls you get in the refrigerated section and put one in each section of your iron after spraying with nonstick spray. Close and cook. --Eggs! Scramble your eggs. Spray your iron with spray and pour...