At Home My Way

I'm trying to get a game plan for the week and thought I would post a menu to keep me on track. Here's my plan: Monday: Breakfast :  Yogurt ( homemade-small batch  recipe) with fruit and homemade Perfect Granola (pecan & almond) Lunch :  Salad with homemade ranch dressing using this Mix and the homemade yogurt) Supper :  Crockpot-steak w/ mushroom gravy & noodles, leftover toasted homemade biscuits , and a vegetable Tuesday: Breakfast :  Lemon Poppyseed Muffins - trying this recipe HERE . Lunch :  Peanut Butter Sandwich Supper :  Sloppy Joes/Juicy Burgers with oven fries Wednesday: Breakfast :  leftover muffins Lunch :  tortilla with leftover Sloppy Joes Supper :  Make potpie with leftover beef/gravy using this recipe ( Potpie with Batter Crust ) but using the leftover beef. Thursday: Breakfast :  Oatmeal Lunch :  Leftover potpie Supper :  Hawaiian  Chicken Friday: Breakfa...

I'm not much of a cookie baker, but I decided to try a new recipe over the weekend.  They turned out great!  They are super fudgy and nice, fat little cookies.  They will be perfect for a valentine treat so I will definitely want to remember this recipe!  They would also be great to pack for lunch treats, for potlucks, and for sharing with a friend. Here's how I made Chewy Brownie Cookies AT HOME MY WAY:   Chewy Brownie Cookies   1 1/2 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup all-vegetable shortening (Crisco or generic)  1 Tablespoon water 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 to 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I only used one cup.)   Directions:   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   (I used a big wooden spoon and mixed by hand.)    In a mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar and shortening until smooth.  Add t...

We have a new favorite breakfast treat!  Vanilla Scones! I found this recipe last week and since it said "just like Starbucks", I knew they had to be good! I have a confession.  I have never had Starbucks Vanilla Scones.  I guessed that since the chocolate muffins I had at Starbucks were super delicious, so would be the Vanilla Scones.  I was so right!! This recipe uses ingredients that I usually keep in my pantry and refrigerator.  I like to keep recipes on hand for items just like this - that require no trips to the dreaded grocery store. My mom came over just as these scones cooled on my kitchen counter.  We dove right in!  They were so delicious that we really couldn't believe it.  My mom told me that they rate right up there with my homemade donuts.  She loves my homemade donuts the most of anything I make so I will take her comments about these scones as a serious compliment, ha-ha. My husband and ...

Last night my older daughter had me over for supper.  When she was in college, she often went to Taco Tuesdays at the local bar and grill in her college town.  It was Tuesday yesterday and we had tacos so we definitely had some good Taco Tuesday at her house.  I'm betting hers beat the socks off what she used to eat in college! Rebecca got a new crockpot for Christmas from her grandma and had a new recipe to try in it.  She made Crockpot Chicken Tacos.  It turned out wonderful!  What a treat!  Sometimes grownup children are good for something, like having you over for supper after work AND doing all the dishes!  Got to love that!  We both agreed that we will make this recipe a lot.  In fact, we both liked it just as good (if not better) than ground beef tacos.  It was super easy to throw together!  In fact, it doesn't get much easier than this recipe!  The chicken was juicy and just perfect! H...

(Doug baked these before I got up this particular morning since I didn't have to work (ahhh!) so I didn't get a chance to snap a picture after he baked them.)     My guy had treat day at the office a few weeks ago.  Since he's a little on the picky side (that's an understatement LOL), he always tries to bring something that he likes (as opposed to the easier dips, cookies, and finger foods that most people enjoy but he doesn't touch) and always insists on something that he can make himself.  I have volunteered to make my famous Cinnamon Rolls , his favorite Cinnamon Sugar Quick Bread or some other dish he likes but in addition to wanting to make it himself, he usually wants to bring something savory.  Doug says that they usually have all sorts of sweets so he wants something not so sweet. I had been telling Doug about these sandwiches lately.  They were all the rage on Facebook and Pinterest throughout the holidays.  There are...

I've been trying to cut down on the items that I buy that come in plastic containers.  I read about BPA's possible links to cancer in an email article that I received from Rodale News HERE .  I always lean to making my own instead of buying prepackaged, so this was just another reason for me to get down to basics. One of the items that you can only buy in plastic unless you make your own is yogurt.  It's so EASY to make!  I've done it before but most recipes make a lot more yogurt than I can eat.  I also wanted to make some so that I could play around with getting it to taste like I'm used to.  (I'm used to prepackaged, sweetened, fruit on the bottom.  My favorite is Dannon Fruit-on-the-Bottom, but it is so hard to find!) Yes, I did have to start with a plastic cup of premade, plain yogurt, but after this first batch, I can use my own yogurt as the "starter" so this will be the last plastic cup of premade yogurt that I have to buy f...

Do you need a super easy, "dump and go" crockpot meal that is super delicious and tastes like you are eating out?  I have a good one for you today! RECIPES AT THE TOP - CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM Here's how I now make Crockpot Parmesan Chicken AT HOME MY WAY. Dump & Go Crockpot Parmesan Chicken *only FIVE ingredients plus the pasta* (Print the Recipe HERE)  6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts/tenders (frozen or thawed) 1 1/2 cups (app.) of seasoned canned bread crumbs  1/4 cup of  parmesan  cheese (I use the green can.) 1 or 2 jars (24 oz each) of prepared spaghetti sauce (Prego, Ragu, etc.) (Classico is my favorite lately.) Mozzarella  (shredded) (Serve with cooked pasta.  We use penne.) Instructions : Place chicken pieces in the crockpot (as much as your family needs).  (I use frozen because my crockpot cooks super fast.) Sprinkle the chicken heavily with bread crumbs and then with the parmesan cheese, like this: Dump on the jarred spaghetti...