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Garlic Pasta Sauce
My family loves all kinds of white sauces such as Alfredo and they love anything with garlic. I make Alfredo quite often, but unless I plan ahead, I rarely have heavy cream. There were many times that I wanted to make Alfredo but didn’t have the heavy cream or Parmesan cheese, so I figured out a way to make a white garlic sauce that they love that doesn’t require heavy cream or Parmesan. I never make it exactly the same way and it can be very flexible to accommodate your likes or dislikes. I start by melting butter in a large non-stick skillet and sauteing garlic, onions and sometimes mushrooms.…
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Meatloaf Muffins 2 Ways
I love meatloaf. It is one of my favorite comfort food meals. Everyone has a different version of meatloaf, some like lots of veggies and other stuff added, but I like mine somewhat simple. It doesn’t need a lot added to get a great flavor when you start with good quality ground beef. I use 80/20 ground beef for most of my recipes, if you go leaner, there is less flavor and it will be drier and if you buy the fattier ones, they just seem to cook away. Recently I turned my regular meatloaf into meatloaf muffins. I used about 2 lbs of ground beef and added a small…
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Pancakes Made Your Way
Last night I had a big supper planned but when I went in the kitchen the water wouldn’t work. We called the water department and they had shut it off to work on the lines. By the time the water came back on it was too late to cook what I had planned, so I had to come up with a different plan. I don’t know about you, but we love pancakes. We usually have them at least once a month, sometimes more often especially in the summer when we are home more and trying to avoid heating up the house with the oven. Pancakes for supper are one of…
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Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches Done Cheaper
My husband fell in love with these hot ham and cheese sandwiches at a friends party several years ago. I looked the recipe up on line and we tried a few different versions until we found the one he liked best. To view the recipe I use, click here. I have made them several times since then but don’t make them often because they are so expensive. They decided to have sandwiches and desserts at church after the singing on Sunday night. I decided I wanted to do something besides buy bread and lunch meat. I thought of these but really didn’t need to spend that much money this week. …
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Should Kids Do Chores?
I think that everyone in the house should do chores or help to maintain the household. We have tried all kinds of systems over the last 20+ years. Our oldest is 24 and I am not sure exactly when he started helping out around the house, but do remember that our first formal chore chart with allowance tied to completion and behavior was at 5 years old. We gave him a quarter for each activity he completed up to $5 per week ($1 per year of age), but we also withheld a quarter if he misbehaved. I made a chore chart with simple tasks such as brushing his teeth, helping…
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Little Hamburgers in Gravy
This is an easy 3 ingredient main dish. We have been making them for years. I don’t remember where we got the recipe, but it is a family favorite. We make it every month or so. I don’t know what the real name should be, but we call it little hamburgers in gravy because that is what they look like. I assume one of the kids probably gave them the name and it stuck. It can even be made ahead of time and just finished off quickly when you are ready by making the gravy and heating the little hamburgers before serving. If making ahead of time, spread the patties…
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How to Plan a Tween Birthday Party
My daughter just turned 12 on Saturday. It was hard for her to decide how she wanted to celebrate her birthday this year. She is too old for the traditional kiddie birthday party, but still young enough to want to make it a big deal. She thought about going to the trampoline park or skating rink, but she also wanted all the family to be there. Since she is one of the youngest of her cousins most of them would not participate for jumping or skating. She thought about having a family party at a restaurant, but couldn’t decide on a restaurant and wanted to be able to invite friends…
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Skillet Onion Potatoes
I love potatoes. I love them fried, stewed, roasted, baked, mashed, and almost any way imaginable. If I had to pick one item to eat for the rest of my life, it would have to be potatoes. I cook some kind of potatoes for almost every meal. The potatoes are as important to me as the main dish, sometimes they are the main dish. I am fine with a loaded baked potato for a meal, but my husband thinks he needs at least 4-5 different items for each meal. I was craving my roasted onion potatoes the other day but didn’t want to wait the hour it would take to…
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Crescent Roll Danishes
Do you need an easy recipe for breakfast, brunch or dessert? This is one that I have made for my kids many times over the past few years. We have tried these danishes in many different ways, cream cheese, grape, strawberry, Nutella, apple, honey, etc… We have settled on the cream cheese, strawberry and Nutella being our favorites. I usually make a double batch when I am cooking for the whole family. There are 8 crescent rolls in a package and I use 1/2 a package of cream cheese for one can. I put the cream cheese in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 second intervals until…
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Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Pie
I have been making these cheesecake pies for a long time. I don’t really remember where the recipe came from, but as you know by now, I don’t usually follow a recipe exactly. The original recipe didn’t call for any extras and the regular is okay, but I like to add in extra textures and flavors to change it up. I have made several different versions over the years, Oreo with an Oreo crust is my son’s favorite, but the strawberry is mine and my daughter’s favorite. A few other versions I have made include pineapple, lemon, Butterfinger in a chocolate crust, and chocolate chip in a chocolate crust. I…
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