White Bean, Bacon, & Spinach Soup

I just barely tried this recipe and had to share it because it was SO GOOD!  I think it would also be good with some Italian sausage or turkey sausage added in if you have a family that needs a little extra protein to call it a meal.  Or you could leave out the bacon and use tomato stock instead of the chicken stock if you wanted to make it vegetarian.  Recipe & Photo courtesy Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

I made a few slight modifications from the original, simply using what I had (canned tomatoes, bacon bits, and minced garlic) on hand rather than making a trip to the grocery store for fresh tomatoes, sliced bacon, or whole garlic cloves. I also purposefully didn’t puree it because I personally prefer a stew-y soup to a pureed one. 

Best Ever Whole Wheat Bread

It has been months since I have made this bread, and I kind of forgot just how good this recipe is!  This morning was cruelly cold and windy – pulling out the vestiges of winter even though the calendar knows it’s already late into April - and this kind of weather always makes me feel like making bread.  I also knew that a nice thick, buttery slice of this bread would be the perfect accompaniment to a new soup recipe I was trying out. 

photo courtesy Eat Cake For Dinner

Asian Style Nachos

Asian?  Nachos? 

Mmmm-hmmm. 

They looked too pretty not to try, and they tasted too darn good not to share. 

recipe & photo courtesy Damn Delicious

Brown Sugar Baked Ham

I only recently discovered this recipe for ham via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, but have since made it several times, including once for my Mother In Law, who is a legendary cook!  When she asked me for the recipe, I knew I had a winner!

I realize I’m posting this AFTER Easter, but I decided to do it anyway because I know this is one recipe I’ll be back to reference at least four or five times before next Easter rolls around!
photo & recipe courtesy Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice

 

Using brown rice makes me feel like I’m feeding my family healthy food. I made rice on the stove ONE time and it turned out to be a disaster! After that mess I used Brown Minute rice because it was quick and easy. Then I got a pressure cooker which I love but I never could get the rice to water ratio right.

Then I found this recipe at Our Best Bites and I don't think I will ever go back to any other method.

I have made it about a hundred times in the last couple months and it comes out perfect every time!

Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi

I’ve never eaten Red Lobster’s shrimp scampi.  You should know that before you let me tell you this tastes like theirs.  Thing is, though, it’s so good, I don’t care if it tastes like theirs.  Maybe theirs ought to taste like this.
http://www.foodnfocus.com/easy-meals-with-campbells-skillet-sauces/

I made this recipe because I had found a long-lost bag of frozen shrimp in the nether regions of my freezer.  I figured “if I cook it in enough garlic, maybe it won’t be so bad.”  On the contrary, it was out of this world.  I can only imagine how good it would be with fresh shrimp! 

Funeral Potatoes

Easter is coming right up, and there’s nothing better to serve with that Easter ham than a big dish of funeral potato casserole!  This recipe is well-loved when made with canned cream of chicken soup, but even better (and gluten-free!) when made with from-scratch cream of chicken soup. 

photo courtesy:  http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/recipe/funeral-potatoes-gluten-free-vegan/

From-Scratch Cream of Chicken Soup

I probably wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of making cream of chicken soup from scratch had I not recently been trying to make gluten-free funeral potatoes for Saucy Mama and her family.  I’m so glad I did, though, because this soup makes a really good & hearty meal on its own when served with a loaf of crusty bread or a salad on the side, and then I can use the leftovers to make my funeral potato casserole gluten-free.  I love it when I can prep two meals at once!

Rice Crispy Treats

I was watching the pioneer woman on Amazon Prime a while back. Ree made these yummy rice crispy treats! They looked so good I had to make them for my sweet husband for valentines day. He had a long drive back to Arizona that weekend and he eat about half of what I sent him. They are THAT good! Honestly I’ve been making them about every week since and eating the whole thing my self. Gasp… my waistline isn't really happy about this!
Talking about Ree Drummond. I just love her! I love her tv show, her blog, her house, her lodge, her wide open spaces and Isn’t she the sweetest person. She has my dream life. It seems simple yet perfect. A big cattle ranch that my husband can work on and a big kitchen that I can make delicious food in. I mean who wouldn’t love a big open kitchen that fits all of the needed/wanted kitchen gadgets. Counter space to actual have more than one cook in the kitchen. Not to mention the acres and acres of land for their kids to explore?  
I don’t get to have my dream house just yet, with all the room that I fantasize about. But I can feed my family delicious, healthy, and “Sweet and Saucy” food! Even if it is in a small kitchen, in a small house with a small yard.
I hope you enjoy my twist on the good old Rice Crispy Treats!

Sweet Mama