We are SO close to being able to grill again! We finally got our BBQ (which we picked out back in MARCH!!!) but now we are waiting to hook it up to the gas line (and neither ACE nor Home Depot have the part so we are in a holding pattern—again). Until then, it’s indoor cooking. I was pretty content to just go without beef for the few months that our backyard remodel was slated to happen. But then it dragged on and on and ON…and Kyle was really in the mood for steak. So… Read more >

This is an oldie, but worth sharing in case you wanted to give it a try. I have only cooked pasta in the instant pot a few times, but needed to get it done quickly without being in the kitchen, so pressure cooker to the rescue. I cooked a pound of shells for one minute on high pressure with just enough water to barely cover the noodles. Then I left it to release naturally and it absorbed most of the excess liquid in that time. Worked well enough at least! Before dinner, I sauteed snap… Read more >

TIS THE SEASON Even though the weather hasn’t gotten too much cooler, it’s dark in the mornings and evenings now, so it feels like the season has changed. It helps that we are doing all the apple picking, pumpkin patching, and Halloween decorating to get into the spirit. And now, bread baking. How about you? Banana bread Pumpkin bread Persimmon bread Gingerbread What’s your favorite? Because the oven is crankin’ and everyone loves it when a week’s worth of breakfasts are taken care of thanks to a Sunday baking sesh. PS Doesn’t our backyard look… Read more >

The packaging and price point could use some work, but our entire family is super smitten with the Beyond Meat burgers. As I discovered when I finally uploaded the past few months’ worth of pics, I seem to pair it with Caesar salad each time! Ha! It’s funny the things you notice / find out after the fact. These meals were over a month apart, but are pretty darn identical. I actually stocked up on the Beyond burgers when I placed a WF order via amazon because they were on sale for a great deal… Read more >

And while we are on the subject of squeezing in our last few summer faves, I’m gonna throw it back to this melon poppyseed salad that I made in September with the last cantaloupe of the season. Oh how I love this meal. The recipe is here as a reminder. On the side we had the crescent rolls I mentioned here. I also remade this instant pot enchilada casserole. Once again it was a cinch to make and provided lunches for Kyle for the whole week. Such a winner! I know I promised to get… Read more >