Recipe | Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Do you have a bunch of tomatoes on your hands? This recipe is so simple and refreshing, I just love it! Especially this time of year when I get all my vegetables and fruits fresh from our local farms. 

What you need...

Classic Macaroni Salad | Recipe

Have you been enjoying your summer? I can't believe that it's nearly coming to an end and that school will be starting in two weeks for us! 

Over the summertime we like to attend cookouts (or some of you may call them barbecue's), I mean, who doesn't!? When attending a cookout, family reunion or another fun summer event with food, I like to eat macaroni salad. Now, my husband is weird with cold salads-- he will only eat them if there is no veggies (besides carrot and celery) and fruit in them. I don't think he likes the texture of them with being mixed in with cold noodles. 

Chicken Salisbury Steaks | Recipe

This recipe is so delicious and easy to make, plus it can be used with either ground beef, turkey or chicken. This is a family recipe, so you'll find it under my Family Recipes tab, where you'll find other great recipes! I grew up with my mom always making it with ground beef. I typically use a lean ground turkey when I make it, but one day I decided to use ground chicken because I had it on hand. It turned out great! This meal is great served with potatoes (we loved mashed) and a vegetable.

Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup | The Best Tasting & Easiest Recipe Ever!

Are you looking for the best broccoli cheese soup? Congratulations, you have found it! This soup is hands down the best broccoli cheese soup we have ever had-- my mom has been making this soup for as long as I can remember and is always requested by my husband quite often, year round. It's super easy to make and will for sure impress your family, friends and dinner guests!

Game Day Homemade Chicken Meatballs with a Sweet Hot BBQ Sauce

The Superbowl is quickly approaching, and if you're looking for game day foods to serve at your Superbowl party, your guests will love these homemade chicken meatballs! You can add any sauce you would like with them (prepared bbq sauce) or you can make the sauce we used. If you're not a fan of ketchup, you may want to use a different bbq sauce!

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup | Copycat Recipe

One of my favorite soups ever is Olive Garden's chicken and gnocchi soup. We don't get there quite as often, but when we do, I usually always end up with a bowl of their creamy and delicious chicen and gnocchi soup.  I recently decided to make this soup at home for the first time, and I cannot believe how easy it was to make, plus how much it tasted just like Olive Garden's. My husband was so pleased and impressed and agrees, it's just like Olive Garden's! Read below for the recipe and make sure you read on how you can make the creaminess thicker or thinner to your liking. 

How To Make Monkey Bread in a Spring Form (Cheesecake) Pan | + A Recipe

I recently wanted to make homemade monkey bread, but do not own a bundt pan and so I had to improvise. I decided that using my spring form pan was maybe an option and came up with a way to make it work! You'll need a spring form pan, tin foil, an oven proof ceramic coffee mug or glass mason jar or clean empty food can, and a cookie sheet to place the spring from pan on. 

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip | Recipe

It's football season and when I think about yummy game day snacks, spicy buffalo chicken dip comes to mind! This recipe is super easy to make, very delicious and has a nice kick to it. You can of course monitor how spicy you want it by adding as much or as little hot sauce you want!

Homemade Chocolate Cake with WOWButter Icing | Recipe

This chocolate cake recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. Growing up, we always made it with peanut butter icing, but since having my daughter and learning about her peanut allergy, we now use WOWButter which peanut-free soy butter. This moist chocolate cake with WOWButter, tastes almost exactly like peanut butter but is completely peanut free and safe for those with peanut allergies.

20 of the Best Pie Recipes | Round-Up

Does your family love eating pies? Pies are one of my favorite desserts to make and eat, and since Fall is right around the corner (we find ourselves making more pies in the Fall/Winter) we wanted to create a list of the 20 best pies we could find!  Here are some of our favorite dessert and dinner pies from fellow bloggers, listed below!

Mama's Homemade Lasagne | #Recipe

This recipe is the one I grew up with. My mom made it for me every year on my birthday, and occasionally when requested in the Fall and Winter time. It's so delicious and very simple to make!

Cracker Crusted Chicken with Old Bay Seasoning | Recipe

So I'm not sure if this could be considered a "real" recipe, simply because I didn't really measure the ingredients I used to coat the chicken. I kinda just eyeballed everything and guessed at how much Old Bay to use, and I think the amount I added below is about what I used when I made this chicken. You really can use as much or little Old Bay Seasoning as you want! For being a dinner that I just threw together with a couple ingredients, this chicken turned out to be so moist and bursting with flavor-- it was a big hit in our home!

Tuna Cakes | Recipe

Tuna Cakes are something my husband came up with all on his own...not that he "invented" or created them hah. He loves crab cakes and was craving them one night (4 years ago already!), but we didn't have any crab in the house nor did we feel like running out to the grocery store. While looking through our pantry he spotted cans of tuna and decided at that moment to be creative and try making tuna cakes. They were a huge success and since then, we enjoy Tuna Cakes from time to time!

WOWButter Eggs for Easter! | Recipe #PeanutFree

Easter is this Sunday, so of course our family has been making Easter themed crafts and doing activities like Easter egg painting, and today we just made WOWButter Eggs! Growing up, we made peanut butter eggs, but since my daughter has a severe peanut allergy, we have really come to love and enjoy WOWButter which we have found great to use for baking and using for desserts. Below is our family recipe for WOWButter Eggs...you can of course substitute the WOWButter for Peanut Butter (the same amount).

Butter Pecan Crackers

This is a guest post from Teryn from Southern Mountain Mommy! 

Looking for something easy to make to satisfy that sweet tooth? Check out these butter pecan crackers! You will need:

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of pecans
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 stick of margarine
- 1 1/2 sleeves of crackers

Chicken Broccoli Divan #Recipe

My family absolutely loves this meal, Chicken Broccoli Divan-- it's a crowd pleaser for all ages, even kids who are picky eaters! Not to mention, it's super easy to make! This meal is especially nice to make on cold winter days, so your oven can help heat up your home.

Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh steamed broccoli cut into spears or 10 oz frozen broccoli, cooked & drained
1 1/2 Cups cubed cooked chicken (I use two nice sized breasts)
1 Can broccoli cheese soup
1/3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp melted butter

Stuffed Shells, with Turkey Burger & Velveeta Cheese | Recipe

This recipe has been in my family for such a long time, I couldn't really tell you how long. When I was a kid, I always loved this dish, and of course still do! My husband is in love with this meal and so are both of kids. It really is a pleaser to all ages and definitely "hits the spot".

The following recipe makes about 22-25 shells. Boil at least 25 shells in case some break while boiling them, to point you can't use them.

Creamy Vegetable Medley #Recipe

This side dish is great for big family holiday meals; my family especially loves it at Thanksgiving and Christmas! It's so stinkin easy to make, very quick, easy on the budget and is definitely a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
16 oz frozen bag of broccoli/carrot/cauliflower medley
8 oz spreadable garden veggie cream cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup seasoned croutons

Directions:
Mix first three ingredients together in a 2 qt baking dish with 1/2 cup seasoned croutons. Tops with 1/2 cup croutons. Bake at 375 degrees, uncovered for 25 mins.

Enjoy!

My Song, My Strength

Perfect Apple Pie with a Buttery Crumb Topping #Recipe

It's that time of year where I feel like I am baking all the time, making pies, cookies, pumpkin rolls, and cakes left and right! I recently made my most requested pie for Thanksgiving, which happens to be apple crumb pie and I thought I'd share this family favorite recipe with my lovely readers!

Ingredients for dough:

1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Shortening

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Ice Cold Water (or more)

Directions:

Mix flour, shortening and salt. Gradually add water- fold with hand no more than 8 times. Wrap dough ball in plastic, refrigerate for a 1/2 hour. Makes 1 bottom pie crust-- double for 2 bottoms. 

Ingredients for filling:

5-6 McIntosh apples

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Tbl Flour

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 dash Salt & Nutmeg (very little)

Directions:
Peel apples, core them and slice them thinly. Mix all the filling ingredients with the apples. Roll out your refrigerated dough. Make sure you flour your work station (counter/table) and rolling pin. Place your dough in your pie baking glassware and trim ends. Place your apples in your pie shell.

Ingredients for crumbs:
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Butter (stick-room temperature!)
**Makes enough for 2 pies

Directions:
Fork all of the crumb ingredients together and sprinkle on top of pie. Bake your pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. **I wrap the edges of my pie crust with tin foil and remove the last 5 minutes so it's golden brown and not too dark/crispy.

That's it! You will have a delicious and most favored homemade apple pie! Enjoy!

My Song, My Strength

Apple Dumplings with a Sweet Brown Sugar Sauce

It's that time of year again where Fall foods are being made in our home. When I think about my favorite Fall dessert, it's a toss between apple dumplings and pumpkin roll. Today my daughter and I made apple dumplings, and since I love my readers so much I thought I'd share this awesome family recipe with you all! It's the best apple dumpling recipe ever, and it even has a special sauce that was my late grandma's recipe and it's super yummy!

First step is to make the sauce...

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 /2 cup water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

(for later-- 2 Tbl butter)

Directions:

Put brown sugar, water and cinnamon in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove and add 2 tablespoons of butter.

For the apple dumplings...

Ingredients: 

4 McIntosh apples

dash of cinnamon

dash of sugar

Dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Mix dough, then roll it out. Take a butter knife and evenly cut two lines (an X) into the dough to make 4 sections. Peel all 4 apples and de-core them (I cut them in half then de-core them). Place one apple in the middle of each dough section. Add a dash of sugar and cinnamon on each apple. Take the sides of one section and roll up the dough onto the apple-- do this for all four apples. Tightly close the dough making sure no apple is exposed and that there are no holes. Place all 4 apple dumplings in a baking pan, then add your brown sugar sauce, pouring them on top of apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until golden brown. 

Here is what they should like before they go into the oven...

Since I was a little kid I have been enjoying this recipe of apple dumplings and I believe you will love it too! I like to eat mine in a bowl (warm) with some cold milk splashed on it.

Enjoy!

My Song, My Strength