A Cook's Quest

Since I was a young girl I have always loved salad.  I grew up on the standard iceberg dinner salad and never experienced a different type of green until I was an adult.  Nowadays my husband and I much prefer a mix of baby greens with any variety of toppings which include fruit, nuts, cheeses and grilled meat. But, there is still an occasion that I go back to my roots and want just a simple green salad made of iceberg lettuce and carrots.  To top the salad off I want ranch dressing, the good kind from a "valley" that makes every vegetable in its presence bow down for the ceremonious dipping before consumption.  It is creamy and delicious and exactly what I would describe as food from my childhood, only now I know how expensive it is and how not so good it really is for you. Quite by accident I stumbled onto this recipe and was intrigued by how simple it was.  There was nothing in it that I couldn't pronounce and even better nothing that I wouldn't...

There are many reasons I love this recipe but I will only list a few: 1. It is simple 2. It is cheap 3. It is made in the slow cooker 4. My whole family declared them, "the best tacos ever!" This fabulous dish, like many of my other favorites, came straight from my favorite cooking blog.  It is the blog I go to for inspiration on days that I would just rather go through a drive through, and the days that I think I am so overwhelmed that I don't think I have time to cook anything.  Any guesses? If you said, Mel's Kitchen Cafe you are right my dear readers, it was Mel who posted this recipe and I quickly saved it for the day that I knew everyone in the family would be going in 50 directions all at the same time.  To say it was a hit is an understatement, my entire family loved it, requested it again and very soon thank you very much.  In fact, there would have been no leftovers had I not doubled the recipe in order to have a portion ready to store a...

The wind is blowing and the temperature is still cold, but Spring is here--technically anyway. I want foods that remind me of fair weather days, full of sunshine and laughter, friends and family, and of course fair weather food.  When I saw that strawberries were on a fabulous sale this week I went hunting for a new strawberry dessert recipe.  This Strawberry Cream Puff Cake fit the bill perfectly. The base is exactly like a cream puff or eclair.  Simple to prepare,  with a texture that is light and airy, and full of simple flavor.  It is perfect for the whipped topping infused with orange zest, then topped with fresh berries. I'm telling you this is like heaven in dessert form. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I ate three, yes three, servings two nights ago and also took some for breakfast the next morning.  My husband did the same and our poor sweet children didn't get a crumb.  So, being the good m...

Yes, I have been on carbohydrate overload with my new recipes.  Breads just seem to be my go to recipes when I am crunched for time.  A little mixing, let it rest, shape, let rest again, bake in the oven and then enjoy.  Bread requires attention but not a lot of work.  When I know that I will be home for the day it is easy to try something new.  Sick kids are the perfect day to cook for me.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that I want my kiddos home sick, but when it happens I know that I will be going no where and I will have the time to try something new.  When B2 fell ill with strep throat, her food request was homemade chicken noodle soup in bread bowls.  Done deal!  I knew just the place to refer to first, Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She has the best breads that I have found and I knew she had a couple of bread bowl recipes.  I was not disappointed.  As, always Mel's recipe turned out beautifully.  The brea...

Gnocchi (pronounced nyō'kē) is a recipe that I had never even considered preparing....ever.  I had a myriad of reasons, they look too time consuming, they must be hard to prepare, potatoes in pasta sounds weird, you get the idea.  But, after seeing gnocchi recipes on every good Italian site or in every good Italian cookbook I was finally convinced that maybe, just maybe, there was something to these little potato pastas.  I was waiting for the perfect day to try my hand at this new dish.  When my parents offered to take the kids for a few days over spring break I decided it was time.  Not only would I have the time with no interruptions to make the dish, but then my hubby and I could have a special dinner together when he got off of work.  So I stopped at the store after work and made the choice to put these gems in a cream sauce made with heavy cream (it's a special ocassion don't give me too much flack,) ham and peas.  I was hoping for aspar...

I would bet money that there isn't a potato dish that I haven't loved.  You know what I adore about potatoes?  There are so many ways to prepare them so they never get boring and they are so inexpensive to make.  You can dice them, shred them and slice them; you can boil, bake, and my personal favorite method, fry them; you can add any variety of ingredients and 99.9999% of the time the result is something that is mouth wateringly delicious.  I am constantly on the lookout for potato recipes because potatoes are insanely cheap.  I usually go for a Russet or Yukon Gold because they are easy to find in the potato state that I reside and usually in my budget.  But, my favorite by far is a small red potato such as the Klondike Rose.  Red potatoes are low in starch which makes them perfect for boiling and roasting, not to mention the sweet flavor they have.  Pair a red potato up with a little salt, pepper and butter and I am in starch heave...

You know how when you live with someone long enough it seems like you can read their thoughts? This morning my husband was standing in our pantry staring at the many boxes of cereal and I could just tell that maybe it shouldn't be a cereal morning.  When I offered up breakfast burritos he gratefully said, "yes, please!" These burritos are very common at many fast food restaraunts and you can easily pay a lot of money for them.  I love making them at home because I can make a big batch for breakfast and also make some for the freezer.  On busy mornings it is a snap to pull one out, pop it in the microwave and head out the door with a hot breakfast in hand.  Use whatever fillings your family likes and enjoy a portable hot breakfast! Easy Breakfast Burritos Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest, and many other cooks 1/2 pound sausage, diced ham, chorizo, or turkey sausage 1 small onion 6-10 eggs red, yellow, green or orange pepper flour tortillas cheese Brown you m...

Since starting this blog it has been my goal to try as many new recipes as possible.  Well, sadly I have been so busy that I have slacked in the new recipe department and done what most cooks do--cook what is familiar and easy.  My husband asked me why I didn't post some of our tried and true favorites, and I wondered the same thing.  So each week, along with the new recipes, I will post some of our favorites that make appearances regularly.  As always, I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!

As a self proclaimed bread lover , I am always happy to find a new recipe that I can easily make and that also tastes delicious with a multitude of other foods. These Divine Breadsticks from My Kitchen Café are my new favorite bread item. Yes, I know the Pizza Dough and Ciabatta Rolls were also declared favorites, but I just can’t help myself! Warm out of the oven they are a little crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Not to mention they are fast to prepare, less than an hour from start to finish and that includes rise time and baking time. If you aren’t comfortable making bread, try this recipe. Even without a stand mixer it would be an easy recipe to start with. Then try to stay out of them until it’s time to eat…it is extremely difficult! Divine Breadsticks Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe *Makes about 20-25 breadsticks, depending on how thick or thin you cut them 1 ½ cups warm water 1 tablespoon instant yeast (also known as rapid rise yeast) or 1 1/2 tablespoon...

Hi. My name is Jenn and I am a bread lover. It doesn’t matter what kind, if it is made with flour and leavening of some kind I will more than likely eat it. Bread is what I look for at every meal, warm and delicious, usually with butter smeared on it and a wonderfully golden crust that can soak up whatever is on my plate. If I had my way, I would have a bread of some kind every night with dinner, but let’s face it, even simple recipes take time and time is not something I have a lot of. Usually I can get by with tortillas when we have a Mexican dish, or even just a slice of sandwich bread but without bread my meal just doesn’t feel complete. I found this biscuit recipe last week while the Million Dollar Pound Cake was baking. I was looking for a bread recipe that was fast, easy and versatile for weeknight cooking. Nothing with yeast, and nothing that required too much fussing over. This recipe immediately jumped out because it isn’t in anyway a sweet biscuit recipe…perfect fo...

Soups, Stews, and Chowders.  All three go hand in hand with cold weather.  There is just something about these warm, thick, rich meals that makes a person feel good.  They are relatively easy to prepare, easy to serve, and even easier to eat.  I grew up eating potato soup, and my kids are doing the same but it is time to learn how to make new variations of one of my favorite comfort foods. Because I am home sick today, and because the groundhog saw his shadow a few weeks ago and we are being subjected to a longer winter, I decided today was going to be a soup day.  Over the weekend I did a huge search of soup recipes and a popular version I saw a lot of was Chicken Corn Chowder, a creamy, rich, and sweet combination that is reminiscent of my mom's potato soup but completely different at the same time.  Most recipes I read required longer cooking times, a lot of ingredients, and me, the cook, standing watch as everything cooked away--not s...

Every family has their own names for certain well known dishes. They are often named by the youngest members, and our family is no different. When my son was about 3 years old he discovered the French Dip sandwich and decided it was the best sandwich ever. The name was a little hard for him to say, so we have called them "Dippy Sandwiches," ever since. This is a remake inspired by many different but similar dishes--the French dip of course, the Cheese steak sandwich with onions and peppers, slow cooker pot roast, and Italian flavors of basil and oregano. The whole family loved this recipe. I paired it up with potato wedges tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and seasoning salt then roasted in the oven until crisp and golden . Dippy Sandwiches Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest This makes a lot. I had plenty for my family of five, with enough for the freezer and some for my husbands lunch. 1 Chuck Roast 3-5 lbs (Mine was 3 pounds) 1 cup of wate...