General

🍁 ~ Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family. ~ 🍁

This is the first photo sent in of my lightened up pumpkin cheesecake and it reminded me that I don’t always have to make pumpkin pie for the holidays. Rhonda made it for her anniversary and said, “Everyone in my house loved it, even my daughter with the picky appetite.” To make it even better, Rhonda decorated it so beautifully with real homemade whipped cream – the only kind I use too. Plus, her picture is better than mine!

Click here for the recipe.

My pic of the month is from Mil in Canada. She used my Crispy Apple Tart recipe using fresh peaches and it looks so good! At first I thought it was an apple tart but when I saw it was made with peaches, well I’ll be trying my own version with peaches next time. “The tart tastes fabulous and the apricot jam coating on top just elevates it even more,” said Mil. Her tart looks like a very expensive dessert at a fancy restaurant, doesn’t it? Thank you, Mil, for your inspirational photo.

Click here for the recipe.

I picked this photo of my Easter Bunny Buns because it made me smile right away and also it reminded me that it doesn’t have to be Easter to make these adorable (and delicious) buns. The picture was sent in by Sandy, who made them for her grandchildren. She said they “absolutely loved them!” And so do I. 🐰❤️🐰

Click here for the recipe.

Not only is this my favorite sweet bread but I chose this photo from Bhairavi in San Jose, California, because she said Sunday baking for her is quality and fun time with her teenage son, Ameya. What a great thing she is doing to instill a love of cooking in her son. I learned by helping my dad in the kitchen and I encourage everyone to show their kids how much fun cooking can be. Use some of my easy recipes and they can share their photos here. 🙂

Click here for the recipe.

Cooking is fun. Moving is not. We’ve been looking for a long time and I finally found a dream kitchen that I want to cook in so we’re getting ready to move. I don’t remember the rest of the house but it had a bunch of rooms so I’m sure it’s going to be good. 😀  I’m excited about my new kitchen but it will take time to set things up just right so you won’t see any new recipes for a while. I’ll still be checking in every day as usual, posting your photos and answering questions when I can.

I’ve learned a few things while packing to move:

1. I don’t wear belts any more.
2. I thought I was doing a better job of dusting.
3. There may be a family of squirrels living in our garage.
4. A man can be emotionally attached to a broken vacuum hose.
5. Moving is a good way to test your marriage. ❤️
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It’s paczki again! I’ve never seen paczki done this way and I love Boston cream pie. The idea for “Boston Creme Donuts” came from Erika last month, who said she made them for her husband’s birthday.  I am so trying this! Thank you, Erika.

Click here for my Pączki recipe.

p.s. I’ve been super busy and have not posted any new recipes but I will soon. I’m working on a couple of new ones and just need time to fine tune them and take the photos.

A Polish lady (Beczkowski) made my Polish paczki and took her photo using beautiful Polish dinnerware – this is my favorite photo of the month. On top of that, she is 71 years old and “finally successfully made paczki” for the first time. Thank you to Joyce Beczkowski Nicholas for this wonderful photo! 🇵🇱

For anyone wondering which recipes I make the most, my own go-to favorites, here they are:

No Knead Crusty Rolls: I always have some in the freezer because you can pop them into a 325° F oven for about 10 minutes and they are even more crusty than when first baked.

My Dinner Salad: With a few variations in olive oil dressings, pretty much every meal I make starts with a salad.

Pork Tenderloin Dinner: The pork is lean, takes on marinade really well, and I love roasted veggies.

Oven Chicken Veggie Kabobs: It’s an easy and simple one pan meal with delicious marinated chicken, and I always serve it with Basmati rice. One pan = easy cleanup.

Granola Bars: I make a lot of these granola bars. They can be a quick snack, dessert, or something to take on a hike or trip. There’s one in my purse right now.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake: Of all the chocolate cakes I make, this is my favorite And there’s a whole sweet potato in there for some vitamin A, or as we say in Canada, “Vitamin eh?” 🇨🇦

Cracked Wheat No Knead Bread: I love farm breads and this easy no knead bread with extra fiber is the one I make the most. I bake, slice, and freeze.

Sheet Pan Chicken & Vegetables: It’s fast, easy, healthy, low fat, and it all roasts in one pan. It’s delicious. I love this meal!

Bran Muffins: I make a dozen and freeze them for the days I crave traditional, old fashioned, bran muffins, which is almost every day.

Tapioca Pudding: Light as a cloud, this comfort food dessert is a family favorite. My husband swears I always take the bigger serving, but he can’t prove it. 😀

Giant Breakfast Cookies: These are almost a meal in themselves, chewy, delicious, and full of fiber. As soon as I’m down to one, I make more.

One Pan Broccoli Bean Pasta: I buy fresh broccoli every week so I know I can always make this quick and easy last minute dinner with my pantry staples of pasta and canned beans. Any time I can make dinner in one pan, I’m on it! 🥘

I chose this photo from Ellen in Oregon because as soon as I saw it, I turned on my oven to make my own Dutch Baby Pancake. Her way was exactly the way I serve mine, with a dusting of powdered sugar and lots of fresh fruit. Ellen made it for her husband’s birthday!

Click here for the recipe.