Food, Travel and Sports
Everyone loves hashbrown casserole and everyone has their own variation on the recipe. Well, I’m here to tell you this recipe for Texas Potatoes is the BEST hashbrown casserole around!
My mom adapted this recipe from our beloved Best of the West cookbook that my elementary school put out. It’s been a *few* years since I was in elementary school, but this recipe for Texas Potatoes has stood the test of time.
I love salty snacks! They are one of my biggest weakness. I have such a hard time turning down a savory cracker or chip. These Zesty Saltine Crackers are literally irresistible. You can whip up a batch of these in no time!
This recipe for zesty saltine crackers is so easy. You probably have all the ingredients for them already in your pantry. All you need is a box of saltine crackers, oil, a packet of ranch dressing mix and some seasonings.
It seems like I have gone Strawberry crazy! I think I have averaged one post a week with something involving strawberries lately! Strawberries are one of those things that you have to enjoy while they are in season.
For as long as I can remember we have always had Strawberry Jam in our freezer. It started years ago with my Grandma. She would always make a bunch of Strawberry Freezer Jam when strawberries were in season. She would usually make enough to keep it stocked until strawberry season rolled around the following year. After my Grandma passed away my Mom starting making it. This year I asked my mom to walk me through the process so I could make it.
One of the things I love the most about the spring and summer is being able to grill. We have grilled chicken quite a bit, so I try to change it up. This Chicken Monterey recipe is so easy!
I used to order Chicken Monterey at a local restaurant growing up and loved it, so I knew I had to find out how I could make it at home. Come to find out it only includes 2 ingredients! Chicken and Catalina dressing. It’s so simple, I almost hate to call it a recipe.
Since Mother’s Day is this Sunday I thought it would be a good time to talk about planting annual flowers. Our family’s tradition is to give annuals for Mother’s Day. Now that might mean geraniums (my favorite), gerber daisies, million bells, petunias, hibiscus or various varieties of ferns just to name a few. Does anyone else give or receive annuals for Mother’s Day?
We are so lucky to have some really nice locally owned places to buy these types of plants in my area. All of the flowers and plants in this post came from Hathaway’s Feed and Seed located in Harrisburg, Illinois. They have such a great selection of healthy plants. Nothing against the big stores such as Home Depot, but I just don’t think they have the quality or take as good of care of their plants like the smaller locally owned nurseries do.
May is Strawberry month, right? I don’t know that that’s official, but in my mind it is. One of my favorite things to do while strawberries are in season is make Strawberry Shortcake.
When I refer to Strawberry Shortcake, I’m not talking about those sponge cake shells you find in the bakery of your grocery store. My Strawberry Shortcake recipe is made with home made pie crust cut in to strips. The crust really doesn’t take long to make and it is SO MUCH BETTER than the store bought stuff.
Now that the weather is starting to warm up I have been thinking about cool and refreshing foods. One of my absolute favorite foods to eat during warmer weather is Chicken Salad. This Lazarus chicken salad is at the top of my chicken salad list.
As a young girl I used to love to go shopping at Lazarus Department Store. No trip to Lazarus was complete without visiting the Café. We would always arrange our shopping trips to where we could eat lunch there. I don’t know what it was about that place, but I just loved it. I always felt “fancy” when we would eat there. They had a salad bar with very fresh items such as steamed shrimp, caviar, lettuce and a variety of prepared salads. They always had this chicken salad on the bar and that’s what I would get every time.
Saturday is the 144th Kentucky Derby! It’s billed as the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.” We love to watch it every year.
The excitement builds as you watch each horse promenade in from the stables to the starting gate. The real excitement is when you hear that starting gate open and the announcer say “……aaaaaand they’re off!” You hear the gallop of the hooves and you’re on the edge of your seat until the winning horse crosses the finish line!
If you’re going to be watching The Derby, you should at least have something to snack on. This Galt House Rebecca Sauce and Strawberries is the perfect Derby Day treat!
Raise your hand if you like Mexican Cheese Dip! I seriously can’t imagine anyone not raising their hand! Everybody loves Mexican Cheese dip, right?
To go along with the Restaurant Style Mexican Rice recipe I posted Monday, today I’m bringing you a recipe for Mexican Cheese Dip. I’m going to have you all set for Cinco de Mayo!
Cinco de Mayo is Saturday! I have to admit it is one of my favorite non-traditional holidays. I mean who doesn’t love an excuse to eat Mexican food? Tacos, Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Rice, Beans! I want it all! The only down side to Cinco de Mayo becoming more of a mainstream holiday these days is that the Mexican restaurants are so crowded on that day. So why not have your fiesta at home?