Home Sweet Homemaker

I recently read an article about recipe deal breakers for cooks. It reminded me of my first attempt at Peanut Brittle which was a complete disaster. Here is an excerpt from the article by Kim Severson.
I was reading a recipe for apple strudel when I came to a sentence that stopped me cold: “If you [...]

I’ve made chicken salad all of once. To me, it’s not worth the effort when I can go down the street and buy it fresh from the Ingles deli. I know there are many variations of chicken salad, but this one has served me well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve transferred this [...]

Here is a recipe for a sauce that is great for grilled chicken. It originated from the Weber Gas Grill Cookbook that came with our grill. This tasty sauce has served us well at family get-togethers and parties over the years. Yes, it’s so good that we have been making it for years… 6 to [...]

Kraft Foods must have some gargantuan pie crusts. It seems like every pie recipe I’ve used of theirs has so much filling it could fill two crusts, at least. This one is no different. I’m usually a fan of chocolate mint. It has long been one of my favorite ice cream flavors. I used more [...]

Unfortunately the name of this post isn’t about an upcoming vacation. It’s about the return to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. I’ve never been the greatest at meal planning even though I know there is great value in doing so, especially when dieting. So after much preparation on Saturday, and much eating out [...]

The full title of this delicious breakfast is Raspberry-Stuffed French Toast with Custard Sauce. I’m thinking about making this one on our beach vacation with my family. My husband usually does the breakfast cooking while I’m still in the bed. Wait a minute… no, that’s not a good idea. I will let him handle breakfast. [...]

The original recipe is called “Marvelous Mini Meatloaves”. Kraft Food & Family is always using unnecessary adjectives in their recipe titles. I need something that I can remember, so I usually give their recipes simpler titles before adding them to my collection. With that said, the modified version of Marvelous Mini Meatloaves is below.
The only [...]

Chicken Ranch Pizza is based on a recipe from Allrecipes.com. The original recipe is called Gourmet Chicken Pizza but I prefer to call it Chicken Ranch Pizza. I like naming my food something that makes sense, that way I’m more likely to remember it. After all, “gourmet” could mean anything. If adding ranch makes a [...]

Last week was the first time in I don’t know how long that I have thawed meat and actually cooked it before it went bad. I know it doesn’t seem like that hard of a task or that great of an accomplishment, but in my world it is cause for celebration. But not the kind [...]

I actually made lunch for my family on Saturday and it took less than 15 minutes. I tried the Simple Layered Fiesta Salad from Kraft Food & Family. I’m sure it tastes fine with chicken (what the recipe calls for) but to me beef just goes with taco. It’s a simple taco salad that you [...]

I ventured out with my book club friends last night to Miyako Sushi Group. The atmosphere was cozy in this downtown Spartanburg restaurant. Our server was patient. The menu can be intimidating for someone who has never had sushi! We each ordered a couple of different rolls so we would have some variety to [...]

Our book club is taking a hiatus from reading. We enjoy the social time we spend together on Monday nights, but we need something that requires no preparation for a while. Instead of reading, we’ll be eating! Last night was out first dinner out and we thought it would be fun to review the places [...]

A few days ago while I was making yet another German pancake, I asked my husband if he wanted any. Two people can share 1 German pancake, although lately I’ve been sharing with a 3-year-old so I eat about 90% of it myself. He passed, so I asked if he didn’t like German pancakes. His [...]

Jocelyn looked through my latest copy of Kraft Food & Family magazine to pick out her birthday cake. She selected Best-Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. It is very chocolaty and tastes better after hanging out in the fridge a day. The icing is shiny which makes for a pretty cake. The only part I didn’t [...]

When you want something other than chicken for dinner, this is a nice recipe to try. We had it tonight at book club. Instead of making dinner for my family as well as snacks for book club, I decided to make this casserole to serve everyone. It serves 8. You could pair it with a [...]

I’ve recently taken up making German pancakes for breakfast. It all started at Thanksgiving when we had this tasty treat at my in-laws. They say the family has been eating these for years but somehow after more than 5 years of marriage, I’d never had a German pancake! In their defense, we don’t actually eat [...]

Apple Pie Spice Rugelach is yet another one of the twelve cookies featured in the December issue of Good Housekeeping. This one did not disappoint. A lot of flavor and a fun shape makes this a great little cookie to share anytime. Visit Good Housekeeping for the recipe.
I was only able to cut 8 wedges [...]

This is another of the 1 Dough, 12 Cookie recipes featured in Good Housekeeping’s December issue. I found the dough a bit dry and crumbly which made it hard to form the dough into logs. But I loved the cranberry/crystallized ginger combination. These cookies have a unique taste and are definitely worth making again, although [...]

Here is another recipe from the 12 Cookies, 1 Dough collection in Good Housekeeping’s December issue. These chocolate pinwheels were surprisingly easy to make, but I was disappointed in their taste. It was such a fun cookie to make, but it didn’t deliver on flavor. But I do really love the pinwheel shape. I would [...]

My husband’s family has a traditional Christmas breakfast, which is not the traditional breakfast I grew up with. In the good old fashioned Southern way, we pigged out on biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and the list goes on. But I have come to love the Helma bread, cranberry bread and Cream of [...]

I always say I need to rename this recipe because it in no way, even remotely, resembles a salad. I bring it to nearly every church function and people have come to know it by this name, so Pineapple Pretzel Salad it shall remain.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 cups pretzels; crushed
2 sticks butter; softened
12 ounces whip cream
12 [...]

When the December issue of Good Housekeeping claimed that one dough could make 12 different cookies, I was interested. I had a grand vision of trying each of them by Christmas. I was going to start with one or two for our women’s ministry Christmas party a couple of days ago. I bought the ingredients [...]

South Beach Diet Phase 1. We love this stuff. It takes some time to shell the pistachios but Jocelyn and I have started doing that earlier in the day. I prefer the sweet onion the recipe calls for but white works when sweet onions aren’t available. I’m not a fan of avocado but I thought [...]

It had been a while since I tasted my mom’s oatmeal cake with peanut butter icing. We were having our annual church-wide fellowship, so I decided to make it since I had all of the ingredients. I knew the cake would conjure up childhood memories, but when I smelled the icing melting onto that hot [...]

I’m going through a tomato and basil phase, but my book club doesn’t mind. This was a hit at book club recently so here’s the recipe, girls! It is from the Stoneware Sensations Cookbook by Pampered Chef.
Ingredients
1 package refrigerated pizza crust
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, [...]

Here’s the one that got Jocelyn started on marshmallows. This recipe is from the Kraft Food & Family website.
Ingredients
3 squares Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate; divided
2 packages Cream Cheese; softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups Whipped Topping; thawed
3/4 cup Miniature Marshmallows
1/3 cup Cocktail Peanuts; chopped
1 Oreo Pie Crust
Instructions
Microwave 1 of the chocolate squares in small microwaveable bowl [...]

South Beach Diet Phase 2. Yum. Easy marinade and quick preparation. Cook times seem too long, but we’ve only used sirloin and not the flank steak the recipe calls for. Excellent and easy. Top of stove preparation so the oven can be used for something else. Visit Allrecipes.com for recipe.

South Beach Diet Phase 1. This is an easy-to-make side that goes well with any main dish as long as you time it right so everything is hot and ready simultaneously. It’s also an “easy to wing it” dish meaning if you don’t have all of the veggies, don’t sweat it. I would call it [...]

Here’s one of those cakes that gets better with age. There’s something about those pecans and coconut hanging out together in the bottom of the pan for a day that is just delicious. I’ve known people to say “I don’t like coconut” but this cake changes their minds. The cream cheese/butter/powdered sugar combination is ugly [...]

This recipe is based on Party Pesto Squares by Pampered Chef. Instead of topping the squares with tomato and green onion, I step up the flavor by piling on the bruschetta. My infatuation with tomato and basil lives on! By the way, Jocelyn’s words for tomato and pesto are “may-mo” and “pay-po”.
Ingredients
1 roll round buttery [...]

The butter pecan cake mix really sets this apple crisp apart from all others. Very easy to make and serves a crowd.
Ingredients
2 cans apple pie filling
1 box butter pecan cake mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 sticks butter
1 cup walnuts
Instructions
Pour two cans pie filling in a 9 x 13 pan. Top with dry cake mix. Sprinkle with [...]

This easy-to-make taco dip is always a hit. The original recipe came from my Aunt Pam.
Ingredients
8 ounces ounces cream cheese
8 ounces ounces cottage cheese
1 onion; chopped
1 green pepper; chopped
1 tomato ; chopped
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 can can olives; optional
cheddar; grated
Instructions
Blend cream cheese and cottage cheese until smooth.
Place in 9×9 pan.
Combine onion, pepper and tomato with [...]

I’m not trying to perfectly replicate this Tyler Florence specialty served at Applebee’s. I just want to recreate the flavors so I don’t have to spend 8 bucks for this burger served on foccacia bread topped with mozzarella, bruschetta and pesto. My attempt at bread machine foccacia was a miserable disaster, so I brushed some pizza crust [...]

South Beach Diet Phase 1. This was my first time poaching anything, which was quite easy despite how intimidating it seemed, and so pretty with everything floating about in the pan. However, the ingredients required for the poaching didn’t seem to add much flavor to the fish. The cucumber-dill sauce was tasty and refreshing and [...]

South Beach Diet Phase 2. When you are on South Beach, any salad containing more than cucumber, tomato and bell is going to be good. This one really was excellent. We used a butter lettuce mix since we couldn’t find Boston. We really enjoyed the blueberry/pecan combination. I love a good crunch in my salad. [...]

I am currently infatuated with the combination of tomato and fresh basil. There is nothing like it. You can eat it with anything: bread, meat, pasta. I like grape tomatoes; they are so easy to cut, and romas. I even bought a basil plant to grow in my windowsill instead of buying those pricey little [...]

This is a yummy petite dessert adapted from Kraft Food & Family.
Ingredients
1 pie crust
4 ounces cream cheese; softened
2 cups raspberries and/or blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar; (3/4 tsp. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon)
1 cup whipped topping; thawed
Instructions
Heat oven to 450°F. Place pie crust in greased 10-inch pie plate. Carefully spread cream [...]

Too much taco seasoning for my taste, but overall a good recipe and a fun twist on the traditional burger. Visit Kraft Food & Family for the recipe.

Good stuff. I couldn’t find Greek Vinaigrette dressing so I made my own using the substitute the recipe recommended. Added chicken to make it more hearty since it was being served as an entree. Also left out chickpeas, my husband isn’t a fan. Overall good and easy recipe. Visit Kraft Food & Family for the [...]

Once upon a time in a college art class, I had to do a project in the style of a famous artist. I chose Claes Oldenburg and crafted a giant taco out of an egg foam mattress, some colored foam and felt. It was voted favorite in show at our school exhibit. It was a [...]