My beloved recipes tried and true. Cooking is my #1 passion and I love sharing the recipes with others. They are simple and require little ingredients. Here is where it all started.
Create a do-it-yourself pancake bar with fresh fruit, different jams, syrups, and fun toppings so everyone can have customized pancakes with little effort on your end.
Use a boxed pancake mix and set the ingredients out on the table for everyone to build their own short stack.
I made a cute pancake bar for Madeline’s first sleepover. It was perfect for little girls. They had the ability to customize their own pancakes. I also imagine this would go well for any occasion including Mother’s Day this upcoming weekend (hint, hint).
I set out cut strawberries, cut banana, blueberries, raspberry jam, lemon curd, softened butter, and maple syrup. Then let everyone go to town.
Make it more fun by adding sprinkles, candies, chocolate syrup, or anything else you might have on hand.
Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash and Kale
This savory bread pudding recipe is made with butternut squash, kale and chicken sausage is perfect for breakfast or brunch. I’ve even had it as a side dish to my dinner as it’s similar to stuffing during Thanksgiving. It’s a great make-ahead meal. You can make it the night before and warm it the next morning.
You can definitely substitute what you have available in your fridge. I imagine bacon, and any hearty veggies would be good in this also. It can also be made vegetarian if you leave out the sausage or bacon. I then covered the dish in gouda cheese and baked it until melted.
First, I cooked all the veggies and meats and toasted the bread. I then combined everything in a large mixing bowl with the cheese and custard.
I used a 12″ sesame loaf from a local baker. Any crusty bread like french bread or country bread will also work fine.
I like to switch it up a little for Friendsgiving. Since I know most people will be having the usual dishes on Thanksgiving day. I don’t want people to get tired of turkey and mashed potatoes when Thanksgiving finally comes.
I made this dish for our recent Friendsgiving, which you may have seen on my Instastory last night. The casserole dish was completely empty by the end of the night! Question is, should I recreate it for Thanksgiving day this week?
Yes, it’s that time again. Planning for the holidays. This year, I’m planning 3 Thanksgiving feasts: Friendsgiving, Workgiving, and Thanksgiving. Phew! I’m already tired thinking about it. Really though, I love cooking for others so it’s something that I look forward to every year.
Breaking up Thanksgiving into three smaller meals is really not too bad when you think about it (or maybe I’m trying to make myself feel better). Instead of making 1 giant feast, I will have enough space in my oven and cooktop for each mini meal, and I can also turn leftovers into a new dish for the next event. Last year, I reworked leftover turkey, gravy and stuffing into individual turkey pot pies for Friendsgiving.
Here’s a recipe for cranberry sauce. I grew up eating the sauce that came out of the can (still in a can-shaped mold). When I found out how easy it was to make cranberry sauce I never looked back.
All it is is simmered down fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar! I like adding extras like orange juice/rind, ginger, herbs or spices. This recipe can be made a week in advance and stored in the fridge. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
12oz of fresh cranberries 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup water or orange juice 1 stick of cinnamon 1 Tbs cinnamon powder
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 5-7 minutes until most of the cranberries have popped. Stir occasionally.
You may want to add more sugar if the sauce is still too tart for your taste.
Summer officially ends next week. Nooo! This time of the year always makes me a little solemn; the days get shorter, the sweet summer fruit disappears from grocery stores and we go back to school. Although I haven’t been in school for years, that feeling still stays with me. Maybe that feeling will change for the better when my kids start going back to school and I’ll have the house all to myself again.
Hand toasting marshmallows using a small culinary torch
To celebrate the end of summer I made s’mores – the quintessential summer snack. But not just any s’mores, gourmet smores with various fillings and cookies. Oreo, lemon meringue, and fluffernutter s’mores! Yes! scroll down to see how.
As simple as a marshmallow and an Oreo cookie. The creme filling creates its own melty filling. Open up the cookie and place the toasted marshmallow inside and press together
Andrew loves lemon meringue anything, so I made this one for him. Spread a thin layer of jarred or fresh lemon curd inside two Meyer lemon cookies. Place toasted marshmallow inside and gently squish together.
If there is any other pairing that comes close to marshmallow and chocolate, it’s marshmallow and peanut butter. I don’t know why it’s called fluffernutter but it’s really fun to say. Go ahead, try saying it! FLUFFERNUTTER!
For this version, I used almond butter. Feel free to use anything you have on hand. Nutella or Speculoos I imagine would taste amazing on this a well.
What I like about these unique s’mores is that they don’t have chocolate. I always find it difficult to melt chocolate over a fire without the help of some sort of specific s’more making device or foil. The marshmallow is the only thing getting toasty here.
However you want to savor summer, these treats can definitely be made in the fall as well. So, what are your plans for this last week of summer? Let me know in the comments or tag my handle, @feedmysole, on your Instagram pic!
