My mom and her sisters were big on bean salad.  Growing up in Minnesota, salads either had mayonnaise, whipping cream or vinegar in them.  This recipe from her infamous recipe box is of the vinegar variety.  She was always looking for ways to pump up the flavor volume and Feta cheese won this round for me.

So, why bean salad?  Reason #1, mom lived in constant fear of Sam and Ella and this salad could sit out safely.  Reason #2, there were so many potlucks and luncheons, I think the contributors were often hard pressed to come up with something different.  My theory is the competitive nature of the buffet table.  The only way to get rid of all that adrenaline was to bring the best dish.  Those were different time.

Bean salads came in 2 basic varieties:  beans of the legume family or from the green bean family.  Mom…

I love meatless dinners.  If the focus is Mexican, I love it even more.  I don’t remember what I was looking for when I spotted this recipe on the Internet.  I’ve had consistent good luck with the recipes I’ve tried from allrecipes.  I’ve been holding on to it for awhile, waiting for just the right moment.  Cooking from the pantry seemed like the perfect time.

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

7 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mash pinto beans.  Stir in 3/4 cup salsa and the garlic.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup salsa, cilantro, black beans…

I had willing victims for dinner tonight and decided to make something new.  I’ve had this recipe saved forever, but just couldn’t make up my mind about it.  Tonight’s taste testers are big chicken Alfredo fans, so I thought they might be the perfect ones for this recipe.

This recipe is from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman.  To be upfront, I’m not usually a fan.  I used to love her blog, but I don’t enjoy her TV show.  I have very strange prejudices.   Once I’m over something, I’m totally over it, or in this case, her.

I had a new sous chef this afternoon and we decided to change things up from the recipe as written.  If you would like to see her recipe as she wrote it, it’s all over the Internet.  I know I advocate making a recipe as written the first time out, but I didn’t have…

This is such an easy squeezy meal.  The whole family will like it and it’s another pantry friendly recipe.  This recipe originated with the Great Marjorie.  As I’ve told you ever so often, mom was such an adventurous cook, always looking for the next great idea.  The original recipe called for salmon and fresh dill, but I didn’t always have that.  However, I always had tuna.  Even if you didn’t want tuna or salmon, you could still get protein from the biscuit base and the creamed peas.

The other thing I found is how special it can look.  For some reason, pie is classy looking.  Put a cream sauce with peas on top and people feel loved.  I made this for more than one or two birthdays.  Give it a try; I think you will be surprised with how versatile it is.

2 ¼ cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

After our Saturday night indoor campout, it seemed only natural to follow up with a pancake breakfast picnic on Sunday.

We have a system here in our house – Billy makes the pancake batter, and I am the cook. It’s challenging, because the three of us all like our pancakes served differently. Wyatt likes tiny pancakes, like half-dollar or smaller even. I like my pancakes a gentle golden brown, and Billy likes his dark brown, almost bordering on overdone. So, I have my work cut out for me when I cook! Over time Billy has come up with the perfect recipe for our family as well, after much experimentation, and honestly, they are seriously perfect, at least in my opinion. They smell so good while they are cooking even! If you are interested in trying them, I’ve added his recipe! It’s not fancy but it’s good. And keep in mind…

The last of our little Easter turkey is being turned into turkey pie. As usual this is a joint thing my wife and I make. My job is getting everything cut up for the filling. Usually I cook the filling but today my wife wants that job. Turkey pie is a favourite meal for me. There are 2 reasons I like it so much, first is I really like turkey. The main and most important reason I like it so much is I get to eat my wife’s pastry. I can’t say it enough, my wife makes the best pastry I have ever eaten. Honestly I could just eat a large piece of it cooked by itself with some gravy. Have had pastry in some very good restaurants, my wife’s pastry is a 100 times better. If I made the pastry for our turkey pie it would likely end up…

Big fan of The Oscars over here.

Love the drama, the fashion, the awards, all of it. I trust them, mostly. (I do not want to talk about the years of Leo snubs.)

Working on a project with my dad to watch all of the best picture winners. I have a spreadsheet, it’s serious.

We’re quarantined apart, so can’t watch any together, but thought I’d suggest us watching the same one from afar. This year’s best picture winner is Parasite. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe not. When it first came out, I was utterly convinced it was a horror movie. I don’t even know why, the title and the movie poster were just eerie to me! Then it won and a bunch of people paid attention to it and I was ASSURED by the masses it was not a horror movie. It’s just about a family. OK, so maybe…

Today’s Menu: Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts w/ Sliced potatoes and Baked Beans

For Breakfast this morning I prepared Hash Brown and Diced Ham Skillet. I used Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns, Heated up some Meijer Diced Ham, fried an Egg Sunny Side Up, made a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. I made a bed of the Hash Browns in a bow and sprinkled some Sargento Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Next I put the Diced Ham over top the Hash Browns and then topped it all with the Sunny Side Egg. Also had a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. After Breakfast I went to McDonald’s to pick up Breakfast for Mom. Partly Cloudy and 65 drees out today. Gave the grill a good cleaning. Took it apart and cleaned the burners and cleaned the shell. Week 5 of our home isolation this week. For Dinner tonight Grilled BBQ…

This week’s Jennie – O Turkey Recipe of the Week is a Honey Glazed Turkey. Made using the JENNIE-O® Whole Turkey, Honey, Butter, Parsley, Sage Leaves, Rosemary, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper. The perfect Bird for Easter Table! You can find this recipe along with all the other Delicious and Healthy Recipes at the Jennie – O Turkey website. Enjoy and Make the Switch in 2020! https://www.jennieo.com/

Honey Glazed Turkey
This easy glazed turkey recipe serves as both a sweet and savory entrée for your Easter dinner.

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 to 18-pound) JENNIE-O® Whole Turkey, neck and giblets removed
1 cup honey
½ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1) Prepare turkey according to package directions.
2) Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together honey, melted butter…

Gonna be honest. I have no idea what to call this one. It’s like a funny-looking newborn that I just can’t bring myself to name yet. This is a cross between Beef Bulgogi and Mongolian Beef, so I decided to use the name you have a better chance of pronouncing correctly (do you like how I assume you lack culture?)

This recipe is salty, savory, sweet, and a little spicy. Fair warning: someone will probably say it’s “too spicy” and that they prefer “American food.” We all have that friend (they’re probably named Karen.) In all seriousness, it’s a cheap recipe that’s perfect for dinner, or a lunch to bring to work. I guess breakfast too, if you’re into that. I don’t know your life.

Ingredients

• 1 lb skirt or flank steak cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown…

I was at the butcher getting my hubby and I some Filet when I noticed these beautiful short ribs and remembered a short rib sandwich I had last summer at the Finger Lakes. It’s amazing how food connects to memory, don’t you think? So I couldn’t resist and two days later we were eating short rib sandwiches in the most delicious Au Jus!

This week’s Sunday’s Pork Roast Dinner Recipe is a Honey Sesame Tenderloin. Made using Whole Pork Tenderloin, Soy Sauce, Garlic Cloves, Ginger Root, Sesame Oil, Honey, Brown Sugar, and Sesame Seed. The recipe is from the CooksRecipes website. At the Cooks site you’ll find a huge selection of recipes to please all Tastes, Diets, or Cuisines so be sure to check it out today for any of recipe needs! Enjoy and Eat Healthy in 2020! https://www.cooksrecipes.com/index.html

Honey Sesame Tenderloin
Roasting this marinated tenderloin whole in a hot oven only takes 15 minutes or so, enough time to cook a pot of rice and steam a green vegetable.

Recipe Ingredients:
1 whole pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons sesame seed

Cooking Directions:
1 – Place tenderloin…