Tag Archives: recipes

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Don’t bother with this one either.

29 Comments

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As I’ve previously stated, I’m all about the macaroni and cheese. It’s the ultimate comfort food and while I usually make an old fashioned recipe of my MIL’s that includes the dreaded Velveeta, I’m always willing to try other versions.

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6 cups of cheese? How can you go wrong.

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This looked promising when put together. Very smooth and so creamy it seemed positively soupy.

(I had to add crushed Ritz crackers tossed with half a stick of melted butter because the husband likes a topping.)

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Out of the oven it looked good.

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But when I spooned it out? The consistency was weird, almost quiche like.

And the flavor? Virtually non existent. Dull. Boring. Bland. Dry. And even though it had a large bowl of cheese… not cheesy at all. How the Hell did that happen?

I’ve been known to consume my weight in mac and cheese and that little square was all I ate… so you know it was bad.

Very disappointing.

😩

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Don’t bother.

12 Comments

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Are you like me?

Not able to scroll past an easy new recipe you see online?

If so, let me save you the trouble.

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I found this the other day and tried it last night.

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Since I won’t buy those horrible bacon bits and was out of real, I opted for garlic powder and parsley.

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With an entire bag of cheddar cheese.

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They looked promising …

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But were actually hard dry lumps. We had to slather half a pound of butter on them just to make them edible.

If you see this recipe? Keep scrolling..

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Another simple recipe.

16 Comments

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I love to cook, but I also like quick and easy sometimes.

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And this recipe certainly fit the bill.

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Since it’s autumn, I chose spice cake mix and apple filling.

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The batter worried me as it was thick and chunky…

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But the cake baked well, even if the finished product was a bit ugly.

I made a quick glaze from powdered sugar and milk to make it look slightly more appealing…

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The cake was moist and flavorful, though a bit heavy for my taste. But the husband liked it and if I make this particular combination again I think I’ll chop the apples into smaller pieces for more even distribution.

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Easy peasey.

19 Comments

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I’m going to give away a secret here so listen up.

For years I couldn’t bake a decent cookie to save my life.. and believe me it wasn’t for lack of trying. No matter what recipe I tried, no matter what miracle pan I used they either came out of the oven a gooey sugar filled mess or something resembling a hockey puck.

And then…

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Then I found them. The absolutely easiest, most perfect, even River can’t screw them up cookies.

Four ingredients. Four minutes prep and viola!

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Sublime every time. Trust me, those are soft baked little circles of heaven right there. And because I live to spread joy…. I’ll share.

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So far I have made lemon, chocolate, strawberry, spice, orange and butter pecan. And they were all fabulous, no hockey stick required. I’ve even started branching out by adding flavor extracts to the plain yellow mix … last night, almond.

Take that Mrs. Fields!

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A recipe book for the rest of us.

18 Comments

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In general I’d say I’m a good cook. People like to come over for dinner, my dishes are requested at potlucks, and Lord knows my husband doesn’t complain. But every once in a while I’ll try a new recipe and things will…. how shall we say? … go astray.

I read the directions, I do just what they say… but the result is often inedible.

Perhaps I need this:

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I wouldn’t count on it, but let’s see.

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Who knew there was such a thing.

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Cheese? Good.

Kale? Bad.

Got it!

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I’m afraid I can’t follow that rule. Growing up with a father who died after his fifth heart attack… and living with a man who has had triple bypass, I don’t add salt to anything.

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Well, if the lobster says so… it must be true.

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Cocktail tweaking and a very spoiled cat.

16 Comments

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As you may know, I enjoy a cocktail now and then.

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So it should come as no surprise that I enjoy the occasional cocktail tweak as well

Here are two I’ve just discovered but have yet to try…

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Thyme and orange G&T’s sound fabulous.

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A drop of blackberry jam in my Cosmo?

Why not!

( Though I can guarantee you my quantity levels will be considerably higher. 0.75 Oz of Cointreau? Bitch, please! )

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten does not require cat food tweaking and is perfectly happy with his Fancy Feast. This does not mean he isn’t spoiled rotten in every other way…

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Yes, he’s commandeered my heating pad, and yes… if we don’t turn it on when he pounces on it we get the look.

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Turkey goodness.

19 Comments

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If you’re a turkey leftover hater? Move along… River don’t have time for that nonsense.

But if you cherish every last scrap of that delectable Thanksgiving bird and are in need of one more yummy recipe to stretch the remaining poultry?

Behold the glory that is River’s Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice soup!

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We had turkey dinner.

Then we had turkey tettrazini, hot turkey sandwiches, cold turkey sandwiches and turkey salad.

Today, I’m using the very last of the meat to make my all time favorite soup.

It’s so thick and rich … you might as well call it stew.

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Stick to your ribs comfort food. When you’ve had a bowl of this, you know it.

Of course my texture sensitive husband hates all things crunchy ( rosemary, caraway seeds etc ) so I have to mix the wild rice with white…

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But that adds an extra layer of thickness while still retaining the flavor, so it’s an acceptable adaptation.

What’s that…

You have leftover turkey without a home?

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Get cookin’.

You won’t be sorry.

👍

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Recipe fails.

38 Comments

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Because I like to share the joy with friends at the holidays…

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If that doesn’t have them oohing and ahhing at the Thanksgiving table, nothing will.

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A grilled cheese recipe book? Please.

It’s bread, a slice of cheese and melted butter. Even my culinary challenged husband can do that. No book required.

And if you thought that was bad?

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Just… no.

My late MIL was the Queen of Spam.

Spamloaf. Spam Mac and cheese. Spam and eggs. Spamgetthi. Her kitchen was a gag worthy cornucopia of Spam. You never knew where it would turn up next.

The fact that this monstrosity of meat still exists makes my stomach tremble in horror.

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When the world hands you giant zucchini…

21 Comments

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It’s zucchini season and it seems like everyone we know is giving us zucchini.

Some very large zucchini.

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Which sent me searching for new recipes.

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Last night it was this one.

( If you’re not overflowing with gifted squash, feel free to skip the next section )

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And because I was already in the kitchen?

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Yummy lemon cookies that admittedly, look more like biscuits.

But trust me, they’re tasty.

And oh so easy to make.

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