It is extremely cold here in Chicago.  Makes me want to enjoy friends at MY house so I don’t have to get in and out of a cold car!  In any case, I love having my favorite peeps over for delicious comfort foods, not to mention a delightful dessert grand finale.

Have you taken a look at my recipe for Greek Gyros?  Serve up a fresh Greek salad and it’s a fabulous dinner for guests yet simple enough for a weeknight supper.  I am making these today and I think if you haven’t already, you should try them….they’re excellent!  How about Old Fashioned Pot Roast with sour cream mashed potatoes?  I love serving pot roast with a simple Red Cabbage Salad, I think the vinegar dressing cuts the richness of the meat and gravy.  Soooo good!  Lastly, what’s not to love about macaroni and cheese.  Try my Ultimate Beefy Mac n Cheese.  Your kids will absolutely flip!

Dessert?  Try my incredibly simple Peach Crisp, use the prepared frozen peaches and a scoop of real vanilla ice cream.  Or try a real crowd pleaser, Texas Sheet Cake.  I love to make this cake because you ice the warm cake, no waiting for it to cool…..I’m can be a bit impatient!  I love to make Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting, they bake and cool incredibly fast and are so simple to serve. 

What will you be making this week?

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie

I would like to encourage everyone to continue experimenting in the kitchen. I grew up with a Mom that was always trying new things. I think this makes for children who are willing to try unusual foods and broadens their pallet immensely. Additionally, I would hate to see the fine art of cooking and baking be a lost to the next generation. Use those beautiful tried and true family recipes. Pass them on. Why not make a new recipe a family tradition?  It could be the simplest recipe.  We make Gingerbread Cookies every Christmas.  All three boys totally look forward to it.  It’s very sweet.

Go ahead, try new things. Who cares if it doesn’t come out perfect. I had many, many flubs throughout the years. And guess what? I still make mistakes. The more you cook, the more comfortable you become in the kitchen. Soon, you’ll be able to experiment with different spices and techniques. You’ll get there. Just like anything else, practice, practice, practice. 

I’d like to suggest one thing that I just loved as a kid. There was nothing like walking into a house that smelled like something delicious. Warm fuzzies.  Bake a batch of  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars or mix up a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and refrigerate the dough.  Use whenever you want fresh cookies.  Your house will smell like heaven. This small task is a HUGE memory maker, have fun!

I’ve received many emails from many of you telling me of your successes in the kitchen. I applaud you! I’m thrilled that so many of you are trying new recipes.

Please continue to challenge yourself. Try making Kringle or Cinnamon Rolls.  I’ve included very detailed instruction for you. 

Have a wonderful day!

I read once that the most memory inducing one of our senses is smell.  I believe it.  Every now and then I’ll smell something that brings a smile to my face.

1)  Homemade Gingerbread Cookies.  Every Christmas my Mom would make these delightful cookies and we would go crazy for them!  We had to walk a couple of blocks from the bus home and about half way home we could smell them.  We weren’t walking then, we were running!
2)  Mom’s homemade bread.  Talk about “warm fuzzies.”  Again, the smell the bread wafted half way down the street.  She timed it perfectly, still warm out of the oven.  She’d have the butter and jam on the counter and immediately we’d devour one whole loaf! (there were 5 of us)
3)  The smell of my Grandma Henderson’s house.  I know it sounds weird, but her house had a very distinctive smell that cannot be described.  She was an avid cook and owned many antiques.  I think it was a combination of those two things.  Once in a blue moon, I will come across this scent.  I LOVE it!  She was an awesome Grandma.

We have many food traditions in our house.  Things like gingerbread cookies, iced sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls, Saturday breakfast, oven fried chicken, and spaghetti with meatballs, just to name a few, are a huge treat and conjure up great memories from when my big boys were little.

What are some of your favorite “scent” memories?   If you have a moment, leave me a comment about your favorite memory. 

Thanks, have a safe Halloween weekend!
Angie