I do most of the cooking in our house, but I don’t mind since I really enjoy it. On the nights when I run out of ideas on what to make I generally throw a couple of leftovers together which can turn out pretty interesting. Some of my favorite dishes are cooked on my stove top like homemade soups, pasta dishes, and pan-fried steaks topped with butter and onions. One of the hassles of stove top cooking is that it can get a little messy, especially if you’re using an open skillet to cook in. I recently made a batch of homemade sauce in an open skillet and made quite a mess because the pan was too shallow. That’s why it always pays to own a good, deep pan like this Rachael Ray Porcelain Enamel 12 Inch Saute Pan. Read the rest of this entry »

The Moka Espresso pot is a staple in many Italian homes. Many of us have actually seen this classic pot, usually made of aluminum with black handles and flat sides. The Moka pot has a unique way of creating a rich cup of delicious espresso. Traditionally a 3-part stove top coffee maker, you place your finely ground coffee in the midsection filter compartment and your water in the base section. As the water starts to heat, the rising steam will push up through the filter compartment, brewing the coffee into the upper section. The tricky part of course is making sure it doesn’t boil, leaving you with burnt coffee. De’Longhi has taken the guess-work out of Moka Espresso-making with it’s DeLonghi Alicia Electric Moka Espresso Maker. Read the rest of this entry »

My husband is a big weekend project kind of guy.  Of course, that usually means the kids get involved,  which means I ultimately become part of the swarm, too; along with the two dogs and the cat.  When the chaos becomes unbearable, I like to disappear inside, enjoy the peace and quiet, and mix up a pitcher of good old fashioned lemonade.  It gives me a chance to think, and when I bring it outside to the family, they get a chance to re-group.  My husband prefers my traditional homemade recipe for lemonade because it reminds him of when he was a kid.  I like it because I control the sugar! Read the rest of this entry »

My kids love chicken for dinner, but I usually don’t have enough time after work to roast one. Thankfully my crockpot comes to the rescue. A family favorite is this creamy crockpot chicken recipe. I like to serve it over white rice with a side of broccoli or steamed Brussels sprouts. I end up making it about once a week and there’s usually enough leftover chicken for lunch the next day. The leftover chicken is great in a tortilla wrap, and even makes a yummy chicken salad. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that it’s getting pretty cold outside, I know it’s time to start making a lot of our family’s favorite casseroles and lasagna dishes again. For many years I kept using our metal baking pan for these meals or even the disposable aluminum pans when I was feeling too lazy to deal with washing out the pan. I finally decided it was time to get some better bakeware because the metal pan was just a pain to clean and the finish was looking pretty worn, and using the disposable pan seemed pretty wasteful. So I shopped around and found a great set of ceramic bakeware that I absolutely love. Read the rest of this entry »