I’ve been using  FreezEasy the last couple of weeks for a review. I’ve made a few things for the freezer so far. I pulled out one of the dishes last week to cook. Chicken Fajita Bake. It was so good! I served it with rice and green beans. The family loved it! This one will definitely be in our meal rotation. Look for my review of FreezEasy coming soon.

 

 

There was a little bit left, so I made up to meals for my adult son to take home.

 

 

My 17 (18 in a few days!!) year old daughter saw a recipe on FB that she wanted to try. Nacho Cheese Chip Chicken Strips. She made them, and I made the sides. They came out pretty good. The house was divided. Some liked it, some didn’t. I liked them. They were not good as leftovers, though. The chips got all soggy and didn’t crisp up again during reheating in the oven.

 

 

She crushed the chips with her bare hands because that’s what she saw in the video. lol She asked me to crush some more chips while she was in the middle of coating the chicken. So I just jumped in with my bare hands, too. That’s a great way to end up with orange hands for a while! lol

 

 

I bought some chicken, legs & thighs, and some pork chops on sale. I packaged them for the freezer. I got three meals of chicken, 2 BBQ and 1 Italian chicken. I got 2 pork chop meals, 1 plain and 1 Italian pork chops.

 

 

Want to know my “secret” to the Italian chicken & pork chops? Italian salad dressing! I know, not much of a secret. But it works really well as a marinade for meat.

 

I got up one morning last week and decided to make french toast. Which is very unlike me. I don’t like to cook breakfast, and do it rarely. I made extra and put it in the freezer for quick breakfasts in the future. That’s my kind of breakfast. lol Pull it out of the freezer and warm it up. lol I always put waxed paper between the layers of french toast inside a freezer bag. That way we can pull out just the number of pieces that we need.

 

 

We had a cookout last weekend and my daughter made a fruit and veggie platter. It looks pretty and tastes pretty good!

 

 

We love having cookouts, but they can be a lot of work. Especially at the last minute. Grabbing everything from the fridge. Then it always seems we forget something have have to come back inside for it.

 

This time, I tried making up baskets ahead of time.  This is the fridge basket. I put all the things that we would need at the cookout but have to stay in the fridge until right before eating. The mayonnaise, the cheese, the ranch dip, etc. I included the hot dogs, since they don’t take long to cook. The hamburgers were put on the fire first, before this basket was brought out.

 

 

I like to leave the s’mores ingredients in the house until we are ready for it. If I don’t, the chocolate always melts in the Kentucky heat and humidity. So I made a s’mores basket.

 

 

This basket idea worked great! If you are having a cookout, check out my post How to Prepare for a Large Cookout. You’ll find ideas, tips, and recipes to help you get ready for your next cookout. Whether your having 2 guests or 20!

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

Saturday – quick & easy- Cookout!

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Cookout leftovers!

Monday – chicken or turkey –  Smoked sausage, macaroni salad, salad – Still finishing up those cook out leftovers! lol

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Wednesday – Taco Night- Tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or venison – Italian Pork chops, mashed potatoes, beets, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison  – Venison roast, potatoes, & carrots in slow cooker,

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

 

Taco Roll Ups are easy to make and make ordinary tacos something special. These Taco Roll Ups are perfect for lunch or supper.  Or even for a filling snack. They would make a great family movie dinner or snack. So much easier to eat these in front of the tv than a taco.

 

 

Taco Roll Ups Recipe

 

1 to 2 cups of seasoned taco meat

1 can of pinto beans OR a can of refried beans

1 tomato, finely diced

1/2 purple onion, finely diced OR 2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced

lettuce, whole leaves or finely shredded, your choice

Grated Mexican style cheese OR grated cheddar cheese

5 or 6 flour tortillas

sour cream, optional

 

 

 

Prep the tomato, onions, and lettuce.

Drain pinto beans well. Pour into bowl & mash with potato masher or fork. Season to taste with salt, pepper, possibly onion powder & garlic powder if you like.

Or skip all that if you use the refried beans. In which case, just open the can.

 

 

Lay tortillas out. Spread each with a thin layer of beans. Top with the meat, veggies, and cheese. You don’t need a complete layer of these items. Just sprinkle them around the tortilla. Except the cheese. You always need lots of cheese.

 

 

Starting at one side, roll up the tortilla as tight as you can, pressing down the ingredients if needed as you roll.

Slice into 1 inch slices.

 

 

It is possible to refrigerate these & serve them later. If you don’t mind the meat being cold. If serving later, wait to slice until ready to serve.

 

We like to dip ours in sour cream. These Taco Roll Ups would taste great dipped in Homemade Taco Sauce, too!

 

 

Last week I used some of our home-grown grapes to make Grape Jelly. It’s easy, and oh so good! We don’t use a lot of jelly now that the kids are older so I don’t have to make very much anymore.

 

 

I got 7 jars out of this batch. And another half of a jar. I didn’t process the 1/2 jar in the canner, but kept it out to eat! As soon as I put the other jars in the canner, I tested the jelly. lol I put it on toast even before it has jellied all the way. lol So good!

 

Speaking of grapes, did you see my post last week, The Easy Way to Can Grape Juice? Check it out! It’s so easy, and so good!

 

 

One of our adult sons asked for some food so I used leftovers and made these little meals for him. Perfect to eat at home, or take to work for lunch. I told him if he brought the containers back I’d fill them up again. I’m still waiting for the containers. lol

 

 

I forgot to put the roast in the slow cooker until the afternoon on Friday. So I pulled some venison steaks out of the freezer before I left to run errands. When it was supper time, I quickly cooked the steaks, threw together a quick salad, and made some quick homemade garlic bread with regular sliced bread. The family loved the bread so much I had to go make more during the meal! I don’t usually sever bread with meals, unless it’s toast with breakfast. My husband has diabetes so I have make sure I don’t serve too many carbs at any meal. In this instance, I used the garlic bread as the carb, so it worked.

 

 

What’s up in your kitchen?  If you need more ideas for dinner, check out my dinner menu below.

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

Saturday – quick & easy- Take out pizza

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – BLT sandwiches

Monday – chicken or turkey –  Chicken Fajita Bake- from the freezer, rice, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with venison meat sauce, salad

Wednesday – Taco Night- Venison Tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or venison – Italian Pork chops, mashed potatoes, beets, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison  – Venison roast, potatoes, & carrots in slow cooker,

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

 

*This post contains affiliate links

 

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. Yes, 35 years! Our oldest son, 30, made us a cake.

 

 

I bought almost 3/4 of a bushel of green beans from a friend. I pulled my pressure canner out only to discover it was missing a part! I couldn’t find it anywhere, even though it had been all there the last time I used it. So frustrating! I ordered the missing part from the company website. Which is good. Except I had green beans waiting to can! I ended up freezing them instead. I put 12 – 1 pound bags in the freezer.

 

 

We still had grapes on the vine waiting to be used. I canned 6 more quarts of easy grape juice. Instructions coming later this week!

 

 

I started using MyFreezEasy for a review. So far I’m loving it! I made 2 chicken recipes on Saturday. The first, is Chicken Fajita Bake. I know the family is going to love this.

 

 

Before I could make it though, I had to make some taco seasoning. Before I shook the jar, I noticed how the spices looking like sand art. So I had to take a pic before I shook it. lol

 

 

Before I made the 2nd chicken recipe, that I decided to make after going grocery shopping, I had to make some homemade garam masala. Garam masala is a seasoning used in Indian cooking. I don’t even know if any stores around me carry it, because, you know, I didn’t even look for it. So I researched how to make it. Why not make something I’ve never heard of (or tasted!) before to use in a recipe I’ve never tried before?! The seasoning mix smells amazing! The assembled Slow Cooker Butter Chicken smelled awesome!  Minus the whole raw meat part. ha  I can’t wait to taste this!

 

 

We were having a church dinner on Sunday so I made most of the food on Saturday. I brought 10 pounds of mashed potatoes (Raw potato weight. I didn’t weigh the mashed taters! lol) My awesome family stepped up to peel and dice all those potatoes. That’s the thing I dislike the most about making mashed potatoes. All that peeling and dicing! I always put plenty of butter in and on the mashed potatoes. People love it when they see melted butter all over the top of the mashed potatoes!

 

 

We also brought about 2 1/2 pounds of corn and 2 1/2 pounds green beans. I say about because they changed the size of the frozen vegetable bags. That makes me so mad! You think your getting the same amount, 1 pound, but for the same price you are suddenly getting only 12 ounces. grrrrr! So anyway, I used 3 bags of each.

I also said I would bring a dessert. So I tried a new recipe. Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake. (Recipe coming soon!) I’ve never made an icebox cake before. (Last week’s kitchen theme must have been “Try something new” lol) Thankfully, it came out great and was very good! They ate it all! This is definitely on my make again list!

 

 

So after all that food prep and cooking I was exhausted! I put the Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake in the fridge and sat down for a minute. In the interest of being real, this was my view. ugh! I had been good about cleaning up as I went along all day, but kind of slipped when it came time to making the dessert.

 

After resting for a couple of minutes. AKA posting on Instagram! lol I cleaned it up and then played a game of Uno Attack with the family.

 

In case you missed it, I posted a recipe for S’mores Snack Mix last week. It’s more of a dessert type snack mix that my kids gobbled up.

 

 

And now it’s time for me to get back in the kitchen and make supper!

 

What’s up in your kitchen?  If you need more ideas for dinner, check out my dinner menu below.

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

Saturday – quick & easy- Get our own! lol

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Dinner at church

Monday – chicken or turkey –  Chicken Strips, oven roasted potatoes, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with venison meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or venison – Boneless Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, beets, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison  – Venison roast, potatoes, & carrots in slow cooker,

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click th link & make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

 

My kids are always looking for snacks. Always.

I try to make those snacks as healthy as I can. Sometimes, though, it’s fun to give them a treat that they will love. My kids love s’mores. So I made them some S’mores Snack Mix.

 

 

This is more of a dessert snack mix. I added peanuts this time. It makes the snack mix taste more like a Reese S’more. Never had a Reese S’more? You put a peanut butter cup on the s’more instead of a chocolate bar. They are so good! The peanuts are totally optional, though. I added them for a little nutrition. Some protein to offset the sugar.

 

S’mores Snack Mix Recipe

 

1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup graham cracker cereal
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Peanuts – optional

 

Combine all the ingredients, mix gently, and enjoy!

I layered all the ingredients in this container, then gently turned the container to mix.

 

 

The marshmallows will dry out after a couple of days. So if you want to make the mix ahead of time, leave the marshmallows out. When you are ready to eat it, pour the snack mix into a bowl and add the marshmallows.

 

My kids love this S’mores Snack Mix! I have to admit, it’s pretty good!

 

Leave it to one of my kids to add milk to the snack mix and eat it like cereal! lol

 

 

 

Pin this S’mores Snack Mix Recipe for later!

 

 

 

 

*This post contains an affiliate link

 

Taking pictures of what I do in the kitchen is turning out to be helpful to me in a way I didn’t imagine. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t done anything in the kitchen, or I feel like I haven’t been feeding my family meals that are “good enough”. Now I can look at the pictures that I took and see for myself that it’s not as bad as I think it was. Well, most of the time! lol

 

I had some turkey left from the one I cooked in the slow cooker the week before so I used it in this Turkey Alfredo. I used my Alfredo Ham & Pasta Skillet Dinner Recipe, substituting turkey for the ham. It came out great and they ate it all! Well, except for the peas a couple of teenagers left on their plates because they “hate peas”. Hopefully, a few sneak through with the pasta! lol

 

 

Some of the grapes on our grapevines were ready last week. I made the first picking into 6 quarts of grape juice. I used a super easy recipe that I got from a group on social media. It’s so easy and tastes so good! I’ll be sharing the recipe very soon, so be on the look out for it!

 

 

I always put “Tacos with all the fixin’s on my menu”, well, here’s what the fixin’s looked like last week. Venison taco meat, lettuce, tomato, red onion, sour cream, and my version of refried beans. Except, they are not refried! I drain a can of pinto beans, put them in a bowl, and mash them with a potato masher. You can season them if you like, but canned beans have enough salt, so you don’t really need to. So easy, healthier than refried beans, and taste great!

 

 

I used the beans to make some Taco Roll Ups while the family was making their tacos. The family used the rest of the beans when they made more tacos. My family makes a lot of tacos. lol These Taco Roll Ups came out great. I shared what I made with the family and they all loved them! Be on the look out for that recipe coming soon!

 

 

On Tuesday, I ground 7 pounds of venison meat from the freezer with my food processor. I cooked it all on Wednesday because I ran out of time on Tuesday. I made taco meat, and we ate some that night, and I have one meals worth to put in the freezer. I cooked the rest of the meat and packaged it for the freezer. I love having cooked meat in the freezer. Half the work is done for cooking dinner! These will go in spaghetti, skillet dinners, or whatever else I come up with!

 

 

I finished the last of the turkey with this Turkey, potatoes, carrots, & gravy cooked in the slow cooker. It came out great! Kind of like the middle of a pot pie without the crust. lol I used Chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon, water, and cornstarch to make the gravy. It turned out nice and thick and flavorful.

 

 

On Friday, we had a venison roast and potatoes cooked in the slow cooker. That’s my family’s favorite way to cook venison. Worchestershire sauce is my secret ingredient. shhhh….. I do get a little bored making this every week, but the family isn’t complaining, so I guess I shouldn’t. lol I served it with Honey Glazed Carrots. Yum!

 

 

What’s up in your kitchen? If you need more ideas for dinner, check out my dinner menu below.

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

Saturday – quick & easy- Dinner out with the family

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Hot dogs, chips, corn

Monday – chicken or turkey –  Chicken Strips, oven roasted potatoes, salad

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with venison meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or beef – Boneless Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, beets, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison  – Venison roast & potatoes in slow cooker, Orange Glazed Carrots

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

*Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you click the link & make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

I made more Homemade Trail Mix last week. We’ve been going through all of this in about a week to a week and a half. I make it with cashews, peanuts – either dry roasted or honey roasted, and M & M’s. I add raisins to half the batch. I bought some little goldfish crackers to add to the mix the last time I went shopping. So I’ll be trying that the next time I make trail mix. Hopefully, they don’t get crushed by the nuts.

 

 

I tried a new recipe for Basil Glazed Carrots the other night. They were really good! Recipe coming soon!

 

 

I still have a couple of turkeys in the freezer from the sales last November. I always buy  or 6 when they are so cheap before Thanksgiving. I normally finish them all by spring. My mother was in the hospital for over 4 months, from December to May. I didn’t get a lot of cooking done during that time. That’s why I have turkeys left. So anyway, I cooked one in the slow cooker the other day. Yes, a 12-13 pound turkey will fit in a large slow cooker. I cover it with foil, sealing the edges as much as I can. Then I put the lid on it. Because the lid won’t close all the way with a turkey in there! lol It works great and it doesn’t heat the house up for hours during the summer!

 

 

I made venison steaks last Friday. The family loves them. Since I have a freezer full of venison, I love them, too! lol I dredged the steaks in flour that I had added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to. Then fried them for just a few minutes on each side. These little tenderloin steaks don’t take very long at all to cook.

 

 

They were great! I served them with mashed potatoes that my daughter helped make, and green beans.

 

 

When I cooked the turkey in the slow cooker, it made some awesome broth. I used it and some of the turkey to make turkey soup on Saturday. I had some already grated carrots from the store and I added those with some frozen peas and frozen corn. A few more seasonings, and I had an easy, awesome soup. I then needed a carb. I had some canned biscuits in the freezer. I’m not sure why, as I don’t normally buy them, but there they were. I think the kids made me do it. lol So I made some to go with the soup. The only complaint was that I didn’t make enough biscuits! lol

 

 

This week I have some  freezer cooking and some canning in my kitchen plans.

 

What’s up in your kitchen?

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

Saturday – quick & easy- Homemade Turkey Soup, canned biscuits

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Sandwiches for lunch with leftover soup, Dinner was in front of the TV with the closing ceremonies- BBQ meatballs, cheese & crackers, homemade hummus, carrot, sugar snap peas

Monday – chicken or turkey –  Turkey Tetrazzini, broccoli

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with venison meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Mexican Roll Ups – new recipe!

Thursday – pork or beef – Boneless Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, beets, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison  – Venison roast & potatoes in slow cooker, Honey Glazed Carrots

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday