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We had a couple of really nice days last week. Up to 74 one day! So I took advantage of the weather and cooked burgers on the grill!

That’s a white cheddar cheese slice. Before it melted. Yum!

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

We had Jag. A family recipe from my husbands family. They first learned how to make from a woman from Barbados. If you search Jag, it says that it’s a Portuguese rice dish. It’s so versatile. You can use any beans, and any protein, even fish, that you want. You can also add any veggies you want. So basically, it’s rice and whatever you want.

Venison steaks are always welcome here. lol I made oven roasted veggies to go with it this night. Potatoes, carrots, onions, and green peppers.

Ok, so I’m going to share this next picture with you. This is a judgement free zone, right?! Please ignore the peeling drawer. My cabinets are 24 years old. Hopefully, next year I can redo the kitchen! We’ve already got too many projects planned for this year.

The shelf in this cabinet broke, and all my cake pans fell to the front. To mix with everything already on the bottom. Time to clean it out and fix the shelf!

I took everything out, wiped down the inside of the cabinet, and rehung the shelf. Then I used bins to sort the cake pans, and labeled them using my labeler. I only threw away one pan, and an old glass vinegar bottle. Everything else went back in! With the exception of the rolls of vacuum sealer bags. It’s going in the cabinet with the vacuum sealer. Because that makes sense! lol All the other wraps, foils, etc. are on the top shelf between the bins. These are extra rolls, and rolls we don’t use that often, like parchment paper.

So glad to get that cabinet cleaned out!!

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

Dinner Menu

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

Monday – chicken or turkey – Chicken Cacciatore, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, asparagus

Wednesday – Taco Night – Beef tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or chicken – BBQ Chicken, potatoes, carrots

Friday – Quick & Easy  – Slow cooker venison with veggies

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – leftovers or dinner out

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate links

I’ve been trying to keep it simple in the kitchen lately. So that means I’m making basic meals, or throwing something together without a recipe. Pretty boring, actually. I’m bored with the cooking, but everyone is eating the meals, so maybe they aren’t as bad as I think.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Here’s a few pictures.

Tacos are a regular on the menu here. This time I made a ranch slaw to put on top. The correct term would be threw together. lol It turned out too saucy for most of the family. But I liked it!

Another night, I wanted to make tacos, since it would be quick and easy with the taco meat I had in the freezer. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes, though. So I mixed some diced canned tomatoes into the meat. It works perfectly, if you need to try.

One day I bought a couple of large packages of chicken breast while it was on sale. As soon as I got home, I packaged it for the freezer. Two packages with BBQ sauce, and 2 with Italian salad dressing. Italian salad dressing is an awesome marinade for chicken, and other meat. It’s so nice to pull already marinated meat out of the freezer. More quick meals for the win! lol

I had some cranberries left that I had purchased last November, the only time of year you can find fresh cranberries. So I made Orange Cranberry Bread. So good! With lots of butter, of course! You can buy the cranberries, then throw the whole bag into the freezer until you are ready to use them. As long as they are dry when they go in the freezer, they won’t stick together.

I had a birthday this month, so my husband make be a cake. He didn’t’ put the correct number of candles on the cake. That would be a fire hazard. lololol

I needed a veggie side dish one night, so I used leftover veggies! I sautéed some onion and green pepper from the fridge. When those were about done, I added some leftover corn. I added salt, pepper, onion power, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. I sautéed until some of the corn started to brown. I added some of the diced tomatoes that I had left from the tacos pictured above and heated through. It came out great! So great, we ate it all. lol No recipe, because I was literally throwing leftovers and seasonings in the pan. I’ll have to make it again and write the recipe!

My daughter made cheesecake! She makes it from scratch. The kind of cheesecake that you bake for an hour. Then have to wait hours for it to cool. But is it ever worth the wait! Of course, I like it with chocolate sauce! lol

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

Dinner Menu

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

Monday – chicken or turkey – We had left over chicken and pasta my son brought home from church

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Baked Italian Chicken pictured above from the freezer, baked potatoes, Brussel sprouts

Wednesday – Taco Night- Hamburgers

Thursday – pork or chicken – Jag

Friday – Quick & Easy  – Venison in the slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, and onions

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – Grill or take out, depending on the weather

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

*This Canning Venison with My New Digital Pressure Canner post contains affiliate links

I have wanted to try canning venison ever since my husband started deer hunting a few years ago.

I have canned plenty of other things, both water bath and pressure canning. Just hadn’t done any meat yet.

A Facebook friend shared that they bought this digital pressure canner, and really liked it. So I started saving my Amazon gift cards to buy one. I finally saved enough!

So of course the first thing I wanted to can in it was venison. Yes, I canned something I had never canned before with a canner I had never used before. Because that’s how I roll. lol Thankfully, it worked. lol

Canning Venison with My New Digital Pressure Canner

I learned it’s totally safe to can venison that has been frozen. Just thaw in the fridge.

You can cold pack or hot pack venison. I chose to cold pack the raw meat instead of cooking it first. You loosely pack the raw meat in the jar, no need to add water or broth. You can add seasonings if you want, or onions, or peppers.

I love that this digital canner has a jar warming setting. Put water and the jars in, and it heats them in 20 minutes, and holds them hot until you are ready to fill them. Take one jar out at a time, empty the water, put on lid and ring, and back into the water. After you have filled them all, close the canner and the cycle proceeds. After the correct canning time for what you are canning, it has a built in cooling cycle. This canner can also be used as a water bath canner.

It’s so easy to use! I love it! No need to babysit the canner on the stove! I just moved more venison from the freezer to the fridge so I can do another batch. It’s the wrong time of year to find produce to can here in Kentucky, but I’m on the look out for other things to can now. Hopefully, I am able to find some really good meat sales at the grocery store!

Oh, and the venison came out great! One of the jars didn’t seal, no fault of the canner, it was the lid. So we got to test one right away. I just poured the jar, juice and all in a bowl and warmed it in the microwave. Everyone said it tasted great!

You really need to check out this digital pressure canner! I am loving it! I’m canning another batch of venison tomorrow!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

*This Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe post contains affiliate links

I love a good Alfredo sauce. So good! And it’s not really hard to make. It’s just a little time consuming since you have to stand at the stove and whisk the sauce the whole time.

Turn on a video or podcast and whisk away! lol

It’s so hard to take a picture of a white sauce! lol It’s so good, though! And totally worth the effort to make it!

Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

2 cups parmesan cheese

dash of nutmeg

pepper to taste

Melt butter in sauce pan. Whisk in flour until mixed in. Add milk while whisking.

Continue whisking until mixture boils. Cook, whisking practically non-stop or it will stick, until thickened. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, and pepper.

Pour over cooked pasta.

This recipe makes enough sauce for 1 pound of pasta. I like extra sauce, so I always make it with 4 tablespoons of butter, 4 tablespoons of flour, and 4 cups of milk.

I don’t add salt, as the parmesan cheese is salty enough. Taste your sauce first, then add salt if you feel it needs it.

So yummy served over vegetables! Alfredo sauce is awesome as the sauce on pizza, too!

While you’re here, check out my other recipes on my In the Kitchen with Linda page!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate link

The main event in my kitchen this week was Thanksgiving x2. Yes, one meal on Thanksgiving day, and another big meal on Sunday when our daughter and her family could come.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

As you well know, lots of prep work does into Thanksgiving dinner. I like to do as much as possible ahead of time so I can enjoy the day, too. Chopping the onions and celery for the stuffing is an easy thing to do ahead. Use those celery leaves, too! So much flavor in them!

I cooked the sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker. They came out perfect for mashing.

I made enough celery, onions, and sweet potatoes for both meals at once. Such a time saver!

I prepped the turkey by stuffing butter under the skin before I put it in the oven. This is the first time I tried this. And it worked! It was the juiciest turkey breast I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely be doing it every time I cook a turkey now!

My grandson and granddaughter “helped” with the pies by rolling out extra crust. They had a blast. And my flour was covered in flour. That’s ok, I didn’t mind!

Apple, chocolate, and pumpkin pies! Yum!

Thanksgiving number 1 buffet…..

And Thanksgiving dinner Number 2!

The stars of both dinners……the turkey and the ham!

I hope your Thanksgiving was as full of good food, family, and memories as mine was!

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

Dinner Menu

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

Monday – chicken or turkey – Thanksgiving leftovers!

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, peas

Wednesday – Taco Night- Turkey soup

Thursday – pork or chicken – Pork chops, fried potatoes, beets

Friday – Quick & Easy  – leftovers or take out

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – I don’t have a clue yet! lol

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – soup or sandwiches

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate link

I’ve had a few successes in the kitchen lately! That’s always a good thing! lol

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

One of my adult sons called one day and said, what are you doing for dinner tomorrow, I’ll bring hash brown casserole and vegetables. Of course, I said yes! I made the chicken, bbq chicken breast and plain chicken thighs. His casserole, and glazed carrots were so good! His fried corn was good, too!

Another day, I made a pork tenderloin in the pressure cooker with sweet potatoes. The first time I tried sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker. They came out amazing! I sautéed some asparagus to go with. Yum.

And yet another chicken dinner. lol This time thighs for everyone, baked potatoes, and zucchini.

My daughter and her kids came for an impromptu visit from out of state. It’s not too far away, she can drive here, visit, and drive home all in the same day. My grandkids tend to be picky eaters, so I’ve never seen them eat a lot at one time. I gave them macaroni with hamburger in spaghetti sauce. They ate it all, and both asked for seconds! Does a Mimi’s heart good to see them eating so good. So, of course, I took pictures. lol

It’s been deer hunting season here. Thankfully, my husband got one. We process it ourselves. It’s a lot of work. But so worth it.

I use this food scale and this vacuum sealer. Both are awesome!

I also made venison jerky using this dehydrator. I don’t like jerky, but the rest of the family does. I used this seasoning. We’ve used it several times before, and it’s my husband’s favorite. I marinate, in the fridge, for at least 12 hours, before drying and placing in the dehydrator.

I made homemade Chex mix the other day. Easy, and so much cheaper than buying prepared mix.

Did you know that if you are making banana bread, or muffins, and you don’t have quite enough mashed bananas, you can use applesauce! Put your mashed bananas in a measuring cup, and add applesauce up to the amount of bananas you need. I need 2 cups of bananas form my banana bread that makes two loaves. I only had 1 1/2 cups, so I added applesauce up to the 2 cup mark. No one can tell, it still tastes like banana bread!

This is the only picture I got of my banana bread. While I was watching The Great British Baking Show. I added chocolate chips to one loaf. yum!!

This week is all about simple meals and prepping for TWO Thanksgiving dinners! May your turkey and stuffing come out perfect!!

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

Dinner Menu

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

Monday – chicken or turkey – Pork roast, rice, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, peas

Wednesday – Taco Night- Chicken Fajitas

Thursday – pork or chicken – Thanksgiving dinner!

Friday – Quick & Easy  – take out pizza

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – soup or sandwiches

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Thanksgiving dinner #2!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you

*This In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu post contains affiliate link

I had a great week in the kitchen last week. Well, almost!

The meals all came out great, and everyone ate their fill. The cupcakes I tried to make were a different story. lol

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Don’t let those extra hamburger or hot dog buns go to waste. Make garlic bread out of them!

Chicken Fajitas in the making!

Meatloaf!

I made another batch of hot chocolate mix. I don’t drink coffee, hot tea sometimes, but hot chocolate on a cold morning is my go to!

Cheeseburgers on the grill, with oven fries.

Ok, those are all the successes. Now for the failure. Well, somewhat failure. I didn’t like how these apple pie cupcakes came out, but we ate them all because they tasted good. They just didn’t look good!

To start with, I over filled the cupcakes. The recipe I tried said it made 12. I over filled and still had some batter left. I think I used too much apple, too, but used the number of apples the recipe call for. Because I over filled the cupcakes, the started falling apart when I took them out of the pan. So I’m not sure if the recipe was the problem, or user error.

The frosting recipe that I used, called for all butter. By the time the cupcakes were cooled enough, the frosting started to firm up and was ripping the cupcakes when I tried to spread it. Since the cupcakes were already ugly, I just plopped some frosting on and called it a day. This was totally user error. lol Even though they were ugly, they did taste good! I’m going to keep trying for the perfect apple pie cupcake! My family doesn’t mind the discards. lol

When my husband and I went shopping on Saturday, we stopped at our favorite pizza place. You go through the line, like a sub shop, and tell them what you want on your pizza.

I got ranch dressing as my sauce, with onions, green peppers, spinach, grilled chicken, bacon, pineapple, and parmesan cheese. Yum! These pizzas have 6 slices, enough for 3 lunches for me.

Check out my In the Kitchen with Linda page, where all my kitchen tips, ideas, and recipes are linked!

Dinner Menu

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

Monday – chicken or turkey – Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, zucchini

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pasta with meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Chicken Fajitas

Thursday – pork or chicken – pork chops, rice, beets, and peas

Friday – Quick & Easy  – take out or leftovers

Saturday – Quick & Easy or Husbands Choice – Burgers on the grill, pasta salad with lots of veggies

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Soup, sandwiches, or leftovers

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you