Tag Archive | dinner

Recipes: Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs
When I was a teenager, my Dad started doing a lot of cooking on the weekends. I don’t know if he was just giving my Mom a break. Or if he simply had more time to do the simple things in life. I mostly remember my Dad working the Night Shift and sleeping during the day.  Of course his weekends were usually reserved for Golf.  Until the late fall and winter.

One of those winter weekend meals was what he called Swedish Meatballs. I wrote this recipe down one Saturday when I was helping to make dinner. Actually he told me to come make the meatballs, after he tossed everything into a big mixing bowl. Pretty sure he didn’t need the help. He just wanted someone else to get their hands into mixing and kneading the meat together with the eggs. Come on, what kid didn’t like playing in the mud and squishing the goop between your fingers. Cooking like this is the same thing. You just get to say you’re cooking, instead of playing in the goop.

Preparation Time:
20 minutes preparation,
30+ minutes cooking time Continue reading

Recipes: Bacon Ranch Salmon

Vickie’s Bacon Ranch Salmon

I’ve never been one for fish as a kid. But your taste buds change as you get older. Sometime in my late 30s, a friend of mine invited me to a special dinner on the lake.

From their party boat, her husband was going to grill salmon steaks on a little portable grill. He used traditional butter and lemon to saute the salmon. I’m not a fan of lemon either. So I’m pushing my foodie adventures here. Give me a little credit 😉 . It was ok, for my first test taste.

During dinner I dropped a piece of salmon in my salad, which was lightly draped in Ranch dressing. Oh man, did it greatly improve the fish! The following week I tried the new concoction on my husband. Ranch salmon isn’t an original idea of course. But it was new to me and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go over in our house. Thankfully he liked it. Even our 8 year old at the time liked it. Now that the boy is a teenager, he can’t stand Salmon. But taste buds change as you get older.

Over the past 2 decades, we’ve tried variations on the ranch recipe. We’ve added various topings, such as diced onion, diced tomatoes, various types of herbs. But Bacon Ranch has become one of our favorite salmon dishes.  Continue reading

Recipes: Corned Beef & Gravy

Vickie’s Corned Beef & Gravy

A quick and easy meal that pleases the pallet and sticks to the ribs. My boys love this dish and it’s always a fall and winter time favorite. It’s especially good after a cold day of sledding!

I like it because it’s quick and easy to make. Not to mention, it’s one of the cheapest meals to make when you’re weekly budget is already a little stretched.

Preparation & Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 Continue reading

Garden Salad with Chicken

Garden Salad with Grilled Chicken

Vickie’s Garden Salad with Seasoned Chicken

Everyone in my extended family had a vegetable garden. It wasn’t unusual to sit at my grandmother’s dinner table and see a plate of freshly cut tomatoes, or cucumbers next to the main meal.

There was always room for a salad on my Maw Stoots’ table for lunch. She loved garden salads and always fixed one for me when we were in Tennessee for a visit.

As you grow older, your taste buds change. You learn to enjoy the variety of flavors in foods of all kind. And that’s how my Garden Salad with Chicken came about. They’re scrumptious for dinner or lunch.

Preparation time: 45 minutes  Continue reading

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes

Vickie’s Scalloped Potatoes
One of our favorite items to set beside a great family feast. Not everyone in our family likes stuffing. So I began making a special potato dish to go along with those family holiday meals.

I’ve always loved scalloped potatoes, but it took some time for me to find a recipe I liked. And then longer to get that recipe just right.

Over time, with a little tweaks here and there, I finally settled on a hit. But after our young son decided he loved the dish too, I knew we finally had the right recipe. Not an easy task for a parent with a picky eater!

Preparation time: 90 minutes  Continue reading

Green Beans and Potatoes

Vickie’s Green Beans and Potatoes

Beans and Potatoes

A classic way to spruce up your vegetables. Beef stew is a popular favorite in my family. But sometimes stew isn’t really what you want.

One very cold winter day, we just wanted to warm up the house. Too snowy to take to the country roads. It was time to open the freezer and the cabinets to find something good for dinner.

Cleaning out the pantry, we found a sack of potatoes and some green beans in the freezer. And a dinner side dish, became dinner.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes, 3 hours to cook.  Continue reading

Recipes: Fresh Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls

Garrett’s Dinner Rolls
They’re absolutely scrumptious. Perfect for any type of dinner. Fancy or plain.

Shaping the Rolls
I was taught by my grandmother that what makes a Butterhorn, Parker House, Clover or dinner roll is the method used to shape the roll. Otherwise, the dough is the same.

Preparation Time: 3½ hours
Makes 2 to 3 dozen

Continue reading