Recipes

I think it’s kind of funny how much I cook, and how much I’ve come to enjoy cooking, considering that I barely cooked anything before I got married. Moving to England as newlyweds and me not working for about a year meant cooking dinner was part of “my job” as a stay-at-home spouse. Once I started working full time, I continued to be the one who did most of the cooking because, well, I’m a control freak. I had gotten used to coming up with the menu, writing out the grocery list, and being in charge of that area of our life. Now I’m back at home being a mama, and I cook pretty much every night of the week. Cooking dinner has become a relaxing time for me to just be an adult: no toddler talk, no thinking about Play-Doh and dinosaurs, no worrying about diaper changes. The kitchen becomes My Space. Well, as long as Andrew is home…. otherwise it’s not quite as relaxing!

in the kitchen — Me in our England home, 2011 (newly married)

I used to make a lot more things from scratch pre-Gerrit, because I had the time! And energy! Man, you just don’t realize how much time you have until you reproduce. But I’m getting off-topic. I used to make my own spaghetti sauce, my own biscuit mix, etc. But I really like Prego, and I have cut out a lot of carbs, so those just don’t get made anymore! Something I do a lot of now? Slow cooker meals. They are a godsend for anyone who needs dinner done now. I also have two permanent meals each week: pizza night on Mondays and spaghetti night on Thursdays. They’re quick, easy, and I can almost always guarantee that my picky eater will consume them.

Me trying to cook with a toddler (Jan 2016)

I’m generally a by-the-book cook — I don’t deviate from the recipe! But some of these I’ve tweaked here and there. If I remember (and if I jotted down the changes), I will post the recipes as I have made them.

Some notes on convection ovens:

If you are using a convection oven, your cooking time will be less.
Even if a casserole recipe says to cook it uncovered, I often will loosely cover it with some cooking foil until the last 10 minutes or so.
When baking cookies/cakes/bread be sure to WATCH THEM! They will likely be done in about half the time! For example, the Raspberry Dreams say they should be baked for 14-16 minutes, but mine are done at 10 minutes.

Appetizers
Baked Artichoke-Spinach Dip
Caprese Skewers
Festive Feta Cheese Ball

Breakfast/Brunch Items
Christmas Morning Frittata
Sausage Hash Brown Casserole

Breads, Rolls, Muffins
Feather-light Muffins
Golden Biscuits
Pumpkin Bread
Rapid Mix Cool Rise White Bread
Strawberry Banana Bread

Casseroles
Bacon Mac & Cheese
Baked Eggs & Tortillas in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Bow Tie Ham Bake
Chicken & Spinach Casserole
Enchilada Casserole
Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole
Mediterranean Macaroni & Cheese
Spaghetti Pie
Spinach & Artichoke Baked Pasta
Zucchini Pizza Casserole