Quick & Easy Sloppy Joes
My dad came up with this recipe one time. My mom was somewhere doing something and Daddy had to make dinner. He browned hamburger then started dumping things into the pan. He used home canned tomatoes and home canned green beans, which made his version amazing. I’ve not enjoyed Sloppy Joes without the green veggie since.
Comfort Food Meatloaf
Meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes, if I prepare it or if my mother prepares it. I’ve learned not to order it in restaurants or get it off of buffets, because a lot of people do something to it that I just don’t do – but I’m not sure what that is. I’ve always used green peppers when I make it, but I didn’t have any the day I made it for these pictures, so I used yellow peppers. I LOVED the difference. I will from now on use yellow peppers to make my meatloaf.
Hallee’s Fabulous ‘Travel’ Sandwiches
My family calls these travel sandwiches because when we go on a trip, we always have some in our cooler. Whenever we stop for lunch, we just cut chunks of sandwich off and pass them out. They are beyond delicious, incredibly good for you, and better the longer they sit.
Quick & Succulent Pizza Snack
Quick Pizza Snack The other day, Scott wanted pizza for lunch. I don’t typically cook lunch, but it sounded really good. Unfortunately, although I have some pizza dough frozen in the freezer, it’s, well, frozen. And I didn’t have any flour ground and didn’t have an hour for pizza dough to rise. So, I improvised. [...]
Amazing Au Gratin Potatoes
This is the perfect side dish for just about any meat main dish, from meatloaf t0 leg of lamb. I LOVE scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes. I didn’t used to make them because I worked and would get home so late to be able to put them in the oven and have them cooked in time for dinner, so to me they became a “special” side. Despite having my menu planning help me to know what to prepare when and how to have it ready in time for dinner, in my mind, scalloped and au gratin potatoes are special.
Taco Meat
This is a wonderful base recipe to make anything from tacos to burritos to taco salad to nachos. It’s flavorful, and you can control the level of spice and seasoning to suit your own tastes.
Hot Potato Salad
Because of a really bad incident in WWII with my grandfather’s unit involving some bad potato salad and several resulting deaths, my family members have never been big potato salad eaters.
Apparently, I made this recipe up because it is made and served right away, avoiding any bad spoilage issues. My mom always made this dish to go with barbecued chicken. It is the perfect flavor accompaniment for the tangy smokiness of the sauce. She insists that I made the recipe up one night when she made BBQ chicken. I honestly can’t remember that, and I can’t remember her ever not making it. But I’ve always been very active in the kitchen, so it’s possible that as a child I came up with the recipe.
Easy Tuna Casserole
This is THE EASIEST meal you can make for your family. My children love it. They get seconds and thirds. Throw it on a plate with some green peas and a garden salad, and you have a healthy, home cooked meal that takes you as long as it takes the macaroni to boil.













