TRIED AND TRUE RECIPES
As a family of seven, eating well on a budget can be tricky. I have one that does not eat ANYTHING that I put in front of her. I always aim to offer a meat, a starch, and a vegetable at every dinner. Some days dinner is a family hit that gets added into the regular rotation, sometimes even family favorites are met with the phrases "I don't want it" or "I don't like _______ anymore", even if they had it and loved it a week ago. I find recipes everywhere I can, and often tweak them to fit our tastes and budget for the week. I am a HUGE fan of butter and garlic, and often measure with my heart. If that isn't for you, happy recipe tweaking! These are just the starter recipes that I had ready to share already because people have asked for them.
Cheesy Chicken and Rice
As the title implies, it is a cheesy, chicken, and rice casserole. This base recipe came from my great grandmother originally, is VERY easy but time consuming, and a crowd pleaser. I make this meal often, as it is requested weekly by everyone in my house. It is also my go to meal when we have to feed extra people. This can be changed in so so many ways and I have done it MANY different ways over the years. I like to serve it with broccoli for a side dish.
Peanut Butter Chewies
This dessert is super sweet, chewy, and everyone loves them. I don't even like peanut butter and enjoy this treat. This is another old family recipe that I can never get to be exactly like my mom, but she needs someone with more muscle to stir for her these days.
Squash Casserole
This is one of the most flavorful, delicious, and buttery ways to make squash and zucchini as a side. It is so filling that with a tweak or two it could probably be made into an entrée. It pairs well with a nice pork loin.
Southern Blackberry Cobbler
I personally love to bake, but I do not like cooked fruit. I am the only one. We are blessed to be able to find fresh blackberries in the yard every summer and I love finding new uses for them each year. This one is a family favorite, often requested as a birthday treat. You could even substitute with other berries or a variety of berries and I know it would be just as good!
Shrimp Orzo
As the meal quote says, one of my boys revolted at even the idea of shrimp, but when he had this recipe his whole view changed. The red pepper flakes give the shrimp a little bit of kick, but could be omitted. This is another heavy meal like a comfort food, but with flavors we don't have all the time.
Candied Bacon Green Beans
This recipe is one I got from TikTok, many of them are these days. After the first time making these, they became part of our regular rotation. They are sweet and so good, and I am not even a big fan of green beans or sweet dinner sides. I have also used the sauce over pork loin and it was also incredible.
Sausage Ditalini
This recipe I also got from TikTok. This recipe is a heavy, rich, comforting dish. It is officially my husband's favorite meal on rotation right now. He even asked for me to make it for his birthday. It being a one pot meal is a huge bonus. We have been serving this one with either roasted asparagus or zucchini.
Cheesecake
This is a classic cheesecake recipe that only my husband has the patience to make. After much trial and error with a picky household, this is the one that we all agree is the best. He had many notes while I was creating the recipe card, including the importance of the foil and water bath. Also, not noted is that he brings the eggs to to room as well before starting. He said it is a whole day project to make this cheesecake, but it's so worth it!
Russian Chicken
My parents used to make this recipe all the time when we were growing up. My dad said he also ate it regularly growing up, I asked my grandmother about the recipe origin and she said the same. She said her mom gave the recipe out though, so we are crediting it to her. I KNOW it sounds weird, maybe even gross, but it tastes just like the sweet and sour chicken sauce you get at a Chinese restaurant. I like to serve it over rice.
Stroganoff
My mom learned about this recipe on a fifth grade field trip to Fort Christmas. As with many of my recipes, you can swap many different aspects of this one. My mom likes to do it with venison pieces, my dad said it's easier with hamburger, and I only ever do it the way I recorded, but my husband does it in even different ways. Once, he even did the sauce from scratch to get rid of the mushrooms for a picky friend who wanted this meal but hates all mushrooms.
Boursin Chicken Meatballs
These chicken meatballs were a first for me. I did not enjoy how the ground chicken sticks to your hands, BUT they were so worth it! They were flavorful and cooked so perfectly, that I had to take a picture when I plated them with the asparagus orzo made with it. Probably going to be my go to show off meal, because it is cheap, easy, looks cute, made a good amount, and was TASTY!
Asparagus Orzo
This one went with Boursin Chicken Meatballs to complete a fresh and delicious dish that was both easy, quick, and visually appealing. The asparagus I used was probably too thick, so it was still a little crunchy when I served it, but my family did not mind that.
Lebanese Chicken
The inspiration for this one came from a TikTok video that constantly features dishes from around the world and I wanted to try the one this is based on called Shish Tawook that he stated was from Lebanon. My dish was different though because my chicken never thawed, so I could not skewer the chicken, my grill was out of propane, and a few other little things that led me to just dump it in a baking dish. That was a great idea though, because I have now made it several times. It should be served with a garlic sauce, that I have not gotten quite right to share yet and some naan bites. This dish is so flavorful.
Simple Vanilla Parfait
I learned to make this SIMPLE dessert in seventh grade home ec class. The best part is that you can easily swap flavors, type of cookie crumbles, toppings, serving dishes, etc all based on your event or mood. I like a strict recipe in general, but this one gives you tons of wiggle room and when served in little dessert cups or a fancy glass looks like you spent a ton of time and money on them. My whole family begs for this extremely cheap and easy to make treat.
Mushroom Gnocchi Soup
Another TikTok win from an account called Quincy's Tavern, and I want to go eat there. I have already made this soup several times and it has been delicious and comforting every time. I have been doing up to step five as early as I can in my Dutch oven to give the soup time to really enhance the flavors, just stirring occasionally until a little before dinner time when you just finish it up and serve. I recommend serving with some thick bread that dips well to soak up every drop.