This is a quick, made-from-scratch recipe that is sure to please!

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ½ cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Combine dry ingredients; add egg, milk, butter, beat smooth. Fold in the shredded cheese. Do not overtax. Spoon the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin coated with pan spray. Bake 15-20 minutes @425°. Serve warm with butter.

These muffins go perfectly with chili, barbecue, roast chicken, baked beans, soup, stew, or for breakfast served with fresh fruit. Pretty versatile and definitely delicious!

Sunday football usually means ordering pizza and wings for halftime. Today, just to change things up, I baked homemade pizza (using my handy-dandy bread machine) topped with tomato sauce, spinach, cheddar, and mozzarella. To accompany the pizza, I rustled up a panful of cream of asparagus soup using canned asparagus instead of fresh. (Remember, this was clean out the cupboard weekend – voilà, two cans of asparagus were on the shelf. We score!)

• 2 cans asparagus, undrained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup half and half or milk
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Reserve about ½ cup of asparagus; set aside. Add the rest of the asparagus and liquid to the blender and purée for about 30 seconds. Mix the flour with the half and half to make a roux. Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter and oil until the onions are translucent. Add the broth of choice and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the roux to the blender; add the broth in batches to the blender, pulsing to mix the ingredients. Transfer to a larger pan and return to stove. Adjust the seasoning, add the reserved asparagus pieces, half of the grated cheese, and heat through to thicken the soup. Serve topped with remaining cheese.

Submitted by L 🏈🍕😋

Grains and flours have a shelf life that should not be ignored. These grocery items can end up being hosts to bugs like weevils, beetles, or mites – gross!! So, my task this weekend was to check the dates on all the dry goods in my cupboards. There were various bags of flour, rice, and grains that were past their expiration dates and got tossed. But, still in its prime, was a box of couscous that I thought ought to be used up. Couscous is a type of North African semolina in granules made from crushed durum wheat that cooks in no time and is a wonderful accompaniment for vegetables and a variety of meats.

I found a package of baby Bella mushrooms, a container of snow peas, and some cooked butternut squash. Simple and easy additions to couscous for a light and delicious meal.

The recipe:

• two cups of couscous
• 2 cups water, lightly salted
• olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. baby Bella mushrooms
• 2 cups snow peas
• 1 cup cooked butternut squash, cubed
• 1 cup red wine
• Herbes de Provence
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil the water and add the couscous, cook gently for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit while you work on the vegetables.

Sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms, Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper in olive oil until the mushrooms are tender. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes. Add the cooked squash to heat through. Serve over the cooked couscous.

Bon appétit!

Submitted by L 👩🏻‍🍳

Who says every dump cake has to use a cake mix? Try this one with a brownie mix. Serve it warm from the oven with ice cream or whipped topping.

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2¼ cups milk, divided
• 1 (18-20 oz.) brownie mix
• ¾ cup butter, melted
• Cool Whip or whipped cream, or ice cream

Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and 1½ cups of milk until the chocolate is melted. Stir to blend. Spray a 9×13 pan; pour chocolate mixture into pan. Sprinkle with dry brownie mix and drizzle with butter and remainder of the milk. Bake @ 350° for about 40 minutes. It’s actually better a little bit underbaked, giving it the quality of a lava cake. Toothpick will have gooey crumbles on it. This is a dense cake. Serve with Cool Whip, whipped cream, or ice cream – or any combination of the three.

Submitted by L 😋

Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and it is hunters who first ate this dish. You may rest assured that I did no hunting beyond looking for the drumsticks in the poultry case at my local supermarket. This dish is often made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and wine. In place of the peppers, I used carrots and mushrooms. The results were well-received!

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup carrots, cut into thick slices
• 1 cup portabella mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine
• dried oregano, salt, pepper – to taste
• pinch of baking soda

Place the oil, drumsticks, salt, pepper, oregano, onion, and garlic in sauce pan; fry lightly to brown the chicken.

Happy hunting! Buon appetito!

Submitted by L 🍷

Now that the cool weather is settling in, it’s nice to have a slice of sweet quick bread with a hot cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate to relax! Here’s one that has those warm autumn spices with sweet dates and crunchy nuts. Just right!

• 2 1/2 cups chopped dates
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan

Combine boiling water and baking soda. Pour over the dates in a bowl and set aside

In a small bowl combine the flour with the spices and set aside

In another medium bowl beat the butter with the sugar until crumbly. Then beat in the egg and vanilla.

To this mixture add the flour alternately with the date mixture til all is combined.

Stir in the pecans

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 65 – 75 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: I made mine in 2 pans, just remember to adjust the baking time.

Submitted by G♥️

I never heard a single person say they don’t like anything “Alfredo” Style, have you? So here’s another installment of Spaghetti Squash recipes……

• 1 spaghetti squash, prepared in the oven as always
• 4 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 small onion or 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, to taste (it can add a lot of salt)
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

In a large skillet sauté the chicken in 2 tbsp butter and salt & pepper, to taste. Then remove and set aside

In the same skillet with 2 tbsp butter, sauté the onion and then add the garlic

When softened add the flour and whisk it for 2 minutes so the flour is no longer raw

Whisk in the chicken broth til smooth and simmering

Whisk in the cream til combined

Add the cream cheese and stir until melted and fully combined. Add the Parmesan cheese, black pepper and parsley. Mixture should now be a creamy consistency

Add in the cooked chicken that has been cubed

Pour over prepared squash in a serving dish, top with parsley and serve

Submitted by G♥️

This casserole was made with a head of fresh cauliflower, a small bunch of broccoli, a cup of shredded cheddar, and a few other incidentals, including a very small container of leftover white rice hiding behind the milk. See what goodness comes from a refrigerator purge! Nothing goes to waste.

Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Casserole

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 small bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• ½ cup cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ half and half, or milk
• ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup bread crumbs

Cook the cauliflower and broccoli florets in boiling, salted water to crisp-tender; spray a 9×13 casserole with pan spray and place the drained vegetables in the casserole. Sprinkle the cooked rice over the florets. Mix the remaining ingredients together (except the crumbs), and blend into the vegetables. Top with ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Bake @350° for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Submitted by L 🍽

What shall we have for dinner? That question has plagued me for decades because sometimes you just run out of ideas. Sunday is always a good day for pasta, so after a quick check of the refrigerator and the freezer, Mushroom Sauce over cheese Ravioli was today’s answer to that age-old question!

Buon appetito!!

Submitted by L 👩🏻‍🍳

I love the combination of coconut and chocolate! 🥥🍫 Do you? If so, try this easy pie for your next dinner party. Very simple to do and can be made the day before 😍

• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup milk
• 1 9-inch pie crust unbaked (use your favorite recipe or store-bought)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place pie crust into 9 inch pie plate

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients thoroughly

Pour into pie crust and bake until golden, about 45-55 minutes (don’t overbake or it will be dry)

While it cools, make a Chocolate Ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp strong brewed coffee
• Pinch of salt

Place chocolate chips into a heat safe glass bowl

In a separate heat safe glass bowl, add cream and butter and microwave until butter melts and cream is heated through

Pour cream mixture over the chocolate. Add the coffee and salt.

Allow to stand 2-3 minutes to soften the chocolate

Stir briskly to combine til smooth

Pour as little or as much as you like over the top of the pie

Toast a tbsp of coconut in the oven and sprinkle over the top

Cool in the refrigerator

Submitted by G♥️