I’m about to let you in on a little secret. At night when my kids go to sleep, I eat chocolate. Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, Hershey’s kisses, or on a really good day, my single serving chocolate cake. Sometimes momma just needs a little something sweet at nighttime after children go to bed!

If I try to eat any kind of chocolate (or any sweets) during the day, it’s like my kids have chocolate radar. They just know. Similar thing happens when I’m sweeping and I’ve got a pile of dirt in the kitchen. They somehow know to come sprinting through the kitchen.

Usually, we save special desserts for Sundays.

But it’s always nice to be able to whip these up when Barry and I have had a long day and just need a special treat! Anytime I make a single serving chocolate cake, I just preheat my trusty countertop toaster oven. It cooks almost identically to a regular oven, but preheats in no time, doesn’t waste tons of energy and won’t heat up the whole kitchen.  And I don’t know about you, but I personally think that single serving “mug cakes” you cook in the microwave are gross. They taste weird and overly spongy. I don’t like those at all. But this is WAY different. [Read more…]

One thing you probably already know about me is that I have quite the collection of cookbooks. I know I can find recipes online with the swipe of a finger. But there’s something about holding one of my favorite cookbooks in my hands, flipping through the pages… well trying to, because let’s be honest… they’re often stuck together with oats and syrup. But I just love my cookbooks. [Read more…]

One thing y’all have to know about me…I love me some leftovers.

There is almost nothing better than knowing you don’t have to worry about what’s for lunch because you’ve got leftovers in the fridge! And because I would love to make your lives easier too, I’ve got some easy tips for reheating leftovers that I would love to share.

Sometimes lunch sneaks up on me and the little people are hungry, but there’s no food prepped. That’s why I cook extra food! I actually try to intentionally cook more than enough food at meal times so I know that I will have leftovers for lunch the next day. We can have leftovers at lunch here, and I also send some to work with Barry so he doesn’t have to eat out.

I’ve been asked often, “Stacy, how do you reheat leftovers so they actually taste good?”

Today, I’ll share just a few tips for reheating leftovers so you can no longer fear them. Instead you can embrace leftovers and actually plan your menu in advance to ensure that you have them. [Read more…]

For years now, I have been asked to share my thoughts on diets and dieting.

And for years, I have said no. The main reason I hesitate to share is because, in the past, I was verbally abused and mistreated by people who didn’t like my stance on diets and dieting. If you aren’t interested in my thoughts, then you should probably just skip this post. Maybe check out my recipe for Homemade Popcorn instead. 😉 [Read more…]

We are big believers in the power of fat – well, healthy fats at least.

This might come as a shock to you (or not really), but I don’t follow a low-fat diet. No sir. There’s no way I’m riding anywhere on that bandwagon. I don’t even agree with low calorie, but that’s a post for another day. Today, I want to talk specifically about what cooking oils I use regularly, as well as my favorite healthy fats.

I have read a lot, I mean A LOT, about fat over the last several years.

When I talk about “healthy fats,” sometimes people give me a strange look.  The idea of a healthy fat sounds odd because the medical community loves to tell you all about how you need to lower your fat intake.

I could go into great detail right here about what makes some fats healthy and others not. And I could tell you why you need healthy fats in your diet. But I’m not qualified as a dietitian or medical professional, so I can’t give “medical or dietary advice” (covering my butt here). But I can share what I’ve learned and give you some things to consider for yourself. One of my favorite resources on this subject is my friend Katie, over at Kitchen Stewardship. She is just a wealth of information, and her website is an amazing place to learn all about healthy fats plus healthy eating (and healthy food in general). #notpaidtosaythis [Read more…]

Who doesn’t love any recipe that calls for cheese and bread? Life doesn’t get much better than homemade pizza rolls, y’all!

For these easy and delicious rolls, I use the Bread Becker’s basic dough recipe. You have probably learned by now that’s pretty much what I make everything out of! But when I know I’m going to make pizza or pizza rolls, I typically leave the egg out. The basic dough recipe will make 2-3 pizza crusts and 2 batches of pizza rolls.

Usually, when we make these pizza rolls, we make them with pepperoni…lots and lots of turkey pepperoni.

Some people say they don’t like the texture or taste of turkey pepperoni, but I really think that the rolls just cook up so much better without all that grease that regular pepperoni has.  And if possible, try to find nitrate/nitrite free pepperoni. It’s hard to find near me, but I’ve been told Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Trader Joe’s (just to name a few) all carry these healthier varieties. Usually pepperoni has a long refrigerator shelf life, so you can buy in bulk when you find a good healthy option! [Read more…]

“Sugar, ah honey honey… Honey, ah sugar sugar. And you’ve got me wanting you!”

Y’all frequently ask me about my favorite sweeteners; you want to know where I buy them and what recipes I use them in. Before I get started, let me just remind you that I am not an expert. I am just a home cook, sharing what I’ve learned over the years. I haven’t backed this up with scientific research or anything; this is just what I have gathered from trial and error.

We all can probably agree that for the most part, sugar is sugar.

[Read more…]

We absolutely love Breakfast Sliders! 

…and, because they freeze so well, they may just be the perfect make-ahead breakfast!

I prepare a huge batch, and then cover the pan tightly in foil and freeze. The day before I’m going to serve them, I move them to the refrigerator to thaw. You could always wrap these in foil individually too, if you prefer to grab one at a time. Y’all know I love a good make-ahead breakfast. Plus, the recipe is so easy to cut in half for just a few breakfast sliders, or to double if you are batch-cooking a few dozen at a time. All you need to do is adjust the number of buns and the amount of filling.

You can also customize these Breakfast Sliders to suit your family’s tastes!

One of our favorites is the [Read more…]