If you have been around here very long, you will know I am a fan of Bisquick. I find it a useful tool to make a wide variety of recipes without having to keep a lot of ingredients on hand. AllRecipes posted their 30 Best Bisquick Recipes list and I was excited to see what was on the list. Click HERE to check it out.
Some are old favorites while others are new to me. I love the variety of cobblers but am blown away by the main dish ideas. Which ones are you going to try?
Summer heat is approaching faster and faster after a few (?) too many rainy days. I’ve been thinking about my next grocery order / meal plan and the heat.
Honestly, I’ve been craving a cool, luscious, creamy, dreamy Orange Bavarian for a while. It is easy to make, and relatively easy on the budget. I can change up the flavors, too, depending upon the gelatin flavor I get. And, surprisingly, there are a lot of interesting ideas out there – not just the traditional Jello brand… Anna over at Cooking The Books on YouTube has posted her Lemon Ice Box Cake. It sounds amazing!
I’m thinking maybe sub sandwiches, chicken or tuna salad, maybe some ham and cheese. I can take advantage of wraps in addition to a variety of buns.
I could grill some chicken, too.
When the days are hot and muggy, sometimes all I want is something cold and filling – and, of course, flavorful. There are loads of recipes out there to try. I can take advantage of what is available from the Farmer’s Market, too.
I love a good salad but, really, lettuce goes only so far with me. That being said, a good refreshing Taco Salad won’t require a lot of time over the stove. I could grab a bag of chicken tenders or nuggets or bites, bake them up and use them for a Fried Chicken Salad. Add in some ripe tomatoes, onions, celery, peppers, beans, it could be quite a nice change of pace.
I often have to remind myself not to overlook those 3 bean salads, cheese balls (with good crackers), Hummus, fresh veg plates.
So, here’s what I’ve been thinking for July menus….What have you been thinking about yours?
See Mindy Mom recently posted that she has had to rethink her food plans not only because of budget but the ages of her kids – all now in their teen years. That got me to thinking. Have you found yourself dealing with shrinking budget and a list of meals that just aren’t hitting the mark anymore?
For those with kids, it can be deceptively easy to forget that what was once sufficient because they didn’t eat as much or their tastes were a bit limited but now that they have grown a bit things have changed. Growing kids need a lot more good healthy foods to help them keep growing and keep them healthy. Adults, too, need good healthy foods but their tastes have changed a bit, too.
Recently I was meandering through the weekly ad from one of my local markets and found myself seeing things I hadn’t bought in a Very Long Time. Why? Because I was tired of eating them. We have also had shortage issues with a few things and by the time the shortages were resolved, I’d forgotten all about what used to be a regular item in my pantry.
As we head into the Summer season when school is out and kids are home more, many will be challenged to find items that the kids can snack on and meal items that won’t break the bank. Farmer’s Markets will, I hope, become a fast favorite to find those locally grown foods that will check many of your meal plan boxes.
If possible, plan to put some of that produce aside in the freezer for later. My mom used to take peaches, peel and slice them and then put them into freezer containers and tuck them away. The sweet summer flavor would be a welcome surprise when they made their way out of the freezer in Autumn.
Now might also be a good time to sit down and make a list of what you, and your family, actually wants to eat. Once you’ve found uses for the left overs in the fridge, freezer and pantry (the stuff that kept being pushed aside…) it is a good time to refresh with items that you will actually look forward to using.
I don’t know about you but in my house the meal plans change with the season. Winter’s stews, roasts and such give way to lighter fare once the weather warms up a bit. And, really, who wants to have the oven on when it is hot outside?
That being said, habit tends to get in the way when putting a shopping list together. Sometimes I have to literally sit myself down and remind myself that it might not be the right time for that particular dish…
So, the Summer Menu Reset is on! Let’s see what we can find to make us look forward to meals rather than just eat.
Enjoy!
I’ve been enjoying Stacey’s Simple Meals this month. Stacey has embarked on a Recipe A Day In The Month Of May and it has been such fun seeing what she comes up with!
Click HERE to visit her YouTube Channel.
Click HERE to visit her website.
Stacey normally presents recipes for one or two people but on her website she has included the latest updates, what you will need for larger quantities and alternate cooking methods.
Check it out and let us both know what you will be making!
Cooking and baking can be extremely simple or excruciatingly complicated and everything in between. For most of us the day to day meals the occasional (or not so) extra special deserts are relatively simple affairs that can be accomplished by reading the recipe and understanding the instructions.
Recently Glen & Friends over on YouTube posted a great example of what happens when recipe writers, and those who use those recipes to make sales, create recipes that are almost certainly guaranteed to frustrate, annoy, and fail. Check it out:
Be sure to check out both recipes in the description box below the video. Eye opening stuff!
I have to wonder if the original recipes might have gone through some tool to adjust it for folks in different parts of the world or who use different measuring tools. That might explain some of the ridiculous measurements.
What Glen does is take the absurdity out of the equation and provide a usable recipe that anyone should be able to make. Even someone who is new to the cookery craft.
As I said, things like this do not have to be complicated but there is also a touch of confusion when you are working with a recipe intended for folks who use scales and those who do not. Either method works you just have to be mindful to be sure you are keeping with the method you chose.
Those cookies do look good!
The absolute best quiche I’ve ever had was one made with more filling than eggs. It is not easy to find one like that. However, the one below checks all the boxes and then some:
The potato crust is amazing. This gem could feed a few more folks than you might think. I love the versatility of it, too.
Would you give this one a try?
The other day I came across the Backyard Chef over on YouTube. The feed brought me to a dupe that, frankly, astounded me by how easy and affordable it is. Check it out:
The possibilities are endless. You can flavor it anyway you like, mold it anyway you like, serve it as simply, or fancily, as you like.
But don’t forget that cream cheese is a basic building block for cheese balls and dips. You can use it with a variety of crackers, breads, veg and fruit.
As someone who was frustrated that her favorite flavored cream cheese was rarely in stock, this might just be a game changer. And don’t forget that you don’t have to limit yourself by purchasing the Big Brand Name version. The store brands can be just as good and a lot less expensive.
That little something extra.
Sometimes it is the little things that elevate a dish. Think cinnamon sugar on buttered toast. Honey butter spread on pretty much any warm baked good… Biscuits, waffles, pancakes, scones, etc., etc.
I was rather surprised, not to mention a bit impressed, when AllRecipes collected some recipes for compound butters. Click HERE to check them out.
That cinnamon honey butter sounds amazing! What are your favorites?
Nicole over at AllRecipes on YouTube has done it again. I am especially liking the encouragement to use what we already have on hand.
This is the second food processor video Nicole has done.
Recently one of my YouTube foodies mentioned that she was over Winter casseroles and ready for lighter Spring food. Yep! I fully understand.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my casseroles and a good roast but after months of that … Even your favorites on the menu no longer excite you, right.
I don’t know about you but I suspect we are in the same, er, cart when it comes to restocking the pantry and finding new meal options. I’ve been pondering my next grocery order and, well, let’s just say that it isn’t exactly going well. I have the roast and some ground beef and lots of chicken in the freezer along with more veg than should be there. In the pantry there are rice and pasta and a few cans of beans. One lonely packet of tuna is in the fridge. Note: I keep my tuna in the fridge because I mostly use it for tuna salads and it just makes sense to keep it cold.
Tuna. Tuna!
I realized that the biggest problem I was having developing my grocery list was that I wasn’t putting things on it I wanted to eat. Head Slap Moment!
A few weeks back I pulled a packet of smoked tuna out of the fridge and made my usual tuna salad with it. O. M. G.!!! That was amazing! Smoked tuna isn’t always easy to get hold of…why not buy a bottle of liquid smoke to add with the rest of the salad ingredients?
Liquid smoke could also be used in oven barbeque sauces or added to gravies.
I realized that I wouldn’t mind having some salmon patties, too. I’m not up to trying to cook salmon fillets but a salmon patty is easy and tasty.
A variety of Spring greens are now available, too. That broadens the salad issue. Some of the Spring fruits and berries are coming on, too.
I think the grocery order is starting to look interesting and, dare I say it, exciting.
What have you been missing that might go on your next grocery order? Something you haven’t had in a while, I hope!
Happy Cooking!
