This post contains affiliate links. Turkey is the bird to eat on Thanksgiving, but honestly it is not my favorite.  It is often so dry!  However, my mother-in-law makes the best, amazingly moist turkey. This summer I requested that she teach me how to cook a moist turkey.  She has perfected her recipe over the past several years and it was a honor to have her walk me through the process. The best part about my mother-in-law's method, besides how moist the turkey turns out, is the fact that the bulk of the work and mess is done the day before! How to Cook an Amazingly Moist Turkey 1. If your turkey is frozen, thaw it in the fridge … [Read more...]
Homemade Sweet & Sour Salad Dressing
I am famous for this homemade sweet and sour salad dressing in some parts of the world.  Ok... It might be a very small part of the world, but this dressing is still very much loved by my family and friends. Personally, this is my favorite dressing of all time.  I use it on chef salads, strawberry spinach salads, and taco salads.  I l-o-v-e this dressing. Sweet & Sour Salad Dressing 1 cup sugar 1/2 sweet onion 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. celery seed 1 tsp. salt 1 cup vegetable oil (You could make this healthier by using a light tasting olive oil or using half vegetable and half olive oil.) 1/2 cup white vinegar Add all … [Read more...]
Homemade Kettle Corn
This post was originally published on April 17, 2010. A couple of months ago I heard Nate talking to a friend on the phone about making homemade kettle corn. I was so impressed and decided that I wanted to learn how to make it too! Ironically, Nate wasn't talking about kettle corn at all.  I have no idea why I thought he was.  Oh well! I learned how to make a very simple impressive treat anyway. Ingredients: 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (any kind will work, but non-gmo is best) 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil (coconut oil would be a healthier choice) Salt to taste Preparation: 1. Heat oil in a large kettle over medium … [Read more...]
Heavenly Chocolate Butterscotch Chex Mix
This chocolaty Chex party mix is a-ma-zing.  It looks like it is covered in ordinary chocolate, but the secret ingredient is butterscotch chips. I can't stress enough how crazy-good this stuff is.  I will forever be in debt to my good friend Lisa for introducing me to this addictive party mix. Heavenly Chocolate Butterscotch Chex Mix 2 cups M&Ms 2 cups peanuts 4 cups Corn Chex cereal 2 cup pretzels (optional) 1 cup milk chocolate chips 2 cups butterscotch chips 1. Measure all the M&Ms, peanuts, cereal, and pretzels into a large bowl.  If you are adding pretzels then use a little less of everything else. … [Read more...]
Best Ever Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
(I am pleased to share this guest post by Anna from Girl With Blog. Â Now if I could just figure out how to get her into my kitchen to make this for me, then I would be even more pleased!) When I was pregnant with The Boy, there weren't many things I didn't want to eat. Â The only thing that made me sick (food-wise) was coffee. Â I know!! Â It was such a bummer, because I loooooove my java. Â But straight coffee - the taste and scent - made me super ill. Â However, I found that coffee in some forms was ok. Â Most of those forms were a tiny amount of coffee and a huge amount of milk and syrup and fat. Â =) How did I discover this? In early … [Read more...]
How to Make a Simple Carousel Birthday Cake
Grace fell in love with riding on carousels so I decided to make her carousel cake for her 2nd birthday last year. I went to Google for some inspiration and became instantly overwhelmed. Â All the cakes pictured were pretty extreme. Â I wanted something that I could make on my own at home. Â Here is what I came up with... For this carousel cake you will need: cake mix (or make it from scratch) icing round cake pans candy canes (or another candy stick) gum drops sprinkles Barnum's Animal Crackers (this brand is best because you can usually tell what the animals are suppose to be) tin foil tissue paper tape Step 1: … [Read more...]