Shepard's Pie

Jane's Beef Stew

Chicken and Biscuits

Today I'm sharing with you some good old wholesome, home cooked comfort food.  Chicken and biscuits were always a special treat in our house.  (Click here to read the story.) And it's still a favorite now that I'm all grown up.  This meal is best made with homemade chicken stock - it really is worth the extra time.  We always had it with the basic chicken and gravy, but if you wanted to you could add some diced carrots, green beans, peas, and corn to the broth before making the gravy for additional flavor and nutrition.  Hope you enjoy it as much as my family always did!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

So I had a dilemma... I love Chinese food, but I hate the way the food from the Chinese buffet makes me feel.  I decided to take matters into my own hands, and learn how to make some of these delicious treats.  First up, is sweet and sour chicken stir fry.  Take the time to make your own Chinese, and you'll never go back to the buffets.  Okay, so maybe you'll go back once in a while, but you'll regret it later.

Grandpa's Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes

Last week, we had one of the best meals ever.  If you ask Mr. Wonderful, he might say that, yes it was good, but not the best ever.  After all, if was meatloaf.  But for this meal, you have to look beyond the delicious flavor, and appreciate where all the food in the meal came from... that's what makes it so special.  We had steamed green beans, fresh from the garden, roasted fingerling potatoes, fresh from the garden, and Grandpa's Meatloaf made with homegrown grass-fed beef, and topped with homemade ketchup.  Not every meal is so close to home, but I try and do my best to as cook as local as possible.  Your local farm stands will be open for a few more weeks.  What are you waiting for, make you and your family a local meal.

Beef Brisket

Here is a delicious recipe for beef brisket shared with me by my dear friend Shallin and her family.  Growing up on a beef farm, I never had brisket before, so I thought I had better try it.  This is a tougher piece of meat, so it needs to be cooked low and slow to tenderize it, and the homemade BBQ sauce adds incredible flavor.  This recipe isn't hard at all (and you can try out some of the homemade dry onion soup mix), but it takes some time so plan ahead.  Serve with some of Pioneer Woman's Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (click for link), and this meal goes over the top.  Definitely one of my favorites!

Hamburger Steaks

Mushrooms are one of those things that people either love or hate, there is very little middle ground.  This dish wouldn’t be the same without them, so if you are a hater, please consider giving them another try.  If you are a lover, you’ve probably already scrolled down to the recipe, and are planning it for dinner this week.

A few more notes about mushrooms:

·    Did you know that mushrooms are the #1 cash crop in Pennsylvania?  Buy fresh mushrooms at the grocery store, and make sure you check the label for PA grown.

·    If you buy canned mushrooms, check the label the next time you buy some. The country of origin for most canned mushrooms is China or India… these places don’t have the same standards for growing food as we do.

·    Fresh mushrooms can be frozen, so you can always have some on hand for a recipe, and then you won’t have to use the canned variety.

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

First of all, I would like to send out very happy Mother's Day blessings to all mothers. And especially to my mom, who has made me the woman I am today, and has shared with me her love of cooking.  Thanks Mom!
Speaking of cooking... here is an easy week night recipe.  It is vegetarian, which is bold to say having grown up on a livestock farm... but it's probably a good idea for all of us to eat a little less meat.  I try to have at least one vegetarian dish a week, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.  Michael Pollan calls it "Meatless Monday" or in our case, Meatless Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday... whenever we get around to it.  Anyway, on to the recipe.  This one takes a little bit of time to roast the vegetables.  But you can always do that the night before and then assemble the rest of the dish and bake on the night you plan to eat it.  

 

Smoked Ham with a Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

Now that it's been more than a week since Easter, I'm finally posting about our Easter ham this year.  It's more than a little ironic... I never used to eat ham at all.  In fact, Grandma would always make something extra so I wouldn't have to eat any.  And this year, I volunteered not only to cook the meat, but I ate my fair share too.  Here is a recipe for a special sauce to cook your ham in, it's a little different, but adds so much flavor to the meat.

Greek Chicken Pitas

Here is a quick and easy recipe for a weeknight meal.  You can do most of the preparation in the morning before work, and then pull it all together when you get home.  We had it for dinner tonight for the first time and really enjoyed them. I hope you like them too!
 

 

Drip Beef Sandwiches

Here is a quick and easy slow cooker recipe for a basic drip beef sandwich.  No photos this time... I was hungry and forgot to take one.  You'll have to trust me, it's a tasty sandwich that is simple to put together in the morning, and will be ready to eat when you get home from work. Thanks to Pioneer Woman for sharing this recipe.  The link below shows 2 ways to make it, I used the second one.

Dijon Peach Pork Chops

Yesterday started off with a trip to the country to get meat, milk, and eggs.  We picked up our pork at the local butcher first.  Through the kindness and generosity of our friends to raise a pig for us on their farm, we now have a year's worth of fresh pork.  The next stops were for fresh milk and eggs.  Three stops for delicious homegrown food, and not a grocery store in site.  With a full supply of pork, we had to have some for dinner. And good timing too, since my dear sister Rebekah requested just last week a recipe for pork chops.  Here is a delicious recipe for Dijon peach pork chops that can easily be adapted for a simple meat and gravy recipe.

 

Pasta e Fagioli

Soup was on the menu this weekend, and I decided to make a special treat, Pasta e Fagioli.  After all it was our 8 month anniversary!  For those of you who have been to Olive Garden for "Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks" this recipe is exactly like theirs.  For those of you who haven't tried it before, please add it to your menu sometime soon.  This is an easy recipe, and very, very tasty.  The wine is optional, but highly recommended.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits

Here is a twist on the classic chicken and biscuits - best part it is all made in one pot.  Super yummy dinner, and minimal cleanup.  The buttermilk biscuits can be made separately and enjoyed with some butter and jam.  Think you like the biscuits from Cracker Barrel or KFC? Wait till you try these.

Chicken Madeira

Raise your hand if you have ever been to the Cheesecake Factory!  What a great restaurant for both the desserts and the main meal.  If you have ever been to one, you know what I mean, and if you haven't made it yet, add it to your list of places to check out.  In the meantime, I am bringing a piece of the Cheesecake Factory to you.  My favorite meal there is Chicken Madeira, and I finally found a recipe that tastes just like the original.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

My favorite spaghetti sauce is the homemade variety that has become a tradition for the Agnew ladies.  We make as much as we possibly can each fall, but it's never enough.  And when you are in the middle of February and trying to ration the delicious sauce, you have to come up with some alternatives.  I have lots of home canned tomatoes in the pantry, so I decided I needed to find a recipe to use them.  Here is a recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen from Liliputtin, which I adapted slightly, and really enjoyed.  It's not the original, but it is a nice alternative when you are trying to make the original last just a little bit longer.

Chicken Piccata

When Mr. Wonderful and I were on our honeymoon last summer in Oregon, we had dinner one night at a restaurant called, Adam's Sustainable Table, in Eugene.  Just from the name, I knew this place was right up my alley, and it didn't let me down.  It is a high class restaurant that served all local foods from the vegetables to the meat to the beer, and there was a list near our table of all of the local farmers they worked with.  It was here that I was introduced to Chicken Piccata. Shortly after we got home, I tracked down a recipe from one of my most dependable sources, Pioneer Woman.  It has become one of my favorite chicken dishes, and now I am so excited to share it with you.

Better Than a Big Mac

I've lost count of how many years it's been since I've set foot in a McDonald's.  I decided a while back that even though I enjoyed the taste of fast food, it wasn't so good for me.  It's hard to forget what a Big Mac tastes like and every once in a while I get a craving for one.  So instead of giving in, I decided to make my own, complete with homemade french fries.

Pot Roast & Mashed Potatoes

You can't be a farm girl without meat and potatoes.  This was the standard fare in our house growing up... meat, potatoes, and "what kind of vegetable do you want?" from Mom.  Although I've tried many new and different dishes since I've been out on my own, meat and potatoes is always the go-to comfort food.  Here's my recipe for pot roast served with mashed potatoes.

Grandpa Jim's Chicken

The thing we probably remember most about Grandpa Jim was his story telling.  Everything from the spilled milk incident with his basketball buddies to telling off the general during the Koren War.  I remember something else about Grandpa Jim.... he made the best baked chicken.  It wasn't anything fancy, but it was tender and moist, and would melt in your mouth.  I asked him to share the recipe with me, so I could make it myself.  And now I will share it with you... especially with my Mom and sisters because you know first hand how tasty this chicken is.