Kitchen Inspiration

Hello my friends! Today’s post is the second in our new series on Practical Feminine Skills and Tips (okay, I just made that name up 😉). And of course, cooking is not just a feminine skill either. As the holidays approach, with all of the baking and cooking fun coming with them, I hope that this post will be helpful to you. These websites are all either ones I have made at least one recipe from, or discovered as I was browsing for recipes, or that someone personally recommended to me.

And at the end, I share the compiled cooking tips from my blog readers, along with a few of my favorite cookbooks (I know, this post is on websites, but I still love having a cookbook to mark up and spill on sometimes).

Sugar Spun Run. I have made the Best Blondie Recipe, and wow, they truly are so good, and very easy to make. I also saw her Big Soft Oatmeal Cookies recommended on a blog I read. Everything else from Sugar Spun Run looks so delicious!

Natasha’s Kitchen. This was recommended to me, and I love this website because she actually has recipes for homestyle, comfort-food type recipes. No strange exotic ingredients, just classic but delicious foods. Her recipes for Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes and Cheeseburger Sliders look amazing. Plus, Natasha has a YouTube channel.

Half Baked Harvest. Also recommended to me, Tigran’s recipes have slightly more adventurous twists to them, but that can be so much fun! I definitely need to pick a few to try.

Sally’s Baking Addiction. Recommended by my sister and aunt! How about trying the Homemade Coconut Cream Pie recipe, or Soft White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies? Sally also has gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan recipes.

What Molly Made. I stumbled across this one while doing PCOS research. Molly offers recipes specifically for those trying to eat anti-inflammatory foods. You can have your favorites while staying dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, or whole-30. Do Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls or Crispy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs sound good?

The Pioneer Woman. I have tried the Easy Peach Galette Recipe, and it was delicious! I also know that my mom uses Ree’s method for cooking our Thanksgiving turkey each year.

The Prairie Homestead. Jill Winger’s website, with all sorts of homesteading tips as well. My sister recommends the Apple Puff Pancake I linked above.

Sincerely Jean. So you know a this recipe is good when someone who really doesn’t like blueberries eats a blueberry muffin and comes back for more! I froze some of our fresh blueberries this summer so that I can make this recipe throughout the winter as well.

This website isn’t exclusively recipes, but I will link the recipe I love from Tip Hero. This Braided Apple Walnut Strudel is so, so, so good. With vanilla ice cream on top? Absolutely amazing! I do leave out the walnuts on this one.

These are just a handful of the many food blogs and websites that are available. If you have a favorite food website, or a specific recipe to link from a blog or website, please feel free to share it in the comments below!

A Couple of Cookbooks

Magnolia Table vol. 1 & 2, by Joanna Gaines. So many delicious recipes, plus such beautiful cookbooks! I love that the recipes are, again, for foods you’d actually eat, but the cookbooks also have some fun twists on old favorites.

The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger. I don’t actually own this cookbook, but I did check it out of the library after a friend said that there are some pretty good recipes in it (and I know the one I enjoyed eating was a winner). Even if you’re not the homesteading, grow-your-own-food type, this book is full of delicious and healthy recipes—and homesteading tips.

Tip: Cookbooks can be a tad bit pricier than most books, so if you’re not sure a cookbook is worth it, I recommend checking it out of the library first and trying a couple recipes from the book before buying.

Reader Tips

Yay, my favorite part is coming up! Thank you to all the readers who gave me their creative tips for spending time in the kitchen.

Gloriana, Prashansa, and Naomi recommended “listening to music whenever you are in the kitchen—even if you’re just washing dishes.“

Lori shared, “One thing that has helped me in the kitchen is preparing food ahead of time. For instance, I buy ground turkey and will cook it in my cast iron pan, then freeze it in a large baggie. If I need it for tacos or to add to spaghetti sauce or lasagna, I can just get the quantity I need out of the freezer, to add to the recipe. I will buy a rotisserie chicken at BJ’s for $4.99 and cut it up into small pieces when cooled, and also store it in baggies in the freezer for recipes that call for that. We also do pulled pork ahead and freeze it. It makes it easy to pull a meal together on a busy evening!”

Naomi gave this idea: “One thing I learned while making bread was to put oil into the measuring cup before measuring honey. It seems you really have to scrape and scrape to get all of that precious, sticky substance out of the measuring cup. In our bread recipe it calls for a cup each of oil and honey. I just do the oil first, and then the honey slips easily out of the cup since it runs right off the oil. Even if the recipe doesn’t call for oil, I’ll often put a dab of oil in the cup or on my finger and rub it around before pouring in the honey.“

Rebecca suggests wearing swim goggles when you cut up onions and also offered this hint: “I print online recipes, slip them in plastic sheet protectors and put them in a folder with brads (or a three-ring binder would work).“

I have a hint too, that has transformed my cookie baking! Pull your cookies out of the oven 3-5 minutes before the recipe time calls for it. (Depending on the oven; ours runs hot. This is, obviously, if you prefer your cookies to be soft. Some like them them crispy.) The bottoms and edges should be lightly browned, but the insides should still seem very soft. Allow them to cool 2-5 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. The cookies will continue baking as they cool, and should come out nicely chewy on the edges and soft in the middle. Another suggestion I’ve seen, but never tried, is to chill all of your cookie dough for at least an hour before baking; this also produces a chewier, softer cookie.

Family Favorite Recipe

My aunt sent me a tip for simplifying a family favorite—my paternal grandma’s pot roast recipe. This is true comfort food, and since of course this post wouldn’t be complete without a recipe, here is the delicious classic below. Thanks, Aunt Marilyn!

Nonny's Pot Roast Made Easy

5 lbs beef chuck roast
8 oz. pearl onions
Sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 packages Liptons Beefy Onion Dry Soup
1 1/2 cans water (you can just reuse the cream of mushroom soup cans)
1 package baby carrots, washed
5-6 potatoes, washed and quartered

Place all ingredients in crockpot, adding water last. Slow cook for 6-7 hours, or until tender. So easy! Enjoy! Serves 5-6. 

Variation: You could make this in your instant pot, using the meat setting. However, you want to saute the chuck roast in a little butter first, using the saute setting. Pressure cook the meat for 80-85 minutes, and then add the potatoes and carrots at the end, pressure cooking the vegetables for another 5 minutes.

I hope this post gave you some inspiration to get in the kitchen and try a new recipe! I love baking and cooking; it’s one of my favorite ways to relax and be creative, and sharing tasty food with others is a way of showing care and love. Happy baking!