Home with Tracy

Growing up, my absolute favorite side dish at Thanksgiving was stuffing. My mom would make Sage stuffing using her grandmother's recipe. It was delicious. Throughout the years that I have been preparing the Thanksgiving meal, I have added to the recipe to make it my families favorite. My husband used to like my grandmother's stuffing because she added sausage. And since I really like mushrooms, I decided to add mushrooms and sausage to the recipe. This year, I started my stuffing only to realize I could not find my Sage. Since we recently moved, I still have boxes to unpack and it is hiding .... somewhere. I told my husband that I couldn't find my Sage and he responded "It's okay. We probably wont even notice." Fast forward to dinnertime. After my first few bites, I told my husband that I thought the stuffing was good, but I could definitely tell there was no Sage. He said "I didn't want to tell you, but I can tell a difference too." Oops. I...

Let me start by saying that this "salad" is not healthy in any way, shape or form. Not. At. All! Which is why I only make it three times a year, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It may not be healthy, but it is delicious and a family favorite. It used to be that my husband was the only one who really ate the Cranberry Salad. The kids would eat a little bit when they were younger. Now, there is a race to see who gets the most. I actually have to ration it and remind everyone to share! Prepare night before - ground up cranberries, sugar and mini marshmallows The next morning, add in the rest of the ingredients. Add in cut up apples and grapes and fold in cool whip Child approved! (She loves wearing hats) Cranberry Salad 1 package cranberries 1 cup sugar 3 cups mini marshmallows 1-2 apples, cut in bite size pieces 1 cup grapes, cut in halves 1 container of Cool Whip The night before, grind up cranberries in a food pro...

Homemade granola. It is simple to make, I know what the ingredients are and where they came from so I have peace of mind. The kids love it and I can always have it on hand. They eat it with fresh strawberries from our garden, with yogurt, as a trail mix with cranberries or raisins or just plain. I adapted my recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure's recipe. Granola 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup honey (I use local raw honey) 1 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp vanilla 3 cups rolled oats 4 cups quick oats Combine first 3 ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat and add cinnamon and vanilla. Combine oats together in a large bowl. Pour mix over oats, mix well. Place granola mixture in two 9x13 pans. Bake at 350 for 10 mins. Turn off oven, stir granola, leave in oven for 3 hours. Super simple!

We are in soccer season, which means two to three nights a week we are at the soccer fields until 6:30. I try to prepare meals early in the day, so they are ready when my hungry little soccer players (and my hard working husband) get home. Yesterday, I had thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the refrigerator and had no idea what to do with them. I wanted to do something different. I also wanted something warm because I am coming down with a cold and something soothing sounded good. I did a search for a crock pot soup recipe that included chicken. I found this recipe. I adapted that recipe to make it more to our taste. I decided to try the stew recipe and pair it with Buttery Bread Machine Rolls from Money Saving Mom. Both were new recipes, so I was a bit nervous. Now that I have tried it, and it was a big success, I thought I'd share it with all of you. Creamy Chicken Potato Stew 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 large potatoes (I used purple) cut in bit...

This recipe has already been doubled because I like to freeze them for snacks and breakfasts. It is adapted from this recipe from Money Saving Mom. The recipe posted below makes 5 dozen muffins. This is the first time my husband really liked the muffins, so I made sure I wrote down exactly how I made them. 8 eggs 2 cups pumpkin 2 cups sugar 3 cups oil (I use butter oil, also known as Ghee) 3 cups natural unbleached flour 3 cups wheat flour 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup ground flax seed 4 tsp baking soda 4 tsp baking powder 2 Tblsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp salt 1 package chocolate chips Mix together eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake 14-16 mins at 400 degrees. They came out so light and moist. It has taken me a few attempts to get them the way my whole family would like them and it was well worth it. Hope you enjoy them.

Today I turned these.... Into this .... (cinnamon swirl banana bread) And this... (Chocolate chocolate chip banana bread) And these.... (Breakfast Cookies) YUM! I made Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread , Chocolate Banana Bread and Breakfast Cookies. When I make quick breads, they don't always turn out in my loaf pans. Usually they get really brown and the top/center is still doughy. I solve that problem by using either round or rectangle cake pans. If you use a round or rectangle, start checking the bread around 30 mins. It usually doesn't take 50-55 mins. When I make multiple loaves of bread, I use foil pans so I can just pop them right into the freezer. I simply wait until they have cooled, cover them with plastic wrap and the lid that comes with the pans. I get round and rectangle pans 3 per package at the dollar store. It is also great because when I make multiple loaves, I usually give a pan or two away and the people I give it to don't ha...

When I was little, my mom would make these for us.  They are super easy and super yummy! Yesterday, one of my daughters and I mixed up a batch together. While she was helping me, she kind of had her cute little nose up in the air because she couldn't imagine that they would actually taste good. After they set and chilled for about an hour I had the kids try them and they were a big hit. Even my daughter with the cute little nose up the air liked them. It only has five ingredients and comes together in minutes. 1 box/bag of oyster crackers 1 tsp lemon pepper 1 tsp dill weed 1/4 cup oil  1 envelope (or 3 Tbsp) Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry, not liquid) Mix seasoning and oil together.  Pour mixture over crackers.  Stir well.  Store in refrigerator. Hope you enjoy them!

Growing up, I have great memories of smelling my mom's coffee cake baking in the oven.  Especially on a cold day, the aroma would spread throughout the entire house. This recipe is great because you can mix it all together and put it in the refrigerator overnight and bake it in the morning.  Perfect for the holidays coming up! Cake 2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup butter (softened) 2 eggs topping 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 1/2 tsp almond extract or vanilla extract 1-3 tsp milk (add one at a time until glaze consistency) Combine all ingredients for cake in a large bowl.  Mix together for 2 minutes.  Pour into 9x13 pan.  Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 mins.  Drizzle glaze over top.  Enjoy! I meant to get a picture to put on here, but m...

Every year when I was a child, my mom would make these homemade Deluxe Sugar Cookies.  I remember watching her roll out the dough, cut out the shapes and then I would anxiously await them being done so my brother, sister and I could frost them.  It is a great memory from my childhood.  And it is a memory that I am passing along to my own children. These cookies are light and fluffy, yet have a little crunch around the edges.  They are my all time favorite.  I frost them with an almond butter cream frosting. Deluxe Sugar Cookies 1 cup butter (softened) 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tartar Mix together butter, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla and almond.  Add in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.  Mix well.  Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up tight, place it in the refrigerator 2-3 hours. On a lightly floured surface, r...