Modern Homemaking Made Easy
I have a confession. As much as I go on and on about loving to garden, I’m having the worst time growing zucchini this year. It’s nuts right? It’s usually the one plant that goes out of control taking over the garden and I haven’t had even one little zucchini yet. I’ve been getting harvest…
One of the best parts of spring is, of course, the strawberries!! If you’ve been around the blog for a while you’ll have noticed I have a TON of strawberry recipes here and most are inspired by my middle son who I’m surprised hasn’t turned into a strawberry from the amount he eats! Today’s easy…
Happy President’s Day friends! I know I’ve been crickets here on the blog but this South Georgia weather has me convinced it’s spring and I can barely stay in the house long enough to sit at the computer! As I mentioned last week when I shared my Homemade Amish Bread recipe, I’ve been really trying…
When we lived in England last year there was something about the food that I noticed that was quite different. In particular, no matter what kind of bread I bought there it would go moldy very quickly. (Produce too!) I got in the habit of buying fresh bread at the bakery every two or three…
My grocery bill has gotten a little out of control. I’m going to blame packing three school lunches a day, but seriously people, these kids are eating me out of house and home! To try and save a little money I’ve been trying to incorporate more budget-friendly from scratch recipes into my menu rotation. I’m…
Do you ever get ready to make dinner and go to grab that last ingredient and BOOM it’s not in the cabinet like you thought it was? That is the story of my life! Last year when we were living in England it was even worse, there were so many seasoning mixes I was used…
Happy Monday! I have the cutest little cookie recipe for you today-Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies! I wanted to make these cookies because I was inspired by a recipe that I shared a whopping five years ago-Strawberry Cheesecake Bites. I decided to alter the recipe just a tad to give them more of a cookie texture but…
When it comes to avocado I’m a HUGE fan. I love it on almost everything. Interestingly enough my husband doesn’t love them except for the occasional scoop of guacamole…no problem, more for me! Years ago I remember hearing some friends talk about baking an egg in an avocado half and I literally raced home to…
I don’t know about you all but this time of year I always start looking more closely at what I’m feeding my family. Between the cruise we went on over the Christmas holiday and all the fun foods between Thanksgiving and New Years, I’m craving more veggies in my life! Luckily it’s not hard to…
My husband requested Sweet Potato Pie for Thanksgiving this year and I realized there was no recipe for it on my blog yet so despite the big turkey day being past I wanted to go ahead and share it here. I LOVE anything sweet potato so I was not at all phased when he requested…
Lately I’ve been on a kick making some old school recipes that my Grandma used to make. Sometimes I get so caught up in trying new things I forgo the old classics that have stood the test of time for a reason. This yummy “Christmas Crack” recipe is one of those recipes. It’s a Saltine…
It’s cookie exchange season! I love cookie exchanges because I’m a baking addict and love trying new recipes. Over the years though I’ve been increasingly more aware of the vast variety of food allergies and food intolerances friends and family might have so I like to keep some recipes handy for those in my life…
A while ago I was talking to my husband about how our families celebrated Thanksgivings when we were children. We were comparing different foods we had (he is from the midwest and I grew up in the southeast) and I mentioned how my grandma always had Homemade Pimento Cheese with crackers as one of our…
I know, I know….a dessert cheeseball? We all know and love cheese balls as easy party appetizers but how can we make one a dessert? Easy! This delicious treat takes the cheeseball base of cream cheese and adds in funfetti cake mix to create a sweet & creamy dessert perfect for serving with graham crackers!…
Who’s ready for Thanksgiving? I know I am! I feel like fall brings with it all of my favorite foods. From pumpkin everything to comfort food galore, autumn is definitely alive and well in my kitchen. This past weekend I made these Maple Roasted Carrots to serve alongside a rotisserie chicken and they were such a big…
Growing up down South we had our family’s traditional dishes we had every Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until college when I started celebrating Thanksgiving with friends that I realized that different areas of the country celebrated with totally different dishes than I grew up with! Dishes that were amazingly good, like this Traditional Corn Pudding recipe…
My husband is addicted to mashed potatoes, he would probably eat them daily if I would make them that often! When we were first married I honestly used the mashed potato flakes from the grocery store to make them but over the years I’ve realized it’s SO much better to make them from scratch, and…
I normally make a full breakfast for my husband on the weekends: eggs, hash browns, bacon. The kids usually opt for cereal unless I break out the pancakes or something else sweeter, then they’re all in. Recently I’ve been working on making more baked breakfast recipes because they are so easy to make and especially…
Can you ever get enough of apple recipes? I think not! I’m always looking for new ways to make apples treats for my family Like bananas, apples are generally so affordable and so versatile I always have them on hand. When I realize that I may have bought too many and they aren’t going to…
Apples and pumpkins, apples and pumpkins…this is where my brain is this time of year when it comes to cooking! My youngest son is in first grade and his class is celebrating Johnny Appleseed’s birthday this week with apple themed activities including a party where all the food will be apple food. This is obviously…
Normally when I make a cobbler I take shortcuts-I’m not going to lie. I’ll use baking mixes and throw some fruit in a dish, pour batter on top and bake. Easy right? Earlier this week I came across this traditional cobbler recipe online and I was so intrigued by her from scratch, old school approach…
Sorry y’all-I’m in full fall mode. The weather here in Georgia maxed out in the upper 70s the last few days which is super cool for this time of year so I’m telling myself it’s okay to post everything apple and pumpkins for the next few months-okay with you? I was wondering what kind of…
I know, I know-it’s not even September yet and here I go with the pumpkin! To be honest I was in World Market last week and they had Pumpkin Spice coffee set up for taste testing and I had one sip and it was all over for me-I’m in full-blown fall mode in the kitchen!…
Fresh basil pesto with almonds is the perfect pair to creamy potatoes and crunchy green beans in this quick and easy Pesto Potato Salad. Well hey there! I’m Abra and I’m so happy to jump in for Melissa today to share with you one of my all time favorite summer recipes, pesto potato salad with…
Have you heard of Cowboy Caviar? It seems to me that it goes by a ton of different names: Black Bean & Corn Salad, Cowboy Salsa, Black Bean Salsa, the list goes on! No matter what you call it, this delicious dish of black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, and other goodies is always a crowd…
You may have noticed a trend here on the blog lately-with summer arriving I’m making everything chock full of strawberries! I can’t get enough of them! Recently I wanted to make a special Sunday breakfast for my family but honestly, pastries can be exhausting! I love a shortcut so when I made this flaky, delicious…
Artichokes are probably my very favorite vegetable-my mom used to steam them for me when I was a kid and now I get to share them with my little boys as well. Recently at my supper club we were chatting about artichokes and I was shocked when no one else at the table knew how…
You know those “calm before the storm” times? We’re leaving next week for a two week Easter holiday through France-Normandy and the Loire Valley, then a few days in London. It’s more than likely the last big trip we’ll take while we’re living in England before moving back to the US this summer. It’s also…
For the past few weeks I have kept my house free and clear of tasty sweets while I ramped up my exercise and clean eating. Removing temptation is sometimes the only way I can get back on track with my eating habits when I fall off course a bit. I like to try to do…
Blueberries are my absolute favorite fruit. When we lived in North Carolina I used to often take my boys to go blueberry picking in late spring and early summer. We’d meander through the tall bushes looking for berries and filling bucket after bucket. I had actually planted my own blueberry bushes at the home we…
I feel like Carrot Cake is one of those desserts that doesn’t get enough credit. I know I that I don’t often think about making it but every time I do I devour it like it’s my job, as does the rest of my family. Today I want to give Carrot Cake the attention it…
Last July when we moved to England we did a big road trip around England, Scotland, and eventually making our way to Northern Ireland and ending in Dublin. One of the highlights of the 5 days we spent in Dublin was visiting the Guinness factory. They have an amazing tour there that shows you exactly…
What is it about cold weather that makes you want to bake? This past weekend we had three days of flurries here in England-not very common in this part of the country. The first day it looked like a little dusting but after that it was just warm enough to keep it from sticking. I…
I make no qualms about being a chocolaholic. I mean-I love me some chocolate-BUT I also like fitting in my jeans. It’s all about balance right? So while some days I’ll splurge on my favorite chocolate treats other days I like to have healthy options like these Apple Oatmeal Muffins to snack on when I need…
Living overseas has me trying out a lot of copycat recipes lately for things I can’t buy here in England. One of the places I miss the most is Panera-and their delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup. I’ve been trying loads of recipes trying to duplicate it and finally have one I love-it may even be better…
I have to tell you-I have a love affair with Brie, it’s one of my favorite foods in the world! I usually keep some in the house for snacking and when having friends over I love to serve it as an appetizer. Normally I keep it simple with a cheese and cracker platter but when…
