Recently I stumbled upon a youtube video made by Food Around The World.  The videos were of 3 different young women living alone in the mountains, or in small villages (in Ukraine) where they cook local food, are self sufficient in all manners of living.  Often they have a couple of cows, sheep, chickens, […]

Well now...this was a recipe where I was "winging it" and let me tell you it exceeded my expectations.  The flavours of garam masala in the meatballs, with the madras curry powder was a match made in heaven.  Add in the fresh vegetables, creaminess of the yogurt, it was delicious. Meatballs: 1 lb. extra lean […]

With the number of chili recipes on this blog, I realized I never seem to make chili the same way each time.  Guess I love playing with flavors, textures of food, lol, and chili offers a perfect opportunity to do just that.  This chili was simple to put together, yet there is definite complex flavors […]

  This recipe can be increased to feed however many people.  Here it was made for one - and could not be easier to make.  It is also a very liberal recipe - you can use any seasonings, spices, or even marinades for this recipe. Super quick cooking time as well. 1 small top sirloin […]

This is a dish I have never made before.  Why?  We have never found a decent tasting gluten free flour wrap until now.  This is a very filling meal, and while absolutely scrumptious and healthy, it was a bit of a process, but so worth it!  We have a local grocery store (in Canada) that […]

Each night I ask...what to cook tonight??  We had tacos the night before, with this recipe here.  There was about 1 cups worth of taco meat sauce left in the fridge.  With the high costs of groceries, well truthfully inflation overall everywhere, I refuse to throw away good food.  With a few pantry/fridge staples this […]

I found this recipe from Cooking On the Ranch...please check out the blog for this yummy original recipe.  It sounded so good I had to try with a few of my own ideas.  I can never leave a recipe alone lol, and made a few changes, I must say the results were yummy and leftovers […]

Lately, we have been having different kinds of rice bowls, stir fry's, and different curry dishes.  It adds some variety to dinners, as well as being a great way to use up any extras that might be in the fridge.  This dish would also be lovely with red pepper strips, and bean sprouts.  Any number […]

Ohhhh do we ever love a good meat loaf in this household.  There are a number of different meatloaf recipes on this blog, this one today was a simple version which I will recap here plus the method for cooking in the Air Fryer.  What I was most impressed about with this meal was the […]

Another quick and easy dinner that came together in one pot - love the convenience and yet you can still serve a healthy hearty meal. 1 lb. Extra lean ground beef 3/4 cup well rinsed and drained Basmati rice 1/2 a large onion roughly chopped 1 large garlic clove, minced 2/3 cup roughly chopped and […]

Wow was this ever a walk down memory lane.  Years ago...too many to count, we had a drive-in restaurant.  You would literally pull into a spot under their covered roof, then your server would roller blade over to your window and take your order.  Yes on actual roller blades!  Now, while this was technically a […]

  This dish was inspired by a few different recipes, but mostly for comfort food made easy...and gluten free.  Here the pasta was Tinkyada Pasta shells - something I have not seen in a very long long time, so we scooped up a couple of packages as it really is a nice pasta for many […]

This is not your typical traditional Goulash.  When we were kids/teenagers, our brother-in-law used to make his version of Hamburger Goulash for us which we loved.  His was made with canned vegetable and tomato soups. In trying to recreate this dish without the canned soups, I think it is very close in flavor to his […]

What is not to love about Mac N Cheese?  Add in some extra lean ground beef, some tasty seasonings, and best of all....everything goes into 1 pot.  A quick and easy meal in one go.  With this dish, I used a 3 1/2 quart dutch oven so you will want something at least that size. […]

Who knew meatloaf gravy could taste soooo good?  I have been craving meatloaf for days now.  We have had the craziest weather - at one point we were sitting at 29 degrees Celsius, out came all of our fans.  Then it dropped back down to 11 - 13 degrees!  So time for meatloaf.  There are […]

This was literally a "throw together" soup with anything you have on hand....and it was mighty tasty!  We had a few lovely days of warm spring weather here on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada.  Then all of a sudden it disappeared right before our very eyes.  Yes, back to cold, drizzly, rainy weather […]

We had the most tender, flavorful sirloin tip roast beef the other day, with quite a bit leftover and this dish was a great way to use it up.  (plus a number of tasty sandwiches for lunch too) If you do not have left over roast beef, using fresh beef strips would be delicious as […]

On our recent trip away, we went to a restaurant that has been around for years and years.  On the menu's back pages, they listed various meals that were made from yesteryear - one of them being a piping hot bowl of chili con carne served with a bun for $1.50.  Coffee was 10 cents […]

Every January we take a 1 week vacation to our lovely West Coast Gulf Island - Salt Spring Island, B.C. at a cabin on the lake. (next year we are planning 10 days!) We arrived to a frozen tundra of 7 degrees below Celsius (very cold for our West Coast) This is a picture of […]

We have had endless days of rain in our neck of the woods which always leads me to comfort food.  Lasagna being a family favorite.  There are a number of different lasagna recipes on my blog and while this is somewhat of a traditional lasagna there are a few new ingredients as well as a […]

This is not a recipe.  Well, that is not quite true.  There are actually 4 different recipes in this meal - based on leftovers.  Normally I would not do a post like this but I just had to.  First, my dtr. would go out of her mind with this meal....(she actually makes all of these […]

UPDATE:  I made this again the other night with leftover roast chicken and gravy...it was fabulous!  The only thing I did different was to add re-hydrated dry wild mushrooms to the recipe and included the liquid the mushroom re-hydrated in along with some chicken stock, and the leftover gravy.  A must try! I love Shepherd's […]

We love stews of any kind in this household.  Especially on cold cold winter nights.  I have posted a number of different stews on this blog, but have never made an East Indian Curry Beef Stew before.  And winter is my favorite time of year for a good curry, so this recipe was perfect for […]

I know I have said this before, but I have to say it again...there are two things in this household we love to eat:  Meatloaf and Meatballs.  So we are game to try just about any flavor combination.  This was mighty tasty, and super moist.  Using a homemade pizza sauce will give you the best […]

Is this winter squash not the cutest squash you ever did see?  I have no idea what kind of squash it is...but it was mighty tasty!  In this recipe most winter squashes would work well.  I love winter squash of all kinds - and the bright orange color is like a ray of sunshine on […]

This is a household that loves it's meatballs.  This is a house that will try just about any flavor combination when it comes to meatballs.  Dang this was good.  I have made a similar dish you can see here.  But this one?  With bacon, a mushroom sauce, made without cream - it turned out better […]

When we were kids (my brothers and sisters), we used to love eating Sloppy Joe's.  We always used leftover chili for this dinner - a quick, easy, tasty meal.  For these Sloppy Joe's I decided to make them pizza flavored - served on a gluten free bun.  I know there is a lot of cheese […]

This was a flavorful packed meal.  Having said that, with our relatively new experience with BBQ'ing (is that a word?) we did learn for this dish, to cook the kebabs on high heat for 5 minutes per side...not 8.  Nevertheless the flavors were there in a big way! Both the vegetables and the beef really […]

Fresh organic Swiss Chard - simply delicious.  Add a marinated Flank Steak on top - heaven.  This was market bought Swiss Chard, as mine are still very small. This has been a very strange summer.  It was a very cool spring and a very late start to the summer.  We even had one full day […]

Knowing I was going to be busy the following day at work, I decided to attempt my second slow cooker meal:  Swiss Steak.  In the afternoon, (so the day before), I made a dry rub for the steaks to marinate in the refrigerator until the following morning - about 12 hours. Then I prepared all […]

My garden is exploding with Lambs quarter or as some call it:  a weed, or poor man's spinach.  Whatever you like to call it is okay by me - I love this healthy green. Late May and June are the best months in my region to harvest young fresh Lambs Quarter Greens.  Although having said […]

When will I learn?  Every time I buy a flank steak, they are always 1 1/2 - 2 lb. in size.  That is way way too much steak for two people.  It finally dawned on me tonight....Dawwww....to cut the steak in half and freeze the other half, dang! I made a dry rubbed flank steak, […]

Usually with any stew I make, I load it with lots of vegetables. In this dish, the vegetables were served on the side.  If Beef or Chicken is used, normally I like to cook with wine in the dish.  It lends such a richness to the gravy, and tenderizes the meat as well. Traditionally Beef […]

Well....when this recipe first began, I certainly did not expect this dish.  No, absolutely not.  It all started with the beginning of a simple Marinara Sauce.  Then work intervened.  The Marinara went into the fridge. Then began the lean ground beef and cheese mixture...still not sure where this was going to go.  Then the now […]

This was a dish that was inspired by Jamie's Meals In Minutes.  Jamie's dish was made with chicken which would be wonderful here.  I took a few hints from his recipe and came up with my own. Now as much as I love Jamie -  and yes I so do, he uses very hot peppers.  […]

While we have been waiting for our new stove to be delivered, my DH has been head chef manning the BBQ these past few days.  Thankfully, we have still been having some great food. Grilled chicken with BBQ baked potatoes and salad, Grilled Burgers, and this tasty Grilled Steak Sandwich. This is not a recipe, […]

Remember those Anaheim Peppers I used a while back?  Well this is a post, dedicated to those Anaheim Peppers: This was an easy, tasty dish to make.  So easy, in fact, I am hoping on one of my busy days, maybe my DH will en-devour to make this most yummy dinner.  Now, a word about […]

Okay, you are probably wondering....Meatloaf for a New Years Dinner?  In this house we love our meatloaf!  Plus I can't help myself, I love trying out new meatloaf recipes. This came together as a result of having all the fresh herbs in the fridge, plus it also offers variety to everyday meatloaf.   We are not […]

Have you ever had Carnival Squash?  Wow - so, so, so delicious!  Last year I tried Curry Squash, and thought I had died and gone to heaven.  This year, it's definitely Carnival Squash....sweet, nutty, full of flavor and texture.  I also realized I am a squash freak...who knew? After first tasting Curry Squash, I decided […]

Before I get into this lovely recipe, I just had to post a picture of these gorgeous Calendula Flowers...in October?  I have never seen that before!  Usually, they are long gone by early September...our weather this year has been so strange.  Although, I must say, I appreciate the pretty color.... Onto the recipe.  This is […]

Well, you can tell from the title what went into this recipe!  I have never had spaghetti squash before, so decided it was time to try it with meatballs and tomato sauce.  A friend gave us this lovely spaghetti squash from his garden - so delicious, I was pleasantly surprised.  This is a delicious alternative […]

We are still getting lovely sweet red peppers from the Farmer's Market, so I have been trying different recipes to use them up.  I took some tips from this meatloaf recipe, then added the other ingredients.  In this family, we are always game to try a new yummy meatloaf. There are just a few more […]

Every Wednesday and Sunday in our town's newspaper, a Chef - Chef Erik Akis does up wonderful recipes.  I have seen a number of his recipes now, they always sound really good.  Well he made this Tomato Basil Pesto Meatloaf that sounded so good, I had to try.  He used ground beef with Italian sausage […]

I have always been intrigued with Stroganoff recipes.  I could not begin to tell you why.  As far as I can recall, I have never even tasted Stroganoff. There are many recipe variations of Stroganoff out there.   Most recipes call for sour cream, which can easily be replaced with yogurt, or SCD cream.  Traditionally […]

Whenever I make a beef soup, I love one that is hearty.  Lots of vegetables, with either quinoa or rice added to it.  I may have mentioned a while ago, that I could not find beef bones.  Well, finally I did!  What a difference.  I always love to roast the bones first before making the […]

We love meatballs, of any kind, and this was made on a whim. Tasty and satisfying!  Plus I have found using Yogurt cheese really adds another wonderful dimension to foods.  I may have mentioned previously that I have been dripping my yogurt for 48 hours...really makes a difference.  It really becomes more like cream cheese […]

I cannot remember the last time I cooked Traditional Lasagna.  By traditional, I mean Lasagna in a meat sauce.  My family loves the Vegetarian Lasagna I make, but for a change it was lovely to  have Lasagna with a meat sauce.  I used the yogurt cheese filling similar to the Vegetarian Lasagna, but will do […]

We are still doing our weekly homemade soup for cold winter nights.  But, dang!  We were all starving and before I remembered, we grabbed the bowls, and ladled in this soup before I could take a picture, so this is it. I could not believe my eyes, it was gone, all gone!  For a quick […]

When we sat down to dinner, I told DH there was a secret ingredient in this Mexican influenced stew.   After a few mouthfuls, I think his eyeballs bulged, and I could not help myself, what started as a little chuckle, turned into howling with laughter.  We are actually wimps when it comes to heat.  […]

I wanted to create a new Shepherd's Pie Recipe, one that did not have mashed potatoes on top. We love potatoes of all kinds, but once in a while it is a nice change not having them.  With all the lovely winter vegetables we got at the last of the Farmer's Market a while back, […]

This has been an interesting year of "firsts" for me.  Most of which I am happy to report have been quite good.  Although, ahem, we did have the Roasted Chestnuts experience...but that is another story.  March 2010, I learned how to use a computer, email, and blog.  That has been a wonderful experience, sharing recipes […]

Not a great picture but this is a yummy dish that feeds a crowd, great for leftovers the next day, or a great dish to bring to a potluck.  There are a few steps to this recipe, but not difficult at all, and in the end, a very satisfying meal. 1 head of green cabbage, […]

We have a great Mexican Restaurant where we live that serves really tasty Mexican Food.  I don't think it is authentic Mexican food, but delicious none the less.  What I have discovered in eating free range chicken, beef, and pork, is my tummy is just not happy with anything other than that.  So I decided […]

Last spring I had been very excited about a new Meat Market in our area, that sold only local, farm raised, hormone and anti-biotic free meat, pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, they even had rabbit.  Sadly, they closed down.  I was not clear on the story behind why they closed down, but what they did […]

We have been having cold weather, with frosts, just the kind of night for a hearty beef stew.  When I first began making this stew, I asked DH, when was the last time we had Beef Stew?  He got quiet, and started counting the years...over 10 years.  Lord have mercy! I love making stews with […]

This recipe reminds me of any kind of meat pie or Shepherd's Pie dish.  Years ago, I used to make a Hamburger Stew, which was always served over mashed potatoes, so I thought, instead of mashed potatoes, steam cut potatoes, and make up the rest of the dish as you would make a hearty stew.  […]

I have made an interesting discovery.  Since I began eating beef, this March - hormone antibiotic free beef, I have noticed some changes.  They were subtle at first, and it took about 3-4 months before I began to realize what these discoveries were.  First of all, I still want to "hoover" down when we eat […]

Although this is not a very good picture, I had to include it because this was such a great combo for this dish. So here it is finished: I think I am in love with cherry tomatoes!  This is the 2nd recipe in a week where I have used them in a dish. They just […]

Can a salad be sinful?  Well, I think this one was.  Holy Mama!  I had to force myself to save some for my Daughter who was on her way for dinner from a hard days work.  I could barely do it.  This salad will forever remain somewhere deep in my memory banks....even if that is […]

We had the most beautiful Free Range/Antibiotic/Hormone/Free Sirloin Steaks the other night.  See that one there...my daughter and I shared it which was plenty....and guess what it cost? $7.00.  That is $3.50 each!  Believe me it was enough meat!  DH was away on business, so we did not fire up the BBQ, (I am still […]

Wow.  This recipe exceeded my expectations, so delicious. Sorry this was not a great picture, it does not do the kebabs justice.   This is a great way to make use of all the fresh herbs in the garden. This is the 2nd time I have made Kebabs – first post will be down the […]

This was yet another yummy pasta dinner….without the heaviness of cream….but the lightness of organic yogurt.  After having the  Chicken Basil Pasta dish….I wanted to try a similar dish with beef….oh so good. Olive oil 1 lb. Hormone Free Beef strips 2 cups yogurt cheese, (or dripped yogurt) 1 medium onion, diced 4 minced garlic […]

  You can’t go wrong with Pot Roast….but for a minute I thought…..do I remember how to cook pot roast?  It's been so long. Back in the day, I used to make a Roast Beef dinner just about every Sunday, and after a few moments of thought, the memories came flooding back! I used a […]

We had dinner at a Restaurant the other night…this is what I ordered.  Oh wow, was it good.  They used a skirt steak….which I could not get in our grocery store, so I used Hormone Free Beef Strip Stir Fry.  My dressing was not exactly like theirs, but it came real close…sooo good. Vinaigrette: 1 […]

A Chicken Recipe....and an UPDATE...some more information.  I went to our local all Natural, Farm Raised, Free Range, Hormone and Antibiotic Free Meat Market.  That was a mouthful!  I had previously bought their Pork Roasts, Pork Chops, Ground Turkey, and Ground Pork.  Love, Love these meats!   Today, I bought chicken pieces.  Then I told […]

I have never eaten beef in a creamy pasta before.  Having made this the other night, I realized what we had been missing!  So, so, good! As you have probably noticed by now, I often cook with wine.  This is purely optional...we just like the rich flavor that wine brings out in a meal.  I […]

  As previously mentioned ……  (this is a bit of a recap)  I have not eaten or cooked beef of any kind in close to 14 –15 years.   Way back in the day, I used to cook the traditional Roast Beef dinners on Sunday, as well as using hamburger meat in a variety of ways.  […]