Breakfast 61 Desserts 81

Sour Cream Biscuits 54 Stuffed Cornbread Muffins 56 Sweet Twisters 58 Breakfast 61 Fried Eggs 63 Fried Eggs 63 Scrambled Eggs 64 Breakfast Burritos 66 Fluffy Omelet 68 Eggs in Ham Cups 70 Mini Frittatas 71 Bacon and Cheese Pull -A-Parts 72 Home Style Sausage Gravy 74 Perfect French Toast 76 Baked Oatmeal 78 Steel Cut Oatmeal 79 Desserts 81 Dipped Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries 83 Cakes Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake 85 Tangy Chocolate Cupcakes 86 Lemon Supreme Cake 87 Pumpkin Cake 89 Texas Fudge Cake 90 iv Carrie Groneman Cookies and Bars Chocolate ‘no bake’ Cookies 92 Peanut Butter ‘no bake’ Cookies 93 Homemade Oreo Cookies 93 Quick Mix Cookies 95 Easy Snicker Doodle Blondie Bars 97 Peanut Butter Bars 98 Rice Krispy Treats 100 Stuffed Churros 101 Pies Graham Cracker Pie Crust 103 Grits Pie 104 Key Lime Pie 106 Pudding Pie 107 Baked Desserts Peach Cobbler 108 Rustic Blueberry Galette 110 Sweet Apple Dessert 112 Sweet Cherry Dessert 113 Dips and Sauces 115 Dips Fresh Fruit Dip 117 Yummy Chocolate Dip 118 Honey Butter 119 Cheesy Barley Spread 120 v Creamy Ranch Dip 122 Homemade Guacamole 123 Simple Homemade Salsa 124 Sauces Homemade Pizza Sauce 125 Meals and Main Dishes 127 Chicken Baked Chicken with Garlic -Basil Cream Sauce 129 Chicken Pita Sandwiches 130 Creamy Chicken Crescents 131 Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas 133 Hawaiian Haystacks 135 Mad Russian Chicken 136 Puff Pastry Chicken Cups 137 Oregano -Lemon Chicken 139 Teriyaki Chicken 140 Fish Salmon 142 Tilapia 144 Ground Beef Carrot and Hamburger Casserole 145 Macho Nachos 147 Mexican Lasagna 149 Sloppy Joes 151 vi Carrie Groneman Pork Broccoli and Ham Casserole 152 Crock Pot Barbecue Country -Style Ribs 153 Hawaiian Pork Chops 155 Jambalaya 156 Oven Baked Pork Chops 157 Pasta Easy Lasagna 159 Homemade Alfredo Sauce 161 Homemade Spaghetti/Red Sauce 162 Pasta with Creamy Spinach Pesto 16 4 Pizza Calzone 165 French Bread Pizza 167 Soups Creamy Cheesy Vegetable Soup 168 Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup 169 Taco Soup 171 Appetizers, Salads and Sides 173 Appetizers Easy Deviled Eggs 175 Mini Cucumber Dill Sandwich Bites 176 Party Time Chicken Salad 177 Wraps 179 vii Salads Orange Jell -O Salad 180 Egg Salad 181 Taco Salad 182 Broccoli Slaw 184 Couscous Salad 18 6 Sides Barley Pilaf 187 Rice Pilaf 18 9 Grits 190 Baked Garlic Cheese Grits 191 Caribbean Beans 192 Roasted Carrots 193 Sautéed Red Cabbage 194 Boiled Cabbage 195 viii Carrie Groneman This page is intentionally left blank ix Acknowledgements I must begin with my sweet husband, Stan, who has allowed me to grow and learn to cook through our years of marriage. He has always encouraged me to try cooking new foods, to keep at a recipe to make it “perfect” (no matter how long it took) and has continued to support me in the creation of this cookbook. He has spent countless hours formatting the book and putting the food pictures in collages so a color version would be possible. A better friend could not be found. Thank you to my mom, Connie, who is my great supporter and shares my love of food. I can’t imagine doing this book without my sister Jody, who is always willing to give her opinion of my cooking--something I greatly appreciate. She is my rock. Thanks to my Aunt Peg who was so helpful in proofreading the recipes and giving very important feedback. Thanks to My Grandma Shirley who gave me a love of cooking. Thanks also to Ashley, my daughter-in-law, who is always willing and ready to taste my creations and help out. And a special thanks to my daughter-in-law, Tawni. Without Tawni, this book would not have happened. She took a great deal of the fabulous pictures to make my food look as good as it tastes. We had such a great time cooking and being together. To my daughter Delsi who helped edit this version of my cookbook; I truly appreciate her time and ideas to make the revisions better. A HUGE thanks to YOU for wanting to make GREAT food. One of my goals is for YOU to easily and quickly prepare scrumptious food, with the main purpose of your family eating meals together and developing closer relationships. It is also important to me that you have the opportunity to expand your repartee of dishes. For example, I have included grains you may never have tried before, such as barley and couscous, as well as other easy to find ingredients to broaden your food experience and tantalize your palate. I suggest you first read through this cookbook for handy tips, how-to’s, ingredients to have on hand and then , let’s get cooking 1 Carrie Groneman Welcome Everyone! I have always enjoyed dabbling in the kitchen and wondered how different foods were created and made to taste the way they do. I cooked a bit while growing up, but it wasn’t until my late teens that I really took the kitchen head on. I called my Grandma Shirley quite often as I tried to make a recipe; however, her technique of “it should feel like…” or “it should taste like…” though well meaning, left me at a loss. For example, I was cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving and Grandma told me to baste the turkey “a lot with butter”. Now I didn’t realize that meant to use a little butter and spoon the drippings from the turkey in the bottom of the pan, back up onto the top of the turkey. After about 2 pounds of butter, it was now time to make the gravy from the drippings. Consequently, there was so much butter, I had to keep the gravy in the blender so that when we wanted some on our mashed potatoes, we buzzed it for a few seconds and hurried to pour it on the potatoes before it separated again. This cookbook is one I wish I could have had when I was learning to cook, and I really hope you find it useful as you become a great home cook, while acquiring the confidence to explore new foods, and in time, more intricate recipes. Why should you try my cook book? If you have never, ever tried to cook, you can make these recipes. Even if you have cooked a bit, I’ll bet you will learn something new and enjoy some new recipes to add to your favorites. Cooking is comforting and builds relationships. These recipes are basic, satisfying and have fabulous tutorial pictures. The ingredients are not expensive and easily found. The techniques are easy to learn and master. These foods are economical and delicious to prepare. The cuisines are for all ages and comfort foods good enough for entertaining. Cooking at home is much more inexpensive and healthier than eating out. You will be successful from the first try in the kitchen! All recipes are mine, unless otherwise noted . I am very grateful to those who allowed me to share their recipes in my cookbook. As always, recognize a blessing and be a blessing today ~ Carrie Groneman, A Mother’s Shadow www.amothersshadow.com 2 What You Need to Get Started Nonstick frying pan or skillet is highly recommended. A small, medium, and large size is best to have on hand. These pans have low sides and are made for frying foods. Saucepans, small medium and large. These have high sides for cooking, such as boiling. An electric griddle, or a griddle you can use over the stove burners. High quality cookie sheets, 2 if possible. Higher quality pans yield better results. This pan is flat and will usually have one side at each end slightly turned up making it easier to take out of the oven. Jelly roll pan, 2 if possible. Higher quality will bake better. This pan has an edge on all four sides allowing it to be filled with batter to bake in and not spill out. A Cooling rack for cooling cookies, cakes, etc. Good, sharp cutting knives. Get the best you can afford. Cutting board: polyethylene are my favorite, also plastic or glass as they can be washed in the dishwasher. Make sure to use Clorox or vinegar solution (2 parts water to 1 part Clorox or vinegar) to clean cutting boards. Wooden cutting boards allow bacteria to live on the surface and in the groves cut when chopping foods. 8” x 8” or 9”x 9” baking pan, glass is preferred. 9”x 13” baking pan, glass is preferred. Pie plate, glass 8”-9” is best. There are shallow and deep dish. Mixing bowls: small, medium and large. Glass or metal. A whisk: wire metal or plastic coated. A pastry cutter is really nice to have. A sturdy Teflon coated turner to flip pancakes, turn eggs, etc. A colander can be plastic or metal. Having a bigger plastic or metal one for pasta and larger ingredients and a small metal set for straining are great to have. Spatulas for scraping bowls. Inexpensive are fine--the high-heat rated ones are really great because they will not melt, nor become flimsy when hot. And remember, ‘nothing says I love you, quite like a spatula.’ Apple corer, slicer and divider Dry Measuring cups with 1/8 cup through 1 cup. Plastic or metal will do. Glass or plastic Measuring Cups 1 cup through 4 cups are nice. Having a Liquid measuring cup AND dry measuring cups are important; each has its own use and a different purpose. 3 Carrie Groneman Stand up grater is easy to use and has large and small holes for a variety of uses.

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