Not A Pretty Picture ~ How to Clean Dirty, Stubborn Residue from A Stainless Steel Pan

It's not a pretty picture, folks, but just something you have to do when cooking occasionally...clean that ugly, stuck-on stuff off your stainless steel pans.

There are several ways to remove that yucky residue from your pans, but I use what I think is the the most simple and effective method that utilizes items you generally have on hand.
                                     
Let's start with a photo of the pan after it has been cleaned...

                                              All Shiny and Ready to...

                                          Cook Your Next Fab Dish!

To-Die-For Strawberry Hand Pies with Homemade Crust (or Not)

My daughter is a fearless baker!  I'm always telling her...oh no, don't try that...it's too hard, or too much trouble!  It seems the more I insist the recipe is too stressful, the more determined she is to make it! 

Recently, she decided she wanted to try her hand at hand pies (get it...try her hand at hand pies?  Oh, never mind...I can get kinda corny!)  She chose strawberry, as it is one of her favorite flavors.

Her husband loves pies, and she has been getting into making her own crusts...and they are wonderful!  So, she was set on making the crust for these strawberry hand pies from scratch.  I tried to discourage her from making a homemade crust, so the recipe would be easier.  But do you think she listened to me...of course not! 

Well, naturally, the pies were to-die-for fabulous!

                                             Wouldn't You Just Love to...

                                          Bite Right into One of These?

For this delectable recipe, see Strawberry Hand Pies from Michael at Inspired by Charm.  My daughter added a little lemon zest to the filling.

Perfect for a picnic, snack or dessert, Enjoy these scrumptious strawberry hand pies by themselves or with a good premium vanilla ice cream! 

(Psst, if you are in a pinch, or just lazy like me, you can use a good refrigerated, pre-rolled store-bought pie crust...just don't tell my daughter I said that!)

Big Fat Chocolate-Coated Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Filling ~ Super Easy and Super Scrumptious!

It seems I always crave a bit more chocolate when I have a chocolate-dipped cookie or a chocolate-filled sandwich cookie.  So, I decided that I wanted both...chocolate filled and chocolate dipped! Oatmeal cookies were my cookie of choice, since they are one of my favorite cookies; and, oh man, was that a great choice!  You get this nice crunch along with that satisfying chocolate coating and filling...bingo, perfect and ever so easy!
  
                                              What A Whopper of....

                                              Total Scrumptiousness!

Heavenly Date-Nut Bread ~ Reminiscent Recipes

My mother would always serve date-nut bread on Thanksgiving with homemade whipped cream cheese...how I looked forward to that every year!  This heavenly date-nut bread is so reminiscent of her wonderful Thanksgiving meals.

With every bite, I am overwhelmed with delicious comfort...something we can all use during these challenging times.  So why wait for Thanksgiving...

                                    I Close My Eyes, Take A Bite, and...

                     Warm, Fuzzy Scrumptiousness Just Bathes Over Me

Easy Homemade Sweet Creamer

Better than the store-bought flavored creamers and more economical too, you'll really love this simple sweet creamer in your coffee, hot tea or hot chocolate.

You know how I've said that accidents sometimes lead to the best things, and that is exactly what happened when I made this sweet creamer!  You see, I thought I was making whipped cream when I realized that cream was just not whipping at all.  I checked the carton; and sure enough, it was just half and half.  Oh well, I said..."guess I'll just use it in my coffee."
 
 Now, this is my very favorite sweet creamer!

                                                      My Coffee...

 

Just Wouldn't Be The Same Without It!

Easy and Delectable Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes

When you need to throw something together for an easy lunch or dinner, you're gonna love this amazingly flavorful butternut squash soup with roasted sweet potato cubes and kale chips...it's sooo good and satisfying!

For a heartier soup, you could add cooked, crumbled chicken or turkey sausage.

                                   This Is So Flavorful and Sooo Good...

                                        I'll Have Another Bowl, Please!