All my ideas come from somewhere. Probably yours do, too. It’s crazy how similar we are. Point is, these came from the idea of gyros, which, up where I’m at, a lot of times are made with lamb. My whole family pretty much digs lamb, except me. And, well, Jake. This might be why we work so well together.

I could go into a big long rant about how this is the greatest thing ever, but I won’t. I will tell you that I kept taking “finished product” pictures in order to have an excuse to eat more, because I couldn’t stop. It was highly addictive. I can’t call this traditional Greek, or I just wouldn’t, so I don’t get told otherwise.

This is kind of like a whole bunch of ideas thrown into one deliciously crazy meal. I clearly do not have a vertical spit at my house to roast gyro meat on, so instead, I’m making it into a pulled pork kind of deal. It’s tender and juicy. And, this may not be traditional tzatziki, it’s my take on it, with some sour cream thrown in. I’m also assembling it different, and trying to make it look like I can eat like a civilized human being, instead of just stuffing it in my face.


Ingredients:

Greek-Style Pulled Pork
Center Cut Pork Loin (mine was just shy of 2 pounds)
1/4 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 cups of water

Creamy Cucumber Sauce
6 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup cucumber, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dill

Additional items
Pitas
Sliced cucumbers
Lettuce

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I think I've said before, but I can't quite possibly say it enough, I love pineapple. It probably is one of my most favorite fruits. It just hits so many notes for me, personally.

So, this article is called Dessert Ideas by Madeline Weed, and was published in Catholic Extension Magazine, in April of 1963. The specific dessert is called Pineapple Fluff Cake. Which to me, just sounds divine.


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You know what else was pretty cool? (Possibly just to me.) There was a side ad, for a President Kennedy Silver Spoon for a buck.


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After carefully reading the recipe, it somewhat reminds me of the style of Anna T's Nut Cake. You know, folding in egg whites, tube pan, and all that.

I haven't made this. But, if it looks like something you might want to make, snap a couple photos of your finished product and zip them over to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. Full credit for your hard work would, of course, be given.

We have to have a heart to heart: There are things you may or may not know about me. I can come up with recipes, fairly easy, except when it comes to baking. And, it’s not that I don’t have ideas, but, baking is a science. I can’t just throw everything into a bowl and hope it works out. Have I ever told you I can’t make chocolate chip cookies? It’s true. I’ve only tried like a gazillion times, and, they always fail. And, so did these, the first time. When I pulled them out of the oven, I actually felt bad for them. They were tiny and slightly dense. Jake is still eating them, because, well, they did taste good. But, when I envision muffins (what they should look like, and how they should taste), it certainly wasn’t what I got. So, I went back to the recipe, and I tweaked it. And, here they are.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
½ cup shortening
2 packets (individual size) instant coffee
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup water

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I have this things for BBQ sauces. I might would blame it on being born and raised in Texas, but I'm not sure that's exactly why. I think it has something to do with the never-ending possibilities. And, maybe, something to do with being from the South.

Last week, I bought a ton of mangoes. I love them. Not to do things with, just to eat. But, that's the thing, I didn't eat them. Out of necessity, this sauce was born.

I plan on using it later in the week, and I'll show you how I used it, but first we'll start with the sauce. When making it, I really imagined it more for chicken or pork, but, I don't want to be one of those pushy people, so, I'll let you decide.

Ingredients:

2 mangoes, diced
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons butter
½ onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water

OR:

I think it's important for food to not only taste good, but look good too. It is one of the reason that I take as many pictures as I do, albeit not the only reason. Jake is a very visual person, especially when it comes to food. If we go out to eat, and there are pictures on the menu (which most times there are), he is likely to get something he can see. I can be that way, too.

After getting home from visiting with Jake's family for the weekend, then resting, we started to watch some TV. This is normally the time when I bust out the cookbooks to look at for the Retro Recipes. When I came across this one, it was so visually appealing, that I was almost positive I was going to use it.

It's from the 30th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Book, published in 1982, and contributed by Mrs. Beverly A. Sebastian of Fort Worth, Texas.


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The picture alone makes me want to try this.

I've been gone all weekend, and need to get back to cooking more for this website (which I plan to do starting tomorrow - with ALL NEW recipes), so I haven't made this. If it looks like something you might want to make, and do, please snap a couple photos and send to me at the e-mail under Contacts. Full credit for all your hard work will be given, of course!

I think I’ve said before that, me and Jake, we just aren’t breakfast people. You probably won’t catch me waking up early on weekends to fix breakfast. Jake won’t even eat eggs. However, occasionally, I get a hankering for something breakfast-like. Pancakes more than anything. But, that’s not this. Sorry. So, that seems like a weird twist.

This, this is, well, oatmeal. I use to eat oatmeal growing up. My favorite is maple and brown sugar—you know, from those little packets? But, obviously, I don’t need to show you how to make those. So, when I decided to make baked oatmeal (which I believe is currently all the new rage, or, maybe not so new, but to me it is), I wanted to try and stick with those flavors. Because, I know them.

But, then something happened, which maybe I shouldn't tell you, but I am going to. I was confused as to whether or not I really liked it. I don’t need super sweet oatmeal, and, this is not. As I continued to take bite, after bite, I realized that I did, in fact, like it. Or, if I didn’t, I might not have eaten an entire corner of it. So, yeah, it’s good.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
3 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons of syrup (real is probably better than Mrs. Butterworth's)
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Non-stick cooking spray

OR:

I'm about to share something with you, something that some people might find embarrassing. But, in order to show you my love for macaroni and cheese, I'm going to disclose to you this information. I still eat macaroni and cheese out of the box. You know, the one with the powder cheese? Yeah, that one. I like it. And, what's even more ridiculous, is that I can eat the entire box. By myself. That's probably even worse that eating it in the first place. It's just that, I have this theory, that it doesn't taste the same if it's reheated, so, I try and eat it all. And, for some reason, I refuse to share with Jake. He doesn't understand it either.

Despite that, I do actually make real macaroni and cheese. I love that, too. But, for different reasons. Something about cheese sauce and pasta makes me go crazy.

Ingredients:

1 pound elbow macaroni
4 ½ cups milk
½ cup butter (or 1 stick)
½ cup flour
½ cup sour cream
2 – 8 ounce blocks of cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground mustard

OR:

I like donuts. There, I've said it. I mean, really, who doesn't? If you're Jake, you might like a Bavarian Creme donut. Yeah, those are good. And, if you're me, I totally go plain jane, with just a glazed donut. They are my absolute favorite. I'll get spunky every once in a while, but most times, glazed is the way I go.

So, I was making baked oatmeal (recipe to come later), and it got me thinking about breakfast. And, how we don't ever eat it. That somehow led to donuts, which I have to completely honest, me and Jake never really eat donuts for breakfast - more like a treat at some point during the day. But lots of people do. I know, my thought process is weird, but stick with me.

Then, I came across this book, From Our Mother's Kitchen, published in 1986 by the St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, it had this recipe in it. It has doughnut recipes in it. This one sounds basic, and yet, good. Sometimes, I don't want a recipe that is complicated. Has too many ingredients. Or, makes me wonder if I am going to regret having started making it.


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I haven't made this, I've been making some other dishes to post up. But, if this sounds like something you might want to make, (don't be scared of the name), maybe you could snap a couple photos and send to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. Full credit for all your hard work will be given.

Just a note: You can Google "ustipke" and see what they are supposed to look like. Which, I did. Makes me want to try this recipe out.

Lots of blogs that I visit are posting about strawberries. And, well, rightfully so. It's that season. Strawberries are good. It's as simple as that. I must admit though, what I am about to share, Jake wasn't the hugest fan of. It's okay. As long as we've been together, we still have different tastes in food. A long list of them, actually. As per the norm, I asked him to come and try it. His response? "Well, if you like it." And, I do. And, you will, too. I left it sitting on the counter and ate the entire bowl as I washed dishes from dinner and from making this salad. I couldn't stop. He missed out.

A slightly sweet and tangy dressing, coupled with sliced strawberries and fresh lettuce. What could be better? He totally missed out.

Ingredients:

10 large strawberries (or 12-14 medium to small strawberries)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Romaine lettuce
Parmesan Cheese

OR:

Can I tell you something? You should make this. I think so, and, Jake thinks so. He didn't necessarily say that, but I can tell you how I know this. For the 20 minutes that he took eating it, he never said a word. Not one. He just sat there and ate. And, ate. Until, it was gone. He didn't bother with chips, or other sides. Just this sandwich. We particularly like the turkey meatballs, but, you are more then welcome to use different ones. Just like the sauce. If you have a favorite marinara sauce, because, well, mine takes a while to make, and you're having a long week, or day, maybe you want to pull these together quick, then use that. But, because I like you, I've given you links back to the recipes.

This is just an idea. Expand on it. Make it your own. Use a different cheese. I can't see you, or stop you (that might be weird if I could). But, it's okay, I wouldn't. I just want you to enjoy it. Hopefully, as much as Jake did.

Ingredients:

10 meatballs or so (I use these Turkey Meatballs)
1 cup marinara sauce (I use my homemade sauce)
½ of a pepper, color of your choice
¼ onion, sliced
½ teaspoon steak seasoning (Montreal Steak Seasoning is what I use)
3 tablespoons butter
Rolls
Shredded Cheese

OR:

I'm particularly partial to this candy store. We use to go more, when we lived closer, but now, we rarely go. I'm sure I can survive without a bunch of candy. However, I cannot survive without their gummy bears. They are completely awesome, to say the least. Normally, I wouldn't review a store/restaurant that doesn't have multiple locations (such as this candy store), however, lucky for you, you can buy Albanese Candy because it is available online, ready to be shipped to you.

Now, while they do make their own candy, they have tons of old-fashioned candies available. We often go here at Christmas to get truffles to take to Jake's grandmother. But, we keep going to back for their gummy bears, with all their different and unique flavors.

They also make gummi army guys and gummi jet fighters, which have been featured on Food Network's Unwrapped. Another neat tidbit, is that they donate bags of these gummies to our men and women who are serving our country over seas. Pretty cool, right?

So, of course, I took the camera, and we shot tons of pictures.

I apologize for my lack of posting. Saturday we went to my mom's company picnic, to which I sat outside with cottonwood flying around, and just ended up feeling like my head what going to explode. Then shortly after we got home, we had some ridiculous summer storm (if that's what you can call it), and it caused complete disarray to our back yard. Including, turning over our grill and almost destroying it. We were planning on getting a new one, but now, it's even a more for sure thing.

Despite all of that, I have a pretty awesome Retro Recipe this Monday. Or so I think. I completely fancy strawberries. And, I've never had an old fashion soda, so this one really intrigued me. I hear they are great. This one comes from 101 Strawberry Recipes written by Carol Eberly in 1986. What's better than a book entirely devoted to strawberries? Nothing. I can't think of anything.


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Of course, as always, I have not made this recipe. But, if it sounds good enough that you might want to make it, maybe snap a couple finished product photos and send to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. Then, I can post them up, show all your hard work, and give full credit.

For a while now, me and Jake have been buying dry roasted edamame. It’s probably one of our all time favorite snacks. Well, unless you’re Jake, and, you can eat an entire bag in one sitting, it may no longer be considered a snack. He likes them that much. I don’t blame him. And, I only ever ask for some, not a bunch. But, I got it in my head, that I could make those. Cause, you know, that’s what I do. All the time. “I can make that.” Most times, I can pull it off. And, actually, probably, most times we like my version better. That is most definitely the case here.

The container sits by Jake’s computer, which he told me was unsafe, as he felt he was going to eat the entire batch. I told him it was okay. Cause, I kind of like him.

Ingredients

2 cups edamame (I buy already shelled)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon pepper
Non-stick spray

OR:

Ok, there is a really sweet story I want to share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it, I did, when it was told to me.

This one is for you Granny… Several years back, Granny Croy (Chris’ grandmother) gave me this brittle recipe, after I had asked several times for it. I’m not sure who or where she got it from, but, she told me this little story as I wrote it down.

This is what she said to me:

“Now Michelle!!! I just want you to know, I have made many batches of this brittle, too many to count. But, you know what I did with the money I got from selling it?”

“What granny?” I said still writing the recipe down.

“I bought grandpa a ring,” she replied.

“A ring?” I asked.

“Yes, I had designed a ring for him, of gold and diamonds,” she answered.

I stopped writing and listened, “WOW granny”.

“I had to sell a lot, too”, she continued.

“I bet you did.” I said.

“Everything I made off the sales went to that ring.” She said.

“Granny, that must have been a lot of brittle”, I said in amazement.

“Yes it was”, she finished.

Now, I know it wasn’t a long story, or maybe even a romantic one per say. But, if you could have seen her face when she told me that, and, how proud she was of what she did, it just made me stop and think “WOW”, how sweet is that? When I finished writing the recipe down, and granny was done talking, I just walked away with shear amazement of what one person could do for someone they love. If you ask me, she had to sell one heck of a lot a peanut brittle to buy this ring…AMAZING, well, it was to me. Oh, and as for the ring, well, Chris wears it now, and, wears it proudly. His grandpa left it to him. Well, I hope you enjoyed the story to an amazing brittle recipe I always loved her making it. Oh, one last thing, granny never added chocolate on top, I do to give it that extra something, she liked it though.

Ingredients:

3 cups of sugar
1 cup white Karo Syrup
½ cup water
4 tablespoons of butter (divided 2 and 2)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
3 cups raw peanuts
Chocolate bark (6 squares)(optional)

OR: