Bare Minimum

• Table Salt – nothing fancy, just a big thing of Morton’s table salt. You can put this on your food, but you need to salt the water for pasta, add salt to chocolate chip cookies, use salt to blot oil stains in your clothes, and gargle with warm salt water when you are getting sick.
• Black Pepper – you know your dad lives for black pepper, but it does kick plain food up a notch.

Just Getting Started

Once your budget allows room for expansion, there are 3 more spices that I couldn’t live without. There are, in no particular order …

• Garlic Powder – We’re Italian — ok, YOU guys are Italian. Garlic powder is essential. I use fresh garlic, ‘jarlic’, and even roasted heads of garlic, but I cannot live without garlic powder. I put it on everything I cook, from hamburgers and chicken breasts to grilled veggies and pasta sauce.
• Lawrey’s Seasoning Salt – I am sure there are all sorts of junk in this, but I use it all the time. It is an essential ingredient in chicken spaghetti and my chicken salad. It just has a little more of a kick than regular table salt. And, Lawrey’s always kicks up my garlic bread to a whole other level!
• Onion Powder– Onion powder wasn’t really on my radar until I had kids. You guys refused to eat anything with onions, but your dad and I still wanted the flavor in certain recipes. So I had to improvise. Now, I put onion powder on everything 🙂

A Little Variety

Once you’ve bought the above five, you can branch out and add a little variety.

• Italian Seasoning or Oregano – Italian seasoning has oregano in it. Sometimes I have one, sometimes I have both. Honestly, I use them interchangeably, like in our family sauce recipe.
• Lemon Pepper – We like grilled chicken with lemon pepper. We also add lemon pepper to steamed veggies and even alfredo.
• Taco Seasoning – I know not everyone is a fan of taco seasoning, but it comes in handy. You know I love a bag of pre-cooked taco meat n the freezer for quickie quesadillas, taco Tuesdays, and taco salad.
• Montreal Steak Seasoning – This comes in different flavor profiles and is good for grilled steaks, burgers, and chicken.

Spice Things Up

• Cumin – I absolutely hate the way cumin smells but, that aside, I use cumin in my salsa recipe and in refried beans.
• Garlic Salt – I admit I don’t use garlic salt that often, but when I make homemade potato wedges, I use both garlic powder, Lawrey’s seasoning salt, AND garlic salt.
• Poultry Seasoning- You can buy multiple spices and make your own poultry seasoning, but its more cost effective to just buy this. I use it for chicken soup and chicken a la king.
• Dill – Dill smells so good! I add it to homemade tartar sauce and to tuna salad.
• Mustard Powder – I can’t remember which recipe, but I use mustard powder for one particular recipe :/
• Old Bay Seasoning – Old Bay is great on fish and seafood! Use liberally!

Sweet Nothings

• Vanilla Extract- While not exactly a spice, PURE vanilla extract is an essential for your spice cabinet/drawer. Do not even bother with imitation. Just. No.
• Cinnamon – Cinnamon toast. Cinnamon rolls. I’ve even used a shake or two in chocolate chip cookies. Dad doesn’t like it that way, but I do!
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – Like poultry seasoning, you could buy each spice separately, but pumpkin pie spice does the trick for both pumpkin pie and my pumpkin white chocolate blondies.

Oh La La

• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt – I admit it. Dad and I rolled our eyes at Uncle M when he insisted on buying Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, but it tastes sooooo much better! Who knew?! Buy some when your budget allows!
• Red Pepper Flakes – I’m allergic, but these jazz up pizza and are used in many Asian recipes.
• Paprika – Same with the allergies, but looks awfully pretty on deviled eggs.
• Herbs de Provence – This is a classic French spice combo. I have some for an omelette recipe.

Obviously, there are so many more spices out there to try. Just like when you were little and I used to let you open and smell all the jars.

Grab your crockpot, ladies!!

This recipe starts the night before. I soak my pinto beans in a bowl of cold water overnight. Some sources say you should. Some say don’t bother. I bother Just grab a big bowl and make sure to cover the beans completely with water.

The next day, drain the beans and give them a quick rinse. Add the following to your crockpot:

• pinto beans, soaked overnight; drained and rinsed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into fourths (no need to dice)
• 1 large box chicken broth
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• black pepper
• cumin
• enough water to ensure the beans are covered

I am pretty heavy-handed with the spices — beans are plain and can handle extra flavoring — except the cumin. Cumin can be overpowering.

Cook on low for 8 hours. The beans are done when they are soft and much of the water (not all) is absorbed. It’s more of a taste thing than a time thing. If your beans are still hard but the water is gone, you can add more, as needed.

Now, you could stop here and serve the yummy beans in a bowl with some sour cream and a slice of cornbread. Cheap and easy dinner.

Or … you can dump the contents of your crockpot into a food processor and blitz away. It usually has to be split up into 2-3 batches. Put the creamy refried beans back into the crockpot and taste. This is where I add salt to taste. I also add any additionally seasoning I think it needs. The onion imparts a lot of flavor though, so I usually don’t need to add much.

That’s it. Refried beans from scratch. Eat plain. Make Sam Sauce for nachos. Meal prep simple bean and cheese burritos for the freezer. Freeze the beans right in a ziploc. These beans are versatile and So. So. Good.

Milk

We are not really a milk-drinking family. If you have milk or cream — dairy or non-dairy — that is reaching it’s expiration date (7 days after opening for non-dairy), you can freeze it! If it’s just a small amount, you can pour it into an ice cube tray and transfer to another container after it freezes. Throw a milk ice cube in your hot chocolate, broccoli soup, or even chicken a la king.

If you have a lot of milk, you can freeze it in the plastic jug it came in (not the cardboard cartons). Simply make sure to pour some out as it will expand when it freezes and you don’t want it to ‘explode’ in your freezer. When you defrost it, be sure to shake it well. It will want to separate, but shaking helps to recombine everything.

Cheese

OK. Cheese lasts a long time in the fridge and we eat the heck out of it. The likelihood of cheese going bad is slim. However, in the event you buy a 5-lb bag at Costco and need to know what to do with it, freeze it.

Well, let me back up.

Freezing cheese makes it crumble-y. If you want to cut nice slices for a charcuterie board, frozen cheese is not your best bet. However, if you have shredded cheese or plan on using the cheese for cooking, freeze with confidence, right in the existing packaging.

Tomatoes

Inevitably, I buy mini tomatoes and they get wrinkle-y when I have a few left. Slice them in half lengthwise and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 2 hours at 300* (longer for large tomatoes). Et voila! Roasted tomatoes! Toss them in some pasta with a little pesto or top a piece of cheese-y garlic bread with them for a quick dinner.

Lunchmeat

Lunchmeat lasts 7 days from the time you open it, regardless of the date on the package! If its Day 6 or 7 and you don’t want to waste it, dice it up and throw it in a gravy. I explain how to make gravy from a roux here. Just like chicken a la king, you add the lunchmeat and any veggies to the gravy and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or even cut up toast.

Salami, pepperoni, and other cured meats last longer. I often store my pepperoni in the freezer to help it last even longer. It doesn’t really freeze so just grab a few pieces out of the package and go.

Vegetables

While I don’t know of a way to save wilted lettuce, hard vegetables can be roasted in the oven. Toss with a bit of olive oil and some seasonings. Eat as a side dish with dinner or blitz in the food processor and make a sauce for pasta (add a little more oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and some parm cheese).

You can throw wilt-y celery and carrots in a chicken soup. You could even make some vegetable stock on the stove out of wilt-y vegetables and veggie scraps. Strain the stock before using or storing.

Fruit

Throw it in the freezer for smoothies! Conversely, you can look up a recipe for dehydrating fruit or making fruit ‘leather’ in the oven!

Bread

I automatically put the heel of a loaf of regular bread in with my brown sugar. It’s pretty much a go-to, but if you have a loaf of bread that needs to be used up you can make grilled cheese or toasted BLT sandwiches. You could also make French toast if you have a few eggs.

Conversely, you can spread the bread on a cookie and bake in the oven at 250* until crispy. Blitz in a food processor and store in the freezer for homemade bread crumbs.

Additionally, if you know that you won’t be able to eat the whole loaf. Stick half in the freezer right when you get home from the store. Pull it out when you need more.

Sub Rolls

I make garlic bread out of extra sub rolls and stash them in the freezer until later. Simply split in half and liberally spread softened butter on the roll. Top with a generous amount of garlic powder, Lawry’s seasoning salt, and parm cheese. Stick them in a plastic bag and store in the freezer until you need them. You could add shredded mozz if you are feeling cheese-y. Here’s a few more ideas.

Bacon

Like lunch meat, bacon is only good for 6 or 7 days after opening, regardless of the date on the package! If I need some for a recipe, I just dice the rest of the package very small and sauté in a pan until thoroughly cooked. After it cools, I stick it in a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer for salads. Like pepperoni, it doesn’t really freeze so you don’t have to worry about defrosting time.

Flour

Flour does not go bad per se. It can, however, get … worms. Ask me how I know. Actually, don’t. It’s too gross to even think about. It’s rare, but under the right conditions, a bug can get in there and lay eggs and under the right conditions, they can hatch. So, I keep my flour in the fridge or freezer to avoid this from happening ever again.

Hummus

Can you guess what my suggestion is? That’s right! You can freeze hummus!! You’re welcome.

Shallow Fry (A.K.A. Mommy Chicken)

Slice chicken in half lengthwise so you have two equally-sized pieces. This is sometimes called butterflying or filleting. Go slow and watch your fingers and palm.

For ‘Mommy Chicken,’ I set out 3 shallow bowls, filling them with flour, whisked up eggs with a little water, and breadcrumbs. You can season the flour with garlic powder or whatever sounds good to you. You can use plain or seasoned breadcrumbs, crushed up corn flakes, Ritz crackers, or even panko breadcrumbs.

Dip each chicken breast half in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs – set aside on a large plate or baking sheet. Heat up about 1/2 inch or so of oil in a shallow pan or skillet. You want it hot but not boiling. Slowly add 2-3 prepared breasts to the pan and cook them 6-7 minutes per side. The oil will spit and spatter. You can jiggle it around so it doesn’t stick, but there is no need to repeatedly flip the breast. And, obviously, thinner breasts will take less time and mondo breasts will take longer. I always check by cutting one in half to ensure it is cooked thoroughly. No pink!!

Cube (A.K.A. Chicken Bits)

Chicken bits are also shallow fried. I cut a chicken breast into long strips and then into cubes. They have a tendency to puff up a bit as they cook so I err on the smaller side. Once all the meat is cut, I spread the pieces into a single layer on my cutting board and heavily sprinkle black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Lawry’s seasoning salt.

Place in a skillet with about 1/2 inch of pre-heated oil and do not stir. Leave everything alone so it gets nice and crispy, then stir. I never pay attention to how long this process takes. Once things look cooked, I cut the bigger pieces in half with the spatula. Once everything is no longer pink on the inside, I remove the chicken from the pan and drain it on some paper towel before serving.

I use chicken bits most often for salad, but they can also be used for a quick dinner with white rice and your favorite Panda sauce. You can also throw them in this casserole.

A Note About Oil: When frying, you want to choose vegetable oil, peanut oil, or even a combo of oil with some butter (for flavor). This is not the time to use your good olive oil. It can’t handle the heat.

Slice Thinly

Another option is to slice the chicken breasts into thin strips and marinate it. I do this with taco seasoning for chicken and cheddars, but it can work for fajitas or a stir fry.

Place the sliced chicken in a Ziploc with your marinade and let it sit in fridge for an hour or more. When you are ready to cook, heat up your pan. You do not need any oil. Just dump your chicken in the hot pan. The marinade will be enough liquid to cook with. Like the chicken bits above, cut things in half with your spatula to check on the progress. With a hot pan and thin slices, the chicken should cook in a few minutes.

Mom Tip: You can make your own marinade or use a packet. We love the McCormick fajitas seasoning packet but I add 2 TB or so of red wine vinegar. It used to say to do so on the packet, but they removed that verbiage. Trust me – it makes a huge difference. Add it!!

Deep Fry (A.K.A. Daddy Chicken)

Every year we deep fry a turkey and re-use the oil to make 20+ pounds of deep fried chicken strips A.K.A. Daddy Chicken. You can do the same thing on the stove, using a deep pot for the oil, or with a Fry Daddy-type of appliance. Just cut the chicken in to equal sized strips and use the recipe below:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk (or 7/8 cup regular milk topped off with vinegar)
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Soak the chicken in the mixture for up to 4 hours. In the meantime, mix the breading:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture and coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. Set each piece aside on a cutting board or baking sheet. Heat oil up to about 375* (hot. but not crazy boiling) and slowly drop a few pieces of chicken in. Do not let oil overflow.

Cook until golden brown, juices run clear, and NO pink! This is trial and error every time. The first piece is always an experiment to see how long it is going to take. Make extras; they freeze well!

Crockpot

Chicken in the crockpot is my favorite way to go. You just put whole breasts in and a quart of chicken broth. Leave it alone for 7-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. You can even throw the breasts in 100% frozen!

Sometimes I remove the cooked chicken and make chicken salad, chicken spaghetti, or that chicken, cheese, and yellow rice dish. Sometimes I add veggies while the chicken cooks and make soup.

Crockpot – Dump & Go

Another easy chicken recipe for the crockpot is the dump and go. Simply put a raw chicken breast or two in the crockpot and dump any of the following on top.

• Jar of salsa
• Jar of pineapple salsa and some crushed pineapple
• Jar of pepperoncini (juices and all)
• Frank’s red hot sauce with an equal amount of melted butter
• Favorite BBQ sauce
• Store bought Butter Chicken Sauce
• Jar of pesto

Cook for 7-8 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Easy-peasey!

Poach

Poaching is cooking the chicken breast in a pan on the stove. I don’t do this often as it ends up like crockpot chicken and — to me — that’s easier. You do you – xo

Grill

Stuff

Bake

Baked Nuggies or Strips

I made these chicken nuggets/strips so many times when you guys were little that I thought I’d go nuts! They’re easy, though. Instead of dipping in the classic flour-egg-breadcrumbs, my variation substitutes Ranch dressing thinned out with a little water for the eggs. Very kid-friendly.

Ground Chicken

Ground chicken is a nice change from ground beef and turkey. I like to make chicken burgers and chicken meatballs. You need to add either Parm cheese or breadcrumbs or both because, like turkey, ground chicken is a little too moist.

OK – I’ll try to add more later, but that should give you lots of ways to get started cooking chicken. Luv you!!

Mix:

• 1 cup of your favorite nut butter
• 4 TB honey

Set aside in freezer for 10 minutes.

Melt:

• 4 oz. (1/2 cup or more) of chocolate chips – dark, semi-sweet, or milk (your choice)
• 1 tsp. coconut oil

Melt in microwave, stopping to stir every 15 seconds. Stop right before it’s done or it will get funkified Place small amount of melted chocolate in mold or muffin cup followed by peanut butter mixture, and top with more chocolate.

Let hardened in freezer. Enjoy! (Store these in an airtight container in freezer)

xo

Stuff in a Quesadilla

You can stuff your leftovers into a quesadillas. I admit. This is my go-to, particularly when there isn’t enough to go around. In other words, if there is just enough chicken for only 1 or 2 sandwiches, I can dice everything up and throw into a quesadilla with veggies and cheese with enough to feed 5 or more. And, don’t just think Tex-Mex flavors. I’ve stuck leftover pork roast and apricot preserves in there with great success.

Top a Baked Potato

While leftover broccoli and some cheese may seem like an obvious (and tasty) potato topper, you have so many more options. Chili cheese is my personal favorite.

I know none of you are fans of sweet potatoes but — if you ever change your mind — leftovers BBQ pork or chicken with some black beans is an excellent way to top a sweet potato!

Top a Plate of Nachos

If potatoes aren’t your jam (I’m looking at you, S), then throw your leftovers on top of a plate of tortilla chips with some cheese. I do this a lot with leftover pot roast. I add black beans and pickled jalapenos and call them “Cowboy Nachos.”

Add to a Hash

Anything can be a hash as long as there is potatoes and leftover meat. Just dice up leftover potatoes, some onions, green peppers, and leftover meat. While corned beef is my personal fav, we don’t generally have leftovers for obvious reasons. However, you can use pot roast, pork roast, even steak (although steak paste is a better option – see sandwich spreads, below). The key to a good hash, however, is to leave it alone! Let it sit in the pan and get crispy on one side. You’ll be tempted to stir things around, but just let it sit in some butter and get all nice and crispy.

Whip Up a Gravy

The key to a good gravy is equal parts fat + flour. I explain it in detail here, but understand that this goes far beyond just chicken or turkey a la king. You can dice up a leftover hamburger and make hamburger gravy to serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Add some frozen peas and carrots, if you want. Leftover sausage patties makes for a mean sausage gravy over biscuits. Leftover lunchmeat can even be added to a gravy for a decent meal. My mom used to buy corned beef lunchmeat and add it and frozen peas to a gravy that she served over sliced toast points.

Most lunchmeat (salami and pepperoni being the exceptions) only lasts 7 days after opening, regardless of the date on the package. Listeria and all. This is a great way to eat it up before then.

Make Some Soup

I’ve explained that my potato soup is just leftover mashed potatoes, but you can throw leftover chicken or beef into a pot with some veggies and broth and call it soup easily. In fact, my chili almost always has leftover bits of sloppy joe or taco meat in it.

Put on a Salad

One of my favorite salads is Big Mac salad. A diced up leftover hamburger, diced pickles, diced red onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a mayo-ketchup-mustard-1000-Island sauce on a bed of lettuce. Sesame seeds or Everything Bagel seasonings, if you’ve got it. This concept works with anything, though – fajitas, turkey burgers, BBQ chicken.

Blitz Into a Sauce

Sometimes you go overboard making wonderful sheet pan veggies and have way more leftovers than you can eat. Throw them all in a blender with a little parm, some balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, and juuuuussssttt enough liquid to get the blender to go — chicken broth, beef broth, wine, even water. Warm the blended mix up on the stove and pour it over your favorite pasta!

Add It to Pasta Salad

Conversely, you can extend your leftovers by making it into a pasta salad. One lonely chicken breast can be diced and mixed with a combo of celery, grapes, pecans, and mayo and then mixed with some cooked & cooled pasta. Transforming that ‘serves-one’ chicken breast into a completely different meal for everyone. You could also do beans, corn, and Pico de Gallo. Heck – our favorite Southwest Pasta salad is traditionally made with leftover chicken in it (I just prefer it plain).

Throw on a Pizza

I always seem to have a frozen 4-cheese or a pepperoni in my freezer for ‘I-am-too-tired-to-cook’ emergencies. Sure. Ready-made pizza dough would be better to stash, but I don’t always have that option living up north. Anyway … you can jazz up a boring frozen pizza with any — and I mean ANY — leftover. Meatloaf? Throw it on! Sausage and peppers? Throw it on! Grilled Greek chicken and some olives? Throw it on! Heck – throw the chickpeas on there, too! Everything works on a pizza.

Create a Bagel Sandwich

Toast your favorite bagel (or the one you have on hand). Add butter and cream cheese, flavored, if you’ve got it. Use up leftover meat and veggies by cramming it in there and making a sandwich. We do this often with fajitas chicken and some leftovers veggies or taco-flavored chicken, like we make for chicken and cheddars. Really, though. Like all the options above, anything will work.

Turn It Into a Sandwich Spread

Obviously, you can make chicken salad, turkey salad, or even diced ham salad and serve it over lettuce or in a sandwich, but our fav is what you girls dubbed “steak paste.” While not a very flattering name, it is an accurate description. If you have leftover steak, dice it small and add diced pickles, hard boiled egg, mayo and seasoning to taste. This can be served on toast, but its particularly good with crackers.

Make Fried Rice

Leftover rice? Saute some veggies. Scramble an egg. Add some seasonings. Boom! Fried rice!

The key here is do not be discouraged when you have leftovers but aren’t in the mood to eat them. If you think about it, you can probably turn them into an even better meal on Day 2.

Love you!

• 12 -14 oz frozen cauliflower, thawed completely (leave it out in the fridge overnight or on the counter for an hour or so)
• 3 TB of butter
• 3 – 4 oz of pepperoni slices, divided
• 2 cups shredded cheese, divided (I use either mozz or Monterey Jack)
• 1/4 cup of half-n-half or heavy cream

Place the cauliflower, butter, half of the pepperoni, and half of the cheese in a food processor and blitz. Add half-n-half slowly until you a get a slightly creamy consistency. It won’t be perfectly smooth. Doesn’t matter

Dump everything into a pie pan or 8 x 8 baking dish. Cover with remaining cheese and pepperoni. Bake 350* 20-30 minutes. You want the pepperoni to curl up and get crispy.

Yum!

Note: I made this yesterday with frozen cauliflower rice that I happened to have on hand. It was waaayyy faster in the food processor, but it does cost more at the grocery store. xoxo

Baked Potatoes

The classic baked potato. It’s just so good dripping in butter and loaded with other tasty toppings. Luckily, its pretty easy to cook, too.

Wash potatoes and remove any ‘eyes’ or spoiled spots with a paring knife. Poke multiple holes in the potato with a fork. If you forget this step, they will explode in the oven. Ask me how I know … Bake at 400* for 40 minutes. Just set them right on the rack.

After 40 minutes, open the oven and give each potato a little squeeze. If they are still hard, they need to cook more. When they feel soft, they are ready to go. I try to get potatoes of the same size so they all cook at about the same time. More often than not, I have a random small potato that is ready first and a random big one that takes forever to cook. For the monster baked potatoes that we like, it could take up to 1 1/2 hours to cook thoroughly.

A word about foil: You could wrap your potatoes in foil. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t. When wrapped in foil, potatoes can stay hot for.ev.er. If I have multiple things to go in the oven, I wrap the potatoes in foil and cook them first. They will stay hot outside of the oven while I cook everything else. However, the foil prevents the skin from getting nice and crispy so there is a trade-off.

Toppings:

The best thing about eating a baked potato is that you can top a baked potato with just about anything, including:

• Butter
• Sour cream
• Bacon
• Green onions or chives
• Cheese, typically cheddar, but any kind really
• Steamed broccoli with melted cheese
• Chili with melted cheese
• Leftover pork roast and BBQ sauce (this would also be good on a baked sweet potato)
• Salsa – people do this and swear by it. Not my thing, but you may like it
• Leftover sautéed mushrooms or, better yet, leftover stuffed mushrooms
• Homemade queso dip
• Creamed spinach (if you have fresh spinach that is about to go bad, wash it. Sautee it in butter with a little bit of onion. Add cream, milk, parm, cream cheese or any combination thereof. Done. Pour oven baked potato.)
• Leftover spinach-artichoke dip. Recipe here.
• Buffalo chicken (se below)

My new obsession: Baked potatoes stuffed with Buffalo Chicken … cook 1lb of ground chicken (or turkey). When it is no longer pink, drain any fat and add 2TB melted butter mixed with 2 TB Frank’s red hot. Stir around until all meat is covered. Add a tiny bit (1/8 cup?) of blue cheese (or blue cheese salad dressing) and a bunch of whatever other cheese you have (shredded cheddar, coJack, mozzarella). Take off the heat. Cover until cheese melts. Cram into your baked potato, scarf it down, and then call me to tell me I’m a genius.

Twice Baked

If you are in the mood for twice baked, you are half-way there. Bake your potatoes, like above. When they are done, you need to move quickly. Don’t cool the potatoes, just hold them in your hand with a pot holder. Split the potato in half and scoop out the insides with a cereal spoon. Leave about 1/4″ of potato in the shell so it still has some structure and doesn’t fall apart.

I typically place a stick of butter in a bowl and then dump the scooped out potato in the bowl as I go. When all my potatoes are scooped, I place the shells on a cookie sheet. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, and more butter to the bowl and mash the part that you scooped out. Basically, you are making mashed potatoes.

I use an ice cream scooper to re-fill the shells with the mashed potato mixture and then I cover each with shredded cheese. I typically use my hand to press the cheese into the mashed potatoes so it all stay together.

At this point, you can cook for 20 minutes or so at 350* or you can freeze. Frankly, you may as well make extra and do both!

Potato Skins

Potato skins are similar to twice-baked. You still split and scoop baked potatoes like above, but then it takes a turn. You still make the mashed potatoes, but you don’t need them. Typically, I have a kid just eat them right then and there.

Instead, you take the shells and dip them into a shallow bowl of melted butter. Place on a cookie sheet scoop side facing up. Sprinkle liberally with salt and bake at 400* for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over with tongs, sprinkle with more salt and bake another 6 minutes or so.

Remove from oven. At this point, you can do a few things. If you want to eat now, just add cheese and throw them back in the oven until it’s melted.

You can also cool and put in fridge or freezer until you are ready to use. When you want to eat them, defrost, fill with cheese and bake until melted. You could also do from frozen, but they might require a few minutes in the oven without cheese, followed by a few more minutes with cheese. So, so good.

Mashed Potatoes

My mashed potato recipe is pretty basic. Peel and cut your potatoes into similarly-sized chunks. Boil until you can easily pierce with a fork. Drain and add:

• Butter (lots, and then more!)
• Salt (potatoes can handle a lot of salt!)
• Dairy (I rotate between sour cream and cream cheese depending on which I have on hand)

After draining the potatoes, I dump everything back into the pot with the above ingredients and let it sit on the counter covered for a few. Once things have melted, I mash with a potato masher and taste. If you can’t taste the butter, add more. Adjust the salt, if needed.

While mashed potatoes are fine on their own, they are also fantastic on top of shepard’s pie (recipe coming soon) or as a base for chicken a la king. Think outside of the (potato) bag.

Potato Soup

My potato soup recipe is made from the above mashed potatoes. You can see it here.

Roasted Red Potatoes

These were M’s favorite when she was little. The recipe can barely be called a recipe. It’s so simple.

• Red potatoes, halved or quartered
• Lawry’s seasoning salt
• Olive oil

Wash the red potatoes and trim of any weird bits. Cut in half or, if they are big, quarter them. You want two-bite pieces. Place in boiling water but pull just before they are done.

Drain, pat dry and toss in olive oil and Lawry’s seasoning. Roast at 425* for 20 minutes or until they have a nice crisp. You can stir halfway through if you want.

Garlic Potatoes

Traditionally, garlic potatoes are wrapped in fold twice thrown on the BBQ. While that’s convenient, we stopped doing that because we could never time everything to be ready at the same time. This recipe is an ‘eyeball’ recipe. You can make more or less, depending on how many people you are feeding or how many potatoes you have, and ‘eyeball’ everything.

• Brown, Russet potatoes, diced into 1- to 2-inch chunks
• onions, diced (I just use whatever leftover bit of onion I have in the fridge)
• butter — ALOT! — I use about 8 TB (1 stick) for a 13 x 9 pan potatoes
• oregano (you can sub Italian seasoning)
• garlic powder, sprinkle liberally
• salt or Lawrey’s seasoning salt (I don’t overdo it here. I add more after its done cooking)
• black pepper

Place in a glass pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Carefully remove foil, stir, and bake for 15-30 more minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

I have also made this recipe without onions. I cooked just the potatoes and then added pre-cooked bacon and shredded cheese for the last several minutes. Seriously good stuff! Mix equal amounts of sour cream and Ranch dressing to drizzle on top!

Homemade Fries

While I cant re-create McD’s fries, I make a mean homemade potato ‘wedge.’ The key is to soak them.

Peel your potatoes, placing each in a bowl of cold water as you go on to peel the next. When all are peeled, dump water and get fresh, cold water. Slice each potato in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 3 or 4 more lengthwise pieces, placing all slices in water as you go on to the next potato. Drain water and get fresh, cold water again. Let everything sit in the water for 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch.

Drain the water and pat potato slices dry on paper towel. The better you dry, the crispier the potatoes. When you are done, drizzle oil (any) and sprinkle with garlic powder and garlic SALT. Toss with tongs.

Bake on parchment-covered cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 400*. Remove from oven, flip each potato slice. Bake 10 more minutes or until done. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Breakfast Potatoes

Got leftover baked potatoes? Dice them up and throw them in a frying pan with some butter, diced onions, diced green peppers or those mini sweet peppers. Add some garlic powder, black pepper, Lawry’s seasoning, and onion powder. Stir to coat everything in melted butter and then leave it alone. Let the potatoes crisp up on one side. They are technically already cooked so this is done cooking when everything is warmed through and the potatoes are crispy.

Fantastic with a fried egg on top or you can throw leftover roast or corned beef in the pan and call it a hash. YUM!

Parsley Potatoes

I make these potatoes when I want something simple and fairly light. I typically boil small, red potatoes until a fork pierces easily. Drain and put back in the warm pot with some butter, salt, and a little bit of dried parsley. That’s it. Done.

Spud Tip

Potatoes do not freeze well on their own. They will typically turn black and become inedible. HOWEVER, if you add a fat to them — butter, milk, cheese, cream cheese, you get the picture — they do great. So, baked potatoes won’t freeze well, but twice baked potatoes that are stuffed with rich, creamy, buttery mashed potatoes and covered in cheese do great. Likewise, garlic potatoes won’t freeze but potato skins that are dipped in melted butter will survive until your next craving hits.

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (another vinegar will NOT work – sry!)
• 1 TB brown sugar (light or dark – whatever you have)
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic, heaping
• flank steak or skirt steak

Trim any large or ‘hard’ bits of fat off the meat. You don’t have to remove it all perfectly. Just run your hand over the meat and get rid of any hard bits and larger pieces.

Mix all ingredients well in a ziploc, add steak, and let sit in fridge for several hours. Make sure the meat is well covered with the marinade. Feel free to rotate it in the bag in a hour or two, if necessary.

This type of steak is best grilled quickly over high heat. If you are using a BBQ, cook it a max of 3-4 minutes each side. I know it doesn’t seem long enough, but it is!

Let it rest for 10 minutes after cooking.

How to cut a flank or skirt steak: You need to cut across the grain. If you cut a flank steak with the grain (the short side), it will be chewy. Instead, cut the steak in half and rotate it so it is vertical on the cutting board. Cut long, thin strips off the long side. Repeat with the other half. It will be melt-in-your-mouth soft. Yum-o!

Mom Tip: I store my cans of tuna in the fridge so it’s already cold. It just makes sense to me.

Plain Tunafish

This is the plain Jane version that you kids like.

• can of Bumblebee solid white Albacore tuna in water
• mayo (Duke’s is the best!)

Open can and drain liquid by turning upside-down and pressing on lid to compress. Place tuna in a bowl and break up with a fork. Add mayo a little at a time until it is just moist.

For this version, I prefer soft white bread with butter. Leave the butter on the counter or nuke in the microwave for 10 seconds. Spread liberally on both sides on the bread. It’s weird, but once you’ve had a tunafish sandwich with butter, you can’t go back!

Tuna Noodles

You kids lived on ‘tuna noodles’ when you were younger. I think the rest of America calls this tuna salad, but your name stuck!

I literally take the above recipe for plain tunafish and add extra mayo. Then, I add cooked, drained, and cooled elbow noodles. You want the mixture slightly on the ‘soupy’ side because the noodles will soak up the mayo. Chill several hours or, preferably, overnight.

Mom’s Tunafish

This is how I like it for sandwiches.

• can of Bumblebee solid white Albacore tuna in water
• mayo (Duke’s is the best!)
• finely diced red onion
• finely diced celery
• dried dill, maybe 1/2 tsp to taste

Mix. Serve on wheat or sourdough toast, or soft white bread with butter as above. Sometimes I add Swiss cheese, tomato, and lettuce.

I know you guys love capers! #Understatement … you could add some capers and lemon juice to this version.

Matthew McConaughey’s Tunafish

This is not my recipe, but a tweaked version of actor Matthew McConaughey’s. It is so odd that I had to try it and see what all the fuss was about. It’s addictive. Dad hated it. I couldn’t get enough! See for yourself.

• 12 oz. can of Bumblebee solid white Albacore tuna in water (the big can)
• 3 TB lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mayo (again- Duke’s is the best!)
• 2 tsp Wasabi paste
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced dill pickle
• 1/4 cup diced red apple
• 1/3 cup crispy dried jalapeno (it’s with the salad toppers in grocery store)
• 1/2 TB honey
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/3 cup frozen peas

Mix all and let sit overnight. Serve, open-face, on toast, or with crackers. Seriously good stuff!

Tuna Melts

This version was all the rage when I was a kid. I like tuna melts but don’t make them because dad thinks it is gross. LOL

Make the tunafish mixture any way you like (Version 1, 3, or 4) and place on a plain hamburger bun bottom. Add a slice of cheese. American cheese is classic, but Swiss or cheddar work, too. If you are feeling fancy, add a slice of tomato under the cheese.

Bake 375* for 5 minutes and then broil until the cheese melts. Remove from oven, add the top of the hamburger bun and enjoy.

Tuna melts are also made like a grilled cheese sandwich on bread and grilled in butter until the cheese is nice and melty.

My Tuna Casserole

When Auntie Sheila came home from college for the weekend, this is what she asked me to make her every single time. It’s good. Like, really good!

• 12 oz bag of egg noodles, cooked & drained
• 12 oz. can of Bumblebee solid white Albacore tuna in water (the big can)
• 1 cup frozen peas (you could use finely diced celery, if that’s what you have on hand)
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups swiss cheese

Mix all but 1 cup of cheese. Place in greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 375* for 20 minutes or until cheese is browning and its warmed through. Eat!

There are tons of other things people put in their tuna casserole, from mushrooms to potato chips, but I’ve found that the key is lots and lots of cheese

That’s it. 6 ways we make tunafish in this house. Enjoy! xo