We love Lemonade at our house and I almost always have a pitcher of it sitting in the fridge. We drink plenty of lemonade and ice tea all summer long. I’m much more comfortable with everyone drinking it than soda all day long.

Since it’s still pretty cool around here, and we were all nursing a cold, I thought about something my mother used to make for us as kids, which was basically a hot lemonade, sweetened with honey. So I grabbed a mug of lemonade and heated it in the microwave and it turned out great. Not only does it taste yummy, it feels wonderful on my throat and the steam helps loosen up congestion.

That got me thinking…are there any other uses and recipes for lemonade. I’m sure you can use it to flavor all kinds of different stuff.

We’ve always loved popcorn and usually have a few bags of microwavable ones sitting in the pantry. There’s just nothing better than watching a movie together as a family while sharing a bowl of popcorn. But as much as I love it, I’d like a little more variety than plain popcorn and the buttered version.

Do you have any ideas on what to make with popcorn, or how to give it different flavors like some of the gourmet popcorn available? I also love caramel corn. I get a big tin of it for Christmas every year, but would love to make it in small batches throughout the year.

If you have any popcorn recipes or ideas, please share them as a comment below.

My daughter, who is five, decided last week that she will no longer eat animals and that she’s a vegetarian now. So I’ve been cooking more beans veggies and the likes and we also picked up a pack of garden burgers and some veggie dogs at the store this week. I’ve fixed the veggie dogs for her like regular hot dogs twice now and am running out of ideas. Since they are full of protein, I’d like her to eat them frequently, but I also don’t want her to get tired of them. Any ideas on what I can make with veggie dogs? Do you have any recipes that call for them, or maybe something that you would usually use regular hot dogs in? Thanks for your help.

My five year old has been very interested in plants and how they grow lately so we started a little planting experiment. We planted some watercress since it’s easy and fast to grow. In fact, its’ too easy and I have a huge amount of these yummy little plants sitting in a pot on my kitchen counter.

I like to sprinkle some fresh watercress on my salad, but other than that I honestly don’t know what to do with these. Any ideas or recipes that call for watercress? Please post them as a comment below.

One of my favorite winter vegetables is red cabbage. I stew it with some grated apples and a touch of vinegar until it’s nice and soft. It’s really good with a pork roast and some potatoes. I just got back from the store with a nice head of this purple looking cabbage and was wondering if anyone had any other ideas on what to make with it.

Share your recipes and ideas as a comment below.

One of my favorite comfort foods is pinto beans and corn bread. In fact, I have a pot of beans cooking right now. The problem is I can’t seem to judge how many dry beans we actually end up eating. I keep forgetting how much they swell up in the cooking process. The result? We end up with way to many cooked pinto beans.

Any ideas on what I can make with them? My family loves beans and cornbread, but isn’t big on eating the leftovers and I end up tossing them. What a shame!

Take a moment to share your favorite recipes and ideas as a comment below. Can’t wait to hear how you eat your pinto beans.

Since today is National Pie day, I thought I’d pose this question - What Can I Make With Pie Crust?

Obviously there are all kinds of different pies from sweet to savory that you can make with this tender, flaky crust. Speaking of Pie Crust, here’s my favorite recipe for it. - Easy Pie Crust Recipe -  I didn’t have much success in making my own pie crusts until I tried this particular recipe and it turns out great every single time.

How about you? What are your favorite pie recipes? Do you have any other ideas / suggestions on what we can make with pie crust? Share your ideas and recipes as a comment below.

Susanne

We all know how delicious Pepper Jelly is. I have been to many a gourmet cooking parties where the hosts feature a selection of pepper jellies served over cream cheese with crackers. Not only is the appetizer appealing to the eye with its colorful presentation, but it is irresistible to the taste buds. I find myself unable to stop at just eating one, four, ten, and, if nobody is looking, even twenty.  By the end of most parties, I have ignored the serving knife and plunged the crackers straight into the pepper jelly/ cream cheese combo in order to pile more on faster.  I leave each party with a heavier body and a lighter wallet.

Needless to say, I have a pantry filled with Pepper Jelly. As much as I love it served with cream cheese and crackers, does anyone have any suggestions what else to make with Pepper Jelly?

I started the new year off by cleaning out my spice cabinet and found two packets of rapid rise yeast. I can’t remember what I bought them for originally, but they haven’t expired yet and I’d love to use them up. I’m just no sure what to make with it. Each of the packets has 3 smaller pouches of yeast in it and they say rapid rise yeast on them.

Ground beef of one sort or another almost always seems to be on sale at one of the stores in town. It’s also usually one of the cheapest meats to buy and pretty versatile. I usually keep a few packs of it in my freezer and use them for anything from burgers and meatloaf to spaghetti with meat sauce, but to be hones, we are starting to get a little tired of the same standard hamburger dishes.

I’m looking for some fresh recipes and ideas that use ground beef - will you help me and my family out? Please post your favorite recipes as a comment below.