I remember sprouting beans as a kid, so I thought it would be a lot of fun for our daughter as well. I was right

To make sure we’d get some beans to sprout, I spread them out in a large baking pan (wedged between wet paper towels). As it turns out, just about every single one of them sprouted and we are now sitting on a lot of bean sprouts ready to eat. I thought about sprinkling some over a salad, but other than that, I’m at a loss.

I’d hate to throw them out. Please give me your best recipes using bean sprouts. Thanks!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of grocery shopping at Aldi and they have some whole frozen chickens there. Since it’s one of the cheapest meats I can buy these days, I’ve been buying about one of them a week and then used it to cook several dinners.

Here’s what I do…. I thaw the chicken and then cook it for about 6 to 8 hours in the crockpot along with some onion, celery and any other veggie scraps I have laying around (for flavoring).  I let the mixture cook down a bit and then take out the chicken and pick all the meat of the bones. I also strain the liquid which by now has turned into a rich chicken broth / stock.

I use the broth, some of the cooked chicken, rice and veggies to make chicken soup. We also use the shredded meat for anything from chicken salad to chicken enchiladas, wraps, or in sauces etc.

How about you? What’s your favorite way to cook a whole chicken?

Goldfish are a snack staple around here. They are not quite as bad as some other snack options and make quite the portable food item as well. Most importantly, my daughter will actually gobble them up even if she is having one of those picky eater days were she refuses to eat almost anything else.

I usually serve them either by themselves or with some cut up fruit and chicken and the likes to turn them into a more filling meal. Any thoughts on what else I can make with goldfish crackers to keep things interesting and create more snack and meal options?

P.S. I just edited the title from “What Can I Make with Goldfish” to “What Can I Make With Goldfish Crackers”. After  posted it I realized that it could be misread …. Let me assure you, I have no intention of cooking up “Goldie” the goldfish swimming in a big glass bowl.

I always have a few packets of Kool-Aid laying around. We don’t really fix it too much, since I prefer to give my family water and fruit juices. But it does come in handy when we have a crowd of thirsty kids around. I have been wondering though if there’s a way to use it for something other than making a big pitcher of a brightly colored thirst quencher.

Since it’s been getting pretty warm around here, cool and icy treats have been on my mind. Last week I made slushies for the first time and it turned out wonderful. I’ve had quite a few requests since to “Please make those again”.

They are fast and easy to make. You basically just blend some water, ice, a pack of kool-aid and some sugar in your blender for instant slushies.

Please feel free to share any other recipes you may have that use kool-aid.

My in-laws have a pretty decent sized vegetable garden and are growing yellow squash and zucchini in it (among plenty of other vegetables). Apparently it’s Zucchini season and I just came home with a huge bag of these yummy vegetables. I’m going to cook up a big batch of them with some onions, canned diced tomatoes and some italian seasoning and serve everything over rice for dinner tonight.

I’m just not sure what to do with the rest of them. Do you have any good recipes for zucchini? Do you know of any dishes that would also freeze well? I appreciate your input.

I usually drink my coffee black, but every once in a while, I enjoy a little half and half in it. Because of this and for family and friends that stop by for a cup of coffee, I usually keep a container of this mixture of milk and cream in the fridge. The problem is that I can’t seem to use it up before it expires.

Any ideas on recipes that use Half and Half? How do you use it in your cooking or baking? I’ve also been wondering if I could just freeze any that’s about to go bad and if so, how could I use it up later. I don’t think plopping an ice cube version of half and half in my coffee would work too well.

I look forward to reading your favorite half and half recipes.

I bought a few bags of dry split peas last week and made a pot of traditional split pea soup so far. I like the idea of having some things like dried beans and peas sitting in the pantry that I can turn into a meal for my family any time.

The soup got me thinking… I’m sure there are quite a few variations and even completely different dishes that can be made with these dry legumes. Care to share your favorite recipe?

Here’s the split pea soup recipe I used.

One of my husband’s favorite late night snacks is vanilla wafers with peanut butter. Our daughter likes it as well, but my favorite way to eat them is plain, dipped in milk.

I also use them to make banana pudding. I simply layer vanilla wafers, sliced bananas and vanilla pudding in a glass dish and then top everything with whipped cream. It gets better if it sits for an hour or two in the fridge … don’t put the whipped cream on it though until you are ready to serve it.

How about you? Do you have a favorite Vanilla Wafer recipe?

My neighbor’s cherry tree is out of of control and she just handed me a huge bag of these yummy fruits. There is no way we can eat them all as is before they go bad. Any ideas what I can make with them? Are there any easy ways to prepare something that stores well in the fridge or freezer? At this point, I’m even open to canning options.

These cherries are just so yummy, I’d hate to see them go bad. Please help!

My nephew will eat almost anything as long as it is covered in or cooked with ketchup. Since he’ll be staying with us for a few days, I’ve had recipes with this tomatoy condiment on my mind. I make a simple noodle dish that he really likes, and of course use ketchup in my meat loaf (and pour some on top while it bakes), but other than that, I haven’t really had any new ideas. Care to share your favorite recipe that uses ketchup?

Here’s mine

Boil some macaroni according to the package directions. In the meantime, brown some hamburger meat and season it with salt and pepper. Drain the cooked noodles and pour them in the pan with the hamburger meat. Squirt some ketchup on top, stir well and serve. I have yet to come across a kid that doesn’t like this simple dish.