It’s easier to keep everything in one place than to search through a scattering of different scraps of papers and old notebooks for all of our recipes, so my wonderful wife and I decided to post all of our family recipes here.
APPETIZERS
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
A simple, healthy, and sophisticated appetizer you can use as the first course of a dinner party.
Bourbon Candied Bacon
We’ve been playing with this recipe extensively over the past 6 months, and calibrated it to PERFECTION. By we, I mean Shay did the work, and I taste tested. Eating bacon for science is just one of the many services I provide.
SIDES
Shay’s Refried Black Beans
These blackbeans are one of our favorites to whip up as a side for most of our Mexican and South American dishes. It also plays a role as an ingredient in several other of our recipes.
Quinoa with Apricots and Pistachios
The apricots and onion give a sweet/savory flavor, and the pistachio adds a nice crunch
Campfire Bourbon Baked Beans
So, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of baked beans. Shay created this recipe to use while camping, and I ended up loving them. To this day, these are about the only baked beans I will eat!
Asparagus with Almond Sauce
This is a delicious and easy to cook asparagus side with a creamy almond sauce, which pairs well with many meat centered entrees
ENTREES
Tofu Cutlets Marsala
This is a lovely savory vegetarian take on marsala, using fried tofu in place of chicken. It’s been a repeated hit amongst the vegetarians in our house!
Spaghetti Bolognese
Bolognese is a meat based Italian pasta sauce. This recipe delivers a rich and thick sauce, full of flavor. Max has even figured out a way to turn this meat forward dish into a delicious vegetarian option!
Salsa Mac
This is a simple and quick weekday dinner recipe that gives you a delicious and savory salsa forward maccaroni dish with only 30 minutes of work.
Peanut Vegetable Lo Mein
My son Max found and adapted this recipe, and we end up making it all the time- Delicious, savory, and only takes about a half hour to prepare and cook, depending on what veggies you use.
Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Tenders
Nashville Hot Chicken gives you a great sweet spicy experience with tender chicken breast meat, a thick crispy breading, and a brown sugar and cayenne pepper infused glaze.
Lemon Pasta With Asparagus
This is another of Max’s favorite dishes, and he made some modifications to create his own unique dish.
Ground Beef and Oat Meatloaf
I’d do anything for love… except share the last slice of this delicious and easy to make meatloaf!
Egg noodle dough
Making noodles from scratch can take a little time, but is actually quite simple to do; especially if you have a noodle maker.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
This dish requires very little preparation., tastes great, and feeds many.
Chicken and Dumplings
This thick and creamy chicken dumpling is loaded with flavor, and perfect for the winter.
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Enchiladas
These enchiladas are a favorite in our household. Rice, Chicken, and bell pepper combined with Shay’s amazing home-made enchilada sauce makes for a delicious meal
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Words can’t describe how in love I am with this cajun style jambalaya. You’ll need to plan a day to grill a couple chickens to do it right, but you can take a couple shortcuts to make a very delicious meal. The best part is that this dish actually becomes more flavorful when you let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple days- so don’t expect to have leftovers for long.
BREADS
Banana Bread
You purchased a bunch of bananas with the best of intentions, but then you ate cookies instead, so what do you do with the rotten bananas? Why you make this delicious banana bread of course!
BREAKFASTS
Sourdough Pancakes
This is probably my favorite pancake recipe, and I have made this on countless occasions both at home and out camping!
SOUPS
Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Soup
This is a home made recipe inspired by the phenomenal beer cheese soup made by Phantom Canyon Brewery in Colorado Springs. We were originally attempting to clone it, but ended up creating a wonderful concoction all on its own!
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
This is a hearty and very simple to make recipe, which can cost as little as 7 bucks to cook an entire pot. Prep it in the morning, and forget about it until dinner!
Spice Mixes and Sauces
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ever since shay started making this enchilada sauce, I’ve been hesitant to order enchiladas at a restaurant, because most of them just don’t compare.
Nashville Hot Spice Mix
Nashville hot seasoning and chicken- there aren’t many pairings that go this well together. We use this to make nashville hot fried chicken tenders, but it also works as a dry rub for smoking chicken, or grilled chicken wings. Honestly though, it’s great on just about anything if you want to add a sweet/spicy pop to it
Cajun Spice Mix
I always make sure to have this cajun spice mix on hand- It’s great in just about anything, including jambalaya, dirty rice, and to incorporate into dry rubs for smoking chickens and grilling steaks.
Blackened Seasoning Spice Mix
This is the best combination of spices I have found so far to blacken fish and shrimp, but I will also use this on other meats when I’m in the mood for something different
Desserts
Zucchini Brownies
Zucchini adds a great deal of moisture and richness to an already decadent chocolate dessert.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is a recipe Shay has been cooking for years. I think it is one of the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipes, because the raisins are soft and the flavors blend with the rest of the cookie, as opposed to being small gritty pebbles like most other oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve had,
No Bake Coconut Drop Cookies
The only cooking skills you really need to make these delicious treats is the ability to mix ingredients and boil water!
Georgies Ginger Cookies
This is a family recipe from Shay’s side of the family, passed on to her. Unlike most ginger cookies, these are designed to remain soft and chewy.
Drinks
Hot Spiced Tang
Shay has been making this tasty drink mix since her childhood, and we always have it on hand. Great as a hot, warming, winter beverage.