What's Cookin'?

This page will have recipes I've made, links to recipes I found on Pinterest,  and noteworthy food items I've purchased and loved!
*Not all recipes will have pictures.

Strawberry Cheesecake Fruit Salad
My mom showed me this recipe. I'm pretty sure she posted/found it on Pinterest. You can mix and match the fruit and pudding mix.

  • 3 individual containers of strawberry yogurt
  • 16 oz container of cool whip
  • 1 box cheesecake pudding mix
  • 1 16 oz can of pineapple chunks
  • 1 lb package of strawberries
  • 1/2 package of mini marshmallows (optional)
*mix the yogurt and pudding mix together. Add fruit. Fold in cool whip and marshmallows. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving

Aunt Ann's Apple Pie
My Aunt Ann showed me this easy apple pie recipe she found on Pinterest. It tastes real good served with caramel and ice cream.

  • 1 package of Pillbury pie crust (will have 2 crusts in package)
  • 1 can apple pie filling
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
*Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter and brown sugar in cast iron skillet on low. Reserve 1/2 the butter/brown sugar mixture. Make sure the other half is spread evenly on bottom on skillet and remove from heat. Place 1 pie crust over mixture. Spread pie filling over crust. Sprinkle with additional brown sugar if desired. Place second crust over pie filling and pinch the crusts together. Use remaining butter/brown sugar mixture to spread on top of pie crust. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

 Healthy Nachos
This recipe I made up because of my addiction to nachos. This can be mixed and matched to suit individual tastes. Here is what is pictured below:

  • sliced sweet potato brushed with coconut oil and sea salt baked at 400 for 20 minutes
  • beef skirt steak marinated with Worchestshire sauce and Mrs. Dash seasonings
  • fat free Fage Greek yogurt
  • feta cheese crumbles
  • half a small avacado
  • salsa
  • romaine lettuce


 Authentic Czech Kolaches
The filling can be double or single. This recipe is for a double filling. You can mix and match the fillings to experiment to find your favorite flavor. We used cream cheese inside and topped with either apple butter, plum butter (bought from a special store), or fresh apricots. Check out my post about making kolaches here for more details.
For the dough

  • 1c warm milk
  • 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 egg yolks, room temp. (save the whites for basting kolaches before baking)
  • 3c flour
  • 6 tbs sugar
  • dash salt and nutmeg
  • 2 1/2 tsp yeast

*If using a bread machine, add liquid first then add flour and sugar on top. Add the salt and nutmeg on top of the flour. Make a small hole in flour mixture and place the yeast in the hole and cover it with flour mixture. Set bread maker on dough setting and it should mix and rise within an hour to an hour and half.
*If using a mixer, mix the dry ingredients together but reverse the procedure mentioned above. Leave mixture in mixing bowl and cover with a towel and let dough rise (about 1-1 1/2 hrs)...you want to make sure it's in a warm environment.

  1. when dough rises, take out of bowl and roll into a log form
  2. cut log form into about 20 pieces (depending on how big you want your kolaches)
  3. roll each piece into a ball and flatten out
  4. place a small amount of cream cheese filling (see below) in center of each kolache then form a "pocket" around cream cheese filling, completely sealing in cream cheese mixture
  5. flatten each kolache and place on pan; using your finger, make a "dimple" in the center of each kolache
  6. baste each kolache with the egg whites set aside earlier
  7. place desired filling in each "dimple"
  8. dust top of each kolache with "kolache dust", if desired (see below)
  9. bake for 10 minutes @410 degrees, or until golden brown

For the cream cheese filling

  • 1 block cream cheese, softened
  • 2-3 spoons of powdered sugar
*Mix 2 ingredients together thouroughly

For "Kolache dust"

  • equal parts of flour and powdered sugar (about 3 spoons each) and 3 tbs melted butter- mix together, set aside


Life Changing Mashed Potatoes (a/k/a "Sue's potatoes")
I nicknamed this after a fellow coworker who just loved these so much!

  • 6-8 red potatoes, boiled and mashed
  • 1 stick butter
  • 16 oz sour cream
  • 8oz cream cheese
  • 1c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 small can french fried onions
  • 1 pkg bacon bits
  • desired seasonings (I use garlic salt, onion powder, Mrs. Dash garlic herb, black pepper)
  • 1 large can french fried onions
*mix all ingredients, except large can of french fried onions, into the mashed potatoes. Top with large can of fried onions. Bake @350 for 20 minutes. This can be made ahead of time and put in refrigerator. Top with fried onions just before baking and adjust baking time to 30-45 minutes, or until warm in center.

"This Sounds Like it Would be Good in There" Guacamole
The name says it all on this one.

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • splash of Worcestershire sauce
  • splash of salsa
  • splash of lemon and lime juice
  • couple of dashes of parmesean cheese
  • garlic salt, onion powder
*mash avocados and mix all ingredients together.

Chocolate Cake
This I got out of a recipe book from my sister-in-law. It is her mother-in-law's recipe. This is always a huge hit at pot lucks.

  • 1 box devil's food cake mix
  • 1 (4oz serve size) instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 2c sour cream
  • 1c melted butter
  • 5 eggs
  • 1t almond extract (or vanilla-this is what I use)
  • 2c semi sweet chocolate chips (I use the mini version)
*Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, together in an electric mixer. Add in the chocolate chips and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 or 10 inch bundt pan and bake @350 for 50-55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This is one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables. I don't measure anything in this recipe. Use the desired amount of product. I usually make enough for 2 days worth...my husband doesn't eat these.

  • Brussels sprouts, ends cut off and cut in half
  • olive oil, or dressing marinade (sometimes I use a Greek dressing marinade)
  • parmesean cheese
  • garlic salt
  • onion powder
  • 3 pieces of uncooked bacon, chopped
*toss all ingredients, except bacon, in a bowl. Place on a foil lined baking sheet or casserole dish then top with chopped uncooked bacon. Bake @425 for 30 minutes.

Baked Peaches
This is a nice, light summer dessert.
  • peaches, halved with pit removed
  • butter slices
  • honey
  • brown sugar
  • cinnamon
  • whip cream, if desired
*place peaches skin side down in casserole dish. Top each half with a slice of butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over each half, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake @350 for 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream, if desired.


I've linked up to this a couple of times in my blog posts. This is a favorite!

This is a recipe from a good friend, and fellow foodie. Her blog has lots of other tasty recipes.

This is for those who don't care too much for the cream of mushroom soup version.

This is my go-to recipe for mac n' cheese.

At $4.99 for 4 breaded fillets that only take 25 minutes to cook to crispy perfection, how can you not?

Caramelized Onion Gouda Chicken Burgers
I bought these a Costco because they were on demo. They are so good and easy to fix. Pop it in the microwave for 55 seconds....done! I have mine on a sandwich thin with some of my guacamole on top.

"To cook, or not to cook?"
A post I did with several good recipes.

"Summer food ideas"
A post where I shared some foods I was snacking on, and a couple of recipes.

We bought this pizza at Trader Joe's. It was a nice, light pizza. We had a caprese salad (cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, Greek dressing, Mrs. Dash garlic herb seasoning) with it. A nice, light summer meal. The pizza cooks in 10 minutes!


*This page is a work in progress. Check back for updates on what's going on in my kitchen!


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