Pizza, pretty much the universal party favorite of kids and adults alike.  Even more fun is having the construction of the pizza take center stage at your get together.  I’ve seen kids have a blast making their own pizzas at birthday parties, and the same goes for family dinners.  Give the kids a bit of dough, some flour and a rolling pin and let the fun start.  (We have to hide the toppings or else two cans of olives disappear before the dough is even rolled out!) We love to make pizza in the summer when cooking it on the barbecue lets us enjoy the outdoors while keeping the house cool.  While you can put the dough straight on the grill rack, we’ve found it’s much easier to both carry and bake your pizza if you use a pizza tray made just for the barbecue.  Although the long handled pizza trays tend to cost less, I’ve been told that it’s easier to grill with the short handled pizza trays as you can close the barbecue cover all the way.  The trays also make great gifts for that special someone who loves to grill.  Read the rest of the story...

A couple years ago, my kids and I took a trip with my mom to visit my aunt and uncle. We had a great time seeing relatives and exploring near their home in the mountains of Montana. And my uncle took my kids for rides on the 4 wheeler- an experience they still gush over today. We had a wonderful time, and during the course of our stay I learned something: my aunt is a fantastic cook! She made us incredible oatmeal pancakes which have become a favorite at my house.

Oatmeal Pancakes  Read the rest of the story...

While swapping recipes, the Flying Hen and I found out that we had a favorite cookbook in common, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.  Our mothers used older editions of the book and my Rooster even admits to being impressed with the wide range of topics covered in this timeless kitchen reference.  So on a recent trip to the bookstore, the familiar red and white checkerboard cover on a kids cookbook caught my eye.  It was Better Homes and Gardens Snack Attack!  Read the rest of the story...

I don’t know why this recipe is in my recipe box or where exactly it came from, but we are glad we have it.   We make this a couple of times a year, usually in the heart of winter, and it is so good even the kids go for it.   Now, I know Velveeta creates different emotions for different people, and we NEVER use it except in this soup, but if you try it you won’t deny it!  Here it is:

6 Large carrots, sliced

4 Stalks of celery, chopped

5 Large potatoes, cubed  Read the rest of the story...