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Cream Cheese Squares Recipe, Picture Guide

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  These cream cheese bars are an absolutely delicious dessert! They are super sticky and gooey but can still be eaten without a fork if served cold. While very sweet and rich, it is hard to stop at only one! With this picture tutorial you can see that this is an easy recipe to put together, using a yellow cake crust on the bottom and covered by a sticky, dense cream cheese filling. They look a bit like lemon bars but the taste is very different. Kids and teens will sometimes be reluctant to try them due to the cream cheese that they contain, but once they sample them they quickly realize that they’re not biting into cream cheese, but a delectable, sweet dessert! If you decide to try this recipe, please consider leaving me a star rating and a comment below; it is very helpful for me and I appreciate it very much! Thanks in advance! When my son brought some of these bars to school with him, one of his 8th grade friends loved it and went home to search my blog for the recipe, to no avail; I simply hadn’t put together a post on it yet. Since my own kids will also definitely want this recipe once they’re out on their own, it was time! Caden, this blog post is for you! 🙂 I hope you’ll have fun baking!   The How-To’s: Start out by setting the […] Read more »

Deluxe Scalloped Potatoes; Recipe & Pictures

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  Today I will post a fantastic recipe for the ultimate of scalloped potatoes! This dish was a huge hit when I served it as a side during our large family Christmas celebration. I am tempted to call it Grown-Up Scalloped Potatoes because the flavors are more complex than some of the other, more standard recipes. I love scalloped potatoes, but this recipe has definitely been kicked up a notch and is a must-keep for my recipe box. And they also just happen to be gluten free! How awesome is that? With the upcoming holidays in mind, I originally found it at Great Party Recipes .com, (Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes) while searching for a recipe that would work for a large group of people. After making a couple of changes and trying it on small-scale first, I decided there was no reason to look further! This was it! And it was a success! Below, I have posted a lot of pictures along with the directions and recipes, and I hope it will be helpful to you. If you decide to try these scalloped potatoes, I would love it if you came back to comment and add a star rating as it really helps me out! Thanks in advance!   How Much Will You Need if Serving a Crowd?  On the bottom of this post you will find a smaller and a larger size recipe for your convenience; the smaller one for 6 servings […] Read more »

Norwegian Fiskegrateng; Fish Au Gratin Recipe

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  Fiskegrateng is a very popular and much loved fish casserole among kids and adults in Norway.  It is an excellent way to use up fish leftovers, especially if you have cod, pollock, or other white fish on hand. Being that Norway has such a long coast line, fish is widely available and served often, in a variety of ways. So, naturally, there will be leftovers. Translated to English, some fitting names for this dish might be Fish Au Gratin or simply Fish ‘n Macaroni Casserole. As I grew up in Norway, my mother would either make this dish from scratch (she didn’t use a recipe) or she would buy it frozen from the grocery store. It came with or without macaroni, and we all loved this meal, even those who normally didn’t like fish! It was a yummy, mild comfort-food served with boiled potatoes, cooked vegetables, and melted butter. My husband and kids all love this casserole as well. In fact, it’s one of my husband’s favorite meals of all!   The Recipe In this post I will use pictures to show you how to make fiskegrateng. But first I have to give you a heads-up: although this dish isn’t exactly difficult, it is not one of those quick and easy meals to make either. But if you want to WOW your family or friends with a wonderful, old-fashioned, authentic Norwegian fish dish, then this is IT! The skill level […] Read more »

Perfect Chicken with Top 3 Homemade Dry Rub Recipes

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Dry rubs are easy to make at home, and with three truly amazing recipes below, there is really no need to buy expensive spice mixes from the store! A dry rub is a mix of dry spices and herbs as opposed to wet marinades. Dry rubs can be made in large batches as they keep fresh for a long time and are easy to store. In this post I will share my absolute favorite homemade chicken rub recipes (at the bottom of this post), and also give you important tips on how to apply seasonings to chicken, which will make a world of a difference in the end as far as flavor goes! In addition, I’ll let you in on what I do to make sure my chicken is cooked to perfection and super juicy! The flavors in all three of the recipes in this post makes chicken taste like something you’d find at a great restaurant! They have quickly become must-keep recipes for my family as we absolutely love them, and it’s fun with variation! If you do try these recipes, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance! Why Make Your Own Rubs? Homemade seasoning mixes have several benefits over those purchased at stores: They save you money, give you variety with the endless choices available, and they are usually also healthier choices […] Read more »

Norwegian Pancakes, Recipe With Picture Guide

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    Traditional Norwegian Pancakes We kids always rejoiced when we came home from school to discover we were having pancakes for dinner! Growing up in Norway, pancakes were always large and super thin, fried up one at a time in a buttery skillet. They were soft with a crispy edge around them; just melt-in-your-mouth goodness! Cooking alongside my mother from a very young age, I learned how to make them as a child, and then I carried the authentic Norwegian pancake tradition along to the United States as a grown-up. In the following pictures and with the help of my son who is now learning (and doing a fantastic job, may I add!), I will show you how to make and fry them. The recipe is added on the bottom of this post, first using standard American measurements, then a second recipe using metric measurements (ml, grams, etc.). If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance! One thing I want to point out is that there are different, very strong opinions out there (by Norwegians!) on whether or not Norwegian pancakes should contain sugar. The bottom line is that some make them sweet and some don’t. And it seems people believe that whatever they are used to is the correct way. Well, there really is no […] Read more »

How to Make and Bake Norwegian Lefse

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    Lefse is a food very much associated with Norway. With fond memories of their old traditions and culture, people with Norwegian heritage often love to bake lefse and feel the nostalgia of years past, especially during Christmas. In Norway, this dish is also served during other holidays, or any special occasion. In this post I will share details on how lefse baking is done, along with lots of pictures of the process and two different recipes on the very bottom of this page. The Askeladden Lodge of the Norwegain-American organization Sons of Norway, holds a popular, annual event called “The Lefse Party“. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, winters can get mighty cold and snowy, so this is a perfect time to get together to bake lefse! Members who have lefse griddles and other equipment bring it along, and everyone enjoys this fun time of teaching and learning while lefse dough is rolled, flipped, and baked. Then, finally comes the time to add toppings and enjoy a splendid meal together! Visitors and new members are always very welcomed at Askeladden Lodge, and to any of the many lodges across the country. Locations and more information can be found by clicking the Link to Sons of Norway, and the Link to Askeladden Lodge of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Askeladden Lodge can also be found on facebook. The generous members of Askeladden Lodge were so kind to let me shoot photos and learn from them […] Read more »

Tasty, Cheesy White Chili Recipe with Chicken

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    I originally tasted this wonderful chili at an outdoor youth event with our church. This was during the month of October, and where we live it can easily get cold this time of year. This evening was chilly indeed, so chili was the perfect food to keep us warm! There were several pots of chili served, all from different recipes, and though all of them were tasty, this one by Tamie was by far my favorite! When I inquired about the recipe, I was given a link to the Taste of Home website. That same fall, with a few minor changes to the original recipe, I made a huge crock pot for my husband’s workplace as they were having a chili contest, and I gave him a big bag of shredded cheese to serve along with it. The cheese was to be used as a topping, of course. Instead he dumped the entire bag right into the pot, stirred it up, and wouldn’t you know, he came home with a trophy! Wow, first place!! This was now an award-winning recipe! I asked how many had entered, thinking maybe there were 40-50 or so, and it turned out there were around 8 other pots… So yeah, we got first place out of 8! Wow, pretty cool, huh? Well, at least people enjoyed it, so I’ll take that to heart. And we had a cool trophy to look at for […] Read more »

Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe

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  Banana bread has been a staple recipe in households across America for generations. Most recipes seem to be pretty similar to each other, and I find that they often are fairly bland. And there’s really no reason for a bland result. It is so easy to make a banana bread packed with flavor and moist at the same time! After monkeying around with my original recipe, which was already a good one, I made changes to use real butter, brown sugar, more salt, extra vanilla, sour cream, and more. The result has been outstanding! There is of course another major difference between most banana bread recipes: they come with or without nuts. Why some people choose to add nuts I will never understand. And of course, those same people cannot fathom that I would make mine without! Even so, nuts can be added easily and is optional in this recipe. The resulting loaves are very moist and delicious with all these special ingredients to bring out the flavors. If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance!   Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe To start out, use an electric mixer (or just a spoon) to beat together softened butter, brown and white sugar, and eggs. There’s no need to beat hard, just blend together well. (Use dark […] Read more »

Thanksgiving Simplified; Easy, Delicious Turkey Dinner

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Hosting is fun and rewarding on so many levels, and spending time with family is very high on my list of things I love. Our family celebrates Thanksgiving the traditional way, with the whole family gathered and eating turkey with lots of sides. It really can be quite an undertaking though, both to prepare the food and to clean up afterward, even with lots of help. This year I decided to make some changes and to do in advance everything that I could. My goal was less stress during food preparation and less dishes to clean afterward, but still serving the wonderful turkey dinner my family has come to love so much. Simplify, simplify. Here’s what I came up with: The week before Thanksgiving: Turkey: (Here’s a link to how I slow-roast my turkeys) For the turkey, I baked it the week before, then carved it, saved the drippings, and cooked stock on the bones for yummy, delicious soup later (Turkey Stock). I put the meat into two 9×13 aluminum pans; white meat in one, and dark in another, covered them well with foil and plastic, then placed them in the freezer. I also saved a cup of drippings for each pan to use during heating.  See below for heating and serving. Gravy: I made gravy ahead of time as soon as the turkey was done cooking. I used turkey drippings, some potato broth, corn starch (instead of flour to […] Read more »

Savory & Tender Fall Apart Pot Roast, Recipe

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    Savory & Tender Fall Apart Pot Roast To make an excellent, fall-apart tender pot roast, choose a 2-3 pound piece of chuck roast. This particular cut of beef is marbled with a lot of fat and connective tissues and is initially quite tough, but becomes very juicy and fork tender if cooked the right way. The fat also adds a lot of flavor! Contrary to an already lean and tender piece of meat, which needs a shorter cooking time and dry, high heat, a chuck roast needs to cook for several hours in moist heat.  In other words, low & slow to break down fat and tenderize the meat for that fall-apart doneness a good pot roast is known for. The result is juicy, tender meat that melts in your mouth! Various recipes of herbs and spices can be used with this cooking method, and personally I love to use my crock pot to slow cook this wonderful, savory meat. If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance! Cooking the Meat The first thing you should do as you prepare to cook a pot roast is to sear it on all sides. Fry the meat in oil on high heat until browned all over. This time I cut my roast into serving pieces, but it […] Read more »