I just love to cook and bake!  You will see some of my favorite easy (and sometimes not-so-easy) recipes here, for just about any kind of food.  I'm a vegetarian, so you might find that I have more meatless recipes here.  However, I cook meat for my children, so I have non-vegetarian recipes, too--especially the ones my fussy eater likes! 

Easy Baked Chicken

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  I use leg quarters and cut to separate the thighs from the legs.  You can remove the skin if you like.  Season the chicken however you like (I normally use seasoned salt and pepper, along with anything else that strikes my fancy--cumin and garlic powder are good choices, too) on both sides of the chicken pieces.  Place the thighs bone down and the legs anyway you want on a baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes.  So easy and my children love this!

Mashed Potatoes

I need to note that I never peel potatoes for this, as I am somewhat of a nutrition fanatic.   Also, I don't mind a few lumps here and there, but not big ones.  For some reason, it just makes this more interesting.

Wash as many potatoes as you feel you need, and cut them up into about one-inch cubes.  (I normally do this by cutting them into 3 slices long ways and then into halves long ways.  Then I cut each of the thick slices into cubes.)  Put into a pot with an inch or two of water, bring the water to a boil, and steam until the potatoes are fork-tested soft.  Drain.  In the same pot, mash the potatoes and then add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk, unless you're only using one potato; in that case, use about 1/4 cup, and 1/2 to 1 stick of butter or margarine, along with salt to taste.  Make sure to mash enough to get all the lumps out!

Did you know that when measuring out salt in recipes, you can get away with only using half of the stated amount?  I've done this countless times and have never had a problem, even with baking recipes.

But just to let you know, if I put a recipe here, it will show the amount before you reduce it.

Reese's Pie

This stuff is incredible!  I got the recipe from a bachelor--does that give you a hint on how easy it is to throw together?  If you use a store-bought crust, use the plastic cover, upside down, to cover the pie while it's freezing.

You need:

1 graham cracker crust

1 4-service pkg of instant chocolate pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

8 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups of chopped Reese's cups
 

Prepare the pudding with the 1 1/2 cups milk, refrigerate for 5 min.  Fold in cool whip, then the chopped Reese's cups.  Put this mixture in the crust, cover, and freeze for 4 hours.  I recommend taking it out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving.

Sherbet Punch

Take your choice of sherbet flavors and soda (for example, orange sherbet and lemon-lime soda).  Put a scoop or two of sherbet into a glass and then fill with the soda.  An alternate would be to put several scoops of sherbet into a punch bowl and then fill the bowl with soda.

Hey, it's cool to cook, but you have to have food, don't you?  A great resource for low-cost food is Angel Food Ministries.  They have this great package with different meats and veggies (plus a dessert ) for only $30, plus other packages with different things for varying amounts, normally from $20-22.  Plus you get loads of food in each of these packages.  AND they take food stamps!  When I get my order every month, it's almost like Christmas!  Check it out.