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Okay, so guess what the number one ingredient used in my house is…

If it were up to me, it would be bread or peanut butter or maybe even pasta.  But no, because of my husband’s love for it, it is corn.  We eat corn in every way we can find it.  That might be right off the cob, or in our fettucine alfredo, or in a sandwich type Venezuelan meal called an “arepa.”  I go to the supermarket and buy a dozen cans at a time and my husband will eat it straight out of the can if I let him.

Lately, he’s been putting it over every meal we eat.  I mean, just this morning I made him chicken and waffles for breakfast and guess what his brilliant idea was?  To throw half a can of corn over it.  I find it pretty nasty to put it over everything, but he absolutely loves it.  He thoroughly enjoyed that waffle and now wants to add it to my chocolate chip waffle.

I think he just does it to taunt me… But anyway, I have been making creamed corn in the crock pot for years now.  It is easy and saves so much time and never fails me.

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 Quick Tip: Use canned, frozen or fresh corn for this dish.

About three years ago, my family visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Every time we travel, I am in charge of searching for where we are going to eat.  Instead of just googling, I go on Yelp and actually read reviews and see pictures of foods that people have eaten and what they have to say about it.  I remember running across one that was at a Mill and I knew I wanted to try it.  It was a bit hard to get a reservation for 10 people (yes, I know we have a very big family), but I persisted until I got it because I really wanted to try it.

What caught my attention on the menu (and from the photos on Yelp) was the chicken and dumplings.  It looked so creamy and hearty and really filling.  On the chilly December evening we visited, I knew I wanted something warm so that was the perfect fit.  My family told me not to order it because since I had never tried it, I would not like or enjoy it.

But boy were they wrong.  The meal was perfect and delicious and just what I needed on that cold December night and I would order it again in a heartbeat.

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Quick Tip: Enjoy this with a glass of sweet tea.

One of my favorite meals is a good old-fashioned hamburger.

That is, just a patty with a bun.  No veggies, nothing else, just the flavor of the patty shining through.  Now, every so often, I might throw in a slice of cheese (or maybe a combination of three like Munster, American, and Provolone…don’t knock it til you try it!), but by and large, I like my hamburgers simple.

Now, unfortunately, I don’t own a grill.  We just bought a house and haven’t been able to buy a grill yet (but it’s on my Christmas list, for those wondering). But, I have found that I do not need a grill to make a classic hamburger.  I can make it in a casserole dish!  Yep, you absolutely can, too.  It is just as delicious and if you really want the hamburger style, cut a piece out and put it in a burger bun.

This will not disappoint.  It is juicy, cheesy (if you want it to be) and everything you would want in a burger.  Five Guys Burgers and Fries ain’t got nothing on this dish!  So next time you are snowed in or maybe you just do not have a grill like me, try this.  Your craving will be satisfied and your mess will be much smaller.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Holle Boom Kitchen.

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Quick Tip: Slice up burger buns and serve them warm on the side of this dish for the complete experience.

Trifles are one of my favorite desserts.

They are creamy and layered with all sorts of good stuff. I can remember the first trifle I ever made after getting married. it was for Thanksgiving dinner and consisted of pumpkin pudding, gingerbread, and whipped cream. Boy oh boy was that dessert ever good! I’m really excited about making this Christmas trifle for my holiday dinner. I know that everyone will love it, especially me lol! I have so many desserts planned for this holiday season that I better get a head start on making them or I’ll be in the kitchen all night on Christmas Eve. Who am i kidding? I probably will be anyway 🙂

Have you ever made a holiday trifle? If so, how did it turn out and which flavors did you use? I would love to make some sort of red velvet trifle. I think that would be super good! You could use a red velvet trifle for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. How special! When it comes to dessert trifles you have so many options.

The layers just keep revealing more and more surprises! You see? Not only are trifles delicious but they are also fun! I really hope you enjoy this recipe for a Christmas trifle.

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Quick Tip: Garnish the top of the trifle with faux holly berry. It’s so festive and pretty!

My little sister’s in-laws have a very special Christmas Eve tradition.

Each year, they go over to her husband’s grandparent’s house for oyster stew. At one time, I thought they were eating clam soup but no, it was oyster stew.

Anyway, I never felt like this stew sounded very appealing until I had the honor of trying it. My little sister had brought home some leftovers and when I went to her house to visit my niece and nephew I got to sample some. Wow! Was it ever good.

It wasn’t what I was expecting at all which was a mouthful of overpowering fish essence. I found this recipe for oyster bisque and I thought it looked really good as it is a creamier version of what my sister had served me. I prefer cream soups and stews to thinner ones.

Anyway, another great thing about this Christmas Eve oyster bisque is that you can really cut the cost down on the ingredients by using canned oysters. But by all means, feel free to use fresh if you are able. Enjoy!

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Quick Tip: You may use fresh or canned oysters in this bisque.

Christmas cookies are amazing. They come in all sorts of varieties.

I love sugar cookies the best because they are versatile. They taste great plain and they taste great frosted. You can add all sorts of flavors to your sugar cookies such as hints of orange, anise, eggnog, and the list goes on and on. These sugar cookies are pretty dang awesome because you actually make them into a roll before baking. Slicing the cookies of the roll of dough is what gives them their pinwheel appearance. I think it is super clever and very cute. You can’t buy this goodness at the store, folks.

One year, my sister and I made up a ton of these spiral Christmas cookies and took them caroling with us. Our church goes caroling to needy families in the community and we always leave them with a goody box. The look of happiness on each family’s face is amazing. I like to include some of my most special holiday treats in the boxes because these are very special people 🙂

If you like to bake holiday desserts and gift people with yummy treats then I suggest giving these spiral Christmas cookies a shot. Happy Holidays!

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Quick Tip: You can use any colors in the recipe that you want. I’ve used green and red before to keep the holiday theme.

I am having family come in from three different states for Christmas this year.

We’ve got my parents and sisters from Michigan, family from Florida, and my in-laws who live a few hours away here in Pennsylvania. Not only am I preparing the traditional Christmas dinner but I am also fixing breakfast for everyone on Christmas morning.

Talk about a lot of cooking! That’s ok, I enjoy it. So, I thought this delicious jalapeno breakfast casserole would be an excellent option for feeding a hungry brood on Christmas morning.

You don’t have to worry about the casserole being too spicy for young children or those who don’t like foods with heat as the jalapeno flavor comes from the cheese. Have you ever heard of Monterrey Jack jalapeno cheese? Well, that’s what we are tossing into this yummy breakfast casserole.

I like eating this cheese on its own with some crackers. It’s very good! This casserole is super easy to make and you can even prepare it the night before if you want too. Just mix all of the ingredients up in a casserole dish and place in the fridge until ready to bake. Easy peasy!

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Quick Tip: Serve this breakfast casserole with condiments like hot sauce or ketchup.