Love Homemaking
Recipes, and homemaking ideas to make your home a warm, safe and healthy haven for you and your family.
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Cook Like A Gourmet Everyday!
"Gourmet" doesn't have to mean fancy or snobby; it's all about quality ingredients. A simple dish, properly seasoned with the finest ingredients, is infinitely more satisfying than some laborious assembly that's more style than substance. At Watkins, "gourmet" isn't about frills; it's about flavor.
That's why 10
's of people prefer Watkins products.
Meet the author
Hello! I'm Melody and I am pleased to meet you! I love being a Mom and homemaking especially cooking healthy foods for my family. I'm very proud to represent a wonderful company called Watkins as an Independent associate. Enjoy your visit and stop by again real soon!Syndicate
Love Homemaking
Join In The Party
MommyFest is holding a Blog Party May 12-16, 2008 and moms from all over the net will be blog hopping around visiting other participating mom blogs. You'll have an opportunity to meet, learn a bit more, share and chat with other moms in cyberspace. You can't have a party without presents and treats! Mommyfest is giving away fun prizes so you won't want to miss out! I'll have to see what kind of goody I can cook up for a freebie as well... So click the banner to learn more!
Before I forget, Happy Fifth Birthday MommyFest!
Before I forget, Happy Fifth Birthday MommyFest!
Quick And Easy Lemon Chicken Breasts
These chicken breasts are quick and easy to prepare, moist, tender and super healthy as well. What's not to love about them? Chicken breasts are naturally low in fat, this recipe has no
added salt and calls for heart healthy grapeseed oil. You should know if you purchase frozen, seasoned chicken breasts they have quite a bit of salt added, so if you are watching your sodium intake
you will want to use fresh or ones you've frozen yourself. ...<< MORE >>
Company's Coming Quick Apple Cake
Company is coming, so what are you going to make for dessert? Try this quick apple cake, it not only looks pretty it tastes delightful! Can't you already imagine the taste of apples,
cinnamon, cake, caramel glaze and a dollop of whipped cream on top? You are sure to wow your guests when you serve this. ...<< MORE >>
Easy Baked Apples
My Mom often made baked apples for dessert and since I just came across her recipe I'm making these as a Valentines day treat for hubby and myself. They make a quick, easy and healthy
low carbohydrates, low calorie, low salt dessert but don't tell my husband!
...<< MORE >>
Roasted Butternut Squash And Root Vegetable Soup
Roasting the butternut squash and root vegetables caramelizes and sweetens them which gives this soup a rich flavor and color. When I was a child my Mom used to serve a variety of
healthy vegetables at dinner including squash and parsnips that she grew in her garden. She had a hard time getting me to eat those two in particular but she never served a soup like this one!
...<< MORE >>
Traditions How To Create A Magical Old Fashioned Family Christmas!
Hello dear readers and subscribers! My apologies for not posting new recipes and homemaking tips recently. I got the flu in November and it really set me back, haven't been sick like
that for years and sure do hope you don't catch it. I have also been busy taking care of my lovely customers, helping them with their holiday shopping. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year.
Are you ready for the holidays? Whether you are super organized or a last minute sort of person I have a gift for you that I'm sure you will enjoy. ...<< MORE >>
15 Tips For Microwave Cooking
I love my microwave, and can't imagine not having this appliance in my kitchen to cook, defrost and reheat meals. I use it every single day for everything from cooking a bowl of oatmeal
for breakfast, reheating a bowl of homemade soup for lunch to cooking dinner or baking brownies. In this day and age, anything that saves time is a real lifesaver for the homemaker on the go. When it
comes to the microwave, many people don't realize its potential for creating delicious meals and only use it for reheating. Here are 15 tips that will help you to ...<< MORE >>
What's There To Eat?
I don't know how many times I've heard the question, "What's There To Eat?" From my hungry children and a hungry husband too when they've come home from a busy day. If you are a Mom I
bet you have too! I have always tried to keep my cupboards, pantry and fridge stocked with healthy foods. Here is a neat video I thought you might enjoy, it talks about the choices we have regarding
the food we feed our children and ourselves. ...<< MORE >>
Apple Spiced Baked Ham
Ham was a special treat for me when I was a kid as we didn't have it very often. My Mother cooked a real, old fashioned ham with the bone in and always served it with mashed potatoes.
She ground up the smaller bits of meat from around the bone, and mixed it with sweet pickles and mayonnaise for a sandwich filling. Then she used the bone to make a wonderful pot of pea soup.
Try this delightful apple spiced ham, you won't believe how good it tastes with the addition of a few extra spices. ...<< MORE >>
Laundry Tips For The Modern Family
Laundry is a fact of life for most of us, we have it easier compared to the homemakers of a 100 years ago. Imagine, having to wash all your family's laundry on a washboard with a bar of
lye soap, like they did! It was hard work back then, but today, it's still a challenge to get clean, fresh smelling laundry. We are faced with another challenge as well, what type of laundry products
should we use? Convention laundry products or all natural laundry detergent? We want something that is safe for our family and effective too. ...<< MORE >>
Easy Organic Meat Loaf
I was hankering for meatloaf yesterday, it's one of those comfort foods that's just right for a fall or winter dinner. So, I made meatloaf last night and it was the best ever. Imagine
getting excited about meatloaf but I think it was the new Organic Seasoning for Beef that made it taste so good. It's the first time I tried it and it's earned it's place in my spice cupboard. I like
anything that is easy and saves me time and this seasoning will be handy for sprinkling on beef before cooking as well as for adding to soups ...<< MORE >>
Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
It's pumpkin season - time to visit the pumpkin patch. While you are there picking out the perfect jack-o-lantern, don't forget to bring home a few to eat! Pumpkins are members of the
squash family and are a good source of antioxidants, carotenes, vitamin C and E. It's nice a cooked vegetable as well as in baked goodies. Cooked pumpkin freezes well so you can have some on hand all
winter. Watkins pumpkin pie spice is the perfect blend of natural spices for all your pumpkin dishes.
Try this cheesecake it's a nice fancy dessert for Thanksgiving dinner or ...<< MORE >>
Try this cheesecake it's a nice fancy dessert for Thanksgiving dinner or ...<< MORE >>
How To Get More Fruits and Vegetables In Your Diet
We all know fruits and vegetable are good for us but it's often a challenge to eat enough of them every day. To top it off, some children are famous for avoiding eating their
vegetables, but they aren't the only ones who turn up their noses at the sight of vegetables, many adults do as well. You just need to employ some clever tactics or even "trick" your family into
eating the nutrient and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. Following you will find a quite a few ideas on how to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet: ...<< MORE >>
Win An All Natural Cleaning And Home Care Guide
Cleaning your home shouldn't be a chore, it should be an experience! That's why I'd like to give you a copy of "The All Natural Cleaning Guide." This guide includes tips and
tricks to clean your home from top to bottom, while keeping your family and the planet safe from harm. Topics include how to freshen the air, all-purpose cleaning as well as how to clean; floors,
furniture, metal, carpets, drains, windows and glass. Safe and effective ways to clean bathrooms, mildew and hard water stains. Plus, laundry care and removing stains. ...<< MORE >>
See How Easily You Can Cook Healthy Meals Fast With These Tips.
Cooking and meal preparation can take up quite a bit of your time each day, especially if you are trying to provide healthy meals for your family. With a little advance planning you can
easily serve nutritious home cooked meals fast. There are some great time saving devices like slow cookers, grills and pressure cookers that can help you cook healthy meals and allow you to spend
less time in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove. As an added bonus if you follow these tips you'll probably save money on your grocery bills as well. ...<< MORE >>
Apple Honey Glazed Wild Salmon With Organic Baby Spinach
What's for dinner this week? Salmon is a good source of Omega 3 oil
and is super healthy, serve it on a bed of organic spinach along
with baked potatoes and you have a very nutritious meal for your family. Look for wild salmon as it's the healthiest choice and
you'll find it tastes much better than farmed fish. I grew up eating salmon, we never had tuna so it's one of my comfort foods. I
prefer to use real butter over margarine in all my recipes. I use
organic apple juice that I've made myself or purchased. Let me ...
<< MORE >>
Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal
I've been busy picking, washing, pitting and drying cherries all weekend. Naturally, we've been eating our fill of plump, ripe fresh cherries too. I froze a couple of bags of cherries with their stems on and I'll be making a batch of cherry jam tomorrow but my very favorite is dried cherries. Have you tried dired cherries yet? We like them better than raisins and they can be used in place of raisins in most recipes. We eat them as is, plus I toss them into muffins, quick breads, salads and our morning oatmeal. Try this healthy and delicious oatmeal for your family's breakfast.<< MORE >>
Tips For Saving Money On School Supplies
Before you know it, it's time for the kids to go back to school. Schools do not have a budget for supplies for the students, therefore parents are responsible for buying school supplies for their child every year. There are a number of ways you can save on school supplies by following these easy suggestions.
Do you have a membership with one of the many stores chains, such as Costco or BJ? If so, you can stock up on supplies by buying in bulk throughout the year, especially when there are sales or coupons offered.
In addition, the office supply stores ...<< MORE >>
Do you have a membership with one of the many stores chains, such as Costco or BJ? If so, you can stock up on supplies by buying in bulk throughout the year, especially when there are sales or coupons offered.
In addition, the office supply stores ...<< MORE >>
Using, Caring For And Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware
If you are like me and used to cooking with a cast iron frying pan you won't want to cook with anything else. This cookware conducts heat well, maintains an even temperature and doesn't burn your food. (Unless you are like my hubby and have the heat turned on high!!!) Because of it's properties you will actually save energy when you cook with it as once it's heated you can turn the heat down to low in most cases. Well seasoned cast iron has a smooth cooking surface, it's naturally non stick, and very easy to clean. Many of us remember our grandmothers cooking in large cast iron skillets.<< MORE >>
Quick And Easy Potato Salad
Potato salad is one of our family's summer time favorites and this recipes is quick and easy, especially if you happen to have left over potatoes in the fridge. The secret to this salad's great taste and easy preparation is the Watkins Potato salad seasoning. With only four ingredients it's no wonder it's one of my customer's favorites too. This is also great to make ahead for picnics lunches. << MORE >>
Seven Summer Fun Tips For Mom
Kids always seem to have fun in the summer time, school is out, the weather is beautiful and there is so many exciting things to do. You can have fun too Mom! Summer is a great time for you to get out of the house and enjoy yourself. Here are seven great activities that are sure to add some fun into your summer.<< MORE >>
Lamb Chops Broiled or Grilled
My Dad didn't care for lamb so my Mom never served it very often. I think she would get a hankering for lamb, so she'd cook lamb chops. This is one of our favorite ways to do chops, marinating gives them a lovely flavor and tenderizes them too. << MORE >>
Cucumber Mint Relish
Cucumbers always make a quick to fix salad, side dish or accompaniment and they are one of my family's favorite fresh vegetables. I often use the long engish variety as I've found there is no need to peel or seed them. This relish is good served with lamb.<< MORE >>
Strawberry-Rhubarb Apple Sauce
Rhubarb is one of the first fruits available in the spring and is often a welcome addition to the menu. While my kids enjoyed chewing on a fresh stalk of this tart fruit, most people find it needs extra sweetening. Strawberries always pair well with Rhubarb and the addition of apples to this sauce sweetens it enough to make a healthy sugar free snack or dessert.<< MORE >>
Scarborough Fair All-Organic Chicken
Another chicken dish but this one calls for all organic foods! I always look for organic produce when I shop. The North American consumer's demand for organic products is a growing trend. You may have noticed that many supermarkets are expanding their organic selections to include fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry. While many people spend extra money to buy organic products, when they cook them, they add spices that are not. Fortunately Watkins, known around the world for its quality spices and flavorings, offers a line of USDA certified 100% organic herbs and spices to fill that need. << MORE >>
Easy Tomato Bruschetta
My friend has been raving about this bruschetta recipe because it is so quick and easy. She says it keeps for up to a month in the fridge but this will not happen as it's just too delicious! I have to agree with her. If you haven't tried Grapeseed oil you might be interested to know that top chefs cook with grapeseed oil because it enhances the natural flavours of food and it's healthy too. << MORE >>
Basic Chili From Watkins
This is a really quick and easy Chili recipe and is the one featured on the bottle of Watkins Chili Seasoning as well. It's great if you are pressed for time and it is easy enough for your kids or a beginner cook to make. This recipe doubles well so you can cook up extra and freeze it for another meal.<< MORE >>
Dealing with Sibling Rivalry
As a mother of four children and an avid people watcher I can honestly say that sibling rivalry and jealousy is common among children. When a new baby joins a family it's perfectly natural for the existing child to display feelings of jealousy. Just imagine how you would feel if your husband brought home another wife? << MORE >>
Spiced Honey Chicken
I recently starting cooking with spices like cinnamon in savory dishes and the first time I made this one "I fell in love." I'm a fan of chicken and anything you can cook in the oven. This dish will bring a touch of Morocco to your family's dinner table. You can enjoy the leftovers cold, if there is any.<< MORE >>
Hot Cross Buns
I look forward to eating hot cross buns every year around easter. We like to eat these rich, spicy buns warm with butter.<< MORE >>
Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms
I'm a big fan of chicken, mushrooms and balsamic vinegar so this recipe given me by a friend is right up my alley. Chicken breasts are the ultimate "home made" convenience food, they are low fat and quick cooking. << MORE >>
Spring Cleaning
It's that time of the year again, time to give everything in your home a good deep clean. Some people actually enjoy spring cleaning, if you don't here are a few tips to help make it more fun.<< MORE >>
Abundance In Our Lives
I feel we truly are blessed with abundance in our lives compared to family who lived a hundred or so years ago or to a family that lives in a less developed country. Sometimes we have an over abundance of material things, too many gadgets, gizmos and stuff in general. Other times we don't notice the great abundance of important things we have, like the love of our family, good health or a warm sunny day. << MORE >>
Casbah Roast Chicken
This is one of my favorite tricks, pop everything in the oven and forget it. You'll find this saves you time and clean up by cooking an entire meal all at once. Oven roasted vegetables taste wonderful too. << MORE >>
Homemaking Meme
Mrs. Wilt of The Sparrows Nest had this homemaking meme on her site and I though it looked like fun!
Aprons - Y/N? No, I have some aprons but I never think to wear one!
Baking - Favorite thing to bake?<< MORE >>
Apple Dumplings
Mmm, the smell of baking apples and spices is a delight to the senses! This recipe calls for already prepared pie crusts but I always make my own pastry. I'll let you decide which you prefer to use!<< MORE >>
Corned Beef Dinner
Saint Patrick's day is just around the corner so here's a traditional one pot dinner to celebrate the day.<< MORE >>
Butter Pecan Sauce
This rich sauce is wonderful poured over a variety of desserts including bread pudding, and ice cream. << MORE >>
Rich Bread Pudding
My Mom liked rice pudding but my favorite was bread pudding. This heavenly rich bread pudding is not only a comfort food but also a gourmet delight whether you serve it with the Butter Pecan Sauce or not.<< MORE >>
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Bacon And Onion Stuffed Mushroom Caps
This is a quick and easy hot appetizer or snack that can be prepared ahead and popped into the oven 15 minutes before serving. << MORE >>
Take Care Of Yourself Mom
Us moms have a tough job on our hands, looking after our family. We wear many hats; chef, maid, chauffer, nurse and the list goes on and on. We are so busy that we simply forget to make time to take care of ourselves. Most moms know how important this is but they still have a hard time putting themselves first. As a mom you have an important role in your family. The mom truely is the backbone of most families and holds everything together. The truth is your role is so important that you can't afford not to take care of yourself.<< MORE >>
Cinnamon Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes with a twist, these make a quick and easy dinner when you are in a rush. << MORE >>
Rice Pudding - Baked
One of my Mother's favorite ways to use up a bit of left over rice was to bake a rice pudding so this recipe brings back warm memories for me. This rice pudding has a nice creamy custard top with the rice and fruit on the bottom. If you are looking for something different try the Cherry Almond Rice Pudding version.<< MORE >>
Little Girl's Dreams
When you were a little girl what did you dream of? Did you imagine yourself living a fairy tale life?<< MORE >>
Hearty Sirloin Tip Stew
This hearty crock pot stew makes a healthy yet easy dinner. << MORE >>
Quick Raisin Cookies
These quick raisin cookies are a snap to make.<< MORE >>
Kitchen Utensils and Cookware
You'll find kitchen utensils, cookware, tools and gadgets for every conceivable use, from asparagus cookers to garlic presses, but which ones do you really need? Here's a guide to basics you'll need.<< MORE >>