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My kids love ranch dressing on just about everything! This homemade version keeps out the questionable ingredients found in most store-bought brands, while keeping the flavor profile that we're accustomed to! Want to save this recipe for later? Pin it! Ingredients Yield: Approximately 2 cups 1 cup buttermilk ¾ cup sour cream ¼ cup mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon fresh dill 1 teaspoon lime juice ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Directions In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until well incorporated. Adjust seasonings as desired. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

This homemade mixed berry extract is the perfect addition to baking recipes with berries! Want to save this recipe for later? Pin it! Ingredients 10 ounces mixed berries (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry) 16 ounces Vodka (80 proof) Jar with tight lid Directions: Place washed berries in jar and cover with vodka. Tightly secure lid and give a vigorous shake. Shake jar several times per week for six weeks. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove berries from jar. Store extract in a cool, dark cabinet.

The perfect addition to any backyard BBQ meal! Yield: 10 quarts Ingredients 7 pounds green cabbage, cored and shredded 6 pounds purple cabbage, cored and shredded 3 pounds carrots, julienne 4 red bell peppers, julienne 2 large white onions, julienne 13 cups sugar 5 cups water 8 cups white vinegar ½ cup salt, kosher 6 ½ Tablespoons celery seed 6 ½ Tablespoons mustard seed ½ teaspoon pickle crisp Directions Sanitize jars on a dishtowel. In a large 30-quart bowl, gently toss cabbage with salt. Cover with a flour sack or other breathable dish towel for at least 2 hours. Remove covering and thoroughly rinse the cabbage to remove as much salt as possible. Add in remaining vegetables and toss gently to combine. In a large pot over medium-high heat, simmer water, vinegar, and sugar for approximately 2 minutes. Add vegetable mixture to brine and warm through for approximately 2-3 minutes. Return the vegetable mixture back to a large bowl. Carefully ladle the vegetable mixture into jars. Ladle hot brine over vegetable mixture and fill to ½” headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional brine if needed to reach proper headspace. Using vinegar and a paper towel or clean dishtowel, wipe down jars, paying special attention to the rims of the jars. Place lids and rings onto jars and seal to “fingertip tight”. Add warm/hot jars to warm/hot water in a water bath canner. Ensure water covers jars 1-2 inches, add additional warm/hot water if necessary. Cover pot with lid and bring to a hard boil, and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the lid from the pot. Allow jars to remain in uncovered pot for approximately 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars and place them on a dishtowel. Allow jars to cool and seal for at least 24 hours before moving. Once jars are cooled and sealed, remove rings and store jars in a dry, cool, and dark area.

Want to save this recipe for later? Pin it! Spaghetti and garlic bread are a tried and true favorite in our house. It's on our dinner table at least once a month. I feel like everyone has a recipe they love and use as their go-to but if you don’t have a favorite yet, or if you're looking to try something a little different, this one just may be what you are looking for. The base of my sauce is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving which you can purchase here, but before I started canning my own sauce, I used an affordable store-bought one like Prego or even the store brand. My rule is, if I made it at home then it is homemade! No shame in convenience foods in my kitchen! My kids prefer the vegetables to be “hidden” in the sauce so I chop them up pretty fine. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, feel free to chop them to your preference. If you'd like the recipe for my Garlic & Cayenne Olive Oil I use on the garlic bread, you can find that here. Ingredients: ½ pound ground beef, cooked and browned ½ pound ground, mild Italian sausage, cooked and browned 24 ounces jarred sauce 1 medium onion, finely chopped ½ large green bell pepper, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 medium carrot, finely shredded 1 teaspoon olive oil ¼ cup white cooking wine 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon ground chili powder Directions: In a 6-quart stockpot, cook ground beef and Italian sausage until completely cooked and browned. Drain and set aside. In the same stockpot, saute onion, pepper, and celery in olive oil for approximately 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add in carrot and garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Allow the white to evaporate for approximately 5 minutes. Return cooked meat to stockpot. Add in seasonings and stir gently to combine. Simmer on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. If the sauce is thicker than you prefer, add ¼ to ½ cup of starchy pasta water. Serve over your favorite noodles.

A classic, summertime favorite full of cheesy goodness! Serves 6 Ingredients 2 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced 2 medium green zucchini squash, thinly sliced 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons oil ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup half & half 1 large egg, lightly beaten ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ½ teaspoon chili powder 2 teaspoons dried parsley 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion in oil for approximately 5 minutes or until it becomes fragrant and translucent. Add in minced garlic and sauté for approximately 1-2 minutes. Carefully add sliced squash to pan and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until slices become tender. It may be necessary to work in batches. Turn off heat. Remove squash to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain. Gently use an additional paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the top. In a medium bowl, combine egg, sour cream, mayonnaise, half & half, one cup shredded cheese, and seasonings. Lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Place one layer of squash on the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese mixture. Continue this process until it is complete. Top with the remaining one cup of shredded cheese. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Have you ever been invited to a potluck and had no idea what dish you were going to bring? Do you wait until the night before (or the day of, eek!) to try to throw something tasty together quickly? Friends, that has happened to me more times than I can count and I usually resorted to stopping by a deli or bakery on the way to the event. Sometimes it's hard to think of something that will be different enough from what everyone else is bringing, but not so different that no one eats it. This recipe is one of my favorite go-to’s for potlucks because it is usually the only dish like it and people devour it quickly. I especially like that it takes little effort and planning, which really suits my procrastinating personality. Ingredients: 16 ounces of cheese tortellini 7 ounces sliced pepperoni 6 ounces of smoked Canadian bacon slices 6 ounces of sliced Italian salami 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, cubed ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 12 ounces artichoke hearts 6 ounces whole, pitted black olives 16 ounces peperoncini peppers, drained 10 ounces grape tomatoes 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 cup Italian dressing, more if desired (I prefer Ken’s Northern Italian) Directions: Boil pasta according to package directions. Allow to cool slightly. If your pepperoni, salami, and Canadian bacon are the larger slices, quarter them into bite-sized pieces. In a large serving dish, combine all ingredients. Gently stir to combine. If you refrigerate the pasta over night, give it a good stir. If it appears or tastes dry, add additional Italian dressing to taste. Serve at room temperature or cold.

I will share a secret with you, my friends. I am not a huge fan of leftovers. There are very few that I absolutely love “as-is”, but most of the time I like to reimagine them into a new and tasty dish whenever I can. Recreating a meal from leftovers doesn’t have to take a lot of time and effort. Leftovers from taco night? Make a fantastic spicy taco soup. Chicken and veggies? Combine them with some rice and cheese for a quick, weeknight casserole. Easy peasy. One of my favorite leftover foods? Baked potatoes. I like to lightly coat big, beautiful Russet potatoes with olive oil and sea salt and bake them in a 400-degree oven for about an hour. So simple and so delicious. Oftentimes, I will turn them into mashed potatoes or potato soup the next day. But this time, I wanted something just a little different than my usual go-to recipes. Bacon and Swiss are one of the tastiest combos I have ever had, no matter what it’s on. I knew they would be the perfect addition to my leftover baked potatoes. Using just a few spices and simple “pantry staples” I was able to throw this together in under 10 minutes. This casserole was everything I wanted it to be. The Swiss cheese provided a sweet nuttiness, while the cheddar added a tangy sharpness. Like icing on a cake, the savory bacon just brought it all together. This casserole is the perfect “company’s coming over” side dish and it is sure to impress! I like to serve this with a traditional homemade meatloaf or crispy fried chicken. Ingredients 8-10 baked Russet potatoes 8 ounces sour cream ¼ cup softened butter ½ cup milk (I used 2%) 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese 10-12 strips cooked & crumbled bacon 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Begin by peeling most of the skin off of the potatoes and placing them into a large mixing bowl. Next, add sour cream, cheeses, and milk. Use a potato masher or mixer to combine ingredients and mash potatoes until slightly creamy while leaving some larger pieces of potato. Add bacon and spices, then gently stir to combine. Scoop the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with Swiss cheese if preferred, then bake for 45 minutes or until heated through. Top with additional Swiss cheese and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.