Disclosure: I received compensation from Aleve to write this post. All opinions are entirely my own. #NeverBackDown #Aleve #CollectiveBias #advertisement Planning for a busy day ahead I’ve always been the ALL-IN/FOCUS ON THE GOAL type person. Whether it’s a large life-changing goal or just a daily planned schedule, I tend to focus on the tasks at hand and will drive myself to get them done no matter what. I never back down from the challenge I’m up against. Defeat just isn’t in my vocabulary, … [Read More...]

Slow Cooker Bourbon Glazed Spiral Ham
My Favorite Spiral Ham Recipe - Slow Cooker Bourbon Glazed Spiral Ham Without a doubt, my Slow Cooker Bourbaon Glazed Spiral Ham Recipe is one of my favorite baked ham recipes. The spiral ham leand itself to being cooked in a slow cooker because when a spiral ham is cooked in a conventional oven it can get very dried out. Crockpot cooking will make the ham incredibly moist and tender. Also cooking your ham in your Crockpot frees up your conventional oven for sides like Twice Baked Potatoes, … [Read More...]

A new twist on Cranberry Pumpkin Bread – Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Artisan Yeast Bread
Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Artisan Yeast Bread - a new twist on that holiday favorite - Cranberry Pumpkin Bread! Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Artisan Yeast Bread makes an delicious addition to Thanksgiving dinner or any fall meal. Everyone thinks that making a yeast bread is a lot of work and incredibly time consuming. Years ago, before wonderful appliances like my KitchenAid stand mixer, it was a lot more work making bread. I can remember my grandmother kneading bread on her vintage bread board. I … [Read More...]

Stuffed Baked Apples Dessert Recipe
Stuffed Baked Apples - An Easy Quick Apple Dessert Stuffed Baked Apples are healthy, and they are easy to make. It's autumn and apples are in abundance! There are chilly fall days when I want an easy apple dessert that's warm and delicious but I don't have time for complicated recipes with pie crust and such. One of the "weapons" in my dessert arsenal is Baked Apples and Stuffed Baked Apples even adds more to the deliciousness. I have a number of baked apple recipes because it is a recipe … [Read More...]

Nutty Pumpkin Cranberry Bread – What a Way to Go Crazy!!!
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread ..... It's a Fall thing!!!! There’s nothing that says “autumn” like pumpkin. Visually it matches the orange tones of the changing foliage. Its texture makes it a great choice for moist, filling comfort foods. Add in some cranberries and some nuts and you have one of my favorite fall baking recipes, Nutty Pumpkin Cranberry Bread. It's one my favorites because it is a tasty, quick, easy and so moist! It’s a must have on Thanksgiving Day here at the Thompson house. I love … [Read More...]

Tasty Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe
This Tasty Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe is big on flavor with a great texture! This is my favorite Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe. I've tried quite a few over the years and this one is a culmination of those trials. I have taken an ingredient from here and another from there, added a couple of extra steps and came up with what I consider a superior Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe. The sour cream in this recipe adds an extra layer of tangy flavor and richness to this recipe. Cranberries and … [Read More...]

Easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto Recipe
Slow Cooker Easy Pumpkin Risotto This wicked easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto Recipe will take all the fear out of cooking risotto. Risotto, that yummy gourmet comfort food, has intimidated a lot of cooks, including me. After seeing an enraged, cursing Chef Gordon Ramsey throw a sauté pan full of risotto into the garbage while Hell’s Kitchen competitors look on with wide eyed shock, you definitely get the impression that you should be terrified to attempt risotto. Risotto also gets a bad rap … [Read More...]

Chunky Pumpkin Chutney …say that 3 times fast!
Chunky Pumpkin Chutney .....great way to use up pumpkins from the patch! Chunky Pumpkin Chutney ... say that 3 times fast! It's a great fall condiment and the perfect way to use up any fresh pumpkin flesh you have like from making a Jack-O-Lantern. If you don't know what a chutney is here's the scoop (no pun intended). What the heck is a Chunky Pumpkin Chutney? Technically Chutney is a sauce used in the cuisine of India that includes such forms as a spicy coconut dip, a tomato relish, a … [Read More...]

You can’t beat Pickled Beets…another day of canning!
Best Pickled Beets Recipe for your garden harvest! Today I have all my water bath canning equipment out ready to can some pickled beets. This week we can start harvesting our beets. We are guilty of sneaking a few smaller ones the last few weeks and boiling them with the greens still attached. Cooked this easy way and just served with butter, salt, and pepper on them, beets are really delicious. I love beets! In fact, I’m a big fan of all root vegetables. For me, it's the idea that they are … [Read More...]

Gardening Glut – Canning Dilly Beans- Water Bath Canning 101
Canning Green Beans to make Dilly Beans - A Water Bath Canning Tutorial Water Bath Canning isn't difficult and making this Dilly Bean Recipe is great way to use up all those green beans from the garden and learn the skill of water bath canning. This time of year it’s a race to use up the veggies that my “bursting at the seams” garden produces. There’s a limit to how much the family can eat of any one vegetable variety and still be able to use the word “variety”. Mention the word zucchini … [Read More...]

No-Bake-Blueberry-Cheesecake-Bars
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars.....yummy! It's August in Maine and the blueberry season is in its peak! The Downeast Coast of Maine (Washington County) is well known for 2 things - the Quoddy Head Lighthouse and the blueberry barrens filled to the brim with blueberry bushes, which right now are perfect for harvest. And that means its the right time for me to dig out all my blueberry recipes. No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are a favorite this this time of year because its hot and muggy and … [Read More...]