Yes, it's as bad as it sounds. I promise I will eventually get to my original plan of posting healthy recipes - but, at the moment, for reasons to be announced soon, I am free to eat whatever I want to keep my weight stable. I made this, this week & it is HEAVENLY. Okay, the original recipe is HERE. Per usual, I changed a couple of things. 

• 14.3 oz pack of Oreos (I used Brookshires brand) 
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (I used salted...oops) 
• 12 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• (2) 8 oz whipped topping, refrigerated 
• (2) 3.9 oz packages instant chocolate pudding 
• 3 1/4 cup cold whole milk

1. Pull out your food processer, blender, or get to work with your fingers & crush the whole pack of Oreos - cream & all. Don't forget to taste test one or two, for safety purposes ;) 

2. Set aside 3 Tbsp of the crushed Oreos if you want the top of your lasagna to look pretty later. If not, just dump it all in a mixing bowl. 

3. Mix melted butter in with cookie crumbs. 

4. Press into the bottom of a 9"x13" or if you're lazy like me, a big cookie tupperware (cause built in lid!). Pop in the fridge while you make the next layer. 

5. Rinse out your bowl (or don't) and beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together. Again, lazy hack - chunk it in your Kitchenaid mixer & let it do the work til well blended.

6. Carefully, fold in the first 8 oz container of whipped topping. Be gentle or it will loose it's fluff :( 

7. Pour this delightful cheesecake layer into the container over the crust, and carefully spread it about. Again, gently so you don't lose fluff. Pop it back in the fridge. 

8. Rinse out your bowl (or don't), and beat together the pudding mixes and milk until the pudding thickens. Lazy hack - chunk it in you Kitchenaid mixer & let it do the work. 

9. Spread the pudding evenly over the cheesecake layer. Pop it back in the fridge. 

10. Once the pudding sets - I gave it about 20 minutes - add the final layer/container of whipped topping. Again, be gentle so it doesn't lose it's fluff. 
​
11. If you saved cookie crumbles, sprinkle those on to "make it pretty". Cover & chill for at least 2 hours (if you can wait that long...) and then serve! 

This recipe was a regular at my house growing up, and I kept up the tradition here. I'm not sure where the recipe originated from, but I got it on an index card from my Mom when I got my first apartment. Texas Hash is a super easy weeknight meal & is delicious! This version uses 1lb of ground beef and makes about 4 servings, but we always go back from seconds so it's perfect for the two of us with a little leftover for lunch the next day. If you are cooking for a family, I would at least double it! 

• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• EITHER 1 large can of stewed tomatoes (cut up with scissors or blender), 1 large can of diced tomatoes, OR 2-3 fresh tomatoes cut up. I've even squeaked by with a small can of tomato sauce & it turned out fine! Whatever you have on hand. 
• 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked) 
• 2 tsp to 1 Tbsp chili powder (depending on your spice level) 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper 

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven, large oven safe pot, or skillet (if not oven-safe, you will need a casserole dish to transfer to after we are done on the stove!) Preheat your oven to 375*F. 
2. While the oil is heating, chop up your onion & bell pepper to your liking. I like it kinda chonky, but if you want to "hide" those veggies you can throw them in the food processor or blender for a few pulses! 
3. Once oil is hot, add onion & bell pepper pieces. Saute until soft-ish. 
4. Add in 1 lb of ground beef. Chippy, choppy stir until brown & crumbly. 
5. Now, add in your tomato choice, 1/2 cup of rice, and the seasonings. Stir together.
6. If you're using a dutch oven or other oven safe pot, slab the lid on that puppy & toss it (not literally, okay?) in the oven for 45 minutes. If you're not using an oven safe pot, dump the Texas Hash into an 8x8 or similar size casserole dish & cover tightly with aluminum foil. 
7. After 45 minutes, take the lid (or foil) off. Allow to cook for 15 minutes more. This let's the top get a little crispy! 
Enjoy with cornbread, biscuits, or your southern veggie of choice! 

Macaroni salad is a great dish to throw together on the fly for any BBQ or party! Here is my go-to recipe - 

• 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2.5 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1.5 tsp salt 
• 0.5 tsp pepper 
• 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped to your liking (I do small, but rough pieces)
• 1 large onion, chopped to your liking 
• 0.5 large green bell pepper, chopped to your liking 
• 6-ish baby carrots grated (about 1/4 cup) 
• Cajun seasoning

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally about 8 minutes. Taste one before pulling it off the heat & draining to make sure that they are tender, but still a little bit firm. Drain & rinse under cool water. Drain well. 
2. Mix the mayo, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, & a sprinkle of cajun seasoning in a separate bowl. 
3. Combine chopped & grated veggies, sauce, and macaroni in a large bowl. Sprinkle a bit of cajun seasoning across the top, and stir well. Taste & adjust seasonings. 
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, overnight is even better. In a pinch, you can serve it as soon as 1 hour, but 4 hours really gives the flavors time to meld. 


Optional: You can swamp cajun seasoning for dill if you prefer a dilly flavor to the cajun. Alternately, you can omit the cajun seasoning all together & it is still great. I just like the spice! 

This is a super easy way to satisfy that Philly Cheesesteak craving! I adapted it from a recipe by The Toasty Kitchen (click to see original recipe). It is delicious on homemade buns or for a low carb version, you can just eat it as is (omit cornstarch for keto!) 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth (or water/bouillon if you're lazy like me)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch (omit for keto) 
• 4-5 slices of provolone cheese (enough to cover your pan) 

1. Brown ground beef over Medium heat, seasoning with salt & pepper. Remove from pan & set aside. 
2. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter & saute the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened (or to your liking). 
3. Reduce heat to Low heat, and mix the beef back into the pan. Mix in worcestershire sauce & beef broth. Be sure to scrape that goodness off the bottom! 
4. If you'd like, add in up to 1 Tbsp of cornstarch to thicken the gravy. If you get it too thick, just add a splash of water to get it to the desired consistency. 
5. Remove from heat & top with slices of provolone cheese. Allow to melt & then serve on buns or as is! 

Our chicken stock stash has been running a little low, and with Thanksgiving it was time to cook up another batch this yummy golden goodness!
I haven't bought chicken stock from the store in years, because it's just too easy to make your own & so much more delicious! I haven't priced it out, but I'm sure it's much cheaper too. 
My method - I collect ingredients over time by throwing them in the bottom basket of my freezer. Whenever I cook a whole chicken, I automatically toss that carcass in a plastic grocery bag or freezer bag & chunk it in the basket. Chopping up celery or carrots for snacks? Throw the ends in a grocery bag & chunk it in the basket. Baby carrots starting to get dried out? Chunk them in the basket. This way, whenever I am ready to make stock I have all the main components right there ready to go. It's one of my favorite "hacks" to reduce kitchen waste! 


The Froot Farm Chicken Stock Recipe
1. Find a big stock pot & dump your frozen (or not) chicken carcass in there. Crank it up to Medium High - I like to let it warm up & get a little brown-ish on the bottom while I'm getting the rest of the ingredients prepped & in. Adds flavor!! 
2. Skin an onion, quarter it, dump it in the pot. 
3. Dump celery in pot - You can use 1 whole bunch of celery, roughly cut, or you can use a couple bunches worth of roots/tops leftover from chopping up celery for snacks or another recipe. 
4. Dump carrots in pot - You can use 2-3 whole carrots, roughly cut, or you can use about 1/4 to 1/2 a bag of baby carrots or roughly the same amount in leftover stems/pieces from other recipes. I've even thrown skins in there before from peeling carrots! (Just be sure to wash your veggies properly, y'all!)
5. Peel 2 cloves of garlic, smash them with the flat part of your knife & chunk them in the pot. 
6. Seasonings thyme!! (bad joke haha).
Parsley - Grab a small rough handful of fresh parsley or sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of dry parsley.
Thyme - Grab a small rough handful of fresh thyme sprigs or sprinkle about 2 tsp of dry thyme. 
Bay Leaves - Throw 2 small or 1 big bay leaf in the pot.
Salt - I just kind of lightly sprinkle salt over the whole top of the pot - maybe 1-2 tsp. Start light, and then as it cooks you should taste it every couple of hours to adjust seasonings. 
Pepper - 5-6 Whole Peppercorns or give the pot a healthy sprinkle of ground pepper. 
(Optional: I like to also throw in 1-2 whole jalapenos. I love the flavor & light spice that it brings!) 
7. Start pouring in water! By now, the bottom should be sizzling a bit & you can go "ooo" & "ahh" while it sizzles & steams when you add water. Fill up that pot to a couple of inches below the top of the pot. The more water = more broth!! 
8. Once it's boiling, you can turn down the heat to a healthy simmer. Let her go for NO LESS than 4 hours.
I typically let mine go all day or overnight. I've let a stock simmer for 3 days before straining it once (oops) & it ended up just being one of the most rich, delicious broths I'd ever made. I'll often partially cover the pot to help keep the evaporation down. 
9. Check on it every once in a while (I shoot for about once an hour), give it a little stir, & add water as needed. If you're only cooking it for about 4 hours, you likely won't want to or need to add much if any water. However, for the longer hauls, you'll need to add water as it continues to cook down. 
Starting at about 3 hours in, I will taste it every time I check it so that I can adjust seasonings or add salt as needed. 
10. Once you are ready to process it, line your favorite colander with cheesecloth and begin straining the chicken stock in batches. Be sure to strain it over another container & not over the sink like I did one time (doh!). Then, pour that nice, clean strained broth into clean jars. 
11. Let the jars cool at room temperature for a couple of hours, then transfer to fridge, freezer, or process following recommended pressure canning practices for chicken stock. 
12. Dispose of or compost the mushy stuff & remaining bones. Don't give cooked chicken bones to your pups as they are dangerous! 
Enjoy! ​

We're amidst our second ice storm of the year here in North Texas & I was craving some warm, comforting, beef stew! Here's my recipe - 
Ingredients

• 3 or so lbs cubed beef stew meat (I used a 3.7lb shoulder roast, trimmed & cubed)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce 
• 1 lb baby carrots 
• 4 large potatoes, roughly peeled & cubed 
• 2 roma tomatoes, quartered 
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (1oz) envelopes onion soup mix 
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 large onions, quartered 
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced 
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 tsp beef bouillon (I use the Knorr Caldo de Res)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 

1. Take your beef cubes & put them in a gallon sealable bag. Add flour & salt, and seal bag leaving some air in there. Shake until beef cubes are well coated. 
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over Medium High to High heat. Once nice & hot, dump the beef into the skillet. Pour worcestershire sauce over beef & toss occasionally until browned on all sides. 
3. Transfer to slow cooker (do not clean your skillet yet!). Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, parsley, and pepper on top of the meat in the slow cooker. 
4. Combine the boiling water & soup mix in a small bowl until well-mixed. Then, add to slow cooker. 
5. Melt the butter in the skillet over Medium High heat. Once good & melted, chunk in those onions & garlic, and toss around until almost soft. Dump those in the slow cooker. 
6. Mix 1/2 cup boiling water with 1/2 tsp beef bouillon, then dump in the slow cooker. 
7. Add 2 bay leaves, and give it a little stir (as much as you're able - your cooker will be pretty full at this point!). 
8. Put that lid on it and cook on High for about an hour. 
9. Give it another stir (it should be much easier now that things are starting to soften), reduce heat to Low, and cook until beef is fork tender - another 6-8 hours or so. 
10. Whisk together the warm water & cornstarch, then stir into stew. Cook uncovered for about 15 more minutes while it thickens. 
​11. Serve with rolls, cornbread, or your other bread of choice!