My House Greek Salad Dressing

My House Greek Salad Dressing is one of the most versatile salad/marinades you will ever need to make.

It's one of the best Greek dressings for many uses and I have found plenty of meats, seafood, and sandwich recipes this goes perfectly with.

Keep a bottle in the refrigerator all the time for quick delicious dressing with so many uses.

I am sure you will come up with even more ideas than I did on your favorite freshly made spring and summer meals.

Whether you're grilling, using it over pasta, or just as a dipping sauce, this is perfect for just about anything you make.

Served in a sandwich with Homemade Pita Bread is another wonderful way to use this dressing!

Also if you love homemade sauces check out my 14 different kinds of dipping sauces for all kinds of meats like my Chicken Souvlaki and seafood.

Scroll down for my suggestions and a printable recipe card for all these yummy ideas.

Slow Cooker Italian Stewed Tomato Recipe

Slow Cooker Italian Stewed Tomatoes are not only delicious but this is the easiest recipe you will ever find to make them from scratch.

Of course, if you're in a hurry for them, I included the stovetop method at the end as well.

In the summer I hate turning on my stove, so I just love using my slow cooker for this recipe, set it, and forget it.

This is a great recipe to have ahead of time before the crops are plentiful, so save this one you and keep it on hand, printed out.

I never even use canned anymore as these even freeze well and so easy to make.

You can use them in so many recipes like stews, on top of burgers instead of ketchup, over Italian garlic bread, in stews, in Spanish rice, on top of fish or steaks.

I had two beautiful plants bloom this year and got enough tomatoes to make my first batch of stewed tomatoes.

Easy as can be and I freeze most of them until winter comes.

Once you see how easy these are to make and the fresh taste you will never buy canned stewed tomatoes again.

They really taste great as a side dish too!

Scroll down to the recipe card to print the directions.

Broccoli and Cheddar Baked Chicken

This Broccoli and Cheddar Topped Baked Chicken is super simple and your meal in done in no time all in one pan!



I love to mix and match vegetables for this basic chicken casserole, if your family isn't a fan of broccoli and cheddar try some of my other suggestions listed in this post.



It's perfect for dinner parties too, this seems like you've been preparing all day to make it and nope, it takes virtually no time to make and taste gourmet!



If you have ever had a stuffed chicken breast, this will remind you of that except we left out the part that it's stuffed, we topped it with everything that's inside.



The workload in comparison to stuffing versus topping the chicken still has the same great taste but so much easier!



I love easy chicken dishes like baked chicken with beer, chicken pizza potatoes casserole, and buffalo chicken mac and cheese, fast and easy meals are always welcome here!



Scroll down to this easy gourmet-style chicken casserole and print it off everyone loves it in our home, and do try the alternatives usually another vegetable if you're not a fan of broccoli!

Almond Filled Coffee Cake

Almond Filled Coffee Cake has that sweet almond filling that is addicting.


This is a pastry that looks and tastes like it came from a bakery.


I couldn't believe I made it myself it's so darn pretty!


One of my favorites any time of the year to make this is around any Holiday.


It's really special. The time spent making this beauty is well worth it.


Delicious, soft dough with an almond filling is perfect for entertaining and impressing guests.


This almond filled coffee cake is a delicious addition to that cup of coffee in the morning and a treat for sure!


We love yeast-risen dough like No-Knead Bread, Pizza Dough, Cinnamon Rolls, and Our Best Sweet Rolls, all of our very favorites here!


Check out my simple instructions to make this beautiful risen pastry ring!


Scroll down and print out the recipe card

Homemade Copycat Irish Cream

Homemade Irish Cream is a delicious liqueur and can be served for your guests in 30 seconds with just a few ingredients!


This recipe can be made with or without alcohol but this is the copycat which is a dead ringer for the popular Baileys Irish Cream with alcohol


I have used it to flavor Irish Cream Pies, In My Oreo Candy Truffles, and even Irish Cream Cupcakes and this wonderful liqueur is often a favorite during the St. Patrick's Day holiday in various mixed cocktail drinks.


This can be stored for up to two months in the refrigerator and don't forget to shake it to combine the wonderful flavors every time you serve it as it tastes great in an after-dinner coffee or over ice.


The recipe is super simple and will is done in no time plus the bonus of it being a lot less money to make in your own kitchen.


All you need is a blender and a few ingredients to get this party started.


Scroll down to this easily printable recipe and take a peek at the video to see just how easy this is to make.

Homemade Italian Limoncello

Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made from lemon zest.


It’s mainly produced in Southern Italy, particularly in Sorrento, Capri, and along the Amalfi Coast.


Traditionally, limoncello is made with Femminello St. Teresa lemons, a vibrant lemon variety native to the Sorrento Peninsula of Italy.


The liqueur is served chilled a drink served usually as an after-dinner drink to aid in digestion.


Limoncello is made by steeping lemon zest (peels) in highly concentrated ethanol or vodka until oil is released, then mixing the resulting yellow liquid with simple syrup and so easy to make.


The recipe below is delicious and can be used in several style cocktails, I have a holiday cocktail recipe and one for a mojito that is a very refreshing drink.


You can also use limoncello in desserts like bread pudding, or even try my ice-cold Watermelon Limoncello Cocktail.


Scroll down to the printable recipe card to make this Italian Speciality Liqueur in your own kitchen for pennies less than store-bought brands.



Please read all the things to know before you get started below first.

Strawberry Blueberry Orange Heart Scones

What better way to start off your day especially around Patriotic holidays than with homemade delicious Strawberry Blueberry Orange Heart scones?


Flaky with melted butter, in a heart-shaped and fruit-filled scones are perfect anytime.


Using a cookie cutter, these turn into one of the easiest ways to make a pretty breakfast treat in any shape you like.


These come together quickly and oh did I mention they smell heavenly to wake up to these baking?



We love baking savory or sweet scones, they're always welcome on my tables and they also freeze great!



Scroll down and check out this perfect breakfast scone fun and delicious at any time of the year!

Taco Salad Bowls

Easy homemade Taco Salad Bowls made in the oven in just minutes just by using any kind of fluted edged pan.


Impress dinner guests with such little efforts and perfect for Cinco De Mayo or because it's a fun way to serve these on Taco Tuesday.


We love a little American-Mexican fun food to enjoy.


These are so delicious and quick to make, it' a whole meal in itself!


Fill them with whatever you like, lettuce, tomatoes, chopped with refried beans meat and so much more.


You can use seasoned chicken, steak, shredded pork, or none at all and go all vegetarian.


These fun bowls are done in no time and you can either buy these molds that come in a pack of 4 or just use what deep pretty pan you have to change the shape of your tortilla.


Simple delicious and fun in minutes and they do make a fun presentation serving an easy salad meal.


Scroll down to the recipe and see how easy these are to make!

Grandma's Tuscan Garlic Bread

In our family we are bread and dipping sauce lovers. This is Grandma's Tuscan Garlic Bread (Fettunta) Recipe with her easy dipping oil sauce.

Throughout the years, we made a simple garlic bread and there was always a dipping sauce on the table which is included in our recipe card below.

As a child, I still can remember the aroma of her baking homemade round and they will dense thick bread.

Day-old dense Italian bread like Ciabatta or Artisan bread was always the best to use and served warm was like a banquet.

The dipping oil consisted of assorted dried herbs all mixed together, then added to a serving bowl with oil poured over the herb, that sauce was the best with any bread!

Bread with dipping sauce is so addicting and the flavors melded together are an amazing part of the Italian meal, especially with Sunday Tomato Sauce, the bread is how we test the sauce!

We all love a good-tasting olive oil to dip the homemade bread in, it's a banquet all by itself, and those who grew up in an Italian home, totally understand.

As the years went by, carbs were always a concern, but that didn't change here, we still have our bread on the table and it's still served with every meal, especially Italian Stew, pasta fagioli, and Greens and Beans was delicious over stale bread.

Don't miss trying her dipping oil we have two versions one just herbs and one with olives and pumpkin seeds which is my all time favorite!

Scroll down to the recipe card for both recipes to dip your favorite Italian bread in!

Patriotic Fun Homemade Party Foods

Here are a few little fun Patriotic food ideas and a bonus recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing for all your favorite salads or try our homemade fun Italian-dressing antipasto skewers below.

Don't miss trying all our red, white, and blue Red White and Blue food art ideas at your next American gathering event.

American Patriotic holidays can be festive and delicious just by putting a few colorful foods together.

We love threading our salad skewers in red white and blue finger food for a festive look homemade ranch dressing recipe has the best flavors for Patriotic or Christmas colorful food ideas.

With just a few ingredients we included a spectacular dessert with red, white, and blue colors and some other favorite holiday food art to include our  Mini Cookie Fruit Pizza, which looks fabulous on your party table and they're such fun to make.

I love using small skewers, you can come up with so many fabulous desserts, appetizers, and finger foods on a stick! 

These ideas can be used for any holiday or backyard barbecue get-together all summer long.

Red, white, and blue foods bring a colorful addition to your tables, especially for Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or 4th of July party times.

Whether it's your party or someone else's, this will be eaten up first, everyone loves fun foods like these.

Don't forget to try my favorite homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe below perfect for dipping these skewers in and of course on top of your favorite salad.

It's seriously the best ranch dressing I ever had!

Scroll down and take a look at the printable instructions on how to get this party started.

Italian Crab and Shrimp Cake Appetizer

Crab cakes are a popular seafood appetizer in Maryland where they were discovered in 1930, by Chef Crosby Gaige.

He actually introduced them in his cookbook the New York World's Fair Cook Book called Baltimore Crab Cakes.

The cakes are famous all over the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia where the crabbing industry thrives.

This recipe is more adapted to my own version of how I like the taste of crab cakes so not the original recipe.

I first tasted these on a cruise ship for the and fell in love with the flavors and these are a close copycat just not as pretty as theirs but absolutely delicious!

I love seafood and the ones I loved had a mixture of shrimp and lump crab in them served with a lemon butter sauce which is the recipe I wrote below.

I have to admit these are about spot on from the memory of what they tasted like and for those out there with fish allergies you can substitute the fish for cooked shredded chicken breast.

I love to recreate by remaking Copycat Recipes it's a fun adventure for me.

Check out the step by step instructions and scroll down to the printable recipe card for these fabulous crab and shrimp cake appetizers.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup is rich and creamy and a great replica and takes on America’s favorite cheeseburger.

Bursting with fresh bacon and cheese flavors, it's super easy to make in less than 30 minutes.

No matter who I've made this for it's always a hit and one of the most asked-for meals.

Of course, everything is better with bacon, and will please all those picky eaters out there when dinner is served with fun and these fantastic flavors.

You can even set up a serving bar with all our suggestive toppings below and let them build their own soup bowl just like they would a burger.

The soup is creamy with lots of cheese and bacon in it and I happen to love it with diced fresh tomato in it but those are optional.

Serve this up with some buttery garlic bread and you have the perfect meal for a chilly evening that is rib-sticking good!

We even have a page set aside on our blog for Our Best Soup Recipes you may like to try.

The kids love this soup and ask for more I just love how simple it is to make.

It can also be made in a slow cooker.

Scroll down to the bottom for this printable recipe.

Homemade Italian Amaretto Liqueur

If you love Italian Amaretto Liqueur, this is how to make it right in your own home with just a few ingredients and it is super easy.


This drink is so versatile in so many recipes and ten times better in taste made from scratch.



Cooking is another great way to use Amaretto and it's perfect around the holidays for gift giving along with being so inexpensive to make!



I also have bonus recipes for you during the colder months to use your homemade liqueur in a hot toddy to warm you up and perfect during the cold and flu season.



Then for a super special flavored cocktail, try my Amaretto Sour recipe, which you will find at the end of this post.



Amaretto is a sweet liqueur made with vodka and this homemade version is perfect along with it only pennies on the bottle in comparison to store-bought.



This sweet cordial style drink has an almond flavor and is great over ice or added to cakes, other hot drinks, and of course over cubed ice.



The recipe takes virtually no time to make and all you need is a nice bottle to store it in, so don't throw away those empty bottles, you can always use on for making and storing this in.



I use Amaretto in my Amaretto Sweet Potatoes, Fudge, Cheesecake Amaretto Hot Cocoa, and so much more so don't think it's just for drinking!



Please read my tips before proceeding to ensure the best results.



Scroll down to the recipe card and print it off.

Beef Enchiladas

These Beef Enchiladas are a one-pan delicious tasty casserole.


We have stuffed a flour tortilla with a cheesy beef filling that the whole family enjoys and asks for often.


Although the enchiladas are normally made with corn, we prefer the flour kind, use whatever your family enjoys.


Usually, a burrito is made with a flour tortilla and is a handheld food, whereas the enchiladas are made with a corn tortilla and drenched with cheese and sauce to be eaten with a fork.


We love American Mexican food for a change and these are not only delicious but easy and fun to make.


You can even get the kids to help fill and I have several suggestions for additional fillings and toppings to be and over the top meal.


Around Cinco De Mayo we always have fun celebrating with several kinds of Mexican Recipes like this one.


Scroll down to the recipe card and check out the step by step instructions to make this simple cheesy casserole.


I even include my recipe for homemade enchilada sauce which is my favorite!

Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese was said to be invented by Italian-American cooks who got tired of the traditional way of frying and breading chicken cutlets.


There are two spellings you will find for recipes on the net for this famous dish.


Mom made a flounder growing up, Flounder Francese was made with a little heavy cream mixed in wit the eggs and added capers, so you can see there are many versions of the recipe.


The difference between the two types of Chicken dishes is that one spelled Francaise is said to be a French derivative of the same recipe with a coating of flour and egg dipping method.


Both are correct spellings for this dish and very much the same recipe with chicken breasts sauteed in butter and olive oil and then dredged into the most delectable sauce.


They are also both accompanied by white wine, chicken broth, and butter-flavored sauce and are made very easily in no time.


My step-by-step version of (no matter what way it's spelled) is a family favorite I make often, and this favorite dish is found in most Italian- American restaurants!


We love all kinds of chicken dishes, one others we make often are Mom's Baked Lemon Cutlets, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and a Baked Italian Chicken with Vegetables.


Our family likes this chicken served with sauteed spinach and garlic and twice-baked potatoes or on a bed of any kind of pasta.


Scroll down to this simple printable recipe card for the instructions.

Loaded Buffalo Potato Dip

If you're a potato lover, this loaded buffalo potato dip will knock it out of the park for you!


The potato lovers in my family went crazy over this, now I have to make it all the time.


I am pretty sure it's the delicious bacon and melted cheese that really grabs everyone attention.


You can adapt the recipe however you like a loaded baked potato, just get your creative juices flowing.


What better way to kick off your parties for the season than with this hearty potato dip.


Cheese, sour cream, bacon are just a few of the ingredients to this delicious dip.


This is the best way to serve potatoes no matter what kind of meal you may be preparing.


Gameday events, party foods, of any kind and especially during that favorite movie you're going to watch, this will be a smash hit ( no pun intended).


The recipe is easy to throw together for those last-minute guests and they are going to love this one I promise!


Scroll down and print it off, this one will be a keeper for sure.

Runza Copycat

Maybe you have heard of this famous Nebraska-made sandwich called Runza now you can make these in your own kitchens with our simple recipe!

I always try and recreate the recipe after one delicious bite we had in a local resturant.

These baked little stuffed loaves and my filling recipe are as close as I am going to get until I can find a restaurant close by to try an original one.

For now, these German-Russian beef sandwiches quickly became a family favorite and I make them often, we just love them.

I have now experimented with many versions and fillings and they are all a favorite hot pocket and different every time I make them.

Check out my many ideas, tips, and filling suggestions below.

Our family has always been a big fan of stuffed dough like stromboli, antipasto rolls, and stuffed panzerotti pizza so these are a nice change for sure to the Italian style.



Scroll down to the printable recipe card for instructions and photos to make these delicious soft filled stuffed loaves called runza.

Italian Three Cheese Spinach and Broccoli Pie with Puff Pastry

Italian Three Cheese Spinach and Broccoli Pie with Puff Pastry is one of the best brunch savory pies you will ever make with puff pastry.



This recipe goes back to the 1960s when mom would prepare this with homemade puff pastry dough and we all would wait in anticipation as the fabulous smell went through the house.



Fresh garlic, with the herbs and spices, was perfect with the spinach and broccoli folded in three different.



All these flavors all melded together perfectly and this meatless vegetable pie was served many times during the year for breakfast or dinner.



Mom made lots of different savory pies, one especially called Pizza Rustica at Easter, and then there was also an Italian Style Quiche we all loved.



This pie has a lot of steps to it, but don't let that stop you, it's easy with my step by step instructions below.



Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe, and don't forget to check out our tips and photos.

Pasta Aglio e Olio with Broccoli

This Pasta Aglio e Olio with Broccoli is an adapted version from the original style recipe called spaghetti Aglio.

We love to make the authentic version but occasionally change it up a bit like this basic recipe.

Anything you like can be added, it can be any vegetable, the simple recipe is made with a garlic olive oil sauce and the coated pasta is flavorful in every bite.

Simple pantry ingredients will have this dish on your tables in less than 30 minutes.

The topping is a toasted buttered bread crumb that is sprinkled on top at the end.

This is a nice light meal, especially during the warmer months, and is perfect to take along to a cookout, and even taste great cold!

We love Italian pasta dishes like Pasta Fagioli, Chicken Parmesano Fagioli Pasta Ceci three authentic recipes mom use to make years ago and I still do in her memory.

Scroll down to this easy recipe and I will also provide some other optional suggestions to add to your pasta if you want other vegetables, seafood, or meat in it.

Happy Cinco De Mayo Recipes

For many Americans, Cinco de Mayo means enjoying Mexican food and probably a few margaritas.



But Cinco de Mayo, which means May 5 in Spanish, is probably one of the most misunderstood Mexican holidays.



Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independence day.



Mexican independence is celebrated on September 16th.



Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla.



In fact, the holiday had its origin more than 50 years after the date associated with the country’s independence.



Here are some great Mexican/American-style recipes we have made through the years in celebration of Cinco De Mayo our family enjoys.

Easy Open Faced Chicken Tortilla Salad

I just love the ease of this open-face chicken tortilla salad.

These are chicken-filled tortillas that are sauteed with garlic and peppers, topped with salad and vinaigrette dressing.

Any meats you like can be substituted for chicken and even seafood!

These can be made into wraps, open-faced, rolled for an appetizer, or topped like nachos!

It's a perfect lighter meal during the hotter months using all fresh vegetables.

They can even be made all vegetarian for my non-meat eater readers.

Great for brunches, lunches, and dinners or even taken on a daily picnic to the beach.

If you substitute a low-carb tortilla, you will even have another reason to enjoy a healthy meal to keep your summer body trimmed!

If you want more healthy style recipes to check out my Mini Pizza Zucchini Appetizers and my Italian Antipasto Escarole Salad.

Just check out the many suggestions for filling and toppings and scroll to the printable recipe card at the end.

Homemade Egg Rolls

This was one of the easiest Homemade Egg Rolls to make in my own kitchen I was actually super happy with how they came out and they were easier than I thought how to make them.

I have made them several different ways now with the basic dough and changed up the fillings to what we like.

The noodles inside along with cabbage and whatever meats or seafood make these eggrolls unique every time I make them

I love the easy dipping sauce it really makes a big wow factor when they are still hot to have a bit of sweetness to dip these in.

Again there is nothing complicated to them once you see the photos, it's will ease your mind into wow those aren't difficult to give you the incentive to make your own.

I never go to restaurants to buy them they always seemed too greasy and these can be air fried, baked, or deep-fried.

I love to make all kinds of Asian food one of our other favorites is Bourbon Chicken and Easy Stir-Fried Rice both perfect to serve with these eggrolls.

Scroll down and check out this easy recipe to make in your own kitchen, even my husband said they were better than any others he has ever eaten!

Cabernet Venison or Beef Burgers

This epic burger is juicy, not dry, and made with ground venison ground and one of the tastiest recipes for deer meat I've ever eaten.

The first time I had a hamburger using ground venison, it was not very good, the meat needed fat and it was so dry, I thought I would never try it again.

Then I decided to experiment with some bacon fat and viola, it was a huge difference in flavor and juicy I felt like I hit the jackpot especially since we had so much in our freezer of ground meat.

This recipe is really perfect for deer meat/venison lovers and certainly will not disappoint you in flavor.

The meat is seasoned perfectly for our over-the-top tasting venison burger.

Dress your burger exactly as you would beef with cheese on top and any kind of condiments for a home run dressed to the nines style venison burger.


We make several delicious recipes using venison meat like venison sauerbraten, stew, venison fried rice, fried venison steaks, and even a venison pot pie.

Scroll down to the recipe card and try these Cabernet Burgers, you won't be sorry, and enjoy these juicy burgers that all venison lovers will enjoy and thank you for!