Oven Baked Boy Scout Packet Potatoes

We love grilling Boy Scout Packet Potatoes outside.  We wanted a way to replicate this recipe in our weekly menu cooked indoors.  Too often when we made it the traditional way, wrapped in foil, a small tear would cause butter to drip on the bottom of the oven.  We thought we'd try wrapping them and using the 9 x 13 pan to hold them, but then decided why not just bake them directly in the pan?  Here is our indoor Oven Baked Boy Scout Packet Potatoes Recipe version.

Ready for the oven.

As you can see you can peel the potatoes or leave the peels on.  Also, some of

Bread Machine Wheat Hamburger Bun Recipe

Dad makes a mean hamburger!  But we never were satisfied with store bought buns for them so Elizabeth took to making up a Bread Machine Wheat Hamburger Bun Recipe to make his burgers even better.  Here is her final version.  They are a hearty, firm bun that holds up to even all the condiments Dad piles on his burger!

These will easily double in size and be sure to smash them quite flat as they will round up nicely when risen and baked -- otherwise they want to turn into balls.  Bake on greased or non-stick cookie sheets or use parchment paper.

You can read the review of the West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Machine we wrote earlier and check out all our  Bread Machine Recipes.

Check after a couple minutes of kneading and add flour or water as needed for proper texture - should be quite stiff and not stick to your finger when poked.  Add small amounts at a time—1 or 2 teaspoons.

Bread Machine Wheat French Bread Recipe

We love French Bread with many dishes from Beef Stew to Lasagna Style Pasta Bake so we always keep a loaf or two in the freezer.  Here is our Bread Machine French Bread Recipe.  We let the machine knead it, but we shape it and bake in a conventional oven.  This is a heavier, moisture texture than store bakery bread and it is important to be sure to cook it long enough -- better to err on the side of too long.  It is delicious for Party Sub Sandwiches, too.

Mini loaves shaped & ready to rise.

Bake on greased or non-stick cookie sheets or use parchment paper.

Bread Machine Wheat Dinner Rolls Recipe

Great Grandma's rolls were popular at any family gathering.  She taught Elizabeth how to make them when she was about eight and she made them often.  I on the other hand could not get them light and fluffy, so I left all bread making to Elizabeth.  Until we got our West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Machine. Now I let it knead the dough and I bake in a conventional oven.  Here is our Bread Machine Wheat Dinner Rolls Recipe.

Great Grandma used just white flour, we use a combination of fresh ground whole wheat and bread flour.  They can be shaped any way you like:  mini-rolls, round rolls, clover leaf rolls, crescent, etc.  Bake on greased or non-stick cookie sheets or use parchment paper.  Great Grandma always cooked hers in "pie tins."

You'll notice it says 2 to 3 cups bread flour -- begin with 2 and let it start kneading and add a little more at a time until the dough seems right.  The humidity in the air makes a huge difference on how these turn out.

Check after a couple minutes of kneading and add flour or water as needed for proper texture - should be quite stiff and not stick to your finger when poked.  Add small amounts at a time—1 or 2 teaspoons.

You can read the review of the West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Machine we wrote earlier and check out all our  Bread Machine Recipes. We love using the machine to do the kneading for us and we then shape and bake.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread ~ Bread Machine Recipe

We eat a LOT of sandwich bread in our family.  We have found the easiest way to keep up with having fresh Whole Wheat bread in the house is to use the West Bend 2.5 Pound Hi-Rise Bread Machine.  This is our Bread Machine Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe that Elizabeth developed.

It is not 100% Whole Wheat as we have not been able to develop a recipe for that to use in this machine.  We are willing to give up the 100% whole wheat in

Christmas Citrus Salad Recipe

This is the Christmas Citrus Salad recipe we use each year.  It is simple and super healthy and perfect for vegan friends.  It is a fun salad to work on together around the kitchen table.  It comes from Grandma and Grandpa's tradition, but where it started I do not know.

The bananas tend to float that is why it looks like so many.

Here is the ratio of fruit we use, but any will do and anything can be left out.  Grandmama cannot eat grapefruits because of the interaction with some of her meds so we leave those out of her

My Stuffing Recipe

This is a fairly basic stuffing recipe.  I sort of combined my mother’s, grandmother’s, and grandfather’s recipes and came up with this.  It is great for stuffing chicken or turkey, topping casseroles, or cooking separately as a side dish.

Roasted Potato Chunks Recipe

These are a quick and easy potato side dish. They are somewhat like oven fries, but are larger chunks and are a nice, simple way to add to a meal where you think French fries might just be a bit too casual.

Oven Fries

These are simple oven fries for when you want that delicious, simple taste of homemade fries, but do not want to heat up the fryer or are a wimp like me and really, really do not like dealing with vats of extremely hot oil.

How To Cook Bacon

Bacon in our house is largely my Dad’s purview. I am a rather short person, and when I was younger, I was petrified that the grease would spatter in my face. I have overcome that fear and now know how to keep from being burned, but the tradition was set and so it remains – if he is home, he fries the bacon. So here

Vegetable Tray

The Vegetable Tray is king of quick, easy, and appreciated pick-ups to take to a party or potluck. Since no actual cooking is involved, it is a perfect choice for beginners. While it does cost a few dollars, it is also a relatively frugal option. I find this to be an unusual and much appreciated dish at events I take it to. It is uncommon as I have not seen others bring it often. I have rarely brought

Grandpa R's Applesauce - The Recipe

This is a great recipe if you like homemade applesauce but do not want to go down the road of making it in bulk and canning or freezing it (although this recipe can be canned and Grandpa R freezes leftovers regularly). Fresh homemade applesauce is a great compliment to a meal, especially to pork, which is our traditional meal on New Year’s Day. I actually made this yesterday in order to have the