My Porch Ponders

My go to meal and probably my most favorite, would have to be stuffed baked potatoes.  I like making this meal for my family, they always seem to really enjoy it. It is easy to throw a roast in the crock pot let it cook all day, take it out, shred it, put your favorite BBQ sauce on it then pop it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until its warm and bubbly.  My favorite sauce is Sweet Baby Rays.  I bake my potatoes in the oven, but first I coat them with olive oil and salt.  Bake unwrapped  in a 400 degree oven until the internal temp of the potato is 210 degrees. That is when they are most fluffy and less starchy and sticky.  Usually about an hour depending on the size of course. We usually top with butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and then a drizzle of BBQ sauce. You could top with bacon, chives, salsa,or grilled onions.   We always enjoy this warm, hardy meal.  I love hearing the comments from my family when they see whats for dinner. Makes my heart happy to hear that  p

When I was growing up, on Sundays our big meal was lunch.  After church  mama would always have a wonderful meal planned.  Roast, fried chicken, or meat loaf was just a  few of our favorites.  We almost never went to restaurants.  Sunday after church was for resting, but cooking a meal is a lot of work. To me cooking is also a way to show love and appreciation for family and friends.  Once the meal was cooked and kitchen cleaned  not a lot of time for rest before we were off to Sunday evening church.  I associate food with memories, so many things come to mind when I think about Sunday afternoon meals. Playing with my brother and sister, helping in the kitchen, having friends over from church to share the meal with. Lots of wonderful memories.   2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup 2 Tbsp. red or white miso 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 5–6-oz. boneless salmon fillets I used bonel

 I literally have not cooked a from scratch meal all week, but we have ate and have been satisfied. Believe me it’s ok and I don’t feel bad about it. One night was instant soup another night  was fried eggs and toast eating standing up at the kitchen counter. Tonight was pizza on the couch in front of the TV.   I did decide to have desert tonight.  I mean it is Friday so let’s celebrate the weekend. Right? A couple weeks ago I made chocolate chip cookies and put some back in the freezer....Thaw a couple in the microwave added a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sliced strawberries and add a little drizzle of chocolate syrup.  Put it along  side a yummy cup of coffee from my French press and I had a delicious dessert. Hopefully I’ll feel more like cooking next week.  With that said...I really need to plan a menu and a shopping list. 

To me nothing says Christmas like a fresh  homemade carrot cake with cream cheese icing. My mama would make our family one every year. It’s not a difficult cake to make from scratch and this easy recipe is the one she has used since I was a little girl. The smell of cinnamon fills the kitchen and brings back so many memories.  This year, Christmas was delayed for my family since my daddy, dare I say it, had COVID. Thankfully he has recovered. We finally had a carrot cake for my husbands birthday.   I guess you’d say this is my pilot blog post.  We will see where this little journey will go. I’m working  the kinks out and learning the process.