Sourdough English Muffins

The Sourdough English Muffins are sooo yummy served warm, right off the griddle. We like them with a little bit on honey on them…sometimes Xander eats them with jam instead. If you don’t eat them all in one sitting, warm them slightly before eating the leftovers.

After making these English Muffins, plan to eat them within a few days. I’ll make them for a big breakfast and then we’ll have the leftovers for snacks the next few days. They don’t keep much longer than that but they are so good, they are definitely worth making.

30 Minute Taco Soup

I’ve been on a taco kick lately. We eat tacos A LOT at our house so when I saw this Taco Soup recipe, it seemed like something I just HAD to try. I’m sure glad I did…it was delicious!

I really liked the soup with a little plain greek yogurt mixed in…gave it a nice creamy flavor. The kids liked it loaded with cheddar cheese 🙂 I didn’t add any cheese on my soup and didn’t feel like it was missing anything.

Avocado Salmon Salad

This Avocado Salmon Salad is light and fresh and full of flavor. It would be a lovely salad to serve in the summer when fresh dill can be added to the top. I am typically not a huge lemon fan but this salad was a definite keeper for our family.

To slice the veggies, I used my mandoline for a quick and uniform slice in no time at all. I have the older model of this de Buyer mandoline which I love. The blades are SUPER sharp so beware. It comes with interchangeable blades to slice, crinkle, julienne 4mm and 10mm, and waffle cut. It also has an integrated cube system. One side of the blade is serrated for waffle cuts; the other side has a micro-serrated edge for cutting fruits and vegetables. The newer model pusher is a nice upgrade to protect your fingers.

Just be careful when washing it! I’ve had other mandolines in the past that I always had to replace because they didn’t work well. This mandoline does everything you need and more!

Substitutions/Additions made by Cooking After Class for Avocado Salmon Salad:

• used dried dill instead of fresh
• used a regular cucumber instead of an English cucumber

Tips from Cooking After Class for making Avocado Salmon Salad:

• bake salmon in an air fryer instead of pan frying to avoid the extra oil
• be sure to slice the radishes as thin as possible so they do not overpower the salad

RECIPE: Avocado Salmon Salad Recipe

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5

Effort: Quick & Easy

Time: 30 minutes

Kids Comments: Surprisingly good 🙂

Make it Again: Yes…nice fresh, salad…salmon is a great addition

all ingredients ready to go

salmon is seasoned

baked in air fryer

veggies are all chopped

Kenxie was excited for the avocado

Pistachio Muffins

These Pistachio Muffins were delicious! They were savory with a touch of sweet. An absolute treat to enjoy for breakfast or brunch.

I was a little worried about how they would turn out since the batter was so thick but they turned out wonderfully…once they finally finished cooking. That was partially my fault since I chose to bake them as jumbo muffins (trying to complete with the Costco muffins my kids LOVE) but even if they were in a regular muffin pan, I believe they would have likely taken a bit longer to bake. Well worth it though…so yummy.

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

These Spicy Shrimp Tacos have a little kick to them with a bit of lime to balance the flavor nicely. They are easy to throw together with just a few ingredients. They were tasty in a corn tortilla but just as yummy in a lettuce wrap.

Mexican Meatball Soup

This Mexican Meatball Soup recipe is better known as “Grandma’s Special Soup” by Rafael, one of my third grade students. He asked if I liked soup and when I told him YES, he brought in Grandma’s Special Soup recipe so that I could try to make it myself.

This soup was AMAZING! I loved how all the flavors came together. Rafael’s family sent in some dried spearmint leaves for me to use when making the meatball. So glad they had some extra to share as it really added to the mix of flavors in the meatballs (and also gave me ideas for drying some of my herbs this summer/fall…definitely something I need to explore further).

Spicy Turkey Stir Fry

I find myself making stir fry frequently. There are so many variations that you can make that are all full of new flavors. Most are also fairly healthy which make them a go to for me. This Spicy Turkey Stir Fry does not disappoint.

I have made this recipe several times in the past. I have used ground turkey, as the recipe calls for, but this time, I used ground venison instead. The flavors are wonderful with both meat choices.

Bacon and Egg Spaghetti

In our house, this Bacon and Egg Spaghetti is also known as Magazine Pasta. This meal was pictured on the cover of a Food Network magazine I received. Kenxie saw the picture and begged me to make it. Since then, it has been a regularly requested meal in our house. Easy and delicious…can’t beat that!

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

For Kenxie’s 12th birthday, she requested an Oreo Ice Cream Cake. I wasn’t able to find a recipe that I wanted to try without added whipped cream (ugh…I don’t like anything fluffy and cooking with it makes me nauseous) so I improvised and made it up as I went.

I started with a springform pan to make the crust. I used a 10 inch pan. I wanted a thicker crust since I LOVE oreo crusts. I used 35 oreos and ground them up to very fine crumbs using a food processor. Combine the crumbs with 5 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.

Crock Pot Italian Sausage Dinner

My kids are not crazy about crock pot meals but let’s face it, sometimes they are a necessity. This Italian Sausage dinner is an easy option because not only can it be prepared in a matter of minutes in the morning, there is nothing that has to be done in the evening to get it ready to serve. As soon as you’re ready to eat, you spoon out some green beans, grab a sausage link or two, and add a few potatoes to your plate and dinner is served.