by Lydia Hubbard

As students, teachers, and parents, we are all exposed to a number of illnesses and bacteria, like the flu, a cold, or a bug. A lot of the time we just take over-the-counter medications or at-home remedies paired with time as a cure for that cold weather illness. I’m here to give you a list of recipes that may help you to feel better and get you up and on your feet while you’re battling that cold/virus. There’s no scientific proof that these recipes will treat your illness, but they certainly can help comfort you through those sick feelings. Here are some random, yet, helpful recipes to aid you into feeling better:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookies/77c14e03-d8b0-4844-846d-f19304f61c57

Feel Better Chicken Soup
https://damndelicious.net/2018/09/30/cold-fighting-chicken-noodle-soup/

Ginger Honey Chicken
https://tiffycooks.com/the-best-honey-ginger-chicken/

Electrolyte Popsicles
https://dontmesswithmama.com/homemade-electrolyte-popsicles/

Wellness Shots
https://vegetarianmamma.com/wellness-shot-recipe/

All of these recipes can be beneficial whether they’re for comfort or for help on the road to feeling better. So as we get through this upcoming winter and the colds it brings with it, consider these recipes, for they can provide your immune system with the help it needs to fight these pesky ailments.

by Lydia Hubbard

Cheesecake recipes
Cheesecake (in my opinion) is one of the best desserts. Its only flaw is that it’s a tedious and time-consuming dessert, but the product is so worth it. There are a few different styles of cheesecake, French being a lighter consistency than your typical New York-style cheesecake, which is dense and rich. Either way, no matter how you like it, there are many different ways to incorporate ingredients that jazz up the typical plain cheesecake. Here are some recipes for all of your cheesecake needs:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/caramel-apple-cheesecake-pie/

Brownie bottom
https://thegirlinspired.com/brownie-bottom-cheesecake/

Turtle
https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/turtle-cheesecake/

Banana pudding
https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/banana-pudding-cheesecake/

White chocolate raspberry
https://letsdishrecipes.com/white-chocolate-raspberry-swirl-cheesecake/

Lemon Blueberry
https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/lemon-blueberry-cheesecake/

Pecan Pie cheesecake
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pecan-pie-cheesecake/

These recipes may take a very long time, but I can assure you it is time well spent. These rich deserts are the kind that your families will rave about for years to come. As always, Happy Baking!

by Lydia Hubbard

Venison Recipes 

Deer season is afoot and for many families they depend on their harvest for food through to the next hunting season. Venison, depending on the age of the deer, can be very tender,  but it also makes for a great alternative to beef. There are endless recipes you can use venison to make with your harvest. Here are some of them:

• Venison Stew 

• Venison chili 

• Venison Stroganoff

• Venison Parmesan 

• Venison Carne Asada 

• Venison Steak 

• Venison Pot roast 

These recipes can really be good in ensuring that you use each part of the deer you’ve harvested to its full potential, the gamey flavor of the venison can make for an excellent dish, good luck to all hunters & Happy Cooking!

by Lydia Hubbard

Crockpot recipes

Something you might hear often after asking someone (typically a teenager)  what they had for dinner is the words “Well, my mom had the crockpot out.” followed by words that suggest its contents were not very good.  Crockpot dinners are usually not the most exciting but I’ve gathered recipes that might just make the idea of a crockpot dinner all the more better. So without further ado…

• Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken 

https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main-dishes/slow-cookers-fiesta-chicken

• Cheddar Chili Mac 

• BBQ Pulled Pork 

• Slow Cooker Stuffed shells 

• Crock Pot Apple Crisp

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/slow-cooker-apple-crisp/0606a892-af49-49ed-b206-b1ac9c37b0c4

• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• https://realhousemoms.com/buffalo-chicken-dip-crock-pot/
• Orange Chicken 
• https://www.averiecooks.com/slow-cooker-orange-chicken/

Hopefully, these recipes will restore some excitement when it comes to those dreaded crock pot dinners, there is a little something for everyone in this list whether you like spicy or sweet, these options can be easily executed and incredibly delicious. Happy Cooking!

by Lydia Hubbard

Most of us have all gone apple picking, whether it was as a family or with your friends. And if you have gone apple picking, you’ve probably returned home with more apples than you know what to do with. Well, I’m here to help you out, these are some recipes to make as a solution to that ongoing problem. Everyone’s go-to is typically apple pie, but here are some tasty alternatives to crank it up a notch.
To start off we have:

Apple Cinnamon Bread
https://butternutbakeryblog.com/apple-cinnamon-bread/

This recipe incorporates all those sweet cinnamony flavors just like an apple pie but makes it much easier to eat and take with you on the go or without the mess.

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
https://cafedelites.com/apple-pie-cinnamon-rolls/

This recipe is very simple, for cinnamon rolls that is. Usually, dough will have to take a lot of time to rise, but in this recipe the time is cut down greatly, making the availability of these tasty treats more timely.

Apple crisp cheesecake bars
https://www.buttercreamblondie.com/blogs/news/apple-crisp-cheesecake-bars

This treat is as good as it sounds, it incorporates a couple different recipes that when mixed together make this incredibly delicious dessert, perfect to spice it up for the holidays
These recipes are nice desserts to make for a family gathering/ occasion, or even just to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Something convenient to do when you have an abundance of fruit that you might not be sure what to do with would be to can them or make something that you can crack open during the wintertime when you’re missing the fruits of warmer weather! This year as a family we made applesauce and canned it together, not only was there something for everyone to do, it was also satisfying to enjoy something you put hard work into! Here are a few canning recipes to put those apples to use:

Apple Sauce
https://growagoodlife.com/homemade-applesauce/

Apple Butter
https://heartbeetkitchen.com/best-homemade-apple-butter-canning/

Apple Pie Filling
https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/canning-apple-pie-filling/#recipe

Another Fall fruit that is great for preserving is a Pear. Pear trees drop their fruit around the same time that apple trees do, and just like apples, they offer a wide variety of options when it comes to desserts/recipes to make with them. Some canning options could be:

Pear Butter
https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/pear-butter/

Canned Pears In Syrup
https://www.wyseguide.com/can-pears/

Brown Sugar Pear Jam
https://heartbeetkitchen.com/caramel-cardamom-pear-jam/

Pear desserts aren’t necessarily the most popular, but there are so many different options when it comes to what you can make with them, tasty options that is! Here is a list of just some of the possibilities:

Baked Pears
https://letthebakingbegin.com/baked-pears-recipe/

Pear Bread
https://www.chewoutloud.com/pear-bread/

Pear Cobbler
https://bakeorbreak.com/2016/10/autumn-spice-pear-cobbler/#mv-creation-58-jtr

Pear Crisp
https://carlsbadcravings.com/pear-crisp/

Hopefully, these recipes inspire you to try something different this Autumn, Happy Baking!

by Lydia Hubbard

School has started, and summer is coming to an end. The Autumn season is almost here, and with Autumn, we get sweater weather and so many opportunities to make sweet and savory treats with the vegetables and fruits of fall.  Pumpkin being one of the most popular flavors is one we see in coffee, cookies, cakes, breads, and one of my favorites, pie. There are so many things you can use pumpkin/pumpkin puree for, and here is just a small fraction of those possibilities. I recently came across a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that I immediately wanted to try out. They came out super moist and full of flavor, I cannot wait to make them again. This recipe Ingredients list calls for:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (15 oz ) can solid-pack pumpkin purée
• 1-1/2 cups canola oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

The steps for making them are simple. You start by preheating the oven to 400℉ and place your non-stick liners into your muffin pan. After that is complete, you will get a large bowl and beat your eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix your flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Slowly mix your dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until well combined, then add in your chocolate chips. Lastly, fill your lined muffin pan, filling each ¾ of the way full. Place your muffins in the oven and let them bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. It is suggested to let them sit in the pan for 10 minutes after being taken out of the oven. This recipe makes about 24 delicious muffins.  

(This recipe comes from https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/)

Something we don’t typically don’t think of is that pumpkin is a squash! So not only can we get a sweet treat out of pumpkin, we can also make a savory dish as well.  Here are some recipes made with pumpkin that are not deserts but are still very enjoyable.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese (https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-pot-pumpkin-mac-and-cheese/)

Pumpkin Quesadillas (https://www.lucismorsels.com/pumpkin-quesadillas/)

Pumpkin Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons (https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/creamy-pumpkin-soup-with-grilled-cheese-croutons/)