Here is a glossary of sorts to help you pick through the maze of recipes.
Beef: The dish contains cow meat, obviously. The majority of my recipes I switch ground beef with ground turkey, mainly because it is that much more inexpensive.
Bowl Food: Dishes that require a bowl and spoon to be eaten. This is where you will find the soup and stews and chilis and such.
Breakfast Fare: These are recipes that make for a delicious breakfast.
Budget Friendly: Times are tough, and lets face it, the economy hasn't exactly been swinging up. These are recipes that are inexpensive to make and usually yield some hearty left-overs, all making that hard-earned dollar stretch a lil further. And who doesn't like that?!
Cakes: If the title isn't clear, cake recipes are found here.
Chicken: These recipes all contain chicken in some form, breast, thigh, roasted... Chicken is my favorite protein to cook with.
Cookies: Again, it should be obvious, but if not then this is where you will find the cookies.
Decadent Desserts: All of the desserts, (cookies, cakes, pies, ect), are listed under this title. And we're a sweets-lovin' family, so there will more than likely be a majority of dessert recipes.
Ellie Approved: Ellie would be my toddler who picks meat out of any dish I serve her. If she approves of a recipe it is either meat-less or has large chunks of meat easily taken off her plate. The other requirement for this title is that she always eats, and in large portions, what is not a meat portion of the dish, such as the rice, vegetable, ect.
Freezer Friendly: Recipes that I will be preparing and freezing in anticipation for newborn-toddler craziness. These dishes freeze and re-heat wonderfully.
Fruit: All of the recipes that are made with fruit can be found under this title.
Good Ol' American: These recipes are what I think All-American food is. Ya know, apple pie and pot roast and Sunday Night Dinners. The best of Foodie-America.
Healthy Goodness: These recipes are good for you, healthy, low-fat, and delicious. No guilt when indulging in any of these scrumptious dishes.
Italian: Italian, my heritage and my weakness. My favorite restaurant to go to as well, which is why you won't find many pasta or Italian-inspired recipes under this heading.
Man Food: Here you will find all that my husband, Rob, loves to eat and requests often. There are the typical manly-men food such as meat loaf, but also lighter dishes like Cuban Chicken Pizza.
Mexican: You can't live in the Texas Panhandle and not have some decent Mexican recipes up your sleeve. Or I guess Tex-Mex would be more accurate. All that is inspired from our spicy neighbors to the south can be found here.
Pies: If a dish requires at least one pastry crust and is made in a pie pan, it can be found under this heading.
Pork: Dishes under this title contain pig meat.
Quick & Easy: Possibly the most sought after type of recipe next to "budget friendly," these dishes don't need much prep work and can usually be on the table, or on the cake stand, in no time at all.
Salad: I am more of a plain-jane green salad eater, (and Rob is a non-green-salad-eater), so you won't find any mixed green salads here. Instead, this is where fruit, potato, and macaroni salads will be. If I ever find a potato or macaroni salad recipe I'm crazy for, that is.
Slow Cooker: These recipes can be thrown in your Crock-Pot in the morning, which will do all the heavy-lifting during the day, so that you can walk in the door (or sit the rambunctious child in their chair), and have dinner ready and waiting. Is there anything better?!
So Worth It: These recipes, I'll admit, either take a chunk out of the budget or require an ungodly amount of time to fix. Sometimes they are both. BUT, man oh man are they so worth it!
Thanksgiving Glory: Some of the great treasures that make a fabulous Turkey Day meal are found here.
Thirst Quenchers: Drinks to make when plain ol' water just won't cut it.
Vegetables: Dishes comprised of good-for-ya veggies are this way. Sometimes recipes in this category, while they contain vegetables, are not so good-for-ya.
