This recipe for Crock Pot Taco Chili is delicious and simple to make as well. There is nothing quite like lounging around on a lazy Sunday and then ending your day with crock pot recipes that have been simmering all day. A slow cooker is one of the best kitchen helpers out there. It allows you…
Hate junk mail? Turn this unwanted mail into garden mulch with this easy gardening life hack. All you have to do is look into your mail box and you will see how much junk mail you get on a daily basis. Junk mail is unwanted, wastes paper and other materials and ends up on our…
This beef stew with root vegetables is one of my favorite crockpot recipes. It has a rich gravy and the most tender beef ever! Many people enjoy stews in the fall when the weather is cooler, but I enjoy them all year round. My main reason is that I can cook them in my crock…
Composting allows me to add some organic matter to my garden, but the material often needs sifting. Instead of buying a compost sifter, I made my own DIY Compost Screen by using common plastic garden trays. These trays are readily available at most garden centers when you purchase a flat of seedlings. The come with…
A rolling compost pile is much easier to manage that a normal pile in a compost bin. It is an easy way to avoid a common gardening mistake – forgetting to add compost to the soil. I am committed to organic gardening. My vegetable garden is treated for insects with homemade remedies and I control…
A fan of my Gardening Cook Page on Facebook recently shared with me some photos she took on a recent Garden tour of Stott Garden in Goshen, Indiana. My husband and I spend the summer months touring garden centers around this country. We have visited several of them in Indiana, but when someone mentioned it…
I recently asked The Gardening Cook Facebook fans to submit their favorite planters When it comes to creative planters, the sky seems to be the limit. Almost anything with an opening can become a garden planter. The Gardening Cook fans are an inventive group when it comes to thinking outside the box of normal pots. …
Homemade Garlic bread is a must have accompaniment to many main course dishes. This recipe combines butter with basil and parsley for a great taste sensation. There are so many ways to use this homemade garlic bread recipe. Serve it with home style soups or stews to get that last drop of broth. And what…
I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of creative garden signs to give you some ideas for ways to dress up your garden space. There is nothing like a creative and funny garden sign to add a touch of whimsy to your garden. They invite guests to explore your garden space…
These Pestiños pastries are flavored with citrus, wine and cinnamon. If you are looking for something special to take to a cookie swap, this recipe will delight the party guests with their delicate texture. Pestiños are a Spanish cookie from Andalusia and other regions of Southern Spain. They are often served at Christmas time, but…
These delicious chocolate and rum butterscotch balls are bite sized and just full of flavor. These yummy butterscotch balls are very easy to make and delicious to eat. The recipe combines dark chocolate, dark brown sugar and walnuts together with a few other pantry staples. I love a sweet treat this is just a…
This handy butter Margarine conversion chart will show you how much oil to use in the recipe instead of the butter that is called for. I keep a very well stocked pantry, but there are still times when I am out of something that I needed for a recipe, only to discover that I am…
Kyoto Japan is jam packed with stunning Japanese gardens, and it is a must visit in any Japan itinerary. If you love beautiful gardens and large temples, this place needs to be on your travel bucket list. The gardens, often part of temples or old imperial retreats, are spread around the city. They are particularly…
What is not to like about cheesecake recipes? Here is a cheesecake recipe roundup to tempt all taste buds. Cheesecake recipes are rich and indulgent. They are the ultimate dessert to end any special occasion meal. These recipes can be made with so many different ingredients and is sure to please the most critical sweet…
This black bean salsa is a nice change from the regular bottled salsa and is much more hearty. We have tacos and burritos a lot at my house. Most of the time, we use traditional toppings and sides. Today I decided to make a special salsa to go along with the tacos. They pair together…
These roasted potatoes with lemon are cooked in the oven, not deep fried, to make them tasty and healthier at the same time. Roasting any vegetable brings out their natural sweetness. I love roasted potatoes, especially when combined with spices. There is nothing like biting into a crispy outer skin and then having a creamy…
If you are looking for an easy weeknight meal , this pizza roll up recipe is a great option. The recipe combines chicken with spicy sauce in a refrigerated dough. It’s kind of like a pizza in a pocket. All the flavors combine to make a delicious filling that tastes amazing. Pizza Roll up with…
This recipe for sugar snap peas, mushrooms and tomatoes is easy to make and just full of flavor. It would make a fast side dish for any weeknight when time is limited. Best of all, the ingredients are fresh from the garden! What could be better? Nothing tastes quite like a vegetable dish made from…
This luscious Chocolate covered hazelnut coffee drink also adds Kahlua to two of my favorite tastes. They give the drink a coffee flavor that takes the other two flavors to a whole new level. Any cocktail that combines hazelnut and chocolate is a good one, in my book. These flavors are used for the delicious…
My husband loves the car show Pimp my Ride. He gets a kick out of how people dress up their cars in neat an innovative ways. But the show has never yet shown how people use their cars as car planters! It appears that many gardeners also like the idea of pimping their cars –…
Food carving and creative food art is something that requires a great deal of patience to end up with just the perfect result. I love seeing what creative people can do with food to make it into an art form. Food is soft and this makes it the perfect medium for carving into life-like objects….
Many drink recipes ask for a sweet and sour mix. This home made version is perfect for those who don’t want a very sweet mix. There are lots of commercial sweet and sour mixes available for purchase in grocery stores and where liquor is sold. But most of those are too sweet for my liking….
Sweet Williams have pretty fringed flowers that grow in a cluster on top of a long stalk. Dianthus Barbatus is a lovely variety of the dianthus species. Dianthus Barbatus – is a tender perennial. It is often treated as a Biennial with leaves the first year and flowers the second before dying off. My Dianthus Barbatus…
Even though Labor day has come and gone, you can still grill. We do it most weekends here in NC, all year long. These Margarita steaks will be perfect for the barbecue. My husband is the grill master at our house, but he counts on me to come up with something to season or marinate…
I recently tried this roasted rutabaga recipe and it is just delicious and makes a wonderful fall side dish. I have always used rutabagas in casseroles and stews. I like using lots of root vegetables in recipes like this type of recipe. Roasting rutabagas concentrate the natural sweetness of the vegetable. This is the same…
The Hotel Riley Rum cocktail combines vodka, amaretto, and coconut rum with the refreshing taste of lime and pineapple juice. Let’s enjoy another of my delicious tropical rum cocktail recipes! This one is so, so delicious. There is nothing quite like the taste of a Caribbean-flavored drink. From frozen strawberry daiquiris to mixed drinks made…