Introducing Real Recipes for Real Families

Hello. Let me start by telling you why I am doing this blog. Like many people out there, I love to cook. I love watching cooking shows, reading cook books, magazines, know all of the Food Network chefs and and can whip up a mean lasagna. Here's the problem: I have a limited budget. Many recipes out there require ingredients that either aren't available in my area, or I simply cannot afford. I also however do not like to sacrifice quality, healthy meals for my large family. So I decided that as I make, review, revise and most importantly cook meals for my family of 6, I would like to share them with you. Whoever you may be.

The recipes that I will be putting up are admittedly often taken from what I have at a restaurant and I try to mimic, a cookbook that I find works better with some revisions and substitutions or from Food Network shows that I tried, or sometimes change to fit my family. So without further ado, Real recipes for real moms and dads who really have to cook on a real budget! Feel free to let your friends know about this blog who love to cook too or feel like they are "kitchen challenged!"

Stay tuned for tonight's meal: Cranberry Chicken!
Here's the recipe, I will cook it, take a picture and write a review tonight after dinner. (Taken from Kraft food magazine with my revisions of course)

Cranberry Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1 8 oz bottle of catalina dressing
1 envelope onion soup mix

~Heat oven to 350*
~Place chicken in 13x9 baking dish, spray first with non-stick cooking spray
~Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken
~Bake 35 minutes and check for pinkness, add on time in 5 minute increments as needed. If you use bone in chicken breasts cook for 50 min.

Tips:
*The first time I made this I put all the ingredients into my crockpot and cooked it on high for 4 hours and it turned out amazing! Tonight I will be making it in the oven because a crock pot is only a time saver if you remember to actually put the food into the crockpot early enough for it to cook.
*Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray to help prevent sticking and burning!