Raspberry Torte

I started dating my husband during the beginning of our Junior year of college. The first time he brought me home to meet his parents, he did it by asking if I wanted to go apple picking. Turns out, his parents had a HUGE garden and well over a dozen fruit trees. He was asking me to pick apples at their house! But all of that produce that they grew (and continue to grow) leads to some delicious recipes being made in their kitchen, including raspberry torte. 

My mother in law is notorious for ALWAYS having an option for dessert. Not just a piece of chocolate. There will always be a pie, a torte, cookies, something sweet to eat after both lunch and dinner. I, for one, am not complaining. 

One of the favorites is her black raspberry torte and they grow an impressive amount of berries. Now we grow them, but not near as many. I also prefer red raspberries and we grow and preserve a lot of them. So I thought, “How does this torte translate into a red raspberry torte?” 

That answer: It translates so well! And my family would say it gets better over a few days as the filling gets to rest. The first time I made it, the Mr gave me a sly eye and said, “It’s good. I think you definitely need to practice and make another one,” with a large large grin on his face!

So this is my take (just a few tweaks) on my mother in law’s raspberry torte. I hope you enjoy it as much as everyone has in my husband’s family! 

Your Ingredients for Raspberry Torte

Crust

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

Filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar 
  • 4 ounces cool whip 
  • 5 cups red raspberries, measured from frozen
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup sugar 
  • 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch 
  • ⅓ cup cold water 

Your Steps  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, cream butter. Prepare the crust by adding the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cream until well combined. Press into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes. 

Allow the crust to cool. Once cool, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. 

In a medium sauce pan, combine the raspberries, sugar,  and lemon zest and juice. Cook until broken down and a smooth-ish sauce is made. That is, the raspberries should have mostly broken down. In a small dish, combine the cold water and cornstarch. Stir into the raspberries over a med-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the berries have thickened, about 4 minutes. 

Allow the berry mixture to cool. Then spread on top of the cream cheese layer. Now, I would eat it almost immediately. My family said it got better a few days later, but I will let you be the judge! 

Also, if you want to modify the amount of sugar added to the berries you absolutely can. Give them a taste before you add the cornstarch and water slurry and see if you want to add more. You can also add a little less, but I think ½ cup is the sweet spot, personally.

Raspberry Torte

Make this easy raspberry torte with a buttery crust, cream cheese filling, and raspberry topping. A tasty treat from Jess in the Kitchen.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 1 stick butter softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

Filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 ounces cool whip
  • 5 cups red raspberries measured from frozen
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • cup cold water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
  • In a medium bowl, cream butter. Prepare the crust by adding the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cream until well combined.
  • Press into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes.
  • Allow the crust to cool.
  • Once cool, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust.
  • In a medium sauce pan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest and juice.
  • Cook until broken down and a smooth-ish sauce is made. That is, the raspberries should have mostly broken down.
  • In a small dish, combine the cold water and cornstarch.
  • Stir into the raspberries over a med-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the berries have thickened, about 4 minutes.
  • Allow the berry mixture to cool. Then spread on top of the cream cheese layer. Serve immediately or keep chilled.

Notes

If you want to modify the amount of sugar added to the berries you absolutely can. Give them a taste before you add the cornstarch and water slurry and see if you want to add more. You can also add a little less, but I think ½ cup is the sweet spot, personally.
Keyword cream cheese, dessert, desserts, raspberries, Raspberry, raspberry torte, torte, tortes
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Looking for other sweet treats?

Give some of these a try! Or you can always check out my baking page!

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Why am I here sharing a pumpkin baked oatmeal recipe? 

I may be in my busiest season of life I have experienced in my forty years thus far. 

I am a teacher. A marathoner. A wife and a mother to two very involved athletes who can not drive yet. And that doesn’t even get me started on my hobbies (and ask my husband, I have a lot of them…) 

The athlete thing has made life the craziest though. Among other things, mornings are scheduled by the minute because it is easiest in our household if I am the one who gets the big kid to lifting AND shoot around AND jazz band in the morning. 

This means I need a breakfast I can depend on to fuel me for the day without taking an excessive amount of time to make. Enter the protein pumpkin baked oatmeal. 

This baked oatmeal has all the warming spices a gal could want on a fall morning, a bit of protein powder (easily skipped though if that isn’t your jam), and goes so dang well with some vanilla Greek yogurt (I dig a low sugar, high protein like Oikos). About 45 minutes on a Sunday leads to a delicious breakfast all week that takes less than 3 minutes to prepare.  

This time of year, it is so easy to roast your own pumpkin and if you have the freezer space to save some I recommend it much (Check my recipe here!) but canned puree would work just as well. 

Ready to start prepping your breakfast? Let’s go! 

Your Ingredients

  • 1 ¾  cup milk (dairy or non dairy) 
  • 1 cup roasted pumpkin puree (fresh or canned) 
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts but pecans would work great too!) 
  • 1-2 scoops of vanilla or unflavored protein powder (optional) 
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional) 
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt for topping 

Your Steps to Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Preheat the oven to 375 ℉ and lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking dish. (I actually really like my 11×7 inch pan, but I don’t know that everyone has one of those!) 

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk well, fully incorporating the pumpkin. Stir in the milk. 

In another bowl, mix oats, protein powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Incorporate into the wet ingredients. Fold in about half of the nuts and the chocolate chips, if using. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and additional chocolate chips.  

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges are lightly golden brown. 

Serve it up! 

This reheats so well and is the reason I love it. It gets popped it in the microwave for 40 seconds (we have pretty heavy duty plates though) and then put a scoop of vanilla Greek yogurt on top. I love that I have breakfast ready in a flash! 

I hope that it makes your way onto your table, whether you’re a busy parent feeding yourself or feeding a crew of children. It makes for a great breakfast all week long!

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Whip up this easy protein pumpkin baked oatmeal—perfect for busy mornings. Cozy spices, real pumpkin, and meal-prep convenience in one delicious bake.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cup milk dairy or non dairy
  • 1 cup roasted pumpkin puree fresh or canned
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup chopped nuts I use walnuts but pecans would work great too!
  • 1-2 scoops of vanilla or unflavored protein powder optional
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips optional
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt for topping

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 ℉ and lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking dish.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk well, fully incorporating the pumpkin. Stir in the milk.
  • In another bowl, mix oats, protein powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Incorporate into the wet ingredients. Fold in about half of the nuts and the chocolate chips, if using.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and additional chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges are lightly golden brown.

Notes

This reheats so well and is the reason I love it. I pop it in the microwave for 40 seconds (we have pretty heavy duty plates though) and then put a scoop of vanilla Greek yogurt on top. I love that I have breakfast ready in a flash!
I actually really like my 11×7 inch Pryex baking dish for this, but I don’t know that everyone has one of those. 9×9 inch or 8×8 inch work just as well!
Keyword baked oatmeal, Breakfast, breakfast meal prep, meal prep, oatmeal, pumpkin, pumpkin recipes
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Looking for other breakfast ideas?

Here are a few of my favorites!

Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

This one sounds like a wild one. A combination of flavors and techniques that perhaps don’t belong together. But I’ve been experimenting more and more with flavors and techniques that are perhaps beyond the Midwestern gal I am. So when an online foodie friend of mine (Shout out to you Mandy in the UK!) recommended I try a Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet to use up our abundance of berries, I had to give it a go. 

I used my Raspberry Nectarine Sorbet recipe as a jumping off point. Four cups of fruit. Some sugar and orange juice. A bit of lemon juice. Then I added the jalapeño. I am a bit of a baby when it comes to spice, so I started with one. I gave the mixture a try and thought, “Hm, I can hardly taste it.” In went a second. “No, not quite right yet.” 

So I went with three jalapeños, and it seemed just right. A bit of heat and a combination of earthy flavors between the jalapeño and black raspberry. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited for this recipe! 

So I went with three jalapeños, and it seemed just right. A bit of heat and a combination of earthy flavors between the jalapeño and black raspberry. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited for this recipe! 

I know it is different and perhaps not for everyone, but I hope you are willing to give this flavor combination a try! Let’s get creating! 

Your Ingredients for Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

  • 4 cups black raspberries 
  • 2-3 jalapeños, diced small 
  • ½ cup orange juice 
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Your Steps

Combine fruit and diced jalapeño. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. If I use an immersion blender, blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. I have also liked using my large food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Blend everything together once more, making sure to break down the peppers. Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid. 

Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet. There are lots of options for this. You can use a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender. I dig the immersion blender because clean up is so easy. Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go! Be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them! 

A few notes

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of alcohol can be fun. However, be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will affect the ability of the sorbet to freeze. 

Have a sweeter tooth? Feel free to add more sugar to suit your own tastes. I think the fruit flavor is great the way it is and doesn’t need the extra sugar. 

Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

Sweet meets heat in this bold Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet from Jess in the Kitchen—unexpected, refreshing, and totally irresistible.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Freeze Time 6 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups black raspberries
  • 2-3 jalapeños diced small
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Combine fruit and diced jalapeño. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. If I use an immersion blender, blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. I have also liked using my large food processor.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Blend everything together once more, making sure to break down the peppers.
  • Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
  • Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet using a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender.
  • Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go. Be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them.

Notes

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of alcohol can be fun. However, be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will affect the ability of the sorbet to freeze.
Have a sweeter tooth? Feel free to add more sugar to suit your own tastes. I think the fruit flavor is great the way it is and doesn’t need the extra sugar.
Keyword black raspberry, Jalapeño, raspberries, Raspberry, raspberry recipes, raspberry sorbet, sorbet, sorbet recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other fun raspberry recipes?

Here are a few of my favorites! You can also check out my canning and preserving page as well as my baking page!

Cherry Rhubarb Crisp

This time of year, our yard and garden are FULL of all the fresh berries. Typically, we have tons of black and red raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries, and also currants. In addition, we grow bush and sour cherries. For years, the birds got to our sour cherries before we were able to harvest them (Big bummer!). This year, the trees produced enough that we were able to harvest several quarts of them (Big win!). With a new source of cherries, I needed to cook with them and got to thinking… While strawberries are normally paired with rhubarb, I couldn’t help but believe that these cherries would make an EXCELLENT Cherry Rhubarb Crisp. 

This is our new pup Bert (Our other pup is named Bernie. Get it? Bert and Bernie!)

He was so funny. We think he was hoping for a cherry to fall in his mouth. He loves fruit and vegetables. You can always find him begging for a baby carrot as a snack!

Cherry Rhubarb Crisp?

Let me tell you, I wasn’t wrong. The Mr has always been turned off by the strawberry rhubarb pairing. He says, “Rhubarb is SUPPOSED to be tart! Stop making it too sweet!” The addition of tart cherries (but you can totally do sweet if that’s your jam!) with just the right amount of sugar made for a crisp that he went back for seconds almost immediately. And let me tell you, when I have told friends about my effort to perfect my cherry rhubarb crisp recipe, they were instantly excited since it isn’t something you hear of often. I hope you’re excited to create this new flavor combination too! 

Let’s get baking! 

Your Ingredients 

  • 2 ½ cups diced rhubarb 
  • 2 ½ cups pitted sour cherries (but really, 5 cups of cherry/rhubarb would be good!) 
  • ⅓ cup white sugar 
  • ½ cup flour + 1 tablespoon, divided 
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar 
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 
  • ¼ cup butter, melted 

Your Steps to Cherry Rhubarb Crisp

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square baking pan. Combine the rhubarb and sour cherries in a bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir to coat the fruit. Set aside. 

Meanwhile, combine the remaining flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, and nutmeg in another bowl. Stir well. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir to combine. 

Once the sugar has pulled some juice from the rhubarb (about 5-10 minutes), spread the fruit in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the flour and oat mixture over the fruit. 

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serve on its own or with cream, vanilla Greek yogurt, and ice cream! 

Cherry Rhubarb Crisp

Tart cherries and rhubarb make the perfect summer dessert! This Cherry Rhubarb Crisp from Jess in the Kitchen is a fresh, easy twist on a classic.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups diced rhubarb
  • 2 ½ cups pitted sour cherries
  • cup white sugar
  • ½ cup flour + 1 tablespoon divided
  • cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ cup butter melted

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square baking pan.
  • Combine the rhubarb and sour cherries in a bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir to coat the fruit. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, combine the remaining flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, and nutmeg in another bowl. Stir well. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir to combine.
  • Once the sugar has pulled some juice from the rhubarb (about 5-10 minutes), spread the fruit in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the flour and oat mixture over the fruit.
  • Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serve on its own or with cream, vanilla Greek yogurt, and ice cream.

Notes

Really, any combination of 5 cups of rhubarb and cherries will work. Use what you have!
Keyword cherries, cherry crisp, dairy free, egg free, fruit crisp, Rhubarb, rhubarb crisp, sour cherries
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other sweet treats?

Here are some of my favorite rhubarb or cherry recipes! Or, head to my baking page to find more!

Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls

Well friends, these Blueberry and Lemon Energy Balls have been a brain child of mine that sat there for months. I am a big lover of all things chocolate, but recognize that not everyone has the full love that I have. I am not sure what gave me the draw to make a blueberry lemon muffin inspired energy ball, but I thought about it often even though life was busy. 

After a month of dreaming, I jumped in and made my first iteration. The problem? My typical binder of peanut butter would most definitely overpower the light flavor of blueberry and lemon. What to do? I added more maple syrup and hoped that would work. The verdict from my students and family? Far too dry. Interestingly, the sweetness was off too. Back to the drawing board. 

A few weeks later, I was getting my hair done and my stylist had stopped prior to my appointment to get one of those nutrition drinks and also received a sample of their energy balls: cranberry orange. She offered me one and said that they used cashew butter. “Oh my goodness! That’s what I needed! It’s a neutral flavor that definitely binds the ingredients!” What a serendipitous moment! 

The new result?

LOVELY. For the lemon lovers in your life, you may want to add the zest of two lemons, but otherwise, the texture was spot on. They were just the right amount of moisture to keep them together but not too much that they are falling apart. The sweetness was on point. I made them a day or two before I went on a five day vacation and would dare say the leftovers I left in the fridge were BETTER than they were the day after I made them. 

Ready to give these Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls a try? Let’s go! 

Your Ingredients for Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls 

  • 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats, divided
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup (honey would do too!) 
  • ½ cup cashew butter 
  • ¼ t salt
  • ½ t vanilla
  • 1 T coconut oil, melted 
  • ½ cup dried blueberries
  • Zest of 1 lemon 
  • Lemon juice from one lemon 
  • ¼ cup white chocolate chips (optional) 

Your Steps to Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls 

Place 1 ½ cups of the old fashioned oats in a large food processor. Pulse until coarse oat flour is formed. From here, you can pour the oat flour in a bowl. BUT…if you dig doing less dishes, you can add remove the blade from your food processor and mix right in the there. I am all about less dishes and this is where I mix it up. 

To the oat flour, add the remaining oats, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and coconut oil. Stir until combined well. It may take a bit to make that happen. Finally, fold in the dried blueberries, lemon zest and lemon juice. Additionally, You can also add the white chocolate chips here if you opt to. 

The mixture will be sticky. It can be chilled for 15 minutes or you can roll them out right away. Form into about one inch diameter balls using a tablespoon to measure. Place on a baking sheet and allow to chill for an hour or more before placing in an airtight container. For best results, keep refrigerated but can also travel without being chilled. 

Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls

Bright, zesty Blueberry Lemon Energy Balls made with oats and cashew butter—an easy, refreshing snack that's perfect on the go!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 2 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats divided
  • cup maple syrup honey would do too!
  • ½ cup cashew butter
  • ¼ t salt
  • ½ t vanilla
  • 1 T coconut oil melted
  • ½ cup dried blueberries
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Lemon juice from one lemon
  • ¼ cup white chocolate chips optional

Instructions
 

  • Place 1 ½ cups of the old fashioned oats in a large food processor. Pulse until coarse oat flour is formed.
  • To the oat flour, add the remaining oats, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and coconut oil. Stir until combined well. It may take a bit to make that happen. Finally, fold in the dried blueberries, lemon zest and lemon juice. You can also add the white chocolate chips here if you opt to.
  • The mixture will be sticky. It can be chilled for 15 minutes or you can roll them out right away.
  • Form into about one inch diameter balls using a tablespoon to measure. Place on a baking sheet and allow to chill for an hour or more before placing in an airtight container.

Notes

For best results, keep refrigerated but can also travel without being chilled. Enjoy!
Keyword blueberries, blueberry, energy balls, lemon blueberry, no bake, oatmeal, oats
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Looking for other snacks?

Check out a few of my favorites below! Or head to my baking page for all the inspiration!

Salisbury Steak

For as long as I can remember, my birthday meal has been Salisbury Steak. I can still see the recipe in my mom’s Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. She made it for me every year without fail. It was the only time each year that we ate it, even though I know that we all loved the classic comfort food circa 1980. 

When I went away to college, it was one of the first recipes I wrote down on a notecard to have handy in our first apartment. It has definitely seen it’s better days, but I still love it!

Now, the Mr and I keep up with the tradition, although we have modified the original recipe just a bit. Again and again, I eat that first bite with my eyes closed and a huge, satisfied grin on my face, wondering why we only make it once a year. I made the promise last week that we will be making Salisbury Steak more often. It’s such a comfort and brings the whole family such joy. I love to serve them with mashed potatoes (the only time I really crave mashed potatoes) and peas, but you do you! 

Want to share a piece of my birthday joy with me? Let’s get cooking! 

Your Ingredients for Salisbury Steak 

  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • ⅔ cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 small onions (2 large), sliced
  • 1 package baby bella mushrooms
  • Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup of milk 
  • 1 ¼ cup water
  • 3-4 teaspoons beef broth base (I love love love Orrington Farms)

Your Steps to Salisbury Steak 

In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, minced garlic, onion powder, and eggs. Form into 8-10 equal relatively flat patties. Heat a griddle to medium heat and cook patties until just cooked through, approximately seven minutes per side. Remove from the griddle and keep warm (I stick them on a plate and then in the microwave. Covering them with foil and placing in the oven is a great idea too!)

Meanwhile, finely slice the mushrooms and onions. Heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until they start to soften. Then add the mushrooms. Feel free to season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook down until completely soft, about another 7 minutes. Remove from the pan. 

In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in the flour and whisk until a light brown roux is formed. Gradually add the milk, whisking the entire time. Sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of beef broth base as you add the milk. Once the milk is incorporated, begin to stir in water, sprinkling in the remaining broth base to taste. Add pepper to taste. Whisk until a desired consistency is reached. Stir in cooked onions and mushrooms. 

Finally, add the patties into the gravy to reheat just a bit. Serve, spooning additional gravy, mushrooms, and onions over the patties. 

I love to serve my Salisbury Steak with some mashed potatoes (that’s the Mr’s expertise) and peas, but anyway you have them, they are delish!

Salisbury Steak

Discover a delicious and easy-to-make Salisbury steak recipe, featuring savory, tender patties smothered in a rich, flavorful gravy. Perfect for family dinners or a comforting meal!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 10 patties

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 small onions 2 large, sliced
  • 1 package baby bella mushrooms
  • Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup of milk
  • 1 ¼ cup water
  • 3-4 teaspoons beef broth base

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, minced garlic, onion powder, and eggs. Form into 8-10 equal relatively flat patties. Heat a griddle to medium heat and cook patties until just cooked through, approximately seven minutes per side. Remove from the griddle and keep warm (I stick them on a plate and then in the microwave. Covering them with foil and placing them in the oven is a great idea too!)
  • Meanwhile, finely slice the mushrooms and onions. Heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until they start to soften. Then add the mushrooms. Feel free to season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook down until completely soft, about another 7 minutes. Remove from the pan.
  • In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in the flour and whisk until a light brown roux is formed. Gradually add the milk, whisking the entire time. Sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of beef broth base as you add the milk. Once the milk is incorporated, begin to stir in water, sprinkling in the remaining broth base to taste. Add pepper to taste. Whisk until a desired consistency is reached. Stir in cooked onions and mushrooms.
  • Finally, add the patties into the gravy to reheat just a bit. Serve, spooning additional gravy, mushrooms, and onions over the patties.

Notes

My go to for beef broth base is Orrington Farms. I love that I can control how much I add.
I love to serve my Salisbury Steak with some mashed potatoes (that’s the Mr’s expertise) and peas, but anyway you have them, they are delish!
Keyword comfort food, gravy, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, salisbury steak
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other great dinners?

Here are a few of my favorites! If these don’t tickle your fancy, give my cooking page a look see!

Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake

Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake

Before I share the recipe for this delicious Southwest chicken pasta bake, I have to share the story of how it came to be. I swear it will be short! 

A few weeks back, a colleague of mine brought this delicious, albeit a bit tedious, dish to serve for a potluck. He is a lovely man who enjoys cooking full entrees for our “Appetizer Thursday” and always, always outdoes himself (we joked that he could bring a bag of chips sometime!). He called it Sonora Chicken Pasta, saying it was a copycat recipe from Ruby Tuesday. 

I knew in a moment that my family would love it except for a few problems: It had a lot of steps to putting a bowl together (first the pasta, then the black beans and chicken, then cheese, then the tomatoes…you get the point) and we are super busy at night so a meal prepped bake is the way to go because it reheats so easily for our current basketball focused nights. I also don’t love cooking with a lot of processed ingredients so Velveeta is generally out. I wasn’t sure I could get the same feel without it, but I wanted to try. 

What came out was perfection. So much so that I promptly cooked it again four days later after my family devoured the first pan. My version uses Gouda for its melting point (I know it isn’t Southwest, but it works!) and a few less spices. It also all gets thrown together in a baking dish and reheats perfectly for meal prep or busy families! I hope you love it! 

Your Ingredients for this Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake

  • 16 ounces penne pasta
  • Olive oil 
  • ¾ cup diced red pepper 
  • ¾ cup diced onion 
  • ½ tablespoon garlic 
  • 3 cups cooked, cubed or shredded chicken 
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 2  10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with chiles (or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can chiles)  
  • 1 cup heavy cream 
  • 8 ounces Gouda, hand shredded 
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon cumin 

Your Steps to Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake 

First, you may not believe me, but do this. Rather than boil the pasta, fill a pot with HOT, salted water. Put the uncooked pasta in the pot and stir. While you are prepping everything else, let the pasta sit and soak up the water, stirring every once in a while. It will absorb the moisture without having to worry about over cooking it! Once it goes in the oven, it will cook the rest of the way without absorbing the moisture from your bake! (If you don’t believe me, you can totally just boil the pasta to al dente, but don’t say I didn’t share this great tip that I learned from The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt)

Anywho…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While the pasta is soaking (or cooking), heat a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil once hot and then add the onion and pepper. Cook down until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just a bit more. Remove from the pan and add to a large bowl with rinsed beans, cooked chicken, and tomatoes. Mix well. 

Heat the same pan back up over medium heat (less dishes!). Add the heavy cream, salt, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Once the cream is warm, slowly stir in the Gouda a small bit at a time, allowing it to melt before adding more. Remove from heat and stir in the drained pasta. 

Combine the coated pasta and the chicken mixture. Stir well. Once combined, layer into a large baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes until warmed all the way through. Option to remove the foil 5 minutes before the bake time is over.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake

This Southwest Chicken Pasta Bake is full creamy, cheesy goodness with the perfect balance of chicken, beans, and tomatoes, all baked together with Gouda for a melt-in-your-mouth experience.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine American, Southwest
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces penne pasta
  • Olive oil
  • ¾ cup diced red pepper
  • ¾ cup diced onion
  • ½ tablespoon garlic
  • 3 cups cooked cubed or shredded chicken
  • 1 can black beans rinsed
  • 2 10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with chiles or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can chiles
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces Gouda hand shredded
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon cumin

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add HOT water a stock pot. Heavily salt it and place the pasta the in the hot water. Stir periodically. (See note)
  • While the pasta is soaking (or cooking), heat a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil once hot and then add the onion and pepper. Cook down until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just a bit more.
  • Remove from the pan and add to a large bowl with rinsed beans, cooked chicken, and tomatoes. Mix well.
  • Heat the same pan back up over medium heat. Add the heavy cream, salt, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Once the cream is warm, slowly stir in the Gouda a small bit at a time, allowing it to melt before adding more. Remove from heat and stir in the drained pasta.
  • Combine the coated pasta and the chicken mixture. Stir well. Once combined, layer into a large baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes until warmed all the way through. Option to remove the foil 5 minutes before the bake time is over.

Notes

Rather than boil the pasta, fill a pot with HOT, salted water. Put the uncooked pasta in the pot and stir. While you are prepping everything else, let the pasta sit and soak up the water, stirring every once in a while. It will absorb the moisture without having to worry about over cooking it! Once it goes in the oven, it will cook the rest of the way without absorbing the moisture from your bake! (If you don’t believe me, you can totally just boil the pasta to al dente, but don’t say I didn’t share this great tip that I learned from The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt)
Keyword black beans, chicken, meala prep, pasta, pasta bake, penne pasta, Sonora chicken, tomatoes
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Looking for other future family favorites?

I have tons of recipes on my cooking page, but might I suggest some favorites from our house?!

Homemade Cranberry Juice

I adore all things cranberry. Drinks. Bakes. Jams. And how could I almost forget sauce? They are all so delicious. That combination of tart with a bit of sweet is just the perfect treat for my tastebuds. So when I started seeing cranberries on sale this time of year last year, I started thinking about how I could make my own homemade cranberry juice. 

After a few Google searches, I learned there were a few different ways to go about canning cranberry juice: A long way that resulted in unsweetened juice that was very concentrated and a less labor intensive way that required you to wait 4-6 weeks before opening a jar. And while I do like to try the fruits of my labor soon after, I figured the quick process with the wait time was the way to go. 

And boy was it ever! What I love about this process is that putting the jars together takes just moments and it requires very little hands on time. The beautiful juice that is formed in a month is the perfect amount of sweet and the berries that have soaked are still tasty. I like to use them as the berry topping in my Greek yogurt. They would also bake nicely into my baked oatmeal recipe.

And good news: 4 bags of cranberries will be just over what you need to make 7 quarts. It should leave you just enough to make a few servings of cranberry sauce (yum, right?!) 

About the Canning

This recipe will result in approximately 7 quart jars. You can use wide mouth or narrow mouth jars. Just be sure you have rings and lids for them and that they will all fit in your canner at once.

You will need a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid. The jars need to be off the bottom of the pot. A water bath canner will have a rack to use. If you use a stock pot, I would invest in canning racks. You can also put a towel down in a pinch, but it is MESSY in terms of getting water everywhere.  

It is also helpful to have the tools in a canning kit like this, but it isn’t necessary. Canning would be crazy challenging without the jar funnel and jar tongs. The lid lifter is also very handy. 

While we are here, I will give you all the information you need to successfully can a batch of jam. However, if you are new to canning, you may likely want to gather additional information. My favorite places to learn more are The Ball’s Book of Canning or the National Center for Home Food Preservation

Ready to take advantage of that tart little fruit being in season and make your own homemade cranberry juice?

 Let’s do this thing!

Your Ingredients (for 7 quarts of homemade cranberry juice) 

  • 4 bags of fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked through, discarding yucky berries 
  • 1 ¾ – 3 ½ cups of sugar, depending on your level of sweetness
  • Boiling water (4-5 quarts) 

Your Steps to Homemade Cranberry Juice 

Fill the canning kettle with enough water that the jars will be covered by at least ½” water. More is better in this case so over estimate. Begin to heat over high heat. Place the canning rack so that it is hooked over the side of the canner and put clean jars on it to keep them warm. Note: You don’t have to keep the jars in the rack, although it is helpful to keep them warm. You want the jars warm to prevent breaking when they are being filled. 

Set the clean rings aside. I like to simmer my lids on low low heat in a small saucepan. Not necessary, but I like to think it helps them seal better. 

Start the canner!

If you have not started, begin a large kettle with water and heat over high heat to get it to boiling. Once boiling, you can reduce to a simmer. (Honestly, I don’t measure here. I fill a kettle and if I need to add more water as I am filling jars, I do) 

Fill each quart jar with 1 ¾ cups of rinsed cranberries. Add ¼ cup to ½ of sugar to each jar, depending on your sweetness preference. You can not go any lower as the sugar is what draws out the cranberry flavor. 

Ladle bowling water into each jar to ½ inch headspace.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp cloth as you go, top with a lid, and put on a ring so that it is finger tip tight. Fingertip tight means you know it’s tight but you aren’t sealing it so much so that it wouldn’t leak on its side, if that makes sense. (Any leftover jam can go in a small container and get placed in the fridge to be enjoyed immediately)

Place jars in JUST about boiling water bath canner. Cover and raise the heat until a rolling boil is reached. Process jars for 25 minutes (adjusting for your altitude…under 1000 feet, you’re good. Over? Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet). Once the time is complete, remove canner from heat and remove the cover. Allow the jars to sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove and place on a towel on the counter. 

Afterward

Listen for the ping as the jars seal and just let them be for 24 hours. I know it will be hard to let them be because you’ll be so proud, but it’s recommended to make sure you get a good seal. Any jars that do not seal can be refrigerated and enjoyed right away. Note: It is recommended to store canned goods with their rings removed so that you can know if a false seal occurs. I generally just loosen them as loose as they can go. In just a few weeks, enjoy your homemade cranberry juice!

Homemade Cranberry Juice

This delicious and vibrant homemade cranberry juice can be preserved with just a few simple ingredients: whole cranberries, boiling water, and sugar.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Bring to Boil Time 30 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Canning, Preserving
Servings 7 quart jars

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 4 bags of fresh cranberries rinsed and picked through
  • 1 ¾ – 3 ½ cups of sugar depending on your level of sweetness
  • Boiling water 4-5 quarts

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium-high heat.
  • Begin a large kettle with water and heat over high heat to get to boiling. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.
  • Fill each quart jar with 1 ¾ cups of rinsed cranberries. Add ¼ cup to ½ of sugar to each jar, depending on your sweetness preference. You can not go any lower as the sugar is what draws out the cranberry flavor.
  • Ladle boiling water into prepared quart jars to ½ inch headspace.
  • Wipe the rims with a damp cloth, add lids, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Put into the water bath canner. When the canner has a steady boil going, time and process for 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude (if you are about 1000 feet, add 5 min)
  • Once the processing time is up, remove the canner from heat and let jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving.

Notes

  • If you have never canned, you can reference the National Center for Home Preservation for more detailed information. 
  • Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. You will just need to store them in the refrigerator. 
  • Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them.
Keyword Canning, cranberries, cranberry juice, Waterbath Canning
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Other fun Cranberry recipes!

These are a few of my favorite cranberry recipes! I hope you find one you love too!

Baked Venison Stew

Baked Venison Stew

I am not going to sugar coat this: Baked Venison Stew is my new obsession. You guys, it is quite possibly one of the easiest yet most delicious, comforting meals you can make. And when I say easy, I mean, “Roughly chop, dump it in the kettle, put it in the oven and bake” kind of easy. From start to finish, you can have it in the oven in less than ten minutes. It bakes for three hours and turns into perfection. 

I know venison may not be a common household protein for many, and guess what, that’s okay! Beef stew meat would work just as well, but for my deer hunting friends, this is the ticket to another recipe you can keep in your back pocket for a comforting autumn and winter meal. 

Also, speaking of venison, I have done this recipe two different ways and it has worked beautifully in both: one with raw cubed venison stew meat (as written in the recipe), and also with my canned seasoned venison. In terms of flavor, I would say we can’t tell the difference. The canned seasoned venison is already cooked when it goes into the Dutch oven, so you have to stir with care or it will fall apart. But I think this is good news because sometimes you want stew, but you don’t have thawed stew meat on hand. 

The Key to your Baked Venison stew

Finally, key to this recipe is a quality Dutch oven. A quick Google search of Dutch ovens will result in tons of articles about why you need a Dutch oven (Click here to find one!). If you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven, I can’t recommend it enough. I use it for baking bread and stew and it is my go to pot when I am making any soup or stew on the stove top.

I love my Lodge Dutch Oven! (Truth be told, I often have two Dutch ovens going at one!)

Now, are you ready to start making some baked venison stew? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients (for about 10 servings)

  • 2 pounds cubed stew venison
  • 4 carrots 
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 2 onions
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
  • 1 package button mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon each: salt, pepper, dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 12 ounces tomato sauce
  • 3 cups beef stock (or venison stock if you have it!)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2/3 cup flour

Your Steps to Baked Venison Stew

And here’s the easy part! Roughly chop the vegetables. Throw them all in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven and stir well. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for three hours. (Make sure your cover is oven safe!) 

I stir it about every hour to make sure nothing is sticking, but it turns to perfection. Thick and hearty. A perfect meal. If you want yours a little less thick, add another 1/2 cup to 1 full cup of beef stock. But I am telling you, this is comfort in a bowl.

Baked Venison Stew

Thick and hearty, this baked venison stew is the ultimate comfort food with its chunky vegetables and tender meat.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds cubed stew venison
  • 4 carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 2 onions
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
  • 1 package button mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon each: salt pepper, dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 12 ounces tomato sauce
  • 3 cups beef stock or venison stock if you have it!
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2/3 cup flour

Instructions
 

  • Roughly chop the vegetables.
  • Throw them all in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven and stir well.
  • Cover and bake at 350 degrees for three hours. (Make sure your cover is oven safe!)
  • Stir every hour or so to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
  • If you want it a little less thick, add another 1/2 cup to 1 full cup of beef stock.
Keyword baked stew, carrots, celery, comfort food, mushrooms, Potatoes, soup and stews, stew, venison, venison recipe, venison recipes, venison stew
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other venison recipes?

These are some of my favorite ways to use our venison each season!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes. I was in my thirties when I discovered just how much I loved them. Maybe they are a relatively new “mainstream” phenomenon like Brussels sprouts. Either way, I have developed a deep love for them in all forms. Roasted. Mashed. Baked. They are SO GOOD. A few years ago, I got to host my very first Thanksgiving for the Mr’s side of the family and you know we had to have a great sweet potato casserole. 

As I was looking at recipes, I saw your typical “overly sweet” sweet potatoes. I didn’t want to serve that to my family. That’s what dessert is for, right? 

What I developed was a blend of sweet potatoes with just a touch of sweetness in brown sugar to satisfy those “sweet” sweet potato lovers without going overboard. Let me tell you, I could sit and eat an entire dish of these in nearly a sitting. I have loved baking up a batch nowhere near Thanksgiving and using it for my meal prep vegetables when I am packing my lunches for school. It’s comfort in a dish and SO good. But if you are making it for Thanksgiving, let me recommend you pair it with my homemade cranberry sauce too!

Now, I try to keep the conversation to a minimum in my blog and get us to the cooking. Are we ready for the recipe? Let’s go! 

Your Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole

  • 2 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
  • ½ cup brown sugar, divided
  • ⅓ cup milk (I did whole)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ⅓ cup chopped pecans

Your Steps 

Place the potatoes in a large kettle and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and mash with a potato masher. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool slightly (I always worry about “scrambling” eggs when I add them so I am careful to make sure the potatoes are cool enough). Stir in the milk, 1 tablespoon of butter (reserving 1 tablespoon for the topping), and sugar (reserving 3 tablespoons for the topping). Add the salt and eggs. Stir well. 

Spoon the mixture into an 8 in. by 8 in. casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine the reserved brown sugar, flour and butter. Cut with a pastry cutter until it looks like coarse sand. Alternatively, you can simply crumble with your fingers until it looks like coarse sand. Mix in the pecans. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the mixture is heated through and the topping is slightly browned. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole strikes the perfect balance between sweetness and flavor, avoiding excessive sweetness. The delectable texture is further enhanced by the addition of crunchy pecans.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Equipment

  • casserole dish

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes peeled and roughly cubed
  • ½ cup brown sugar divided
  • cup milk I did whole
  • 2 tablespoons butter divided
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup flour
  • cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Place the potatoes in a large kettle and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and mash with a potato masher.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool slightly. Stir in the milk, 1 tablespoon of butter (reserving 1 tablespoon for the topping), and sugar (reserving 3 tablespoons for the topping). Add the salt and eggs. Stir well.
  • Spoon the mixture into an 8 in. by 8 in. casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine the reserved brown sugar, flour and butter. Cut with a pastry cutter until it looks like coarse sand. Alternatively, you can simply crumble with your fingers until it looks like coarse sand. Mix in the pecans. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the mixture is heated through and the topping is slightly browned.
Keyword autumn flavor, autumn food, fall food, mashed sweet potato, pecans, sweet potato, sweet potato casserole, Thanksgiving sides
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Looking for other dishes to pass?

Let’s be honest, Sweet Potato Casserole is one of those “family get togethers” dishes. Maybe you need another dish to pass too! Check out some of my favorites below!