Papa Knitschmidt has quite the sweet tooth and likes to bake. He has made some amazingly yummy treats! When Chalupa Boy was a baby I worked for Papa for a while. There was always some kind of mini candy bar or chocolate nugget of one variety or another in the jar on his desk. But my favorite days were the ones when Papa had been baking and there was something wrapped up waiting for me.

My dad was a chef. Not by trade, but as long as he was alive, he was in the kitchen making amazing meals. His chili and meat sauces were the BEST! After he passed away, I inherited all of his recipes and my grandma’s. I’ve perfected the meat sauce and am ready to share it [...]

I love me some Cake Pops! What’s a cake pop you say? Have you been living under a rock for the past 3-4 years? Cake pops are a national phenomenon and there are more blog posts, books, magazine articles, flickr photos and facebook posts on them each and every day. There is even now a [...]

This one is a no-brainer recipe. Super easy, quick and tasty! A kid friendly favorite. Can be made gluten free if you use corn tortillas. Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole Ingredients 1 lb ground beef (or turkey) 1 small onion, chopped 1 can Rotel Taco Seasoning 1/2 cup water 1 pkg (12) hard taco shells, yellow [...]

I’m kind of addicted to edamame right now, can you tell? At least the kids love it too, so it’s an easy way to pack in nutrition to a meal. Recipe: Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-fry Ingredients 3/4 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine) or sherry 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil [...]

I’ve dug deep into my dads recipes again! This time for his famous Drunken Chicken! Enjoy! (P.S. – I didn’t take a pic of my meal and then searching for a photo of one like this recipe was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, so enjoy this pic of a passed out [...]

This is Amazing! I made it last week and the kids gobbled it up! Recipe: 3 Cheese Chicken Penne Ingredients 1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked 1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves 1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 1 tsp. Dried basil leaves 1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce 1 [...]

I’m ready for fall to arrive, how about you?! I was searching for a great pumpkin recipe to get me in the autumn mood and came accross this AWESOME one from Family Fun Magazine! I’m making them now! Hope they turn out just as tasty as they look! Recipe: Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients CUPCAKES: 2 cups [...]

Tired of pasta and don’t feel like making a risotto? This is my go-to for pasta night here. My kids LOVE Gnocchi! Gnocchi (pronounced nee-okkee) are an excellent alternative: They’re fantastic with all sorts of sauces, from a simple summer tomato sauce to the richest winter meat sauce. Florentines call them topini (field mice), because [...]

My kids go bananas for mac-n-cheese and I feel better making it from scratch so I know what they are getting nutrition wise. Here is our favorite Mac & Cheese recipe! Recipe: Comfort Food – Mac & Cheese Ingredients 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1 (12 [...]

My youngest is allergic to everything. I mean EVERYTHING! Milk, Soy, Gluten, Nuts, Citric Acid, Squash, just to name a few. Feeding him is hard these days, but getting easier as more products that are allergy friendly come into the market. I still find myself making the majority of his foods from scratch and often [...]

It’s almost fall, so it’s almost time to start making my favorite cold weather comfort food! Baked Potato Soup! Recipe: Baked Potato Soup Ingredients 12 slices bacon 2/3 cup margarine 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 7 cups milk 4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 green onions, chopped 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 [...]