Christine's Cookbook

It is super important to stay on top of the food you have, and if you know how to keep an up-to-date inventory of your freezer, it makes it so much easier to know what you have. No matter what size freezer you have, having a list on hand makes meal planning and reducing waste so much easier and more efficient.

This Italian barbecue meatloaf is similar to a classic meatloaf, but with extra flavor packed inside! The meatloaf mix includes lots of garlic, fresh parsley, diced tomatoes, parmesan, and barbecue sauce. Yep.. all those Italian flavors and… barbecue sauce. Adding barbecue sauce in the mix and brushing it on top adds the perfect amount of sweetness and gives the meatloaf a nice caramelized crust.

I love making this cauliflower gnocchi with shrimp and blistered tomatoes when …

These black bean sliders are super flavorful and are sure to satifsy a carnivore’s appetite!

Once you learn how to cook dry beans in the Instant Pot, you will probably rarely buy canned beans again. Dry beans are more budget friendly per serving, you can control the sodium, and you can avoid a lot of other ingredients that go into canned beans, (calcium chloride, animal fats and sugars!!)

Here is a list of what I like to keep in my kitchen at all times. I bet you will have some items on this list that you don’t use often, and some things may be missing, but use this list as a starting point for your essential pantry list.

Crispy French onion soup potatoes are the perfect side dish for just about any meal of the day. They can work as a breakfast potato, be served with a burgers instead of fries, or you can have them with a roast. You really can’t go wrong with crispy potatoes!

These blueberry scones with lemon glaze taste better than scones from the bakery and are sure to make your kitchen smell like blueberry heaven. They’re tender, flakey, not too sweet, and the fresh blueberries burst in your mouth with each bite!

You can load these burgers up with lots of toppings, eat them as single or double burgers, or eat them just plain!

My favorite ways, (and recipes!) to use up my vegetables before they go bad… and none of them involve making a salad!