I enjoy cooking and baking, especially for my family. I have learned a lot over the years and continue to expand my horizons as I go. I like to make homemade dishes for our meals. Sometimes they are truly homemade and sometimes nearly so. Occasionally, the kids will ask, “did you make this or make it better?” They know sometimes I will mesh some things together.

I am convinced everyone stopped eating the apples in our fruit basket, so that I will make them into applesauce before they go bad. One time when we had several apples left, I make them into applesauce and they liked it so much better than store-bought. They asked me to keep making it and now I think there is a silent rule to leave the apples alone. But, sometimes I just make it better. If I have only a few apples, I have peeled and chopped them into canned applesauce and adding some cinnamon and sugar while heating on the stove. The fresh apples soften nicely and add a chunky texture.

One of my big “wins” in considering my meal homemade is when I use our homegrown beef in any recipe. I figure I can’t get any more homemade than that!

I guess most importantly my meals are made with love and gathering around the table together is heartwarming no matter what we eat.