Before I get to the rest of my cookbook review, I wanted to share a couple of family favorites that I made for Easter. I often want to try out new recipes when I need to bring a potluck dish to a family get together, but then I get nervous that something won’t work out or be a big hit. So most of the time, I just end up making something that I know everyone loves. Also, I wanted to link to a couple of the cooking blogs I enjoy. I don’t only cook from traditional cookbooks!
Cheesy potatoes are probably my sons’ favorite homemade dish. Yes, we are a classy bunch! My youngest even recently did a report on it when everyone in his class had to pick a family recipe to write about. My husband, whose family is Lebanese, was a little upset that he didn’t pick a Lebanese dish, which he thought would be way more interesting for a report. But we did actually learn a few things when researching this dish. It seems like it might have been invented in Utah, because it is popular at Mormon potlucks, especially at funerals. The dish is even known in the west as “funeral potatoes.”
Anyway, there are a lot of variations on this recipe, but I always turn to NancyC‘s recipe for Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes. My only note, is that I like to use Tastefully Simple’s Onion Onion instead of real onions. When my kids were little they didn’t like pieces of onions, and the Onion Onion is a great substitute. Plus, I don’t have to cut onions! If you haven’t ever tried this dish, give it a try. I’m sure it will be a big hit!
For dessert I brought Firecracker Cookies, which is a recipe from Cookin’ Cowgirl. Everyone love these cookies, and they are so simple because they are made from a cake mix. The original recipe calls for red and blue sprinkles, which is why they are called Firecracker Cookies. But I like to switch up the color of the sprinkles depending on the holiday. I also make this even simpler by buying a seasonal cake mix with the sprinkles already in the batter. I used the Pillsbury Spring Funfetti cake mix for these cookies. Unfortunately, it snowed on Easter, so the spring part was wishful thinking!
I hope you enjoy these recipes and check out the great blogs. Also, I would love to hear about your favorite potluck dishes.
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