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I absolutely love cooking from my heritage. I am a second generation Cuban. My mom was born here in the states from Cuban parents and my dad was born in Cuba. Both families left at the time Castro took control of the country and they were beginning to lose everything from their homes to all their freedom. They barely had food and all their money was being taken away from them. I hear all the stories and I hurt for my family. One day they just said goodbye to everyone they knew and came to the states and have been here ever since (50 plus years!).

Well, even after many years here, they are still proud of who they are. We love our Cuban heritage and hurt for those still in bondage there. One thing we do to remind ourselves of where we came from is cook our delicious Cuban food. One of my favorite dishes that my grandma makes excellently and my mom makes even better is Picadillo. It is basically ground beef in a tomato sauce, but does not taste like pasta sauce. It is so well seasoned it has a totally different flavor that regular ol’ ground beef recipes.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Laylita’s Recipes.

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Quick Tip: Sprinkle a bit of hot sauce over it if you like some heat.

The Best Gosh Darn Pasta Sauce You’ll EVER Make

Friends, I must say this is a recipe that I really, really appreciate. My days get so busy from time to time, I would love it if I had an easy meal just waiting for me in the freezer every day. Now, I could buy a dozen boxes of frozen pizza slices but that would probably just make me feel guilty… I’d much rather spend some time making a huge batch of this incredible pasta sauce and then freeze individual portions of it for later! Yum!

This recipe makes a whopping 18 servings, so it really is perfect for making ahead. On the other hand, if there’s a family gathering coming up and you’d like to serve delicious comfort food at its best, just make this and serve with your favorite pasta noodles and some fresh, crusty bread. I guarantee everyone will love it and you won’t have a drop of leftovers!

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Quick Tip: Feel free to halve the ingredients if you think 18 servings is too much even for freezing.

You Probably Already Have These Ingredients In Your Pantry!

I love budget-friendly dinners! I grew up in a home where I learned to appreciate everything I had. My parents were farmers (we had a very small farm) so from the early years of my life, I learned what it took to provide for a large family. I also learned that a great meal, or a great life in general, is never about how much money you have and how expensive things you can buy. Even when I have some extra savings, I like to purchase inexpensive things and keep the money in my bank account for something special.

That’s why I got so excited when I came across this recipe! It uses the simplest of ingredients that you’ll probably already have at hand, or you can get them for just a few bucks. This casserole is easy to prepare and it’s a hearty meal for your whole family, as the recipe serves 4-6.

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Quick Tip: You can use any ground meat for this dish.

I first tasted baked salmon at the first birthday of the son of my former boss. I was skeptical aft first because it smelled so strong I felt like it was going to swallow me whole. I was glad I did have a taste, though. It was one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. This baked salmon had lots of garlic on it (which explained the super strong smell), but there was also cheese in there that balanced the somewhat spicy taste of garlic. It was also topped with roasted nuts that gave it a kick and a hint of that nutty flavor. I wasn’t able to ask for the recipe back then, so I’ve been searching for something similar ever since.

This recipe that I found over at Betty Crocker tastes far different from my first baked salmon. But it tastes really good in its own way and I am pretty sure that it will have your mouth water in no time. It has a multitude of flavors going on in there and it’s quite healthy too with all the vegetables included in the dish. You will thank Betty Crocker for this Mediterranean style recipe, I’m sure of that.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker.

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Quick Tip: If lima beans are frozen in solid block, microwave on High about 1 minute or just long enough to break beans apart.

Just The Way My Mom Always Made This!

Many, many years ago (I had to be honest there, even though it seems like yesterday) my Mom used to cook this lovely dish that was one of my absolute favorites.

My parents had a small farm, where we grew a lot of our own vegetables, including potatoes. Needless to say, we ate a lot of potatoes throughout the year! But I never grew tired of them – I guess it’s because my Mom is such a great cook. She always turned the simplest of ingredients into these dinner masterpieces that I am now desperately trying to copy.

This dish was something that certainly didn’t last long, and there was no hope of having leftovers the next day! Some people call this moussaka but we didn’t – to me moussaka has always been the Greek dish with eggplants and white sauce.

This one we just simply called potato casserole, and that’s what it is. A simple, layered potato casserole – so delicious that you wish you could lick the casserole dish clean when it’s empty!

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Quick Tip: You could sprinkle a little bit of grated cheese on top, for the last few minutes of baking.

We Guarantee There Won’t Be Any Leftovers

My life is all about quick and easy recipes! At least on weekdays, when I am swamped with work.

I’ll save the more time consuming recipes for the weekend – although I must say this particular dish is so yummy, I would happily serve this for a special occasion! You only need a few minutes to prepare this, and just a half an hour in the oven to bake it. I call that a winner recipe for all the busy moms out there!

The original recipe used homemade buttermilk biscuits but since time is of the essence here, I used canned ones instead. This dish turned out so beautifully my husband would have eaten it all at once! I basically had to hide it from him before that happened… Feel free to add more of your favorite vegetables to make this even lighter, or just to change the flavors a little every time you make this.

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Quick Tip: This recipe serves 6-8.

This Dish Is Husband-Approved And Kid-Friendly!

When I was a kid, we had pork chops almost once a week. They were inexpensive, simple, and easy to cook for a larger crowd since there were so many of us. Not to mention it was my Dad’s favorite dish! My Mom used to always cook pork chops in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. Then she used the drippings to make a delicious gravy. I really loved the dish, too, but now that I’ve tried this one I must say this is probably even better!

These pork chops are possibly the most delicious ones I’ve ever tried. The best part is, you only quickly cook them on both sides in the skillet, and the oven will do the rest for you. They turn out really moist and tasty, and they don’t even necessarily need gravy to go with them. My favorite way of serving these is with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables!

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Quick Tip: Add some paprika to the bread crumb mixture for a new flavor.