Cooking (and eating!) brings us all together
I have great memories of baking cookies with my mom from the time I was a small child and up to the point where I could make the recipe all by myself. Last year, my mom and I were going through her recipe box to find our family favorites and we couldn’t find the chocolate chip cookie recipe! We always made the same one year after year and it seemed so odd that it wasn’t in her box.
That’s when we realized that the recipe was on the bag of chocolate chips!
Now is a great time to pull out and make our favorite recipes — some of which have been handed down for generations. Those of us at LKNConnect are sharing our favorites every Friday. Each recipe will be linked on this “Cookbook” page, so you can peruse them at your leisure.
We hope that you will also share some of your favorites — sweet or savory. Please email your recipe with a description of where you first tried it, or who gave it to you, or what is your best memory about eating that delicious recipe to Jodi Squires Fitzgerald at [email protected]. — EH Stafford, Managing Editor
LKNConnect’s Cookbook
Click on the name of the recipe to link to the ingredients and instructions for that recipe.
In the Kitchen: 2020 Top Ten Recipes – See What We Cooked Up This Year!
We saw a lot of good cooking (and eating) in 2020! Our In the Kitchen column is published every Friday. We include favorite recipes from our staff, family, friends, and members of the Lake Norman community. Click on the link above to see the Top Ten Recipes from 2020!
In the Kitchen: Southern Beef Rice Casserole
Earlene Steger shares with us a delicious and easy to make casserole that has been her family’s favorite for over 40 years!
In the Kitchen: Christmas Baba
John McHugh has making this recipe for over 30 years and recommends a few things. Do not underestimate the value of greasing the mold, make this several days ahead of when you need it, (there will be some bleeding of the syrup so make sure you have a lip on the dish which you decorate and present on.)
In the Kitchen: Margi’s Twice a Year, Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Decadent Bread
Margi isn’t sure where she found this recipe, but it’s been a success for years now. She shares with us her secrets for this delicious bread.
In the Kitchen: Chocolate Sugar Cookies for Christmas!
Ellen Stafford shares with us a chewy, chocolaty sugar cookie recipe. It’s the perfect kind to bake for Christmas gifts! Delicious and simple to make.
In the Kitchen: A Great Meal – Rosemary Dijon Chicken, Potatoes & Artichokes
Margi Kyle shares with us a delicious dinner for 4 with added sweet potatoes and artichokes with mayonnaise curry dipping sauce.
In the Kitchen: A Great Appetizer – Unusual Asian Deviled Eggs
Margi Kyle shares with us a great appetizer recipe for Asian Deviled Eggs. Simple to make and delicious to serve!
In the Kitchen: “Poor Man’s” Beef Stroganoff
Margi Kyle shares with us an easy stroganoff recipe with ground beef that tastes simply delicious!
In the Kitchen: Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ellen Stafford shares with us an easy recipe for warm, spicy chicken noodle soup made with things that you can find in your cupboard!
In the Kitchen: Warm Up With Garlic Parmesan Radiators
Ellen Stafford was in the mood to make something warm and comforting to share with friends and family. This cheese sauce is perfect for pasta.
In the Kitchen: Tom Thumb Cookie Bars
This recipe comes from one of our favorite contributors, Jodi Squires Fitzgerald. It’s her mother’s recipe and definitely a family favorite!
In the Kitchen: Easy Appetizers – Artichokes & Spinach
Margi Kyle shares with us an easy spinach and artichoke appetizer to make at home as a treat for special guests and simply for your family!
In the Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food – Shepherd’s Pie
The weather’s getting cooler and it’s time to make some comfort food! Shepherd’s Pie is a hearty favorite that your whole family will love.
In the Kitchen: What’s For Dinner? Salad, Spicy Noodles and Ginger Lemon Chicken!
Now is the time to create special memories of good food, good times and count our blessings for what we do have. Margi Kyle shares with us an easy meal for you to enjoy.
In the Kitchen: Easy Ratatouille — Enjoy Your End of Summer Bounty
This simple dish from Janice Luckey can be refrigerated and served chilled as a dip, served warm over spaghetti for a comforting meal, or used as a topping for pizza!
In the Kitchen: Butternut Squash Soup — Just the Thing to Cure Your COVID-19 Blues!
Margi Kyle shares with us a sure-fire way to chase away your COVID-19 blues with this spicy butternut squash soup. Definitely comfort food.
In the Kitchen: Amaretto Chicken – Delicious, Easy and Unique!
Margi Kyle shows us a how to make an easy and unique chicken for a dinner party. The amaretto liqueur takes the chicken from good to fantastic!
In the Kitchen: Easy, Elegant Fish Dinner For One or Two
YOU are worth the effort. Try this easy, baked fish dinner for one or two. Jodi Squires Fitzgerald shares with us her Baked Fish and Sour Cream recipe.
In the Kitchen: Fig Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula
Margi Kyle shows us a how to make an easy and impressive appetizer for a dinner party. This pizza is a delicious combination of sweet and salty.
In the Kitchen: Easy Summer Salad
Hot, tired, and out of ideas for supper? Ellen Stafford shares an easy summer salad that you can make with just a few items from the store.
In the Kitchen: Baked Brie Shells
Margi Kyle, The Designing Doctor, shows us a how to make an easy and impressive appetizer for a dinner party.
In the Kitchen: Dinner Tonight – Easy Shrimp over Rice with Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
The shrimp really is easy, in fact, the whole dinner is easy, looks impressive, and tastes delicious.
In the Kitchen: Really Good Fudge
I love that fudge! A fellow nurse gave me this recipe. You would never think Velveeta cheese would make really good fudge, but it does. — Jodi S. Fitzgerald
In the Kitchen: Chicken in Red Wine Sauce
I found this recipe in Slim Gourmet magazine. It’s simple to make, delicious, and low in calories. What’s not to like? — Jodi Squires Fitzgerald
In the Kitchen: Glazed Apricots Over Vanilla Ice Cream
Jodi Squires Fitzgerald has been making glazed apricots over vanilla ice cream since one of her fellow nurses gave her the recipe. It’s a favorite.
Salmon in Yogurt Dill Sauce
Our favorite photographer, John McHugh from Ocaid Photography, shares with us a healthy recipe that is easy to make, tastes delicious, and will impress your family and friends.
Meatless Bolognese
Jesse Jones lost 100+ pounds in a 2-years. While not a vegetarian, he realized he had fallen out of love with meat. Enjoy his recipe for this hearty dish.
Succulent Baked Pork
Margi Kyle, The Designing Doctor, shows us a how to make the most succulent pork with mustard sauce. A truly delicious dish for dinner.
The Perfect Sugar Cookie
Feeling adventurous? Ellen Stafford is on a quest to bake the perfect lemon sugar cookie. They are easier than you might think if you follow the directions.
Scalloped Potatoes
Ellen Stafford combines ingredients inspired from two different scalloped potato recipes to make a delicious side dish that not difficult to make.
Brunswick Stew
Janice Luckey has been making this Brunswick Stew recipe for 25 years. She says it’s almost as good as her grandmother’s — she never used a recipe!
Banana Nut Bread
Banana nut bread, great for gifts or a marvelous treat for a chilly afternoon. This recipe from Ellen Stafford’s great grandmother is simple and delicious.
Bloody Mary Chili
Margi Kyle’s Bloody Mary chili — Great for parties. Make a day ahead — it’s easily re-heated. It also freezes well.
Family Favorite Pecan Pie
Jodi Squires Fitzgerald (LKNConnects health advisor/legal consultant) shares with you her family favorite pecan pie. This recipe holds a special place in her heart because it was given to her as a gift from Mildred Council, who was lovingly called Mama Dip.
Braised Spanish Pork Chops
Jodi Squires Fitzgerald’s (LKNConnects health advisor/legal consultant) shares with you a great recipe from her favorite cookbook, the Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking by Meta Given. Ellen Stafford (LKNConnect’s managing editor) made the recipe and provides step-by-step photos.
Saint Charles Cheesecake
Jodi Squires Fitzgerald, LKNConnect’s health advisor/legal consultant, shares a favorite cheesecake from the time she worked at Saint Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY. Our Managing Editor, Ellen Stafford, made the recipe and provides step-by-step photos.
Our Favorite Recipes: Super Simple Oven Stroganoff Over Sweet Spanish Rice Casserole
Margi Kyle, LKNConnect Director of Non-Profits, shares her mother’s super simple over stroganoff. She serves it over “the best you’ll ever eat” sweet spanish onion/rice casserole.
Our Favorite Recipes: Gazpacho and Spinach Pie
LKNConnect’s Director of Non-Profits shares her mother’s recipe for gazpacho. Jodi Squires Fitzgerald, LKNConnect’s health advisor and legal consultant, shares her grandmother’s recipe for spinach pie.
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