Womens Forum - The Place For Moms

Whether you’re from Texas and cook a classic “big red,” or from Cincinnati and prefer yours covered in cheese and heaped on pasta, chili is one of those dishes that is different in almost every part of the US. Not only is chili versatile—you can mix and match most ingredients and tailor to your family’s tastes—but it is easy to make and, most times, quite healthy.

Do the holidays have you intimidated with all of the baking?  Did you know that making a pumpkin pie is one of the easiest desserts you can make?  If you can measure ingredients, turn on the stove, and stir, you can make a pumpkin pie.  If you haven't tried making pumpkin pie before, I would encourage you to try rolling up your sleeves and make your own homemade pumpkin pie.  Now, if you have never made your own pie crust before there are lots of options.  There are frozen crusts you can choose from, or even a refrigerated pie crust will do.  Either way, you can try preparing you own homemade pumpkin pie this year.

One of my family's favorite dinners during the week has always been tacos.  You can put together a pan of tacos in so little time.  When I was growing up sometimes my Mom would have a taco bar for dinner and we all could build our town tacos. She would put out chopped onions, chopped green onions, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, a couple of different types of cheese, olives, you name it, it would show up on the taco bar. Now I build up taco bars a little bit different, sure I do onions, cheese, but now I put out fresh chopped cilantro, and fresh avocados, sour cream, and a variety of salsas. 

Have you ever wanted to make tacos, but forgot the package of taco seasoning mix?  Well, you know you can make your own homemade taco seasoning mix at home.  Most of us already have the ingredients that you would need to make you own taco seasoning mix already in your spice cabinet.  When you make a batch of this up, you will have enough for about 4 pounds of ground meat, so you will have plenty to last you for awhile.

Perhaps we both have come home and needed to get a meal on the table quickly.  One-dish meals are wonderful because there is so little clean up, and you literally have a complete meal in a bowl.  This recipe is very easy to make, you need just a few ingredients, and by the time you boil the pasta, you will be ready to assemble this pasta dish, and moments later you and your family can be sitting down enjoying dinner together.  There is no need to order out when you can put togther a meal so quickly.

Roasted corn on the cob has to be one of my favorite memories of growing up.  I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where there was a lot of agriculture nearby.  We would often go to the farmers markets and pick up fresh corn on the cob.  It was such a treat to enjoy fresh buttery and salty corn during the summer.  As a child I enjoyed gobbling up as many ears of corn as I could, today, things haven't changed, I still love to eat roasted corn on the cob.  You can enjoy roasted corn on the cob as well, here is my way of making this summertime treat. 

Who isn't looking for the perfect weekend breakfast?  Huevos Rancheros is a Southwest inspired dish that your whole family will love. Best of all, this is one of the more simple breakfasts you can put together, so you have more time to spend with your family.  So, what exactly is Huevos Rancheros? Huevos Rancheros is simple: eggs prepared your favorite way, crispy tortilla shells, and a spicy or mild sauce with a touch of cheddar cheese. The light texture of the fluffy eggs combined with the crunch of a flash-fried tortilla, juicy heat of tomatoes or salsa, and melted cheese makes for the perfect weekend breakfast. Now living in Texas, this has become one of my favorite dishes.

Chicken Penne Pasta is the perfect dish to make during the week. Filled with chicken breasts, fresh vegetables, and pasta, this is a one dish meal that will make your family happy.  You can quickly put this meal together so you aren't slaving away in your kitchen all evening.

This recipe combines a kitchen staple, the boneless skinless chicken breast.  If you do not have any on hand, any left over cooked chicken will also work just as well inside this pasta dish.  You may want to make this recipe your own by adding a favorite seasoning such as garlic powder to this sauce, just a 1/2 teaspoon will change the flavor perfectly.

Womensforum.com Partner, Creator of CopyKat.com, KidsKuisine.com and Author of Dine Out at Home.

My name is Stephanie Manley and I am the author of CopyKat.com's Dine Out at Home.  I have been publishing recipes online that taste just like they do in your favorite restaurants for over 15 years.  You might wonder how I got into developing restaurant style recipes.  I have been cooking since I was young, very young.  My mother was a brave woman. She let me start cooking before I went to school.  Because I was so young, a chair for me to stand on was always a part of our cooking routine.  Growing up in a rural East Texas meant my family didn't dine out very often because it meant driving into town—which took a long time.

Copykat Recipes is perfect for those who are tired of going out and spending all that cash at their favorite restaurant. As the name implies the idea behind this site is to supply the public with the secret recipes (or sometimes better versions) that everyone is so hungry for. Take for example Olive Garden's bolonese, Starbuck's banana walnut bread, Red Lobster's Cajun shrimp, Sonic's drive-in fritos chili cheese wrap, Domino's Cinnastix and Cracker Barrel's strawberry shortcake. All of these recipes and many more can be found at this website and made in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost of eating out. Visit Website