Caite's Kitchen

So it's late August and that means one thing, football season is back! Well, technically it's only pre-season, but in our football family that means it's back to game day meals that need to be friendly to sit around watching the game. A favorite of mine to make is 7 layer dip because it's so filling, but it's lacking the meat that all my boys have to have. Due to this I added ground beef and, because we like things spicy, jalapeños turning it a 9 layer dip instead. These additions have definitely been a hit with my family, leaving the boys always happy to have 9 layer dip on game days. Make this for your next game day gathering and you'll be sure to have a winning dish! What's cooking in my kitchen this week: 9 layer dip What you'll need: 1.5 lbs ground beef 16 oz sour cream 32 oz guacamole 4 cups shredded cheese 30 oz refried beans 4 roma tomatoes 3.5 oz sliced black olives 5-6 green onions 16 oz nacho jalapeño 2 packets taco seasoning

The past few weeks have been extremely rainy, with this last week chilling down, so it got me in the mood for some good, wholesome soup. When I think about a good wholesome soup, I think about the heartiness of potatoes and I go to my quick and simple cheesy potato and ham soup. I happened to have the makings for homemade chicken stock, which is the base for this soup, so I had my solution to my soup craving almost immediately. Before I met my hubby I didn't put in the ham, but as I soon learned that I couldn't make dinner without a meat I discovered that the smokey-saltiness of the diced ham went perfectly with this soup. The family loved the addition and it's been a keeper and go to for us for years. Make this the next time you are in the mood for a hearty soup and your family will be sure to ask for when they want to warm up! Oh and it is totally worth it if you can use homemade chicken stock. This was my first time doing that, as I usually have cartons of stock on ha

This past weekend we were down a couple kiddos for various reasons and were left with mainly our youngest ones. A favorite dinner for them growing up has been octodogs and while reflecting that we almost don't have any little kiddos anymore, I decided that I should make this dinner one last time before they completely grow out of it. What I love about this meal is that it is quick, healthy, and full of fun for the kids! If you have picky eaters who don't like veggies, this is an easy way to get them to eat those veggies that we moms like to make sure every dinner gets. Because this dinner is so easy to make, you can get the kids involved with making it, which makes it that much more special to them. Make this the next time you are looking for a kid-friendly and fun meal to make and they will be sure to love it! What's cooking in my kitchen this week: Octodogs What you'll need: 2 packages hotdogs 1 (16 oz) box small shell noodles 2 (12 oz) jar Alfredo sauce 1

So this past weekend we were down some kids as our middle ones all went to Nana's house for a learning cooking weekend. That means I was stuck in a house full of  boy cooties with the oldest and youngest boy and my darling hubby. My boys all love their meat, so I had the perfect Saturday night dinner - meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I have to give my mom credit for the original recipe, which I have tweaked a bit over the years to make it my own. Funny story, when I first made this for my hubby years ago I had no idea that he actually hated meatloaf. With much anticipation, he was pleasantly surprised and now loves meatloaf - as long as it is mine. I realized we were parent failing when our youngest son informed me he had no clue what a root beer float was, so I had to remedy that quickly and made root beer floats for after dinner. Make this the next time you're looking to please the meat eaters of the family and they will be sure to ask for it again and again! What's co