Do you love to cook, but getting dinner on the table every night can be overwhelming? Today Kathi dishes with Hope Helmuth, author of Hope’s Table: Everyday Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen. Hope’s cookbook is filled with beautiful, simple and delicious recipes for everyday meals. Kathi and Hope scoop up their best kitchen tricks to keep you and your family happy at mealtime.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Tips and tricks for staying organized in the kitchen.
- How to keep your kitchen clean and ready to cook anytime.
- PLUS: How to clean your cast iron skillet quickly and easily.
Book Giveaway
For a chance to win Hope Helmuth’s book Hope’s Table: Everyday Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen, answer the question, “what is your biggest challenge in the kitchen?” in the comments below.
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To share your thoughts:
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
HERB ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS AND POTATOES
Serves 4
An easy one-dish meal that is full of flavor and color. The chicken melts in your mouth.
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, cut into chunks
3 red potatoes, cut into chunks
Sauce
¼ cup butter
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Lay chicken and vegetables in a greased large skillet or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Make sauce: In a small saucepan, melt butter and add garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper, and parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. Toss well with hands to make sure sauce is coated evenly. Bake at 350°F for 1½ hours.
PUMPKIN BARS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 20 bars
This recipe from my grandma Shank is great for fall parties. Mom used to make these for our youth group parties, and she would top each square with a candy pumpkin.
1 cup oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
¼ cup butter, softened
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, mix together batter
ingredients in order listed. Pour batter into a greased and floured
10 x 15-inch baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes.
Make icing: In a small bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together
cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla,
and salt. Beat until fluffy and smooth. Spread on cooled bars.
Meet Our Guest
Hope Helmuth
Mennonite Cook, Mother, and Blogger
Hope Helmuth is a Mennonite cook, mother, and blogger who enjoys creating recipes, entertaining guests, gardening, graphic design, and photography. She, her husband, and two daughters live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where they own a toy store, Timeless Toys, and several other businesses. Connect with her at Homefulthings.com, on Instagram, and Facebook.
Transcript
- #638 Cooking, Community, and Conversation: How to Start a Cookbook Club - October 8, 2024
- #637 Cooking Ahead: How to Feed Your Future Self - October 1, 2024
- #636 Batch Cooking Basics: Reclaim Your Time and Energy in the Kitchen - September 24, 2024
My biggest challenge is coming home right at dinnertime after my son’s swim practice and not feeling completely frazzled getting dinner on the table.
Biggest challenge: My husband is a VERY picky eater. I would love to make more of a variety of foods, but, dear one that he is, he’s very “meat and potatoes”.
My biggest challenge is cooking meals for two after years of cooking for four!
my biggest challenge in the kitchen is what to make and to be inspired!
My biggest challenge is picky eaters and providing a variety of options…not eating the same thing every week with picky eaters
I have trouble keeping my counters clutter free enough to have enough space for meal prep! And then deciding what to make for the picky eaters…
Starting meal prep earlier so that I’m not rushed at dinner time.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is my lack of counter space. I love to cook. Though at the end of the day it’s hard to come up with great meal options, that are new and fresh, not old and tired.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is eating for intolerances. I am gluten free and had to be dairy and soy free while I am nursing my son. I love to bake and cook, but I need simple and basic.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is having enough energy to cook for my family rather than reach for a frozen packaged meal after I get home from work in the evening. I need to plan ahead and have the staples on hand with easy go-to recipes so my family can be healthier.
I make a meal plan for dinner but I still can’t keep up with plans for healthy lunches, snacks, or sides.
Snacks. I make meals and a little while later my teen boy is asking what he can snack on. He’s putting away food like a lumberjack.
Trying the chicken and potato recipe tonight!
My biggest challenge is cooking for a picky eater with healthy recipes (and we’re almost empty nesters…young adult home from graduating college). Pumpkin bars look amazing! Thank you!
Congratulations, Sherry, you are a winner! Fill out this form and we will send your book to you ASAP: https://form.jotform.com/kathilipp/winner
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is preparing meals that are both healthy and enjoyable.
Biggest challenge is planning ahead. I don’t enjoy cooking or food all that much, so suddenly it’s 4:30 and I have no idea what I’m feeding my family tonight.
My daughter and I enjoyed listening to this while we were driving today. We picked up the ingredients to try the Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potatoes for supper tomorrow night. My biggest challenge in the kitchen is making a meal every day. I fed them yesterday, why do they expect me to cook again today (grin)? I’ve tried meal planning, but inevitably, my plan gets derailed by an unexpected meeting, to many unexpected leftovers that we need to clean out of the refrigerator before I make another meal, life happens, and then I have food go to waste. My personal favorite is the jar of red peppers floating around my pantry, it was to go with a new recipe, but for the life of me I can’t remember where the recipe went.
My biggest challenge is finding the time and energy to cook when I get home!
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is utilizing the kitchen space well enough so that I can enjoy cooking healthful meals and not be robbed of joy. We have one tiny counter and so I use the kitchen table for most of my meal prep (chopping, cutting, etc.). Dirty dishes go on the counter to wash but, then, depending on the needs of my kids, sometimes they don’t get washed; so, when it’s time to eat, it is such a juggling act to clear the table of meal prep, because there’s not enough space on the counter. However, if I just see a gigantic mound of dirty dishes on the counter waiting to be washed after dinner (plus the dishes that we are eating on) while my family and I are eating dinner, I do not enjoy our time gathered at our table at all because I’m dreading the mess that needs to be cleaned.
As my husband and I grow closer to an empty nest, with our little birds starting to fly, I find myself still purchasing and making food enough for a bigger family. I am working on being ok with an emptier refrigerator which does not mean I’m not taking care of my family!!
My great challenge in the kitchen is making meals and then letting go if it’ll be a homerun with my family. I would like affirmation and gratitude after I cook but since that rarely happens (especially from everyone) I need to just be happy I have a kitchen, food in it and the health to feed the family God’s given me!
I overestimate my ability and the time it will take me to make a meal!!!
This was right on time! My biggest challenges are variety, recipes and time crunches because of busy schedules!
My biggest challenge is getting the dishes washed up and out of the way before the next meal. We farm & homeschool from a small house. If feels like something is ALWAYS demanding my attention!
My biggest challenge is consistency with meal planning.
My biggest kitchen challenge: Keeping our counter-height breakfast counter cleared off.
That 4ft x 6ft area draws items to it like a magnet!
I do that too! I’ve started writing down how long it actually takes me to complete a meal on the recipe so I can hold myself accountable.
These recipes sound so yummy and seem simple to make! I love pumpkin bars and might make these with the kids today!
My biggest struggle in the kitchen is keeping the little counter space that we have cleared off for prep work. And dirty dishes. They just pile up so quickly and seem to multiply rapidly! Lol.
My biggest challenge is coming up with meals that I can prepare fast so we don’t eat too late.
My biggest challenge is having a very small kitchen. I have purchased so many gadgets and appliances over the years that I just knew at the time would make my life better! It’s trying to figure out what I need to let go of, to (best!) make room for what I keep.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen or I should maybe say what I’m working on right now is to not be wasteful with any food!
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is figuring out what to cook. My husband is a picky eater. There are many veggies and fruits he won’t eat.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is making time to do what I know I need to do. Even though I know it will save me so much time and money in the long run!
My biggest challenge in the kitchen is making recipes that my picky eaters will eat.