Just~One~Donna

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust: My Tips for a Flaky, Tender Crust Pie season always makes me think about homemade pie crust. Making your own pie dough can seem intimidating, but there are a few simple things you can do that make the process much easier. The goal isn't to create a perfectly smooth dough.  In fact, some of the things that might look a little imperfect along the way are exactly what help create a flaky, tender crust. I'll show you how I make enough dough for a generous double-crust pie, along with the little visual clues I use to know when the dough is ready.

Easy Beef Barley Soup: Two Ways Hubby was telling me about a delicious tomato soup he'd had recently. When I told him how much I love tomato soup, he just laughed. He knows I love every kind of soup! So, I suppose I need to be a little more specific when I talk about my favorites. When it comes to soups with a rich, beefy flavor, beef barley soup is at the top of my list. This is one of my favorite ways to use leftover roast beef. Instead of serving the same roast beef dinner twice, you can turn those leftovers into a completely different meal. Tender vegetables, hearty barley, diced tomatoes, and savory beef broth come together to make a satisfying soup that's perfect for a chilly day. This post contains affiliate links. You can make this beef barley soup in your slow cooker or on the stovetop. Either way, it's an easy, comforting dinner that makes good use of what you already have in the refrigerator.

Do You Really Need Another Cutting Board? Have you ever stopped in front of the cutting board aisle at Home Goods? There are so many of them. Big wooden boards. Small wooden boards. Thick boards. Thin boards. Boards with handles. Boards that are beautiful enough to put right on the table. There are boards for chopping, boards for serving, boards for entertaining, and boards that make you wonder who actually needs all these cutting boards.   Then you think about the cutting boards in your own kitchen. Maybe you've had them for years. They aren't particularly pretty. They're scratched and stained. You've washed them hundreds of times. They've chopped vegetables, sliced bread, prepared dinner, and helped you get food on the table more times than you can count. They are dependable. They're also, if you're being honest, completely utilitarian. So when you'r...

Easy Fall Charcuterie Board for Entertaining Fall is one of my favorite times to gather family and friends. Whether you're watching football, having friends over for a casual evening, or getting everyone together for Thanksgiving, a charcuterie board is an easy way to put something delicious on the table without making another full meal. And you don't need an enormous assortment of specialty meats and cheeses to make a beautiful charcuterie board.

Soft Wheat Bread in a Bread Machine If you've tried making wheat bread but ended up with a heavy, dense loaf, this recipe is for you. I use a simple 50/50 blend of whole wheat flour and bread flour to make a loaf that's hearty enough to have that familiar wheat flavor, yet soft and tender enough for everyday sandwiches. (This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive compensation if you shop using these links.) The bread machine does all the mixing, kneading, and first rise using the Dough cycle. I simply shape the loaf, let it rise one more time, and bake it in a regular loaf pan. The result is a soft sandwich loaf with a nicely browned crust—and all the convenience of the bread machine. If you've been disappointed by dense whole wheat bread, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by this recipe. Why You'll Love This Wheat Bread Jump to Recipe Soft Textur...

Summertime Cucumber Salad the Way You Like It There’s something about summertime and cucumbers. By August, gardens and farmers’ markets are overflowing with them, and if you grow your own, you may be wondering what to do with all those cucumbers. Cucumber salad is an easy answer, but only if you like cucumber salad. Maybe you don’t like all the seeds. Maybe you’ve made cucumber salad that turned out watery. Or perhaps you’ve tasted versions that were so bland you wondered why you bothered making them in the first place. This is my summertime cucumber salad the way I like it: crisp cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion, a creamy dressing with just enough tang and sweetness, and dill for that classic summer flavor. And because we all have different ideas about what makes a good cucumber salad, I’ll show you a few simple ways to adjust it so you can make it the way you like it, too.

One of my favorite ways to unwind has nothing to do with cooking. On a warm morning, you'll often find me with a cup of coffee in hand, looking out the window to see who's visiting the bird baths. Some birds stop in for a quick drink. Others seem determined to splash every drop of water over the edge before they leave! Watching them has become one of the simple pleasures of enjoying my backyard. The Biggest Bird Bath Mistakes Homeowners Make (And How to Avoid Them) This post contains affiliate links. Keeping birds happy doesn't require an elaborate garden or expensive equipment. A simple bird bath can provide birds with a dependable source of fresh water for drinking, bathing, and cooling off. But I've learned that a few common mistakes can make a bird bath less inviting, or even shorten its life. I've been enjoying backyard bird baths for years, and I'm still learning new tricks from fellow bird lovers.

How to Freeze Chicken the Right Way (Save Money and Make Meal Prep Easier) Buying chicken in bulk is one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries—but only if you freeze it the right way. Quick Answer The best way to freeze chicken is to trim it, divide it into meal-sized portions, wrap it tightly, place it in freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, label each package with the date, and freeze immediately. I never put a family pack of chicken directly into the freezer. Instead, I spend about 20 minutes trimming, portioning, and packaging it so it's ready for quick weeknight meals. That one habit saves me time, reduces waste, and makes meal planning much easier. The secret isn't just buying more chicken; it's preparing it properly before it goes into the freezer. This simple habit has saved me countless hours in the kitchen and helped reduce food waste. Spending about 20 minutes today means you'll have meal...

Green Beans and Mushrooms Done Right If green beans have ever seemed bland, overcooked, or forgettable, this simple side dish may change your mind completely. Bright green beans paired with deeply browned mushrooms create a vegetable side dish that feels fresh, flavorful, and satisfying without requiring much work at all. The secret is not complicated ingredients. It comes down to simple cooking techniques that build flavor.

Brussels Sprouts You Can't Stop Eating We’re going to take a pound of bright green Brussels sprouts and turn them into something completely different. Crispy. Browned. Full of flavor. Because the thing that makes Brussels sprouts really delicious is crunchiness . The edges almost taste nutty and caramelized once they brown properly. If you’ve only had them soft or a little bitter, this method changes everything.

Deconstructed Wedge Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing There are days when you want something a little special… but you don’t want anything fussy. That’s exactly where this deconstructed wedge salad comes in. A deconstructed wedge salad is a simple twist on the classic steakhouse favorite. Instead of serving lettuce in wedges, everything is chopped and layered in a bowl, making it easier to serve and eat—especially for smaller households. It has everything you love about a classic wedge salad: crisp lettuce, blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes, but it’s easier to make, easier to serve, and honestly, easier to eat. And when you add a simple homemade blue cheese dressing? It turns a basic salad into something that feels like it came straight from a restaurant.

How to Be Sure You’re Never Stuck Wondering What’s for Dinner There’s a moment most of us face at least a few times a week. It’s 4:30… maybe 5:00. You’re tired, you’ve had a full day, and the last thing you want to do is figure out dinner from scratch. That’s exactly why I’ve come to rely on something simple, but incredibly effective: A small collection of quick, dependable dinners I can make without thinking. These are not recipes I have to look up. They’re not complicated meals that require planning. They’re just a handful of go-to meals I know I can pull together fast.

What I Cook When I Have No Time  There are days when I just don’t have the time, or honestly, the energy, to cook. You know the kind of day I mean. You’ve been busy, you’re tired, and the last thing you want is a complicated recipe with a sink full of dishes at the end.   But I still want something homemade. That’s where this shrimp dinner comes in. This Is My “No Time” Meal Jump to Recipe This is one of those meals I’ve made more times than I can count. It’s quick. It’s simple. And it uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. That’s the key, isn’t it? When you’re short on time, you don’t need a new recipe. You need something you already know works. Why This Works So Well There are a few reasons I come back to this again and again: Shrimp cook fast! Really fast! There’s very little prep It feels like a “real meal,” not just something thrown together You can adjust it based on what you have And maybe most i...

Finally. Artisan Bread from Your Bread Machine Yes, Really. If you want to make artisan-style bread using your bread machine, the secret is simple: use the dough cycle, then bake the loaf in a preheated Dutch oven. This method gives you a crisp crust and chewy crumb without any hand kneading. If you use your bread machine regularly, you already know what it does well. It mixes, kneads, and handles the first rise beautifully. It is a dependable helper in the kitchen. What it does not do especially well is produce that deep golden, crackly crust we associate with artisan bread. The good news is you do not need to give up the ease of your bread machine to get that result. You simply need to change how the bread is baked. Today I’m showing you how to use your bread machine’s dough cycle and bake the loaf in a Dutch oven for a crusty, bakery-style result.

  15-Minute Meatball & Tortellini Soup (The Ultimate Freezer-Staple Dinner) When I need dinner on the table fast (and I mean really fast), this meatball and tortellini soup is what I make. If you keep frozen meatballs and refrigerated tortellini on hand, you’re about 15 minutes away from a hot, satisfying meal that feels homemade without a lot of effort. This is one of those dependable recipes I come back to again and again. It’s flexible, forgiving, and perfect for the days when cooking needs to be simple, but substantial.

The Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream The best homemade vanilla ice cream is a rich, custard-style or Philadelphia-style base that stays soft and scoopable even after freezing. By using the right balance of heavy cream and a splash of vodka or corn syrup, you can achieve a professional, "no icy bits" texture in your Cuisinart ice cream maker. One of the best things about having an ice cream maker in your kitchen is that "ice cream season" never actually ends. While we usually think of cold treats in the summer, there is something incredibly special about a scoop of fresh, velvety vanilla melting over a warm dessert in the middle of winter. This post contains affiliate links Let’s be honest: homemade ice cream has a reputation for being finicky. Most recipes either require you to cook a custard with eggs (too much fuss!) or they turn into a rock-hard, icy block after one night in the freezer. Today, I’m sharing my updated "No-Fuss" Vanilla Ice Cream ...