Let's Dish With Linda Lou

This recipe for Royal Icing is quick and easy to make. Decorating cookies could not be easier! Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Yields: 3 cups (48 servings) Equipment: 4 disposable piping bags, small whisk, 4 medium mixing bowls, hand-held electric mixer, tall drinking glass, set of measuring spoons Ingredients: Original Recipe is (1X): (1/2x)-( ✓1x)-(2x) 4 cups of confectioners’…

My Homemade Chewy Sugar Cookies are one of my favorite things to bake. Though it’s a basic sugar cookie, it has the perfect balance of flavor. My cookies are buttery and sweet, but not overly sweet. They are soft on the inside yet still chewy, and you can eat them plain or frosted. A gift bag of these cookies makes the perfect gift for any holiday. The granulated sugar makes these sugar cookies…

My Semi-Homemade Focaccia Bread is easy to make, especially when you don’t have the time to make your own, or if your local grocery store doesn’t carry store-bought pizza dough. This recipe has been coined FAUX-CACCIA, which is the perfect name, and you’ll see why. This Semi-Homemade Focaccia recipe uses frozen dough for a softer, chewier bread than traditional focaccia. What is…

My Bread Pudding With Vanilla Sauce has to be one of my favorite desserts. I had 16 Bolillos (Mexican-style) bread rolls in my freezer, and they are an excellent choice for making this dish. Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 20 Cook Time: 50-55 minutes, times may vary slightly Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes Yields: 12 servings Equipment: 9 x 13 baking dish, 1 small whisk, 1 standard-size…

My Homemade Mexican Chili Verde (Updated) is slightly different from my original recipe in that it features two types of meat. I used a braised pork butt and seasoned ground pork to give two different textures to the chili, and it made a huge difference! This dish requires some planning, and I took my time to complete it. During the 6 hours it took to cook the pork, you could get all the other…

After going to the farmers’ market and coming home with all those beautiful vegetables, today, I’m making a Vegetable Tart. I figured I might as well make two tarts while I have all the vegetables on hand and use the second tart as a side dish for our upcoming weeknight meals. Any extra vegetables I have leftover from this recipe, I’ll put to good use in the peppers, which I also brought home…

Our recent Outdoor Cabin Projects included a front walkway and stairs on the back side of the cabin. In the backyard, there is a deep downward slope where the backyard begins; it’s dangerous to walk down. We had some stairs and a handrail put in to help with moving around and mowing back there. JNA Construction in Tennessee did the work, and they are amazing!  We are having another walkway…

Steve and I went to the local Tellico Plains Amish Farmers’ Market today. Look what I came back with, jackpot! Watch for my next dish, which will feature some of these ingredients.

When I lived in Orlando, I would always stop and pick up some Chicken Empanadas. Love them so much, I thought I’d recreate them at home. I’m using store-bought, ready pie crust dough today for this recipe. I’ve also posted a link below for my Homemade Pie Crust recipe.   Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Yields: 6 servings (16-18 empanadas) Equipment: 1…

You don’t have to wait for the holidays to make my Sweet Italian Easter Pie. The best thing is that instead of making just one pie, it’s just as easy to make two. I’m going to be using store-bought pie crust dough today, but I’ve included a link to my sweet Homemade Pie Crust recipe at the bottom of this post. If you’re going to make your own pie dough, it’s best to do it the day before. Prep…

Slow-roasting and reverse-searing a beef tenderloin is my preferred method for cooking this cut of meat.  Recently, I saw two ends of a beef tenderloin at the grocery store. The price was like half of those center-cut pieces in the meat case. Now there’s no difference in the meat; it’s just the ends of the tenderloin. This method will guarantee your beef tenderloin comes out perfect every time.…

Italian Pastina means little pasta. A variety of small pasta choices are available in grocery stores today. I’m using Pearl Cous Cous for this dish because it’s what I had in my pantry. Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 5 to 8 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Yields: 2 servings Equipment: 1 (3-quart) saucepot, chef’s knife, cutting board, 2 porcelain serving bowls, Microplane, rubber spatula,…

My Philly-style pulled pork cheese steaks with pork au jus are so delicious that you’ll want to make them for special occasions. I say this because this dish has several components, and if I’m being honest, it is not calorie-friendly. It’s definitely a dish you’d consider to be a treat! I like to start the day before by prepping and preparing the sandwich. Let’s start with the pork. Once you’ve…

We’ve had our annual neighborhood HOA meeting here on the mountain, which also included a potluck and lake party. The board members provided the hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone brought either a side dish or a dessert. I decided on my Cowboy Beans. They are smoky, sweet, and a little spicy. Definitely a roller coaster for your taste buds! I’m glad I brought both pans to the party; they were a…