The Homemaker’s Kitchen: 27 From-Scratch Recipes Everyone Should Know
Inside: A carefully chosen list of from-scratch recipes every homemaker should have up her sleeve. From breakfast for houseguests to a side dish that stretches a dollar to a birthday party classic, these are the staples that will be with you for life. I’ve thought hard about each one.
This isn’t a random list of my favorites. They’re the kinds of recipes that show up again and again: on an ordinary Tuesday, at a church potluck, or when you want to make a visitor feel loved. You don’t need all the recipes in the world. Just the right ones, waiting for you in the background.
Cinnamon Peach Cobbler
When you master a good cobbler technique, you’ll never wonder what to make for dessert again, as long as there’s a fruit in season. This recipe is for peaches, but I have many more.
When: summer family dinners, served outside
Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken
A dinnertime classic that everyone should master. This method cooks your potatoes in the same skillet and can go from over to table.
When: family dinner when you want leftovers the next day
Pecan Pie Croissants
These travel wonderfully in a 13 x 9 and make the most of leftover croissants. Impressive, beautiful, delicious, but still relatively simple (don’t let the ingredients list scare you!).
When: bringing to friends at a morning event
Chocolate Ice Cream Pie
So easy the kids can make it, and I recommend you have them try. This one won’t win any baking awards, but on a hot day when the thought of an actual pie is too much, it will be your favorite.
When: summer dessert on the weekend
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream
Sometimes an easy recipe is the point, and sometimes the process is the point. This from-scratch, real-cream ice cream is a bit of production, but it’s worth the effort and keeps everyone busy.
When: a boring summer day
Oven-Baked Chicken Wings
Not everyone loves spicy food, and not everyone loves to deep fry. But if you can turn on the oven and stir a spoon, you can make these ultra-crispy wings at home.
When: watching a game with family or guests
Ham and Hash Brown Casserole
Cooking eggs to order is time consuming and makes everyone feel put on the spot. A breakfast casserole is delicious and makes everyone feel happy. All you need is fresh fruit on the side.
When: breakfast for overnight guests
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
There’s something about bringing someone a bowl of soup when they’re sick, whether they live with you or not. The good news is, this recipe is delicious and you’ll love it too.
When: sick days
Cast Iron Skillet Mac and Cheese
You can double this in a 13 x 9 and the cheeses you use are relatively flexible. But the most important part is that this will become a treasured family recipe.
When: neighborhood potluck
Southwest Salad with Cilantro Ranch
Some recipes are for men watching football and some are purely for the girls. This is just the thing to have up your sleeve when your sister in law is coming over and nothing seems quite right.
When: girls lunch for you or older daughters
classic stovetop fudge
Homemade Christmas gifts are a lovely tradition and nothing to be ashamed of. Spend a few hours a day prepping cookies and candies and you’ll save lots of money, and make memories. This fudge will be everyone’s fave.
When: holiday gift making
Old-Fashioned Yeast Rolls
Everyone talks about the rolls their grandma used to make, but once you set these on the table a few times they’ll just talk about you.
When: Sunday dinners when you want everyone to sit down
Old Fashioned Cucumber Salad
My grandma made this every week, put it in a big container, and we ate it until it was gone. Yours too? There’s a reason: it’s cheap, versatile, and good. Let’s bring it back.
When:hot days
Lattice Topped Apple Pie
Every storybook has a scene with a pie cooling on the windowsill, and you should too. Make an apple pie every year, just to celebrate.
When: that first crisp day of fall when you aren’t busy
Banana Muffins with Caramel Icing
These are almost like cake, super moist and sweet. And the icing is easy to make and delicious, and drizzles right on with no fuss.
When: sharing with mom friends and teachers on the first day of school
redskin Potato Salad
This is a summer staple for us, with great flavor. And while you might love it as a dish to take to a party, we make it in the summer and have it for lunch with plain grilled chicken.
When: a day you need a cold, ready-to-eat side dish
Honeysuckle Tea
When the honeysuckle blooms is the best time of year. Send some little people out in your life to gather baskets or it, and brew it into this fun and beautiful drink.
When: close to the first day of summer, to celebrate
Farmhouse Sugar Cookies
Cookies are lovely, but sometimes you don’t want to roll or cut or frost. And these are just the thing: drop cookies rolled in sugar and pressed flat. Super simple.
When: a day that needs a sweet treat but nothing over-the-top
Amish White Bread
Everyone needs a great basic white sandwich bread recipe, and this is mine. Double it, slice it and freeze it, rip it into pieces and eat it with butter. It will become a fast friend.
When: you want to slow down and stay home
Dutch Oven French Bread
If you’ve never made bread before, here’s a great place to start. And just because it’s beginner-friendly, don’t think it isn’t delicious. It is!
When: bring to a potluck if you’re on a tight budget, or serve with soup if picky eaters are present
crisp Refrigerator Pickles
These will become a summer tradition for you because you don’t need to can them. It’s a simple matter of making a brine and pouring over sliced cucumbers. There’s something beautiful about them in your fridge.
When: cucumber season, of course
Prairie Dust Seasoning
I hope you take this base recipe and add one spice that your family loves and call it your house seasoning. Fun and special.
When: make it whenever and put it on everything.
classic Lemonade
There’s nothing like knowing how to make a classic very, very well. And this recipe, served over tons of ice, is just the thing for so many situations.
When: served on the porch, to anyone, any warm day
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling
These are totally from scratch and, to be honest, a bit of a production. But sometimes you need to make something that generates a lot of dishes to show how much you care.
When: a celebration that isn’t a birthday (like a promotion or All-A’s
Basil and Walnut Pesto
There are some recipes that you can only make when that thing is in season because to buy it would be silly. And that’s why pesto is a tradition around here. I hope it becomes the same for you.
When: the very heart of summer
Italian Sesame Rolls
This recipe is a basic staple, but it’s magic for how it turns anything into a dinner. A few slices of roast chicken? Put it on a roll with some pesto mayo and fresh fruit. And suddenly it’s special.
When: money feels tight and dinner feels hard
Simple Granola
This has plenty of sweetener and yummy mix-ins to make it actually delicious, not a futile exercise in homemade snacks.
When: back to school when you want to send them with something homemade
If one of these becomes your go-to: the thing your kids request, the thing you always bring, then this list did its job. I hope you find one or more that you love.
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