Cooking with Kira

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Cooking with Kira Hi, I’m Kira. I share quick, realistic weeknight meals! Sometimes that means leftovers, and sometimes I try to do it all homemade in under 30 minutes.

Nothing fancy, just real life cooking. I am so glad you are here.
📍 Iowa

💌[email protected]

10/15/2026

Episode 1 from the NEW Little Chef Series

Meat Cups

1 lb ground beef
1/3 onion, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 cup Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing Mix (unprepared)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, whisked
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Ketchup for topping

Mix the milk, stuffing mix, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper until combined. Add the onion, celery and ground beef. Gently mix until everything is incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

Refrigerate for up to 8 hours or bake right away. Use a large cookie scoop to portion the mixture into a muffin tin. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then top with ketchup and continue baking until the meat cups reach an internal temperature of 160°F.

Thanks for being patient with us! I know the filming is messy but I hope you can appreciate the opportunity we’re taking to work together in the kitchen.

Kira + Little Chef Goose

10/14/2026

Before anyone comes for me for vacuum sealing liquids wrong… just know that my applesauce is perfectly sealed and in the freezer. This trick works for me!

Is this how you're supposed to vacuum seal liquids? Prob not.

Did it work? Yep.

Applesauce batch 2 is done! 🍎

10/14/2026

Were thankful that the pages keep turning and God keeps blessing us with the next chapter.

We’re all still working full time, and the littlest one is exploring new scenery with a new group of friends. Saying goodbye to the Montessori school was hard but a welcome change. She’s ready for new adventures.

But this brought on a massive schedule change and the chance to cook with my little chef everyday.

I am doing my best to both navigate being present with her, while still leaning into my hobby of sharing cooking with all of you. It’s a fine balance and she will always come before creating content.

Thank you for staying patient 😊 and thank you for staying tuned.

Coming soon, cooking with toddlers or maybe we’ll just share more tips on how you can cook with your kids too.

10/13/2026

Applesauce batch 1 is in the freezer in large containers just like Grandma (and my mom) used to do.

We are team:
1. Peel
2. Exclusively Freeze
3. Typically no sugar BUT if it need a balance I am not afraid of a little brown sugar. Plus cinnamon always.

Thank you all for giving me your tips, tricks, and what you do to make your homemade applesauce. Red hots were mentioned multiple times and it has my attention.

On the other hand if you are new to preserving food, applesauce is one of the easiest things to start with. Especially if you freeze it!

10/10/2026

Who knew vacuum sealing Focaccia pizza dough would bring me this much joy?

Who has a FoodSaver and what are you Food saving?

On my list to seal & freeze:
- Next batch of Cream of Anything Soup
- Applesauce
- probably redoing all 40 quarts of sweet corn from this summer. I used cheap freezer bags & it’s a disaster.

10/09/2026

If the Midwest were a casserole, it would be this one right here.

Chicken, mixed vegetables, creamy mushroom soup, and stuffing topping. It’s a perfect and cozy fall dinner.

Canned cream of whatever soup is fine. I make my own and keep it in the freezer.

CHICKEN VEGGIE STUFFING CASSEROLE

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans cream of soup (cream of mushroom is my favorite for this)
6 oz chicken broth
6 oz milk
4 to 5 oz stuffing mix
1 3/4 cups chicken broth for preparing the stuffing

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Layer the shredded rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables in a casserole dish.

In a bowl, mix the cream soups, 6 oz chicken broth, and milk. Pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Prepare the stuffing mix using 1 3/4 cups chicken broth in place of water. Spoon the prepared stuffing evenly over the casserole.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is golden brown and the casserole is hot and bubbly.

10/08/2026

For all that homemade bread that wasn’t great 🥴

This seasoning blend was good and I also made a batch using Kinder’s Lemon & Herb which was phenomenal.

What is on your menu for supper this week? Also, anyone else just love the smell of fresh apples? Just me… 🙃
10/04/2026

What is on your menu for supper this week?

Also, anyone else just love the smell of fresh apples?
Just me… 🙃

10/04/2026

Applesauce Season

Team Peel or No Peel

Team Canned Sauce or Frozen Sauce

Team Added Sugar or No Added Sugar

10/03/2026

Hamburger Helper without the Box
1 lb ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 oz tomato paste
32 oz beef broth
8-10 oz milk
1 lb pasta - elbows or shells are best!
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Seasoning to taste. We 🫶🏻 Fire & Smoke Society Onion Butter in this!

Brown the beef, add onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add tomato paste and let caramelize for a few minutes until it deepens in color. Deglaze with beef broth. Add in the milk & bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the noodles and let them cook for 14-16 min, until the noodles are Al dente. Remove from heat, stir in cheese. Enjoy!

Note: we never have cheddar so I use what I have on hand. Parmesan and whole milk mozz tonight)

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East 30th Street And East University Avenue
Des Moines, IA
50317

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