Category: Food & Recipes

Caramel Corn Muffins

Leave a comment

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and you were just asked to bring a side dish to tomorrow night’s dinner! What are other people making? What will everyone like? Before you panic, grab your favorite corn bread mix and make these sweet and unique Caramel Corn Muffins!

Yes, you heard me right. Grab your favorite corn bread mix. While some things I think are easier and better to make from scratch, corn bread comes best out of a box or bag (in my opinion!) Plus, if you’re in a rush, why spend time perfecting a recipe when commercial brands have already done that for us! The secret homemade touch to these corn muffins is a drizzle of caramel on top. A little bit of sweet, a little bit of buttery and a whole lot of yum! Even though they are sweet with the touch of caramel, I still categorize these muffins are a side dish and appetizer right next to the traditional dinner rolls. I promise these miniature muffins will be a hit this holiday season!

Continue reading →

Seven Staple Foods You Should Always Have in Your Kitchen 

Leave a comment
We all know that feeling. You open the fridge or pantry to see absolutely nothing to eat besides some chips or crackers, maybe a box pasta and frozen meals. Nothing about that sounds appetizing or nutritious. Nevertheless, we always seem to resort to eating a potluck of garbage from the pantry or worse, ordering Chinese takeout or pizza delivery. It’s time to say no to takeout and munchies for dinner, and say yes to homemade dinners!

Life gets busy. Between work, extra curricular activities, chores, bills (the list goes on and on,) when is there time to grocery shop and prepare healthy meals that keep you moving as fast as your life is. The key is stocking your kitchen with these seven versatile foods that can be transformed into a flavorful and nutritious meal your family will love. These seven ingredients are easy to cook with and jam-packed with protein, vitamins, and low in carbs. Here are my recommended kitchen staples and 12 meal ideas you can make with them:

Candy Cookie Bars

Leave a comment

Are you staring at your dining room table littered with colorful wrappers of candy, candy, candy! Before you throw it all away, transform your leftover chocolate candy into the world’s sweetest cookie!

Whether you are trying to get rid of excess candy you purchased for Trick or Treaters, or trying to minimize your child’s loot bag, Candy Cookie Bars are the tastiest and easiest way to reduce your candy supply before it goes to waste.

These cookie bars are basically the Halloween kitchen sink of cookies. It doesn’t matter what chocolate candy you throw into the batter, it will always taste good. Imagine the ooey gooey-ness of Snickers caramel, the creaminess of Reese’s Peanut Butter and the crunch from M&M’s. Each bite is a taste of your favorite candy bar surrounded by a soft cookie shell.

Continue reading →

5 Ways to Enjoy Delicata Squash

Leave a comment

Let’s talk about… SQUASH! Personally, I’m a huge fan of squash all year round. Spaghetti squash with homemade sauce, zucchini squash boats stuffed with taco filling, creamy butternut squash soup… you name it and I’ll eat it! Of all the different kinds of squash each season, my favorite by far is delicata squash (and not because of the fun zebra striped skin!)

Delicata squash, also known as sweet potato squash, is a winter squash commonly known for its creamy texture and sweet taste. It’s also one of the easiest squash to prepare and cook, with zero peeling necessary and short cook times in either the oven, microwave or on the stovetop. Not only delicious, delicata squash is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, and also provides small amounts of magnesium, manganese, vitamins C and B. 

Continue reading →

The Only Apple Dessert You’ll Need to Make this Fall

Leave a comment

Apple Bundt Cake

 

It’s obvious that fall is finally here. Instagram is filled with #basic pictures of apple picking, pumpkin spice lattes, colorful foliage and fall decor (fall decorating ideas on a budget coming soon!)

If you’re like me, you love the food that comes with the fall season. Roasted root vegetables, hearty soups and countless apple and/or pumpkin desserts that make you want to eat every last crumb. With so many different festive desserts to choose from, let me help narrow your search by providing the only apple dessert you’ll want to make this fall.

Continue reading →

Snail Mail Sweets

Leave a comment

IMG-0035.JPG

Think back to when we were kids – Back to a time when we nagged and nagged our parents if there was a piece of mail waiting for us at the end of each day. A postcard from a friend, a letter (and money) from Grandma or a toy store catalog – we wanted any piece of mail that we can call ours. There was always something so exciting about opening up the mailbox or seeing a delivery truck pull into the driveway. Today, in the age of social media and paperless billing, we rarely receive genuine mail. Day after day I sort our mail only to find solicitor flyers, credit card approvals and down right JUNK mail. Once in a blue moon you’ll find a card from a friend or family member during the holiday season or simply just because. And in that split second, our 20-something self turns into a 5-year-old kid ripping open the envelope at lightning speed to see what’s inside.

Continue reading →

15 Minute Southwestern Taco Bowl

Leave a comment

final image 2

Who’s hungry?! If you read my first post, you know my favorite food is tacos. I’m pretty sure I could eat tacos every night of the week – hard shell, soft shell, taco salad – you name it! But let’s face it, making a taco spread with all the fixings takes a lot of cutting prep and dirties a lot of dishes. This fifteen minute southwestern taco bowl cuts your prep, cooking and cleaning time nearly in half. And, it’s high in protein and low carb. Make a large batch after work and enjoy later in the week for lunch, dinner and even breakfast. Just add an egg and you’ve got a deconstructed breakfast burrito!

Continue reading →