Quinoa Burgers!

I found this recipe on a blog called 
'Eating Well, Living Thin-er' by Linda F. It caught my eye because I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it! It's basically a veggie burger...but it tastes delicious! Most veggie burgers aren't very tasty and the texture is usually too chunky. This quinoa burger is none of those things!

An Italian Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

I love hot lunches! I'll heat up leftovers before I'll eat a cold lunch! But when there aren't any leftovers I'll make myself this tasty hot sandwich! I love this because it's quick and delicious! And it's kind of healthy too! Well, except for the butter and cheese...but it does have some veggies in there!

This grilled cheese sandwich reminds me of one of my favorite appetizers...antipasto! So that's what I named my recipe! I hope you like it as much as I do!



Antipasto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Easy Creamy Mac n' Cheesy

I've tried sooooo many mac n' cheese recipes! I've tried some with onions...some with dry mustard...some with cottage cheese! I finally decided to mix and match different recipes until I got exactly what I wanted in a mac n' cheese dish!

 I wanted something super creamy and cheesy but with lots of flavor! This is what I came up with...it's now my 'go to' mac n' cheese recipe because it works perfectly every time! I never have a problem with clumps or dryness! And I love the slight flavor of the mustard! You can add breadcrumbs on top and bake it til browned, if you like a crunchy crust! I don't, because I like my mac n' cheese to be totally creamy!

Meatloaf Muffins!

Lots of my food friends have been making these cute little meatloaf muffins, so I decided to give it a try! You know what? I think I'll make my meatloaf like this from now on because it's so much easier to make and serve in these individual muffin shapes! And I just love the fact that the mashed potatoes are ontop of each meatloaf. I poured brown gravy over the mashed potatoes just before serving! My family loved these! You can use your favorite meatloaf and mashed potato recipe. Below is the meatloaf recipe I used.

Meatloaf Muffins

My Favorite Cocktail - Homemade!

Red Apple Martini

I just love Red Apple Martinis!!! It's so hard to find a bartender that really knows how to make one correctly!

 Well, a few years ago I was out to lunch with my husband at this cute little seaside restaurant...it was a very casual place! The kind of place that you just drive up to in your boat! Flip flops and a T-shirt is the usual attire!

We walked in and sat down at the bar.

Do You Love Almond Joy Candy Bars?

Almond Joy Cake Mix Cookies

Well, if you do, you'll absolutely LOVE these cake mix cookies! They're so VERY easy to make...20 minutes from start to finish! And they really taste like Almond Joy candy bars!

Three Tasty and Easy Recipes!



Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage
Caesar Salad Recipe
**Click Here**

I love these kinds of recipes because I can make a large meal for my family in a snap! That's what I did with these 3 recipes!

An Exciting Birthday Bash!

I recently found out that I, along with 150 other AllRecipes.com Allstar Brand Ambassadors, are invited to an all expense paid birthday celebration for the AllRecipes website! The website will be 15 years old in July! We are all being flown to Seattle for this fun filled, 2 day, birthday party!

My 15 Mintues of Fame!

Well, it will really only be 5 minutes of fame after the video is edited...lol!

 I was recently asked to film a McCormick Gourmet Seasoning Mixes video! It's one of their new products, soon to be released nation wide this spring and summer! 

Go Bold with Butter!

This month in the Allrecipes.com Allstar Brand Ambassador Program we're promoting the 'Go Bold with Butter'  campaign to support the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in partnership with America’s Dairy Farmers! Check out their page for delicious recipes! I tried their 'French Toast with Honey Butter' recipe and it was HEAVENLY!!! The best french toast I ever had! And I just wanted to eat the honey butter by the spoonful! The honey butter would also be yummy on so many other foods...I want to try it on baked sweet potatoes next time! This is a great recipe to serve if you want to impress your guests! It tastes very fancy, but it is so easy to make! Here's my photo of the finished dish...

*Click Here for 'French Toast with Honey Butter' Recipe*

 The recipe makes about 12-16 pieces, so cut the recipe down if you want to make less!

I ate 4 pieces...YUM!!!

 I've loved butter as far back as I can remember! As a child, (3-4 years old) I can remember chomping away on sticks of butter! I would always get about 2 mouthfuls before my Mom would notice and take it away! Around that same time I also remember rubbing butter on my nails to make them shiny...lol! I guess I had a butter fetish! These days I have to be more careful about my butter consumption...everything in moderation! But it's always butter for me...never margarine!

Who Says You Can't Eat Your Cake and Have it Too?

Well, with this giveaway you can because I'm giving you not one, not two, but three free boxes of Entenmann's Mini Cakes and Muffin Tops!

Lots a Wasa!

I recently received a large amount of Wasa crackers in the mail! I won them in a blog giveaway through a blogger named Becky from

An Improvised Appy...

I needed another appetizer to serve to my guests for Easter! I had mini mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, pesto, garlic and white bread, so I decided to make these cute little Insalata Caprese Bites! My guests really loved them! I think I'll make them more often!

Insalata Caprese Bites

Just Wanted to Share...

My Seattle trip was so much fun! The Allrecipes staff really showed us a great time! It was first class all the way,  from

An Amazing Oppurtunity!!!

I recently found out that I was selected to go on a trip to Seattle to be in a cooking video for the McCormick spice company! They are launching a new line of spice packets. I was sent this very generous selection, as seen above. Plus two bottles of their specialty spice blends.

Update!

I recently found out that I'm a winner in the Chef Boyardee recipe contest! I mentioned that contest in a recent blog post. I almost gave up on that contest, thinking I would never win! Well, I'm so glad I didn't give up because I finally won in week #7 with my SloppyRoni Sliders recipe! I re-entered the recipe that week and won a $500 Amex gift card and $75 worth of free food items from ConAgra foods! At the end of the 10 weeks, all 10 winners will be entered for a chance to win the grand prize...1 years worth of free groceries($100 per week) at the store of your choice! 

                                         

 Now the voting begins for the Chef Boyardee recipe contest!

I'm not going to be asking for votes because I feel like I already won just by making it into the finals! I wanted to show you what a great job the photographer did in recreating my original photo! Here's is the photo that I shot along with their photo.

 

I thought I did a great job until I saw their version...

 My Photo

Photo by Pro Photographer

 

 

They did a much better job, don't you think?

 



And by the way, here is the link to my winning recipe! It was delicious! SloppyRoni Sliders Recipe

I Improved My Copycat Recipe!

I've been on a quest to copy my favorite BBQ sauce...'Sweet Baby Ray's', 
which I showed you in the blog post for Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce...

Well, I made that recipe again last night and I think I've come even closer to my goal!
I think this is as close as I'm going to get! Here is my revised recipe... 

Am I the Only Person Who Never Heard of Tomato Pie?

The first time I ever heard of this dish was while looking through recipes on the Internet! I think it's a Southern thing! The ingredients sounded like something I would love, so I decided to give it a try! This recipe was posted by a food friend of mine named Donna Brown. I tried this recipe and loved it! The only problem I had with this recipe was that I couldn't bring myself to wait for the pie to set, after I took it out of the oven, so it was a little messy to cut!  But it was VERY tasty! The creamy basil sauce is to die for! Since then I've discovered other savory pies that I love! I'll post another one tomorrow! Here is the recipe for the Tomato Pie...

Tomato Pie

A Soup From Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage

After St. Patty's Day I had lots of leftover corned beef and cabbage from this recipe...Glazed Corned Beef & Cabbage. So I decided to make a soup for dinner! It turned out to be delicious! All I did was

A Delicious Fish Recipe with a Story!

Jim and his 47 lb. Striped Bass

This recipe and this bass were both given to me by my husbands co-worker named Jim Speer! When my husband told me that Jim had an amazing recipe for striped bass I said "Oh, that's nice"...never thinking he really had an amazing recipe for striped bass! He works in an office. He's not a Chef! How good can it be? But he does love to go fishing! So I knew the fish would be fresh!

Well, I can honestly say that this is the best broiled fillet of fish I ever ate!!!

Unique Custard Filled Dutch Baby!

This is a unique Dutch Baby recipe because of the custard that forms in the center of this cake while it bakes! I found this recipe on 'The Recipe Diva' cooking website. Posted by a member named Sweet Potato. I compared it to other Dutch Babies recipes. This recipe is the only one I found that had a custard center! It was delicious! It's suppose to serve 4 but I almost ate the entire thing myself!

Unique Custard Filled Dutch Baby

A Crab Delight!

I was asked to make this recipe as one of my tasks for the Allrecipes.com Brand Ambassador Program. I knew I would love it because I love all things crab! This tasted like a really good crab cake! And I love the crunchy fresh breadcrumb/butter topping! This was very easy to make and is perfect as an appetizer! Here is the link to the recipe, along with my photo! I only made 2 changes to the recipe. I used imitation crab meat ( gasp! I know that's so wrong but I needed to use it or toss it) and I accidently used the fresh breadcrumbs IN the crab mixture AND on top of the mixture! It turned out to be a delicious mistake, so I'll make it like that from now on!

Crab Imperial II

Sweet and Sour Chops!

I love pork chops and I'm always looking for easy delicious ways to prepare them! A food friend of mine named Joan Klimkowski showed me her recipe! She knows how much I love sweet and savory foods, so she knew her recipe is something I would love...she was SO right!

Unfried Ice Cream

I made this recipe and it is amazingly good! I found this on a cooking site! It was posted by a cook named Donna Sherwood. I'm so glad I tried this because it tasted a lot like the fried ice cream that I always order from my favorite Mexican restaurant! But this is NOT fried, so it's easy to make!

Copycat!

I love Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce! This is my attempt to copy it...my family said I came VERY close!

Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS;

1-6oz. can tomato paste

2 cups water

3 Tbls. canned crushed pineapple

1/2 heaping tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 Tbls. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbls. molasses

4 Tbls. light corn syrup

1 Tbls. sugar

3 Tbls. cold water + 1 Tbls. corn starch - slurry to thicken sauce

DIRECTIONS;

In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, mix together all ingredients except for the slurry.

Cook and stir til well combined and heated through. With an immersion blender, puree the mixture til smooth.

Allow mixture to boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add in the slurry. Stir and cook about another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour into glass jar and refridgerate until ready to use.

My Ode to St. Patrick's Day!

Why not serve a delicious pasta salad to go with your corned beef on St. Patrick's Day....especially if it's green! I came up with this one...

          St. Pat's Pasta Salad

The Easiest Bread Ever...

The main reason why this bread is the EASIEST is because you don't knead the dough at all! This recipe has been called  'Dump Bread'...'No Knead Bread'...'Easiest Ciabatta Bread' and 'One Minute Bread'. So call it what ever you want, but you should really try it! This is a bread I've made at least 20 times since finding it! I always top mine with garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese before baking it! I love to slice into it while it's still warm to take a taste! This bread is perfect for making sandwiches or for soaking up gravy and soups...and for dipping in flavored olive oil!

Pasta Tortilla

I found this recipe on the Internet. It was posted by a cook named Amanani. It sounded so interesting that I just had to try it! It was VERY good! It's a great way to turn plain Ramen noodles into something more unique and tasty! My family loved this!

Add the pasta mixture to the center of the skillet and spread out to about a 5 1/2 inch diameter and about 1/2 inch thick.

Cook til bottom is browned, then flip and brown the other side.



 Pasta Tortillas

INGREDIENTS;
3 pks. of Ramen noodles - chicken flavored
8 large eggs
8 slices of crispy cooked bacon, crumbled - I used turkey bacon
3 tbls. butter - for frying the pasta mixture
2 large cloves garlic - crushed
2 tbls. dried parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS;

This Snack is 'to die for'...

This recipe was created by a foodie named CrazyCooker. I have made this recipe MANY times! This is one of those snacks that you just can't stop eating til it's all gone...and then you'll probably lick the plate clean!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Nachos

INGREDIENTS;

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites!

This was a recipe I found on a blog called Never Homemaker! I tried it and loved it! So easy to make and eat! I used milk chocolate chips instead of vegan chips!  Sorry, but I don't even know what vegan chips are! This is what my banana bites looked like.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites

INGREDIENTS;

Fat Free, Microwave, Potato Chips!

A foodie friend of mine named Sherri Logan, showed me a recipe she found on the Internet for microwave potato chips! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it! Well, they were VERY good! I made the chips in various flavors such as seasoned salt, onion, and red hot sauce flavors! I liked the onion flavored the best! I just sprinkled the uncooked potato slices with kosher salt( just a scant pinch on each slice) and onion powder before microwaving. My teen daughter loved the red hot sauce flavored. I made those by just adding one drop on each uncooked potato slice, then I smeared it across the entire slice before microwaving! Here are my photos of the process...

You will need a mandoline for this...and a bowl of cold water.

This is how thin to slice the potatoes...1/8 of an inch.

These are the finished chip! Crunchy and fat free!!!

Here's is the link to the recipe...

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-crispy-potato-chips-in-the-microwave-166718

This is not the kind of chips you'll want to make for a large crowd because it's time consuming! But it's perfect for a family of 4...I used 2 large russet potatoes and it was just enough for the 4 of us!

Pass the Passatelli Please!

 Passatelli is a cheese pasta dough! This is the easiest homemade pasta dough I ever made! It's just plain breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese and eggs. The pasta is then cooked in chicken broth. That's it...this meal takes less than 30 minutes to make! I served it with crusty homemade garlic toast! I found this recipe on the Internet, but the photos are my own.

The dough is pressed through the large holes of a potato ricer and then dropped right into simmering chicken broth.

Passatelli

INGREDIENTS;

Breakfast or Dessert!

I'm not sure which category this fits under so I just eat it for both! This is a recipe from a cook named MichelleM. I tried this and loved it! If you like french toast and you like apple pie, you'll love this! I added my photo!

Apple Pie Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS;

Get Your Chocolate Fix!

I love cornbread and I love chocolate...so I combined the two and made this absolutely perfect chocolate dessert! I used my favorite cornbread recipe that I got from a foodie friend, and I tweaked it a bit! It worked great!

Chocolate Cornbread

INGREDIENTS;

One Pan Whiskey Pork Chops!

Creamy pork chops with lots of mushrooms!
Goes great with mashed potatoes and Italian green beans!.
This is a recipe I've made many times and its amazingly good! It's from a foodie named Skystone from Boeme, Texas. This recipe is a big hit with my fellow foodies! Many of my friends have made these pork chops and LOVED them! The picture is from the first time I made this!

One Pan Whiskey Pork Chops
INGREDIENTS;

Fruit Focaccia

Delicious fruit focaccia done on pizza dough. Lite and fruity and I loved it! This was posted by a cook named Pleclare who found this in Good Housekeeping. The photo is my own.


Fruit Focaccia

INGREDIENTS;

A Very Addictive Bread!

 Light and fluffy pan bread with a caramelized onion topping! It's so good, I couldn't stop eating it! This took less than 1 hour to make, including prep and bake time! This would be great as a side dish or an appetizer!

 I found this recipe on the Internet...posted by a cook known as 52to64.

And as usual, the photo is my own!

Caramelized Onion Upside-Down Pan Bread

INGREDIENTS;

Recycle Your Pickle Brine!

I remember hearing that you can make a new jar of pickles from your leftover jar of pickle juice (brine), so that's what I did!
 Here is how it's done...

Perfect 'Comfort Soup' Weather!

When its cold outside there's nothing better than a warm bowl of hearty, stick to your ribs, soup! This is my 'go to' soup recipe! It's not only 'souper' (lol) easy, but it's also 'souper' quick...and it tastes like you cooked it all day!

Cowboy Soup

Heart Shaped Hard Boiled Eggs!

When I saw this idea I just had to give it a try!

 I just thought it was so cute! So I tried this today!

My teen daughter LOVED it! I guess I'm a cool Mom now! But that won't last long!

I found the egg idea on this blog link...**Heart Eggs**

Here's the photos of my egg!

This is how it looks when the warm peeled egg is being molded into the heart shape! Only takes about 10 minutes! I covered the cardboard with plastic wrap to make sure the egg didn't stick to it!

Before slicing in half

And Viola...a adorable heart shaped hard boiled egg!

See how easy! Try it, you'll love it!