As everyone knows, the holidays are an incredibly busy time of the year. We have Thanksgiving and then a few weeks later are celebrating Christmas. We even have my son’s birthday between the two holidays, which makes it even crazier. While I love the holidays, I also like to take time to relax and enjoy our friends, before things get too stressful. For the last few years we have taken a night off from all the stress, and had a little holiday party where we get together with our close friends, and just enjoy their company and be free of all holiday stress. I ...
butter
How to Soften Butter…Quick!
If you are like me, you probably don't plan out the exact time you will be cooking or baking something. Usually when I decide to bake, it's a spur of the moment, "Oh, I feel like some cake...", kind of thing. Several baking recipes call for room temperature butter, or softened butter. The only time this happens for me is when I go grocery shopping and forget to put the butter away..which probably more appropriately would be called, "spoiled butter." Like many people, I just don't have time to let my butter sit out on the counter for an hour to soften! Usually I ...
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
When I was in college, I spent one summer working at a popular Mexican restaurant in my hometown. At that point, I didn't really know much about Mexican food, aside from that I liked pretty much everything I had tried. During my training period, I had to learn about all the food on the menu, memorizing all the ingredients, what everything was, what it was served with etc (if you have worked in a restaurant, this is likely a familiar process to you). Flautas, Chile Rellenos, Tamles, Flan...everything was delicious, and it was rare I came across something I didn't ...
Guest Blog: Homemade Apple Pie with a Homemade Crust
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I was really excited to get this recipe and from my friend, Sara! If you are in need (or if you have one already, I bet this one is better!) of a delicious Apple Pie recipe, then look no further!! Sara explains the basics of making a pie crust and the apple pie as well. I told Sara that I have always been pretty reluctant to make pie, because it is somewhat intimidating! She told me that, "no one should be intimidated by pie!" After reading this great tutorial and recipe, I think I am up for the challenge!! Lets get ...
Mushroom and Gorgonzola Baked Polenta
Last week I was lucky enough to receive a package from Bob's Red Mill with a couple of their products that I have been dying to try. I have been a big fan of BRM for a while, but I still haven't samples all of their items (check out their website, they have a ton-Wow!)! I was so excited that they sent me their Polenta, Quinoa (if you read my blog, you know how I love quinoa), and rolled oats. All of their products are all natural and organic, and they have a ton of gluten free flours and products as well. I have cooked with quinoa and oats a lot in the past, ...
Substitute Greek Yogurt for…..Everything!
Yesterday I had a ton of traffic on my blog and at first I wasn't sure why. It is nice the wordpress allows you to see how many visits you have, and where people came from. Using those tools I found out that a few of my recipes had been pinned by Chobani Yogurt, and that was bringing in a lot of traffic. I headed over to Chobani to see what was going on and there they were, a few of my recipes pinned in several different catagories! It was very exciting. They featured my Corn Fritters with Cilantro Lime Dip, and the Chicken and White Bean Chili. With all the attention I also had 100's of ...