I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore the lovely rice you get on the side at a Mexican restaurant. Tex Mex is the name of the game. After much trial and error I think I've finally recreated a recipe that's really close to what you'll find in a local restaurant. This rice pairs perfectly with any sort of Mexican dish and is super simple and cheap to put together. It's … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is part of our 6th Costco Meal Plan: 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150! Dear Chairman of the Kid Food Hall of Fame Committee, I'd like to nominate this recipe to be inducted in the class of 2011 for Best Kid Friendly recipe for the following reasons. 1. All 3 children finished their entire plates in record time. 2. All 3 children asked for … [Read more...]
Homemade Apple Pie Spice
As we head into pie season, you might take a peek in your spice rack and see if you have the spices needed to make homemade apple pie spice recipe. (Here's my homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe!) There is no need to spend $5-$6 on a apple pie spice jar from the spice aisle, when you already have the ingredients you need to mix up your own. And you can mix up … [Read more...]
Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I learned something new about chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago. And I decided to put the theory to the test. I made these double peanut butter chocolate chip cookies...then took them to a church picnic...and they got RAVE reviews. I recently stumbled upon a New York Times article about the science and history of how chocolate chip cookies became so popular and … [Read more...]
What to Do with Half Full Boxes of Pasta?!
I always end up with just a little bit of pasta left in each box. We usually need about 12 oz. of pasta to feed our family dinner...leaving 3-4 oz. in the box. So the other night I decided just to combine a few of the different varieties...and boy did the little people get a kick out of it! (Note: I did combine varieties with the same cooking times.) What do you do with … [Read more...]
Mexican Breakfast Scramble with Peppers and Black Beans
So I had every intention of making omelets with all the fixings you see here last night. Then I remembered that we had a makeup soccer game. So I scratched the omelet idea (because they take longer to make!) and went with a scramble instead. All the same ingredients...just as delicious outcome! Perfect way to use some peppers from the garden or farmer's market. I only used … [Read more...]
Cranberry Chicken Crescents
Experiment Alert! We had friends over for dinner last night and I made these. As they were coming through the door, I had a bit of a panic and started chastising myself for serving "experiment food" to guests. I don't think I've ever served something I've never made before, or seen a recipe for, to guests. And I don't think I'll do it again! Not because they didn't turn … [Read more...]
Raspberry Almond Quinoa
I recently decided to cut out all forms of white and brown sugar from my diet to find out if this elimination would help steady my energy level throughout the day. I'm proud to report that I went without sugar for the entire month of August and plan to continue down this path! I discovered a noticeable difference in my energy level, productivity, consistency and clarity in my … [Read more...]
Buffalo Chicken Balls
Alrighty, usually I'm all about fast and easy recipes and out the door. Not this time. This is a great sit around the table and talk about your day recipe! It was a big hit with kids and husband alike, but I'm not so sure about the 2 year old. She just wanted to suck the dressing off. I wonder if she would have eaten them if she hadn't had the dressing first. (Trying that … [Read more...]
Baked Apples with Maple and Granola
Scoop, crunch. Scoop, crunch. I want to recommend...no highly recommend...that you make baked apples at some point during this fall. Apple prices are as low as they get...there are so many different varieties available in stores. These baked apples do best when made with a sweeter variety like gala or golden delicious. They take minutes to get into the oven...just get … [Read more...]