Hey y'all! The boys were begging (seriously, begging) for hot cocoa the other night. So in an attempt to appease their pleading, I stumbled across an amazing "homemade dairy free hot cocoa mix." Most (if not all) store bought cocoa mix contains dry milk of some kind, so I never get it for them. But this mix that I blended up is simple and perfect, plus it tastes great in both … [Read more...]
Best $5 Dinners Recipes from 2012
Alright y'all. These are in no particular order. Just some of everyone's favorites from this past year... Enjoy! 10. Burrito Cups 9. Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese 8. Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal (with GF version) 7. Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas 6. BBQ Chicken Topped Potatoes 5. Cheeseburger n Fries Kebabs 4. Mashed … [Read more...]
Split Pea and Asparagus Soup with Parmesan-Garlic Toast
Warm and cozy. Deliciously filling. A savory winter soup, pureed to perfection... So this meal went down two ways at our dinner table...One way for my bowl, and another for Steve's bowl. Steve wanted the dip his Parmesan-Garlic Toast in the soup, almost scooping it out. I, on the other hand, preferred eating the soup with a crouton-version of the toast (see photo … [Read more...]
Pecan Streusel Stuffed Egg Nog French Toast Bake
Christmas Morning Casseroles. So many options, so many choices. Tradition vs. something new. (I just added a few casserole ideas to my "Holiday Food" board on Pinterest.) Here's one for this year. Or next, if you've already got this year's figured out. (If you're into trying new ones!) It's a basic stuffed french toast bake. That I hopped up with pecan streusel, … [Read more...]
Gourmet Homemade Microwave Popcorn
There are controversial chemicals in packaged microwave popcorn but our family loves to eat popcorn as a healthy snack, and I really enjoy the convenience of popping it in the microwave, so we simply make our own using brown paper lunch bags. It's quick and easy to make and also costs a fraction of the price of the packaged variety. All you need are a few simple … [Read more...]
BBQ Meatball Sliders
So this is my first "set" of meatballs since moving to Texas. And I thought making BBQ style ones would only be appropriate...seeing as how there is a BBQ joint on every second corner around here. (At least it seems that way!) I had some dinner rolls I'd picked up "on special" and some meat in the freezer. These sliders would be perfect alongside my Spicy … [Read more...]
Homemade Break ‘n Bake Cookies
Two cookie dough posts in one week. You'd think I was pregnant and craving cookies or something. (Oh wait.) Actually, I really should have included this in Monday's How to Freeze Cookie Dough article, but we'll let this one stand on its own. I love gifting people with homemade cookie dough. And this is a simple and easy way to do it! Scoop into groups of … [Read more...]
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Do you know the reason why you should freeze cookie dough?! Here I explain why you should freeze cookie dough and how to properly freeze cookie dough! I've shared a few of my tips for how to freeze cookie dough in the past, and I wanted to revisit it again as we move into the holiday baking season. I'm planning on doing a couple of "dough makes" in November, as … [Read more...]
Best Butternut Squash Recipes
Best Butternut Squash Recipes I'm on a mission. I tell people all the time that they're missing out on butternut squash. (At least the people who've never tried it before.) I encounter people all over...from coast to coast...who have never tried this golden gem of a fruit. (Although I think of it as a vegetable...it has seeds, so it's technically a fruit, … [Read more...]
Spiderweb Cupcakes
My quadruplets' birthday is this week and somehow they always end up with a Halloween themed birthday party since they were born in October. I've made a ton of Halloween themed treats over the years, but so far these spiderweb cupcakes have been their favorite. I made three dozen of these to take to their school for snack time yesterday and all of the kids went crazy for the … [Read more...]