Fresh Blueberry Muffins are a classic blueberry muffin studded with juicy blueberries and swirled with bright lemon zest. After you bite through the crunchy, sugar topping, you are met with flavors that make you want to close your eyes and dance! These muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch or even a midnight snack.
This is a muffin recipe that is packed full of fresh, Spring flavor! The blueberries burst open and infuse the muffins with their sweet, juicy goodness. The addition of lemon zest really makes these muffins sing. Blueberry and lemon are a classic combo and marry perfectly in each muffin you unwrap!
Having these muffins on hand make your life so much easier. Typically, I sleep to the verrry last second that I can to give myself about 15 minutes to get out the door. With not being a morning person, having one or two of these muffins to grab on my way out the door sure does help brighten my morning! Heck, I even snarfed one of these down for dessert one night. Crack one of these babies open, warm it up for a few seconds, and then smear a pad of salty butter right across. Try to tell me that’s not delectable. Try. I won’t even listen at this point (lol).
So, whether you’re looking for a brunch companion, a weekday breakfast idea or just a recipe to get rid of some blueberries, this Fresh Blueberry Muffin recipe is for you!
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken is a chicken dinner to knock your socks off! The chicken is juicy and packed full of flavor from a Jamaican seasoning blend and the infusion of cooking on top of a can of light beer. Your tastebuds will be singing! Smoking the chicken not only gives the chicken an extra layer of warm flavor, but also keeps the chicken from drying out. I can’t wait to get another one of these chickies on the smoker!
Did I mention that this chicken smells absolutely heavenly as it is smoking away? Because it will blow your mind how good it smells! Currently, our smoker is stored in our garage and pulled out into the driveway when we want to use it. Don’t worry, we live in a small town and everyone does it (lol). We are wanting to move it to our back deck now that its ready for summer, so we just need to take the plunge and do it. I do have to say, though, I kept sneaking my nose into the garage just to get a whiff of how decadent it smelled!
If you are new to using a smoker or don’t have much experience with one, don’t fear! This recipe is a simple one-step process once the chicken is on the smoker – you close the lid and let it be for an hour. That’s it! There are no worries about changing the settings from just smoking to preheating to an actual temperature. All you have to do is prepare the chicken, preheat your wood pellet smoker to 350 degrees, put the chicken on and let it do it’s own thing. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Our Smoker Set Up
We have a Pit Boss smoker that we snagged at our local Scheels (can you believe that Target sells them as well?! Learn something new everyday!) and have fallen in love with it. It is very similar to a Traeger, but can typically be purchased at a lower price point. Even though we have a Pit Boss brand smoker, we still use Traeger pellets and it works like a charm! Confession: this is actually the first recipe that I’ve ever smoked on my own! Typically, John is doing the smoking or is there to help me, but not this time! This gal knows how to run the smoker now and is going to use it!
Whether you are looking for a twist on a weeknight meal or doing a weekend bbq, this Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken is what you need! If you are lucky somehow to have any leftovers of this chicken, it reheats beautifully! Heck, I even turned my leftover smoked chicken into a bowl of ramen and it was dang good!
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
The guac doesn’t cost you any extra around here! A simple, 5 Ingredient Guac is all that you need to make your fresh guac dreams come true. Dunk a freshly baked, crispy Homemade Chipotle Chip right in and get down to business. The creamy, cool guacamole is just what the salty, crunchy chipotle chips need. Simple ingredients put together to make your tastebuds sing!
I’m the only person in our house that eats guac (I know, don’t even get me started), so this 5 Ingredient Guac speaks my language! A few simple ingredients that I can have on hand to quickly whip up a fresh bowl of guac works perfectly for me. Creamy avocados mixed together with vibrant cilantro (I even grew the cilantro I used!), bright lemon juice, zesty red onion, and a pinch of salt or two.
Typically, I have a bag of tortilla chips or two stashed in the cupboard in case of emergencies, but I was clean out when I needed them. But, you know what, I’m sure glad I didn’t have any! Creating my own, homemade chips was so fun and easy! I love the smoky flavor from the chipotle powder and the desirable saltiness from the seasoned salt. You won’t even miss these chips being baked instead of fried! They are the perfect companion to this fresh guac.
Whether you are whipping up this 5 Ingredient Guac with Homemade Chipotle Chips for a crowd (Cinco de Mayo, anyone?), or just for you, it is sure to please! A hassle-free recipe that is sure to disappear right before your eyes. Plus, its pretty dang healthy, too! How much better can it get?
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Whew! April has been a month, that’s for sure! Let’s dive on into another round of The Monthly Scoop to give you an aerial view of what happened around here at KJ & Co.
April was a month that sure stretched my brain. Four different times my website crashed. FOUR. Now, I’m not a very tech-savvy person when it comes to all of this behind-the-scenes IT stuff (bless those who are!), so I had to lean pretty heavily on my hosting company, Bluehost. I’m still in the process of working out all the kinks – heck, I didn’t even know if I was even going to be able to write this post today! But here we are and I’ll take it. So, if you have any tech recommendations and/or see that my website is having any difficulties, please let me know! I’m all ears at this point haha.
Home Improvement
We were graced with some wonderful, warm weather this April, so it was definitely a month of getting in the swing of yard work! I’m the crazy person who loves mowing (making those lines straight fulfills my inner OCD), and the feeling of doing some hard work outside is so satisfactory for me. I’m in my prime when I can mow the front lawn – John can have the back yard because that means he has to pick up the dog poop :). I re-vamped our back deck with some bright colors. plants, flowers, an herb box, accent pieces and an area rug. I am so excited to share all the deets with you guys soon! I set out to find things at a reasonable price, because, well, they are items that are outside in the elements and not something I really wanted to splurge on. Home Depot was my bff this month. Next on the outside to-do list: mulch. Send prayers.
Along with outside work, we FINALLY found some paintings for our living room! Keep in mind, this wall has been blank for over 2 years. But, by golly, Home Goods came in clutch with the most perfect paintings. And a fraction of the price, too!
Recipes
The recipes posted during April were focused around Spring and Easter. Although, each recipe is perfect for any occasion! One of my personal favorites is the Carrot Oatmeal Cream Pies – how could you resist one of those?!
If you didn’t know it already, John and I are huge Marvel fans. Ok, I admit, John primarily is and he suckered me into all of them. But they are all so good! With the anticipation of the new Avengers movie coming out, we watched allllll of the movies leading up to it. That’s right. Who knows how many hours of our lives, but it was worth it. I won’t spoil anything for you if you haven’t seen the new Avengers yet, but get your booty down to the theater! SO good.
I also found some pretty dang good deals on clothes that can be worn for work or play this Spring and Summer. Follow along on the Like to Know It app to have all the outfit details at your fingertips!
Looking for the best dry shampoo of your life? Look no further! I am 100% hooked on this Living Proof Dry Shampoo! There is really nothing else like it – your hair feels like you’ve washed it after using it! Not even sponsored – I just love it that much! Talk about a life-saver.
To cap everything off, my sister got me hooked on Spotify. Fill a gal in on all the playlists she needs!
Time to pop the bubbly because we are celebrating! The website is back up and humming along. I’m so thankful for all the tech support people that work at Bluehost – they have been life savers! (PS: not sponsored) Technology is great when it works, isn’t it? Let’s celebrate with some sangria!
Citrus Sangria is like a mimosa on steroids! Sweet, bubbly wine is swirled with fresh lemonade and all sorts of bright citrus. Lemons, oranges and grapefruit take this Citrus Sangria to the next level! Plus, doesn’t it look so pretty with all the bright colors and slices of vibrant citrus? The perfect cocktail to serve for any brunch, patio dinner or even for Easter!
All the citrus is so vibrant, juicy and full of flavor this time of year. I had a hard time resisting these orange and grapefruit slices when I was making this sangria!
One of the many things that I love about sangria is how hassle-free it is. You can make this cocktail the night before, pull it out of the refrigerator before your guests arrive, pour in the fresh bubbly and you are set to go! One large pitcher to serve a crowd. You won’t have to worry about making cocktails all night, because guests can just serve themselves. How great is that?
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake is the perfect dessert for all of your Easter celebrations! Easter really is a day of celebrating, so why not have some cake?! A moist, chocolate cake is layered together with decadent cream cheese frosting. Top it off with a chocolate bunny, fresh florals and some Easter-inspired candies and you have a show-stopping cake! Did I mention it was downright delicious, too?
Not only is this cake a decadent dessert to serve, but it also makes for an eye-catching center piece! The chocolate bunny topper really does make it a home run. You could even have little, mini chocolate bunnies to serve each slice with! The more chocolate, the better, right? RIGHT.
Inside this Easter-ready cake are moist, decadent chocolate cake layers. The addition of freshly brewed coffee to the cake batter really brings out a full, intense chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder. You won’t even taste the coffee! Not only does it help bring out the flavor of the chocolate, but the coffee will also help keep the cake moist during the baking process.
Let’s talk frosting. I love me a good, rich cream cheese frosting, and this is just it. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with the combination of chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. They are a perfect match together! If you prefer to have a fully frosted cake rather than the “naked” cake effect that I went for, I would recommend double the frosting recipe listed below to insure that you have as much frosting as desired. Otherwise, the below frosting recipe works perfectly to get the pictured effect.
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Bacon Broccoli Tot Breakfast Casserole is a mouthful to say, but it is a mouthful of goodness! Everything that you could want in a breakfast casserole is loaded into one dish. Golden, crunchy tots, thick, salty bacon, and fresh broccoli are wrapped up together in a cheesy, whipped egg base. Your fork will keep going back for more!
Whether this is for a weekend brunch or a weeknight brinner (breakfast for dinner), it is sure to be a winner! The possibilities are endless with this breakfast casserole. You can make it as a breakfast meal-prep option to re-heat on the go during the week because it re-heats beautifully! Heck, you could even slice it up and stick it in between two toasted English muffins to have a breakfast sandwich!
With Easter and family gatherings right around the corner, this Bacon Broccoli Tot Breakfast Casserole is the perfect dish to feed a crowd. Easter brunch, baby/bridal showers, hungry kids, in-laws – this casserole is a one-dish wonder.
I cut the bacon into larger 2-inch pieces and I love it compared to the smaller, chopped pieces of bacon. Its like stumbling upon a little bacon present just for you. Plus, it gives it a fun look! I think John about fell over dead when he saw that I bought a 3 pound pack of bacon from Costco. It was worth it.
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Carrot Oatmeal Cream Pies are a fun spin on a nostalgic, childhood treat. Two soft cookies that are loaded with fresh carrot, oats and spices are smooshed together with a decadent, cream cheese frosting. Each bite will take you back in time! These cookie sandwiches are the perfect combination between a carrot cake and a classic oatmeal cream pie. They will disappear before you know it!
These fun, hand-held cookie sandwiches are a perfect dessert for any occasion. How cute would these be for Easter?! I could barely resist sneaking a bite or two while I was taking pictures of them. They are just that good!
Originally, I posted this recipe a couple years ago. But, with a couple tweaks and updated pictures, they are ready to roll! This would be a fun recipe to whip up as a family and to have everyone pitch in on assembling them. Plus, the glue that holds these cookies together is homemade cream cheese frosting. How can you resist that?
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures :).
Holy moly – I can’t believe that we are at the end of March already! Typically, March is one of those months that seem to drag on forever, but this year, it flew on by!
I just want to start out by saying: thanks for joining me for my first Monthly Scoop! The Monthly Scoop will roll out at the end of each month and will be packed full of goodies such as: recipes that went live that month, life updates, favorite finds and whatever else is relevant that month 🙂 Let’s jump on in!
Recipes
March was packed full of yummy recipes:
Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup – perfect, cozy meal for all these cooler, rainy/snowy days! All the creamy and dreaminess of a spinach and artichoke dip combined with chicken soup.
Smoky Chipotle Beef Stew – this one will blow you out of the water! Such a fun twist on a classic dish. A smoky broth is loaded with tender beef and potatoes.
Frosted Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls – mic drop on this one! What more could you want in life? Gooey, chocolate chip cinnamons coated in a cream cheese frosting. Brunch, anyone?
Cajun Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits – eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring! A homemade Cajun seasoning gives these tender shrimp a fun kick, all while the creamy, cauliflower “grits” cool you back down.
The Best Basic Banana Bread – need I say more? We all need this recipe up our sleeves! The perfect use for all the ripe bananas sitting on your countertop. Wonderfully filled with bananas, vanilla and topped with crunchy walnuts.
Monthly Favorites
I’m always on the hunt for clothes that are not only cute and functional, but most importantly, COMFORTABLE. I will forever give up style to be comfortable. Plus, you always need to make sure you have room for your food baby to grow, just saying (lol). But! I found the perfect tee that fits all of those categories, and you guys seemed to love them too! They are drapey in all the right places, have a curved hem in the front and back (perfect for leggings!), and can be dressed up or down.
Monthly Updates
This March I faced my fear and did my very first… Insta Live! Now, to some of you, that may not seem like a big deal. But for some reason, I was all sorts of nervous about it! Now, looking back, I see that I had nothing to fear because everything went great. I had no reason to be nervous! It actually ended up being quite fun. I’m thinking maybe one Insta Live a month? Or two? Who knows. If you didn’t get to tune in or see the replay, we made this scrumptious, comfort food dish:
Other life updates include: figuring out the self-timer function on my camera (how did I not know about this before?! LIFE CHANGING), going for my first run outside for 2019 (it was death, but in a good way), sticking to a budget (more on that later!), and me contemplating hosting Easter (should we?!?!).
Well, I hope that you all had a wonderful March! I know it was quite crazy, beautiful, busy and full of all the things for us, but I wouldn’t trade it up!
Should I throw a #funnyfactfriday (your daily dose of a funny fact about me) in here as a little bonus?! There’s going to be quite a few of you who may question my sanity after this one…
Bonus
#FunnyFactFriday – I hate Spring.
All the jaws just dropped.
I know, I know – you are all looking at me like I’m a crazy lady, but I have my reasons. To start off, my list of favorite seasons is: Fall, Winter, Summer, Spring. I just love all things cozy, comfy and all the fun and family traditions that come with Fall and Winter. I’m a true Norwegian gal at heart. Spring to me is this:
Allergies – Farmer’s burn piles (this on top of allergies = death) – You never know what to wear because the weather won’t make up it’s mind – Everyone is eating healthy (cake, please!) – Summer is approaching which means: shorts & swim suits aka sticking to everything you sit on. *Insert all the laughing/crying faced emojis here*
The Best Basic Banana Bread is the classic banana bread recipe that we all love. This banana bread is decadent, moist and sweet from the ripe bananas. Before baking it away in the oven, I topped it off with crushed walnuts and sugar to create a crunchy, caramelized topping. If you have ripe bananas sitting on your countertop, this is the recipe that you need!
Not only is this banana bread recipe delicious the way it is, but it can easily be adapted to how you love your banana bread! Are you a fan of chocolate chips in your banana bread? Me too! Fold in a cup of your favorite chips before putting it in the oven.
If you ask me, banana bread and vanilla are best friends. And this recipe does not lack on the vanilla side! It pairs perfectly with the sweet bananas and keeps you going back for another slice. Banana bread should be effortless and delicious. A simple recipe that fills your house up with warmth and deliciousness.
Life Hack:
After the banana bread is baked and cooled completely, slice it and package each slice individually into small zip baggies for an easy grab-and-go breakfast in the morning! Packaging the slices this way also keeps them from drying out.
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures ? Thanks for following and baking along with me!
Cajun Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits is a dish that packs a punch! Tender shrimp are seared with homemade Cajun seasoning and then simmered with light beer and butter to deglaze the pan. Steamed cauliflower is whipped into a fluffy cloud and is the perfect, creamy companion to go with the bold, Cajun shrimp.
I originally posted this recipe a few years back, but since then there have been some improvements! One of them being, making your own Cajun seasoning blend to coat the shrimp with. If you are in a time crunch or don’t have all the ingredients on hand to make your own, you can certainly still use pre-made Cajun seasoning! I just love how when I create my own, I am controlling everything that goes in it and can choose on how spicy I would like it to be. The Cajun seasoning mix I have outlined below has just the right amount of kick to it to not make it overwhelming. Perfect for my tastebuds!
Now, let’s take a second to talk about the cauliflower “grits.” I know there are die-hard grits fanatics out there who will tell me until the sun sets that these are not true grits. I know, I know. We all love our original grits, but these cauliflower “grits” sure do make a delicious, healthy alternative! I honestly don’t even miss the starchiness of the grits because the cauliflower holds up so well. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures ? Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
Frosted Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls are the cinnamon rolls that you always dreamed of as a kid. Flaky, sweet dough is rolled up with butter, warm cinnamon and gooey chocolate chips. A big swoosh of decadent cream cheese frosting across the top, and you have cinnamon roll bliss!
Growing up, I would always sit at the kitchen table at my Grandma’s house while she would be baking away. Pulling out her wooden cutting board from the countertop (you know, the ones that actually pull out flat from the counter top and then slide back in), she would dust it with flour and get to work. Right before she was about to roll the cinnamon rolls up into rounds of perfection, she would ask me, “Chocolate chips or raisins?” As a kid, and ok, still today, my answer would ALWAYS be chocolate chips. Knowing that my Grandpa was sitting at the other end of the table smiling under his big glasses, a steaming cup of coffee and a newspaper, my Grandma would put chocolate chips on half of the dough, and raisins on the other half. Grandpa loved raisins, and I loved chocolate chips. You better believe I was double-checking my roll before digging in to make sure I didn’t get a raisin roll. So, my love for chocolate chip cinnamon rolls began.
The aroma of chocolate and warm cinnamon will fill your house as these bake away. There are two ways that you can go about frosting these cinnamon rolls. Firstly, you can frost them right after they come out of the oven. The frosting will melt and turn into a shiny glaze that coats every nook and cranny of the roll. Secondly, if you have the patience, you can let the rolls cool before you frost them. This will result in a cloud of creamy frosting nestled on top of a soft cinnamon roll. Either way you like it, they are hard to resist!
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂 Thanks for following and baking along with me!
Smoky Chipotle Beef Stew is a bowl of stew that you won’t be able to put down! Classic, tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of beef and potatoes are met with a smoky, chipotle beef broth that will take your tastebuds for a ride. I topped my stew with fresh cilantro, creamy avocado, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Dig on in with a spoon or crispy tortilla chips for a little bit of crunch!
Trust me, you are going to want this stew bubbling away on your stove top! As a result, your house will be filled with memorable aromas of a beef stew, but then a kick from the chipotle. It’s almost like a chili and a beef stew combined! But, we are leaving out the tomato base and beans. Big, tender chunks of beef stew meat are clearly the star of the show in this recipe. Having baby Yukon gold potatoes to accompany the beef was not in question at all. I tossed in some chopped red bell pepper to add a little something extra and it was the perfect match!
Now, let’s talk about the broth. Liquid smoke and chipotle powder seriously take this stew broth to the next level. The liquid smoke helps give it a depth of flavor that you would think it would take hours of cooking to get. Chipotle powder adds a subtle heat that keeps you going back for more. It is a match made in heaven. This beef stew broth is velvety and rich and best mopped up with chunky bread or crunchy tortilla chips.
John went as far to say that this Smoky Chipotle Beef Stew was one of the best things I’ve made! We devoured it for dinner and looked forward to our lunch leftovers the next day. You won’t regret putting this beef stew on your menu for the week!
Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup is a mash up of two separate, classic dishes to make a mind-blowing, delicious soup! Close your eyes and imagine a gooey, creamy spinach and artichoke dip. Now take all of that decadent goodness and plunge head-first into a classic bowl of chicken soup. The end result is a creamy, rich chicken soup that gets a slight tang from the artichokes and the addition of spinach to bring home the classic combinations that are so loved.
Each spoonful is loaded full of succulent chicken, tangy artichokes, fresh veggies and a creamy broth to wrap it all up in. I think that this soup is best served with some warm, flaky biscuits or a crunchy baguette. This is a bowl of soup that you want to snuggle up on the couch with while a feel-good movie is playing in the background. It is good, old-fashioned comfort food!
This soup is perfect for any weeknight meal, snow day treat or Sunday dinner.
Sticky Pomegranate Meatballs are a fun, Moroccan twist on a meatball! Loaded with fresh herbs and then glazed with a sweet, sticky pomegranate sauce, they are bound to tickle your tastebuds!
I think that it’s fun to twist things up every once in awhile! Not only are these Sticky Pomegranate Meatballs delicious, but they sure are pretty! The pomegranate sauce reduces down to a glossy, deep maroon sauce that adds a decadent look to these meatballs. You can serve them up as an exciting weeknight dinner, or bust them out to impress your guests or date! Either way you serve them, they are sure to be a fun hit.
Sticky Pomegranate Meatballs are best served on a bed of Almond Herb Couscous, if you ask me! A complete meal to change things up from the norm. We didn’t mind having leftovers of this, either!
Almond Herb Couscous could quite possibly the quickest, most delicious side dish that you can make! Simmering the couscous in chicken stock gives the couscous a depth of flavor, while the almonds and fresh herbs add brightness and a nutty background. This flavor-packed couscous is ready under ten minutes!
If you’re looking for pure comfort food, Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is just the dish for you! A classic, homemade, creamy chicken pot pie-type filling is topped with nostalgic tater tots. When it comes out of the oven, the tater tots are golden brown and crispy, while the creamy, chicken filling is bubbling to perfection.
This is one of those recipes that, even though it isn’t the healthiest on the list, it is certainly one that you will turn back to! That’s the thing about comfort food, though. Recipes that might not be the healthiest for us in calorie count, but good for the soul. With cold temperatures and snow flurries, you will want a bowl of this Chicken Tater Tot Casserole in front of you!
Tater tots always have a nostalgic memory attached to them. As you crunch into one, it usually takes you straight back to your childhood or the first time you tasted one of those salty, crispy, golden nuggets of joy. I think my husband about cried when he saw me bringing home a couple bags of tater tots to toss in the freezer. You never know when you are going to need a tot!
Cheesy Tortellini Bake with Turkey Sausage & Broccoli is the comfort food dish that you don’t feel guilty indulging in! Yes, it’s loaded with cheesy tortellini and gooey mozzarella cheese, but the sautéd turkey sausage and broccoli florets balance it out! Pulling this cheesy, bubbling tortellini bake out of the oven will make all of your comfort dinner dreams come true.
Tortellini are a fun and delicious way to mix up your usual pasta dishes. Store bought versions work perfectly, in my opinion, but if you are a tortellini connoisseur, then knock yourself out with homemade! As for me, I will stick with the ones that I find in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. I can then toss them in my freezer for when I need some cheesy pasta in a flash. They are quick to cook in a pot of boiling water, and then perfect to toss with sauce, sautéd turkey sausage, broccoli and loads of melty mozzarella cheese.
Whether you’re looking for a cozy weeknight meal, a bubbly date night masterpiece or meal prepping for the week, this Cheesy Tortellini Bake with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli is one for the books!
My Epic Tomato Soup Sauce works perfectly as the sauce for this dish, but if you don’t have time to make your own sauce, then your favorite jarred sauce works great as well!
One of the most comforting dishes that I’ve been making lately is homemade ramen bowls! Simmering the chicken, miso, veggies and seasonings together to make your own, homemade, decadent stock is so fulfilling that you won’t know what to do with yourself! Ladle that liquid gold over some freshly cooked ramen noodles, top with your desired toppings and slurp away. There’s just something about making your own, decadent version of a nostalgic dish that makes your heart (and stomach) happy.
Miso Chicken Ramen is simple ingredients simmered together low and slow to result in a stock that is flavor-packed and decadent. The addition of miso elevates an ordinary chicken stock to the next level. You get the sense of umami, and you just want to close your eyes, savor it, and take in another spoonful. No ramen bowl would be complete without the most obvious ingredient: ramen noodles. These squiggly, little noodles will take you straight back to your childhood and are irresistible to slurp down. Toppings such as soft boiled eggs, shredded chicken (from the stock), seaweed chips, and freshly chopped green onion accompany this dish perfectly. Your bowl will be clean before you know it!
Don’t let the thought of making your own, homemade stock. All you need is a medium to large stock pot (or Dutch oven), a handful of ingredients and a little bit of time. The longer that the stock gets to simmer together, the better. The flavors will continue to develop and richen together to create a stock that looks like liquid gold.
I can’t believe that I haven’t posted a recipe since Christmas Eve! I never intended to take January off from posting, but it happened and that’s ok! Let’s bring in February with the best: cookies! Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies, that is. A standard chocolate chip cookie gets a face lift with the addition of ever-so-decadent malt powder. Dreams really do come true.
When making malts, I’m the type of person that not only puts a generous amount of malt powder inside my malt, but also a nice dusting of that velvety goodness on top before I dunk my straw in. YOLO, right?! Adding malt powder to this batch of chocolate chip cookies takes the flavor to next level. You get a since of creamy and nuttiness as you sink your teeth into the cookie.
I vote that you should make a batch of these Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies, pull out the blender and whip up some decadent malts, invite me over and we can be best friends forever as we sip malts and eat Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies together. It’s like one of those perfect movie scenes that end in happy dancing, rainbows and sunshine.
Frosted Eggnog Cookies just may be my new favorite Christmas cookie! The eggnog-infused cookie base is the perfect vessel for the creamy, nutmeg-speckled cream cheese frosting. You won’t be able to resist these! Pour yourself a glass of some classic nog and enjoy a delicious cookie inspired by the holiday season!
I have always been obsessed with eggnog. When Christmas rolls around you better believe I’m stocking up on that thick and creamy beverage! I’m all for the Christmas Vacation style of drinking it, too. Just pour it all into a punch bowl and dive on in with your antler glass! When eating these Frosted Eggnog Cookies, I get all the same memories and feels from sipping on a glass of nog.
While you’re in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, don’t forget to take a moment to relax and enjoy the time with family and friends. Preferably with a cookie in hand! I hope these Frosted Eggnog Cookies bring you as much joy and happiness in a simple bite as they do to us. Merry Christmas!
When I say “Epic Tomato Soup Sauce”, you probably have a blank stare on your face, but let me tell you all about it! Epic Tomato Soup Sauce is a tomato soup so good that it also equals as a sauce to use in place of any jarred pasta sauce. Or, it’s a sauce so good that it can be eaten as a soup! Either way, you need to have this simple, yet decadent recipe in your recipe box!
The secret ingredient to this wonderful tomato soup sauce is (drumroll, please) BUTTER. Just like everything else that is right in the world, butter does the trick! The soup sauce simmers low and slow with a few, simple ingredients to make it taste like you’ve been slaving over it all day long, when it only took you 45 minutes! How much better can it get?
You can whip up a batch of this Epic Tomato Soup Sauce to serve with your favorite grilled cheese, toss with some pasta or tortellini, or simmer with your favorite meatball recipe! Any way you serve it, it will be delicious!
Imagine your hands wrapped around a nice, warm mug of velvety hot cocoa with gooey marshmallows floating on top. Take all of those sights, smells and flavors and put them in a cookie! Hot Cocoa Cookies are loaded with all the reminiscent flavors of hot cocoa. A rich cookie base studded with melted chocolate chips is met with gooey mini marshmallows. I finished them by dusting a little cocoa over the top. Perfect for any cold weather baking, midnight treats, Christmas cookie exchange or just to have around.
Snuggle up on the couch with a batch of these Hot Cocoa Cookies. Meanwhile, sip on a mug of cocoa! Or definitely have a glass of milk nearby. I don’t think Santa would mind having these cookies, either.
Most importantly, you can let your mind wander and relax when you bake cookies. You don’t have to be consumed on the itty bitty details. If you burn a batch, you have more dough to redeem yourself with on the next round! I may or may not have done just that. To get the gooey marshmallow effect, make sure you follow the directions on placing the mini marshmallows on top of the cookies halfway through the cooking process. Putting the marshmallows on top of the cookies right away will cause them to brown and melt all over the place. We’re aiming for the hot cocoa soaked gooey marshmallow effect on these cookies.
Whip up a batch of these Hot Cocoa Cookies to share with a crowd, or just for yourself to watch a Christmas movie with. Either way, it’s hard to have any of these leftover! John went as far to say that these cookies are “a total knockout”. You need them.
Balsamic Braised Brisket is the perfect way to wow and feed a crowd! The wonderful tang from the balsamic vinegar pairs delightfully with the rich flavors of the brisket. It can be served as a holiday dinner, weeknight meal, slow cooker meal, or for any occasion you can imagine! The brisket gets as tender as butter and melts in your mouth. Pair it with Asiago Herb Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Almond Green Beans for a completely delicious meal!
Brisket doesn’t have to be a scary cut of meat to work with, nor do you need to think that the only way to cook it is to throw it on a smoker for hours. Even though that way is delicious, we are changing things up around here! We are conquering the brisket! Braising it in the sauce of balsamic vinegar, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce (and other seasonings) not only insures a tender cut of meat, but also creates a buttery, delightful flavor! Whatever you do, don’t skip the last step of simmering the sauce down until it thickens. Trust me, you will want to coat everything on your plate in that sauce! It’s so good and it takes this brisket to the next level.
To me, this Balsamic Braised Brisket screams Christmas Dinner!! But it can be enjoyed any time of the year! You don’t even have to have a special occasion to make it – because you will want to make this again and again!
This recipe can also be adaptable to your schedule. The recipe calls for braising the brisket for a few hours in a Dutch oven, but you could also prepare it in a slow cooker if you not able to have the oven going, or if you won’t be home until later and you want dinner to already be made when you get home. Aren’t slow cookers a wonderful thing? I would recommend 8 hours on low if you are going to use a slow cooker to make this brisket. And please, still follow the directions for making the sauce at the end even if you use a slow cooker!
Another beautiful thing about this recipe, is that it can also be made in advance and re-heated. I would recommend following all the cooking instructions and storing the brisket completely submersed in the sauce. That way, you will still have tender cuts of meat when you slice it and re-heat it with the sauce.
Looking for a side dish that you can pair with almost any meal? These Garlic Almond Green Beans are your answer! Crisp green beans are tossed with melted butter, toasted almonds and garlic until tender. You can go straight from the stovetop to the table with this quick and delicious side dish!
Green beans are a classic vegetable to serve along side many different dishes and meats. What I love most about these Garlic Almond Green Beans is that it captures the classic green bean flavor, but adds in a dash of extra flavor and crunch.
This side dish would be perfect for any holiday meal, date night, or week night dinner.
Chocolate Candy Cane Crunch Cake is the perfect cake for the holiday season! A moist, decadent chocolate cake is slightly scented with mint, spread and layered with mint cream cheese frosting, and dusted with crushed candy cane chocolates. All of your guests will drool over this cake! Slice it up and serve a plate of chocolate candy cane smiles.
It’s always fun to have a special dessert for a holiday party, Christmas dinner or gathering. This cake captures all of the reminiscent flavors of a candy cane, but with a chocolatey twist. What’s even better, it is something that can be made in advance! Simply bake the cakes, let them cool completely and then wrap them for air-tight storage. You can then make the frosting and assemble it the next day so that you don’t have to store a whole, frosted cake. How great is that?! A decadent cake without the stress.
After I made this cake and had done 5 other recipes that day, I ended up having no storage containers leftover. So, the cake got sliced and piled into plastic storage bags! But that’s what is so fun and great about it – we simply just had bags of cake to snack on whenever we needed a cake fix!
Bring the warmth of the season into your kitchen when you whip up this cake. Your house will smell wonderful!
An apple crisp that is loaded with plump, juicy cinnamon sugar apples and topped with a sugar cookie-like topping. It’s a simple dessert that is destined to please a crowd! Spoon yourself a bowl of this warm Apple Crisp, top it off with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream and dive into your apple crisp dreams.
My dad loved this dessert so much that he stashed it away so no one else could get their hands on it! Even with family in town, this dessert wasn’t up for grabs for anyone else. That’s what I call a success!
Apple Crisp may not be the prettiest dessert on the block, but it is loaded with warmth and goodness. It comes together easily, can feed a crowd and is perfect for any holiday gathering! Also makes a great leftover dessert and breakfast if you ask me 🙂 .
Whether its for a holiday party or a weekend dinner, this Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with Cranberry Apricot Glaze is the perfect choice! The pork stays wonderfully juicy by the smoky, salty bacon wrapped around it. Brush the top with a slightly tart and sweet cranberry apricot glaze and you have a show-stopper dinner!
Pork has a tendency to dry out very quickly, but this recipe is all you need to turn that right around! Every bite is juicy and succulent. The bacon wrapped around the outside of the pork loin gets crispy and golden brown, all while the glaze on top gets bubbly and the perfect amount of sticky. You will hear all sorts of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” when you put this Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with Cranberry Apricot Glaze down on the table!
Even though this dish is a show-stopper, it won’t drain everything out of you to make it. If you follow the directions thoroughly, you’ll have a bacon wrapped pork loin ready for the oven before you know it!
I think this would be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table, Christmas table, or any table! It’s a delicious recipe that can be used for entertaining or for a spin on a weeknight dinner.
Looking for some sides to serve with this dish? Look here!
To say that I’m obsessed with this cake is an understatement. This Pumpkin Cake with Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is what all of your pumpkin cake dreams are made of! The moist, spiced pumpkin cake is decadent on it’s own, but then you smooth the milk chocolate cream cheese frosting over the top and it is to die for! I am day-dreaming of plunging my fork into a slice right now.
I baked this beauty on a Sunday, and by Wednesday there wasn’t a crumb left. Everyone LOVED it. John went as far to say that it’s the best dessert that I’ve whipped up thus far. Now that is a statement! The praises for this cake continued, as even non-pumpkin lovers devoured it.
Let me just tell you this: how have I never made a milk chocolate cream cheese frosting before?! It is out of this world! You have all the classic, decadent flavors of a cream cheese frosting, and then the milk chocolate is the perfect hint of chocolate to not be too overpowering. Trust me, it pairs perfectly with the pumpkin cake!
Bake this simple yet show-stopping dessert up for any gathering, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving or holiday party. Or even just because you need some cake in your life! The simplicity of this recipe along with how amazingly good it is will make you come back to this recipe again and again.
Looking for the perfect Fall drink to sip on through the holiday gatherings? This Harvest Punch is calling your name! Perfectly sweet from the apple cider and pear juice and smooth and warm from the cinnamon sticks and maple syrup. Add in a bottle of Moscato wine for a little bit of a bubble effect and just the right balance of tartness to match the apple and pear juice. Garnish with fresh sliced apples and pomegranate seeds and get ready for all the festivities!
I love making a drink like this for gatherings with friends or family, because it can easily be customized per guest. They can drink it as-is, or add in another liquor of choice to bump it up even more. Brandy or caramel vodka would pair very nicely with this Harvest Punch! On the other hand, it can easily be made alcohol-free. Simply sub the Moscato for a lemon-lime soda or a sparkling white grape juice and you are good to go! You could have a kid-friendly pitcher and a grown-up pitcher of this Harvest Punch ready to go and all your problems in the world would be solved. Well, not quite, but it sure is tasty!
Another nice feature about this festive drink, is that it can be made in advance. The longer the flavors have to mull together, the better! That way, while you’re basting your turkey, you don’t have to worry about whipping up a cocktail for your guests when they arrive. They can serve themselves, customize their drink and be ready to enjoy the party!
I don’t even know where to start with this Mexican Street Corn Risotto, because it is loaded with so many good things! From the creamy risotto base, to the perfectly roasted sweet corn, to the salty bacon, the sharp crumble of Cojita cheese and the fresh zing from the cilantro, this dish is sure to be a hit!
We couldn’t get enough of this Mexican Street Corn Risotto! Seriously, my husband said he could just eat bowls of it. Wether its for a weeknight dinner or a fun new spin on a side dish for the holidays, it will be gone before you know it! How fun would it be to show up with this dish for Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving?
It’s a comfort food dish that has so many good things inside that your tastebuds will go crazy. It can be served as a side dish, or even a main dish! You could easily top it with a grilled protein such as shrimp, chicken or steak to make it more of a complete meal, or just dig in the way it is!
Imagine diving your spoon head first into a decadent bite of cherry cheesecake. You gracefully make it through the cherry topping and smoothly get through the creamy cheesecake filling to the buttery graham cracker crust at the bottom. Now take all of that cherry cheesecake goodness and whip it up into a batch of No-Churn Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream! Every spoonful is a bite of frozen cherry cheesecake heaven.
My mother-in-law makes cherry cheesecake every holiday season, so it’s always a sweet flavor combination that takes us straight to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Isn’t it awesome how food is packed full of memories? Whether you are whipping up a batch of this No-Churn Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream for a weekend dessert, or serving it for a holiday part, it is bound to be a crowd favorite!
It’s hard to resist eating all of this No-Churn Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream at once, because it is so creamy and dreamy! The cream cheese ice cream base is to die for. Toss in the swirls of cherry pie filling and the crunchy bites of crushed graham cracker and you might as well just throw in the towel for any store-bought ice cream. It’s that good!
Fall is in the air and all things pumpkin are in full-throttle ahead. Looking for your next scrumptious pumpkin recipe? Look no further! These Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with White Chocolate are both wonderfully delicious and simple to whip up! As you bite through the white chocolate topping, cinnamon-sugar coating and get into the pumpkin spice donut, all your pumpkin dreams are going to come true. Not even exaggerating on this one!
You guys, I’m not even kidding with how good these turned out. Even non-pumpkin lovers couldn’t get enough of these! That’s always a good sign in my book. These Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with White Chocolate are perfect for any fall brunch, Saturday morning or could even be passed off as a dessert! How fun would it be to have these sitting around at your next get-together?
You know what’s also so great about baked donuts? They’re not fried, so therefore they are healthier, which means you can eat more of them 🙂 That’s how it works, right?
Even though we are getting into Fall, peaches still haven’t gone out of style! What could be more perfect on a cloudy, chilly day than a bowl of warm, gooey Peach Crumble topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that is just starting to melt? Sounds perfect to me! The peaches cook down and caramelize with the sugars and cinnamon to make a peachy, gooey, decadent base that is topped off with an almond crumble that resembles a crunchy, almond sugar cookie. Top it all off with vanilla ice cream and you have Peach Crumble heaven.
This is one of those simple recipes to keep on hand. In fact, my dad told me precisely, “Don’t ever lose this recipe!” And I don’t intend to! 🙂 It’s recipes like this Peach Crumble that just bring you warmth and happiness – it’s a comfort food that fills your cup up.
Even if we are getting out of fresh peach season, you could easily sub frozen peaches for this recipe. That way, you can have Peach Crumble year round! Sounds like a deal to me.
Cheeseburger Meatloaf is a meatloaf-lover’s dream come true! Take one bite and your tastebuds will instantly take you to all the wonderful, nostalgic flavors of a cheeseburger. This cheddar cheese stuffed meatloaf is seasoned perfectly with a ketchup and mustard duo to take a classic meatloaf to a whole other level.
Can you really go wrong with a cheese-stuffed meatloaf? I think not. Growing up, my mom would always cover the top of her meatloaf with a nice glaze of ketchup, so the tradition just had to continue! During the baking process, the ketchup gets all sorts of gooey and caramelized and is so dang good. It’s the perfect topping for this Cheeseburger Meatloaf!
Just like everything else that is right in this world, meatloaf is best served with some mashed potatoes. These Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes are perfect companion, if you ask me. Grab a fork and get a perfect bite full of meatloaf and mashed taters. Your tastebuds will thank me later. If you by chance have any leftovers of this meatloaf, it makes great chili! I crumbled my leftovers, tossed them in a crockpot with all my chili ingredients and left it to simmer low and slow. It was a perfect, flavor-loaded chili!
Mashed potatoes are a classic side dish. But, Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes are a delicious spin on a classic! Baby Yukon gold potatoes and baby red potatoes are boiled until soft, then smashed up with creamy sour cream, butter and salt and pepper to make a simple, yet satisfying side dish. I love “smashing” the potatoes instead of “mashing” them, as you will get bites of smooth and creamy mashed potatoes swirled with bits of tender potatoes waiting to be devoured.
You can easily whip these up for any weeknight meal, date night or even for the holidays!
Serving up chicken for dinner is a classic approach, but serving up Coconut Curry Braised Chicken for dinner takes it to a whole new level! The crispy, seared chicken gets braised in a coconut curry sauce that is simmering full of flavor. From the slightly sweet coconut milk, to the bold red curry paste, to the hint of heat from a little cayenne, this braised chicken is bound to be a crowd favorite!
I love how naturally balanced the flavors are in this dish. The coconut milk calms down the red curry paste and cayenne to make the sauce oh-so velvety and delicious. It’s not too overwhelming in the curry department, so if you like the curry to punch you in the face, feel free to just simply add more to fit your fancy. If you have someone who doesn’t quite love the flavor of curry or has never tried it before, this is the perfect dish to start with!
Make it a complete meal by serving it up with a side of Coconut Cilantro Rice and naan bread (I always go for the garlic naan – so good!). You will definitely want something to mop all the extra, scrumptious sauce that is left on the plate, so naan bread is the perfect companion! You can make your own or go for the store-bought kind – either works! Fresh cilantro and lime wedges are the garnishes that really hit this dish out of the park.
I used chicken leg/thigh quarters for this recipe, but you could easily use whatever you have on hand! You could do just thighs, legs, breast or even cubed chicken. Give your tastebuds a whirl with this easy and delicious Coconut Curry Braised Chicken!
The fact that I’ve made these Salted Peanut Butter Scotcharoos three times in the past couple weeks just speaks for itself! Bring back all of your childhood memories in one bite of these Salted Peanut Butter Scotcharoos. A chewy, peanut butter crispy cereal base is topped with decadent, melted dark chocolate and butterscotch chips and then lightly speckled with flaky salt to kick the flavors up a notch.
One of the best things about this dessert, besides biting into one of them, is how simple they are to make! No baking required for this quick and scrumptious dessert recipe. They are a great for feeding a crowd, or just to have on hand. You could make them in advance and not even have to worry about dessert!
I could get lost in the chocolatey-butterscotch swirls on top of the peanut butter crispy. The combination of dark chocolate and butterscotch is one of my favorites. I have to try hard to not eat all the chips before they are melted. What can I say? It’s a perfect combination!
Fall is in full swing and you know what that means: all things PUMPKIN! This Pumpkin Banana Bread is the perfect baked good to fill your house with warmth and want to make you go back for another slice. The wonderful combination of cozy cinnamon and nutmeg pair perfectly with the delightful pumpkin and fruity banana. Slice into it when it is ever-so-slightly still warm from the oven, smear a little bit of soft butter across it and you have the most scrumptious bite of Pumpkin Banana Bread.
Pumpkin and banana pair perfectly together. They both deliver a slightly sweet flavor that our tastebuds know so well. Put them together and you have a match made in heaven. Your house will smell like one of those wonderful autumn candles with this Pumpkin Banana Bread baking away in your oven.
This recipe is perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or could easily be turned into a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a caramel drizzle. We are in a no judgement zone here – all things go.
Peach season is one of my favorite times of the year! We’re getting towards the end of it, but there’s still plenty of time to whip up a batch of these Peach Cobbler Cookie Bars! All the wonderful, gooey, sweet flavors of a peach cobbler are nestled on top of a buttery, almond cookie base that takes after a sugar cookie. Top it all of with a classic crumbly, buttery, crunchy topping and you have the perfect trio!
A peach cobbler that is portable and you can grab with one hand, how much better does it get?! Another fantastic feature about these cookie bars is that they can be made year round. If you don’t have access to fresh peaches, you can thaw out frozen peaches (and drain of excess liquid), or open a can of pre-made peach pie filling! A fuss-free dessert is the way to my heart.
With the holidays right around the corner and the time of year we tend to gather with friends and family more, these Peach Cobbler Cookie Bars would be the perfect addition to your dinner table! Serve them slightly warm and top them off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. To get the perfect bite, let the ice cream melt slightly on top of your warm Peach Cobbler Cookie Bar, dig your spoon straight through the creamy, cold ice cream, crunchy topping, gooey peach filling and land at the bottom of a soft, dreamy cookie base.
This Grilled Spatchcock Chicken recipe was requested so many times, I just had to put it together for you all! If you follow along with me on Instagram (@kjandcompany), then you might have seen this Grilled Spatchcock Chicken pop up several times in my stories. You guys know how to ask for the good stuff, because this recipe is a classic to have up your sleeves! Grilled Spatchcock Chicken is simply a chicken that has been butterflied and had the backbone removed. This results in a perfect, easy and delicious way to grill up a chicken! No frills are necessary, because this recipe lets the taste of a grilled chicken speak for itself.
Sometimes simple food is the best food, and this recipe is case in point. The first few times that I grilled a spatchcock chicken for you on my Instagram stories, I didn’t actually have a recipe, but rather winged it and hoped it turned out ok. Which it always did, because how can you go wrong with a grilled chicken? You can’t. Actually, that’s a lie, because you can and I did so badly (insert laughing/crying face emoji). The first times that I made a spatchcock chicken was on my parent’s grill. It turned out perfectly and there wasn’t any fuss. So, I go home and try to recreate it again for a formal recipe and disaster struck so quickly that I walked back so dumbfounded into my kitchen from the grill as to what had just happened.
Every grill is different and I re-learned that very quickly when I was trying to recreate this Grilled Spatchcock Chicken recipe. Before I knew it, the whole chicken was up in flames and when I used my grilling tongs to move it to the other side of the grill, they slipped because I grabbed it in a hurry, forgetting that the back bone of the chicken had been removed (duh, Kate), and the flaming chicken flopped over into heaping mess on the metal side shelf of the grill and onto the wooden deck floor. I was so over it and in shock of what had actually happened that I turned the grill off, flopped the mangled, half-grilled chicken back on the grill, closed the lid and asked John to help me get rid of it when he got home. Yes, all the laughing/crying faces for me. You know that moment in Julie & Julia where Julia has a melt-down on the kitchen floor with a chicken and its stuffing everywhere because she couldn’t even truss a chicken? Well…No crying was involved, but you could say that I was just done with cooking for that day.
So, I went back to the drawing boards, realized that my grill has a tendency to flame up quickly when grilling something as fatty/juicy as a whole chicken and was determined to make it work. If your grill is like mine, then you will most likely need to finish the chicken in the oven, which is what I ended up doing. But there is nothing wrong with that! You get all the wonderful flavor and grill marks from the grill, transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, cover it with foil, stick it in the oven and forget about it until you are ready to pull it out for dinner. Or, if you have a perfect grill like my parent’s that doesn’t flame up and make you want to have a cooking meltdown, you can easily finish this whole recipe on the grill. Start to finish. How great is that? Either way, you will have a delicious, simple and flavor-packed chicken on the table for dinner.
If your garden or herb box is overflowing with basil right now, this is just the recipe for you! Pesto Pappardelle is a simple recipe that lets the vibrant flavors of fresh basil and tomatoes shine. Perfect for a fresh, summer meal! Even if you don’t have basil growing like weeds in your back yard, this recipe is just as delicious with store-bought basil and tomatoes.
A classic basil pesto swirled together with pappardelle pasta, bursting tomatoes and topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese to make a delightfully delicious meal. You could easily top this pasta off with some grilled chicken or shrimp to make it more of a complete meal, but it sure is delicious on it’s own!
Even though this is a classic summer dish, it can easily be made any time of the year. Most grocery stores keep a fresh stock of basil and tomatoes year-round, so you should be all set to go.
Grab a fork and swirl up a big ol’ bite of this Pesto Pappardelle and do your happy dance.
Baking season is almost upon us! Although, I’m a strong believer that you can bake up a batch of cookies any time of the year, because cookies are always a good choice! Now, let’s talk about these Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. A decadent chocolate cookie swirled together with chocolate chips and gooey peanut butter to make a match made in heaven. You can never go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter if you ask me!
These cookies bake up to a pillowy perfection. Even though they are decadently delicious the way that they are, you could easily frost these cookies with a chocolate or peanut butter frosting. Or just smear them with some extra peanut butter, because more peanut butter is always a good decision!
Even though this Summer has been a golden one and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying eating my weight in watermelon and peaches, I can’t wait for Fall and Winter to roll around! Call me crazy, but Fall and Winter are my top two favorite seasons of the year! There’s just something about feeling cozy, comfort food and the holidays that make my heart happy. Plus, you don’t get judged for wearing UGG boots and yoga pants everywhere, so that’s basically a best-life circumstance.
Bake up a batch of these Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and enjoy them any time of the year!
Step aside pulled pork sandwiches, because Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are in town! Even though the pulled pork sandwich is a classic, these Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are a fun and healthy way to twist things up! Chicken breasts are roasted with smoky chipotle and a sweet and zesty bbq sauce, shredded and tossed together with all the juicy goodness left over on the bottom of the pan to make a killer pulled chicken sandwich. The combination of the chipotle and the bbq sauce will tickle your tastebuds perfectly!
What we ended up loving the most about this recipe, besides how scrumptious it is, is how versatile it can be! Serve it up one night as Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, and then use the leftovers for tacos or fajitas! Since you have both the flavor profile of the chipotle and the bbq sauce, the pulled chicken can easily be transformed into different meals. How great is that?
Whip them up for a weeknight meal, bbq bash, Sunday dinner, or any time that you just need a simple, delicious, home cooked meal to put on the table.
I couldn’t be more excited about sharing this recipe, because it is definitely one of our new favorites! Grilled Asian Flank Steaks with Pineapple Salsa will become one of your new Summer grilling go-to’s! The steaks are marinated to have an Asian flare and then grilled to perfection, and then topped of with a sweet, spicy, zesty pineapple salsa to make your tastebuds sing! Simple ingredients paired together perfectly to create a delicious meal.
The inspiration for these flank steaks came from my mother-in-law and the delicious steaks she grilled up for the Fourth of July. I just knew I had to make them again! The flank steaks are marinated in a combination of soy sauce, honey and garlic to give them a salty, sweet and zesty flavor profile. The pineapple salsa is tossed together with fresh pineapple, sweet baby heirloom tomatoes, bright cilantro and peppery red onion to make the best topping you could imagine for these flank steaks.
These steaks are perfect to grill up for a weeknight meal for the family (or yourself), a weekend grill-out or a fun party meal. Your guests will love every bite and will be asking for more! How fun would it be to serve this up family style and let every one dig in? Count me in!
Looking for the perfect Summertime drink to sip on underneath the sunshine? Look no further! This Summer Sangria really is Summer in a glass. You have fresh, juicy white peaches, strawberries and blueberries swirled into Pink Mascato and zesty lemon-lime soda. Don’t worry, there’s also a kick from the Peach Schnapps that gets poured in. Sweet, sweet Summertime.
I originally whipped up a batch of this Summer Sangria last year after we moved into our new house and were unpacking all the boxes. My mom came over, we did a little afternoon sipping and laughed off having to unpack the rest of the boxes. Sometimes you just need a little, sweet break every now and again! Since then, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown this Sangria together. Its simply quick and delicious. Whether you make it the day of or a day in advance, it will be just as good.
Summer Sangria is perfect for any weeknight sipping, patio party, weekend bonfire, family or friend gathering. It will be gone before you know it!
I know, I know, it’s like 100 degrees everywhere and we’re smack-dab in the middle of Summer, but sometimes you just need a recipe for Simple Roasted Chicken & Potatoes. Don’t worry, regular summer programming will continue afterwards. PS: anyone else getting all excited for Amazon Prime Days coming up?! This gal is finally going to get herself some popsicle molds! And a natural light diffuser, because all these sunny days are killing me photography wise. But getting back to it, not matter what the weather is outside, putting a simple, down-home good recipe on the table is sometimes all you need. This Simple Roasted Chicken & Potatoes is just that: simply a roasted chicken and potatoes. No frills here, but honest flavors that make your heart happy.
What’s so great about having these basic, but delicious recipes up your sleeve, is not only can you bring a good, home-cooked meal to the table, but you can also customize it to fit your schedule. Don’t have the time after work to roast the chicken in the oven? That’s ok, you can simply toss it in a slow cooker in the morning, set it on low and forget about it until dinner time. Have some extra veggies laying around that need to get used up? Toss them on in with the potatoes.
Since this recipe has a fantastically simple base flavor, you can easily make it in advance and use it throughout the week as meal prep or to help you get multiple dinners on the table. One night you could turn it into fajitas, or quesadillas, or soup – the possibilities are endless! Plus, leftovers are never a bad thing if you ask me.
Happy grilling season! It’s crazy that we are officially head on into Summer, and that means its time to crank out all the grilled goodies! And s’mores too, because obviously. These Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Sour Crema will make all of your grilling dreams come true! An easy to prepare dinner that is bursting with flavor and disappears quickly. What more could you ask for? An avocado sour crema is what you can ask for. Grill up these Chipotle Chicken Kabobs, dunk or drizzle them with avocado sour crema and devour. Easy as that.
Kabobs are such a fun and easy way to get dinner going. Even if you are new to grilling, kabobs are a good way to start! You have smaller pieces of meat that you are cooking, so you don’t have to worry as much about “doneness” as it will be easier to tell than grilling up a whole chicken. You only have to flip these bad boys once and then you are on your way to a delicious meal! I served these Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Crema with my Coconut Cilantro Rice and it was out of this world delicious! Seriously, we ate it all and leftovers only lasted a day.
These kabobs are perfect for any weeknight dinner, backyard bash, Fourth of July party or a weekend grill-out. They can feed a family or feed a crowd. They really are an all-in-one kind of meal! It’s also a perfect meal-prep option if you are looking to plan your meals in advance. Grill these up and enjoy them over the next couple days – if they last that long!
Happy Sunday, friends! Chocolate Chip Banana Cinnamon Crunch Muffins may be a mouthful to say, but they are a mouthful of goodness! A perfectly, crunchy-topped banana muffin that is speckled with warm cinnamon and morsels of melty chocolate. Talk about a perfect combination! Make these for a weekend brunch, whenever you have ripe bananas sitting around, or for a quick weekday breakfast on the go.
Everything’s right and good about these muffins. The crumbly, crunchy topping gives the right amount of texture as you bite into the muffin and sink your teeth into the sweet combination of banana, cinnamon and chocolate. Chocolate and cinnamon has always been a combination that I’ve loved. I think it started out from my grandma speckling her cinnamon rolls with sweet chocolate chips instead of raisins for us kids. And the love has never stopped!
Whatever occasion you are making these muffins for, they are a great way to use up ripe bananas and have a delicious breakfast or snack.
The time has finally come – we’ve been in our new home for just over a year now and I am excited to show you all what we’ve been working on! John and I embarked on the journey of building our home in the Fall of 2016, and moved from our town-home into our new house in late Spring of 2017. It sure has been a journey! We never felt like we could settle into our town-home because we knew we would be moving, so I never did much decorating because of that. With the new house and fresh white walls that I convinced John of (he loves them now), I was ready to find our style to make our home ours. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Laurel and Kristen from Little Black “Domicile”! It turned out that since I hadn’t done any interior decorating in so long, I was stumped. So I partnered up with Laurel and Kristen to get the job done!
I had the pleasure of meeting Laurel in person when we both attended Broma Bakery’s Foodtography Workshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. From the get-go, I could see how genuine, honest and kind Laurel was and felt completely comfortable telling her my interior decorating fails without feeling judged about it. She’s the kind of person you want to be talking to! I showed her all of my white walls and empty spaces and the rest is history.
Since we live in different states and didn’t have time to work out all the details in person, I worked with Laurel and her partner Kristen via one of their Virtual Design Packages. You guys, I’m not even kidding or getting paid to say this: there is a Virtual Design Package for everyone! No matter what stage of life you are in, or what size of project you are wanting to tackle, they have the perfect options to get you taken care of. Their motto is “The perfect LBD for every home” and it fits their work exactly. The ladies of Little Black “Domicile” truly put themselves in your shoes and envision your home through the lens of your personal style.
They were also incredibly patient with me. Their communication and design templates via email blew all of my expectations away! Not once did I feel like they were trying to sell me a product or hurry me into making a decision.
I decided that I wanted to tackle our open floor plan that has the kitchen, island, dining area and living room all as one. I wanted everything to flow smoothly and make sense since it was all in one big room. To get started, all I had to do was snap a couple pictures and email them over. They took the reins from there! I can’t even begin to tell you how easy and eye-opening it was to get their ideas back. They will literally draw or place their ideas into the pictures of your space that you send to make sure you truly know how it will look! It took all the hassle and stress of trying to envision the ideas in my home.
The big ol’ white wall behind our dining room table was really stumping me. Before I talked with Laurel and was trying to figure it out on my own, the only thing I could envision was some sort of large, bulky credenza that held plates. Why I could only think of this, I will never know. It would 100% have ruined the space and the look I was going for. Then Laurel came along and had the most brilliant idea – why not do a gallery wall with some of your own food photography? I think I stared at my computer dumbfounded as to why I never thought of such a great idea. Laurel really took the extra step to make sure that the design aspects truly reflected our lifestyle.
There’s even a whole post about creating your own gallery wall on their website. With so many different ways to create one, Laurel really narrowed down my style to make sure I was comfortable with how the gallery wall was going to be laid out. As you can see, I’m a very symmetrical person and like everything to be in line and have a sense of direction. I ended up going with a mix of wedding pictures, pictures of us, and a handful of my favorite food pictures that I’ve taken. John and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!
They also helped me with my living room configuration and gave me ideas for finding the right piece of artwork to accent the room. Laurel showed me options that were right up my ally, but also ones that would expand my horizons a bit. I still haven’t found the perfect piece yet, but Laurel is trying to get me used to using more color :).
All in all, I could not have been happier with my experience with Laurel and Kristen with Little Black “Domicile”. If you are ever in need of fresh ideas, a room make over or just want to talk about your possibilities, don’t hesitate to reach out to them!
We were up fishing on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin over Memorial Day weekend, and I had a turtle sundae so good that it made me want to go back for another after I was done with it. Any guesses as to where it was from? Culver’s. That’s right, a fast-food restaurant doing a turtle sundae so good that I wanted more. So, I was determined to get back home and make myself a homemade turtle sundae that would give Culver’s a run for their money (still love you though, Culver’s :)). And all-be-darn, these Homemade Turtle Sundaes are GOOD.
We’re talking loads of fresh, homemade hot fudge and salty, gooey caramel cascading down the sides of classic vanilla ice cream and then a sprinkling of crunchy pecans. You can’t get much better than this! I mean, you could always add brownies. Brownies are always a good idea. This little sundae will win hearts over. And then over again once more.
Don’t be afraid about making your own homemade hot fudge and caramel sauce. It’s such a breeze that you will be shocked that you haven’t been making your own! It doesn’t even come close to comparing to the jarred stuff that you can buy at the store. Make it once and you will be hooked!
You can serve the hot fudge and caramel sauce right away, or let them cool and cover them for a later time to be reheated. Works like a charm.
It’s pretty simple: these Better than Take-Out Shrimp & Noodles are your answer to making takeout food right in your own kitchen! But they are so, so much better. Rice noodles are tossed together with succulent shrimp, fresh, crunchy veggies and a homemade sauce that is to die for. You can have quick, easy and delicious take-out food right at home without having to place an order or feel like you need a 12 hour nap after eating it.
These Better than Take-Out Shrimp & Noodles not only make the perfect weeknight/weekend meal, but they are also made in just 2 pans! That’s right, minimal dishes for you to have to clean afterwards. The rice noodles cook quickly in a pot of boiling water, while the shrimp and veggies sauté in a homemade sauce. Toss everything together in one pan and serve it up family-style, or go the extra mile and use your own take-out boxes and chop sticks. How fun would that be?! Stay in your PJ’s, put on a good movie and cozy up with your own, homemade take out Shrimp & Noodles.
Cook up this quick, delicious meal anytime you are needing a little comfort and ease mixed with a little bit of healthy and good for you food. You won’t be disappointed!
If you’re looking for the perfect, veggie-loaded soup to get you through the Spring and Summer, look no further! This Zucchini Corn Chowder is loaded with fresh, sweet corn, garden zucchini and the perfect amount of red potatoes in every spoonful. It is delightfully sweet from the corn, with a kick of heat from a little cayenne pepper. You’ll want a chunk of bread to dunk into this crave-worthy chowder!
Not only is this chowder oh-so scrumptious, but you can whip it together without a fuss! It is vegetarian-friendly, but could easily have some bacon or ham added to it to add a little somethin’-somethin’ for the meat-lovers out there. Even if it’s a hot summer day, you will be surprised by how satisfying this chowder is!
Ladle this soup into a bowl, grab some crunchy bread and you will have an empty bowl in front of you before you know it! A little parmesan cheese never hurt anyone, either :). Even though this chowder is packed full of fresh Summer and Spring flavors, it could easily be made all year round. I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! We are gearing up for a little shindig here at out house tonight and it wouldn’t be complete without these Berry Smash Lemonades! You guys, I seriously may be addicted to this drink. We may or may not have had it every night for the past week. A classic lemonade is elevated with a fresh strawberry purée, smashed blackberries, and then topped with all the fresh strawberries, blackberries and lemon slices that you could want. It’s basically summer in a glass!
Pull up a chair, grab a mason jar, and pour yourself a glass of this refreshing drink and kick on back. Your glass will be empty before you know it! This Berry Smash Lemonade is perfect for any occasion, as it can be left as is and kid-friendly, or spiked with your alcoholic beverage of choice to give it a little extra something. Make these individual-sized or a whole dang pitcher to share with a crowd (or maybe just for yourself).
So what are you waiting for? This drink is calling your name! I know you can hear it.
Party Chip Cookies, because they are basically ready to party any time that you need them! A sweet cookie base packed full of chocolate chip, white chocolate chips and sprinkles to make these cookies party-worthy. When has there ever not been a good time for a cookie? Exactly. Whether its a birthday party, holiday party, party for two, or just because, these cookies are your answer.
What’s so great about these Party Chip Cookies is how customizable they can be. Christmas party? PERFECT – bring on the red and green sprinkles! Switch it up to match any season or occasion that you are needing some party cookies for. Or just for any day, because I think that any day of the year deserves some cookies.
Whether you’re baking these up for yourself or sharing them with friends, it’s a party when these cookies show up!
What can make a batch of fudgy brownies even better? Caramel. That’s right, a batch of gooey, chocolatey brownies topped off with a salty, rich caramel to make the most perfect brownie bite that you can imagine. The layers of flavor and decadence in these Caramel Fudge Brownies will make you want to eat the whole pan by yourself. You’ve been warned.
When I made these Caramel Fudge Brownies, it was my first time making a homemade caramel sauce. And I hear ya, it can be a little scary at first! But don’t worry, this caramel sauce is hassle-free and will make you feel like a natural caramel making queen. Just keep an eye on it and you will have a decadent, golden caramel ready to pour.
These brownies are decadent in all the right ways. Just take one bite of them and you’ll see what I’m talking about!
Lasagna Soup is basically what dreams are made of. It’s currently snowing horizontally here and I could not think of a better dish to snuggle up on the couch with! Think of all the wonderful, memory-filled flavors of a classic lasagna in a soup that is perfect for dunking a hunk of chunky bread in. The lasagna noodles are smothered in a rich, decadent sauce that has been slow cooked to perfection. Top if off with some fresh basil, parmesan cheese and a scoop of ricotta and you have the makings of a perfect Lasagna Soup.
This soup really is a one-pot meal, as everything is simmered in one pot to make a delicious, easy clean-up soup that everyone will want to dig into. I sure didn’t mind having leftovers of this one! You can easily heat up the leftover Lasagna Soup, or pour the leftovers into a baking dish, top it with cheese and bake it for a re-constructed Lasagna Soup Lasagna. Ya feel me? I’m just thinking about all that gooey, melty cheese that would crust over on the top. Leftovers are never a bad idea!
This meal will bring back all of the nostalgic memories of lasagna in a simple, soup form. You’ll definitely want a piece of crispy bread to dunk into this one!
We used to have a local restaurant in town that served up the best grilled sandwiches through the drive thru. You had the most amazing creamy dill sauce smothering loads of smoked turkey, gooey, melted cheese, and soft, homemade bread holding it all together. The sandwich then got pressed in their panini press that you know probably hadn’t been cleaned in awhile, but man, that puppy had flavor! Wrapped in a foil wrapper, you had a perfect, hot-mess of a sandwich to eat in your car. They sadly went out of business, so a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Time to make them at home! Cheesy Turkey & Dill Paninis are loaded with all the good stuff. Mounds of smoked turkey, bright greens, a simple, delicious dill sauce and buttery, crispy bread to sandwich it all together. Talk about the perfect bite!
This panini just delivers all the goods. I’m sorta obsessed and think that it would be a perfect pairing for any soup (we dipped it into tomato soup and it was SO good) and makes a pretty hard lunch to beat. Plus, it takes like 10 minutes to throw one together. How much better can it get?
Even if you don’t have a panini press, you can easily make this sandwich in a skillet as you would a grilled cheese. Just butter up that bread! A nice, buttery, crispy bread is what it’s all about.
I mean, let’s just take another look at the title here: Boozy Tiramisu Milkshakes. Yes please! Imagine the rich, decadent goodness of a tiramisu in a creamy, frothy form. These Tiramisu Milkshakes are the perfect ending to any night!
Whether you’re sipping on these Boozy Tiramisu Milkshakes for a dessert or a cocktail, you really can’t go wrong. It’s not very often that I thoroughly enjoy an alcoholic beverage enough that I would want two of them in a row, but these sure are tempting! I mean, I’m not the type of person who drinks vey often so just finding the brandy in the store for this recipe was a struggle enough. There was an older gentleman that assisted me in the grocery store and when I told him what I was making, he literally was speechless and turned around and fist bumped me. It was seriously the highlight of my day! That guy deserves a Boozy Tiramisu Milkshake in my book.
What’s also so great about these milkshakes is how easy it is to make them alcohol-free. Simply omit the brandy and you are set to go with a milkshake that will be as equally as delicious.
I just can’t get enough of these milkshakes. I may or may not have poured it straight from the blender into my mouth, but there were no witnesses.
I say that any day is good to have a cookie. Especially these Double Chocolate Walnut Chip Cookies. Think of the most decadent, double chocolate chip cookie that you can, toss in some slightly salty, nutty walnuts and let it all just dissolve on your tongue as you take another bite. Sold yet? I sure am! I’m pretty much sold on anything chocolate.
First you have a chocolate cookie base, then you mix in melty chocolate chips and finish it off with crunchy walnuts. Talk about a perfect match! Watch out peanut butter and jelly, these cookies are comin’ for ya.
Pour yourself a tall glass of milk because you are not going to want to stop eating these! They almost take on a brownie-like consistency and are just heavenly. I think they make the perfect sweet treat, snack, dessert to share or not to share, or curb any chocolate craving. Walk into a party (or holiday) with a bag of these bad boys and you might as well do a mic drop. You’re welcome.
Bake up these Double Chocolate Walnut Cookies and watch them disappear!
I am so excited to share this Coconut Curry Chicken & Rice Soup with you guys! Experimenting with new ingredients that you aren’t used to doesn’t need to be scary, trust me! The slightly sweet, creamy coconut milk smooths out the bold flavor of the curry paste to make a soup so delectable that you will want to go back for more. With the addition of the chicken and rice, you have a complete meal that you can’t beat!
I’ve always loved eating curry, but have never ventured out to make it at home. If you’re anything like me, don’t fear! It’s easier than you could have ever imagined and a delicious outcome. I love how this soup is slightly sweet (but not too much) and creamy from the coconut milk and then backed by depths of flavor from the curry paste and chicken.
Not only is this soup packed full of delicious flavors that make your tastebuds sing, but it’s also good for you! Nothing but natural, wholesome ingredients are put into this Coconut Curry Chicken & Rice Soup. Naturally low in fat and high in flavor. Plus, you also get the added health benefits from the chicken, brown rice and veggies.
What’s also so great is that the flavor profile of this soup can be combined with any veggies or toppings you desire. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a toss of some salty peanuts, a swirl of tangy sour cream, fresh cilantro and chopped red bell peppers. Dig on in and enjoy.
You guys, I have this Carrot & Cream Cheese Bundt Cake sitting in my refrigerator right now and I can’t stop sneaking bites of it throughout the day! Imagine this: digging your fork into a fluffy, cinnamon-speckled carrot cake that has a waterfall of the most decadent, light and fluffy cream cheese frosting imaginable. And then going back for more and more. At least that’s what we’ve been doing! This Carrot & Cream Cheese Bundt Cake is a classic combination that you can never go wrong with.
I could just eat that cream cheese frosting with a spoon, and I did. No shame in that! The grated carrot gives the bundt cake a wonderful, deep orange color and natural sweetness that will make your tastebuds sing. Put those two together and you have a match made in heaven.
I think that carrot cake is good for anytime of the year, but with Spring and Easter right around the corner, it definitely makes for the perfect dessert to have on your menu! Bundt cakes are great to feed a crowd (or just you and your husband nibbling away on it in the fridge 😉 and deliver a “wow” factor without all the work.
Get this bundt cake baking away in your oven, whip up a batch of the creamiest cream cheese frosting and be on your way to carrot cake bliss!
Boy, oh boy, could I go for one of these BBQ Braised Short Rib Sloppy Joes right about now! Take your average sloppy joe to a whole other level with these BBQ Braised Short Ribs! Rich, decadent short ribs braised low in slow in a wonderful bbq tomato sauce that will leave you reaching for a napkin between every bite. That’s what a sloppy joe is all about, right? The messier, the better! Your tastebuds won’t believe what’s happening to them when you bite into one of these bad boys.
Whether you’re going all-in to the sloppy joe with a sesame seed bun and only your hands for utensils, or shoveling it down with a fork, these won’t disappoint! You take a bite through the fluffy bun, get a slight crunch from the coleslaw topping and then sink your teeth into heaven with the tender short ribs and velvety sauce. A sloppy joe so good you won’t believe it.
Make these BBQ Braised Short Rib Sloppy Joes for a weeknight meal, Sunday dinner, birthday party, holiday party, backyard bash or any other reason that you can come up with because they are that good. The beauty of these sloppy joes is that the longer the short ribs soak in the velvety sauce, the better they get. Make these ahead of time and be ready for any occasion!
Let’s take a hot second to talk about these Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits. All of the creamy, dreamy, fruity flavors of a strawberry cheesecake in a cute little bundle. Count me in! Grab a spoon and dig into the layers of sweet strawberries, creamy cheesecake filling and buttery graham cracker crumble. Before you know it, it will all be gone.
How perfect would these little cuties be for a spring brunch, bridal shower, baby shower, Easter or just because?! I think they make a great party or holiday dessert. They are so cute that you almost don’t want to eat them. But then you take a bite, and they disappear before your eyes.
I don’t know how these little desserts could get any more perfect, but they can. You can make these beauts ahead of time, stick them in the refrigerator and pull them out to wow your crowd. I even found myself sneaking one of them for breakfast and was not ashamed about it.
Any type of glass ramekin or glass will work perfectly for these parfaits. How cute would little Mason Jars be?!
White Wine & Herb Braised Chicken and Potatoes might sound like a mouthful, but it is only a mouthful of deliciousness! It’s the perfect chicken dinner, the one-pot-wonder, or Sunday chicken. A chicken dinner that is packed full of fresh herbs, a decadent white wine and butter sauce, chicken thighs and creamy Yukon gold potatoes.
This White Wine & Herb Braised Chicken and Potatoes is a dish that will make your family or friends smile when you set it down on the table. Even though it has a long name, it is a hassle-free dinner that will make everyone go back for seconds. I highly recommend just taking this pan from the stove top to the table and letting everyone dig in. You won’t even have to wash the pan you cooked it in after everyone eats everything!
The white wine, butter and herb sauce that coats the chicken and potatoes is to die for! After all my chicken and potatoes were gone off my plate, I was trying to scrape as much of the sauce off the plate as I could. Grab some crunchy bread and dip it on in! You won’t regret it. Life is too short to not eat as much of the wine, butter and herb sauce that you can.
Whether you need a chicken dinner for a weeknight meal, date night, family gathering or just because, this dish will not disappoint!
Ham and Cheddar Quiche Cups are the perfect, little breakfast to start your morning off right! They are packed full of cheddar cheese and salty ham to make each bite delicious. If you ask me, anything that is cheesy and salty is good to go in my book!
The beauty of these Ham and Cheddar Quiche Cups, besides how delicious they are, is how quickly they come together. Breakfast or brunch should be hassle-free, and that’s just what these little quiche cups are. Whip up your eggs, add in the cheese, ham and other goodies, pour them into a muffin pan, and then bake them in the oven. Serve them up hot and fresh.
These quiche cups are perfect for a weekday breakfast on the go, or to serve up at a family brunch. Sometimes simple is best, and these little buddies are just that.
This Triple Berry Galette is a dream come true. A delicious dessert bursting with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries that is ready to eat in about 30 minutes. With the ease of a store-bought crust, this dessert is so simple which makes it even more delicious.
This Triple Berry Galette stems from my Mixed Berry Galette, and I’m perfectly ok with that! The more galettes, the better. I don’t know about you, but my local grocery store is just overflowing with fresh berries right now! All the strawberries, blueberries and blackberries have been on sale and we have been chowing down. Even if we just toss all the fresh berries in a bowl with a little sugar, we will eat them all in one sitting.
This dessert is perfect for any occasion. All the flavors combine to taste like you slaved away on it for hours! Don’t tell anyone that you didn’t. It can be our little secret. I think that store-bought pie crusts are something that everyone needs to have in their arsenal. They are just so great! They taste fantastic and are completely hassle-free. I’ll take a two-pack.
Top this galette off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, serve it up, or dig on in for yourself. No judgement here!
Brussel sprouts are all the craze, as they should be! These Hoisin Sesame Brussel Sprouts will be your new favorite side dish to whip up. Packed full of flavor and made with ease, Hoisin Sesame Brussel Sprouts deliver all the flavor without all of the work.
Ditch the idea of soggy brussel sprouts. Hoisin Sesame Brussel Sprouts get nice and crunchy and are covered in a sauce that make your tastebuds sing. Side dishes don’t have to be boring or second though. Let the side dish shine with this recipe!
I love how addicting these are. A vegetable that is fun and delicious to eat? Count me in! The sauce is simple, yet satisfying. Hoisin has a wonderful flavor that will make you want to keep going back for more. You could even make these brussel sprouts the star of the show and top them off like a salad or bowl! They are just that good.
What are you waiting for? Whip these up and be as happy as a frog catching flies.
Everyone needs a good meatball recipe in their lives. These Spicy Turkey Meatballs are packed full of flavor with a subtle heat to make you keep going back for more. They are simmered in a rich tomato sauce and then can be spooned over your choice of pasta, topped off with some parmesan cheese and devoured.
When you have these meatballs simmering away on your stovetop, they will fill your house with warmth! A rich, buttery tomato sauce with a slight hint of heat soaks into the turkey meatballs to make a perfect combination. The ease of these meatballs is just as equally as satisfying as eating them. Well, maybe not as satisfying as eating them, but it’s pretty close! All you need to do is assemble the meatballs, get the sauce simmering and then let them bathe in the tomato goodness until they are ready to eat. Dinner ready in a snap.
Whether they are for a weeknight dinner, date night, or Sunday super, these meatballs will make anyone happy. Leftovers of these puppies aren’t so bad either! Serve them up family-style and have everyone dig in, or plate them for a beautiful masterpiece to impress everyone around you. Either way, they will be enjoyed!
If you won’t have the time to make these meatballs when you get home for dinner, they can definitely be made in a crock pot for an easy dinner that’s ready when you get home! Simply add all of the ingredients for the sauce into the slow cooker, roll up the meatballs, place them in the sauce, set the cooker on low and have a wonderful dinner ready for you when you get home. Hassle-free and delicious.
Frosted Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars will win over anyone and everyone who eats one. Warm, cinnamon speckled oatmeal cookie bars studded with sweet raisins and topped with a creamy, cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It’s a warm, comforting and delicious bite! If you ask me, everything is better with cream cheese frosting.
These are perfect for dessert or breakfast, if you ask me. I mean, sometimes you just need to start your day off with a Frosted Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bar and that’s ok. You won’t be able to resist going back for more! These cookie bars along with my Mudslide Fudge Brownies were so hard to resist that my yellow lab decided to eat a whole 13×9 pan full of both of them! A trip to the vet and a couple days on fluids, she is back home and ready to start counter-surfing again. Just kidding, we are going to have to be more careful about what we leave on the counters now!
Whether these are for family, friends, pets (jk not really), or yourself, these Frosted Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars will be gone in a blink of an eye. Plus, you get a whole 13×9 pan full of them. That’s one of the best things about these cookie bars. They are simple to mix together, bake together in one pan and then all you have to do is frost them before you eat all of the frosting yourself. Does anyone else love cream cheese frosting as much as I do? Because I really love it, if you can’t tell.
Bake up a batch of these simple and delicious cookie bars and get ready to have a full tummy and happy heart. Sometimes the simple things are the best things.
Mudslide Fudge Brownies are all that you could ask for in a sweet treat. A decadent brownie base swirled with chocolate chips and espresso, then topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. How much better can it get? Not much! Once you take a bite of these delicious brownies, there is no turning back.
You really have it all: chocolate, coffee, peanut butter and cookies all in one bite. These puppies are so good that my yellow lab, Darbi, agrees as well. She hopped right on up on the counter while we were gone and ate a whole 13×9 pan full of these Mudslide Fudge Brownies and an oatmeal raisin goodie (which is coming soon!) that resulted in her spending a couple days at the vet. She’s on the mend, but she sure did indulge! Note to self: do not leave these on the counter! Whether it’s playful pups, kids, family or friends, these brownies will disappear!
Let’s take a minute to talk about the creamy, dreamy peanut butter frosting you get to frost across the top of these brownies. I could just eat it with a spoon! You’ll want to top everything you can with this frosting. It’s perfect for frosting brownies, cakes, cupcakes or anything else in your life that you need frosting for. You’re welcome.
These Mudslide Fudge Brownies are perfect for any occasion and packed with flavor in every bite. Dig on in!
Sometimes in life all you need is a good cookie. Or two or three! Peanut butter and chocolate go together like Tom & Jerry, so when you put them into a cookie together you have a perfect match! These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are packed full of rich chocolate chips, and smoothed out by the velvety taste of peanut butter. They are little chocolate peanut butter pillows of delight and you may just want to eat them all.
What I love so much about cookies is how they can be planned out, or just made on a whim. These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies were the later of the two options. It was snowy, cold and, quite frankly, the perfect, cloudy weather for food photography. So, I set out my butter, preheated my oven, turned on the Food Network and got to work!
Don’t worry, you get to lick the peanut butter spoon while you are waiting for these little babies to bake away in the oven. One of the perks about being the cook, no one will ever know that you did.
This is basically a chocolate chip cookie taken to the next level. The peanut butter helps make them extra velvety, rich, slightly nutty and all sorts of delicious. It’s a cookie made out of simple ingredients that you most likely have sitting in your refrigerator and cupboards. Nothing fancy, just a good, old-fashioned cookie.
Dunk these straight into a glass of cold milk and you will be ready to be tucked into bed in no time. Bake these up for any family gathering, weeknight dessert, holiday, party, date night, or any other reason that you need a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie in your life. Which, if you ask me, could be just because you need a cookie. Life is better with cookies, don’t you think?
Short ribs always used to be a scary thing to me – almost like a daunting task to take on. But do not fear! Short ribs will win you over the minute you take a bite of their rich goodness. Wine and Balsamic Braised Short Ribs are surprisingly hassle-free and loaded with enough flavor to make you feel like an Iron Chef. These short ribs are rich, decadent, slightly sassy and won’t disappoint. The full, rich beef flavor is paired perfectly with the wine and balsamic to give it the lift and flavor profiles to make your tastebuds soar.
All the work that you have to do with these decadent short ribs is sear them off in the beginning, put them all back into the pot, cover them with all the goodies and then let them bake away in the oven for a few hours. How great is that? You can make a decadent meal ahead of time! That’s right, not slaving around in the kitchen with 500 different dishes that you have to clean for a good meal.
These Wine and Balsamic Braised Short Ribs are perfect for any date night, Valentine’s Day, holiday party, family get-together, feeding a crowd, or even Superbowl Sunday. It’s a magical dish that can cover all occasions for you. All you have to do when guests arrive is pull this baby out of the oven and watch them disappear. These short ribs paired perfectly with my Asiago Herb Mashed Potatoes and chunk of a crispy baguette. They are literally fall-off-the-bone perfect and will melt in your mouth.
Short ribs are the perfect way to get the most bang out of your buck. As they are generally not a more expensive cut of meat, you can create amazing things out of them for less than you would think. I have found that it is best to ask your butcher to cut the spare ribs for you into the size that you desire, as you tend to get more meat than the pre-packaged options. If you only have access to the pre-packaged options, they will work just fine!
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars! Try saying that 5 times fast. Even though it’s a mouthful to say, they are a mouthful of flavor when you take a bite! These cheesecake bars are loaded with sweet cherries that are swirled into a creamy filling and sitting on top of a chocolate crust. Drizzle them with a dark chocolate ganache before serving and then you have a match made in heaven.
The sweet, fruity flavor of the cherries pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate. In every bite, you get a rich, dark chocolate explosion brightened and highlighted by a creamy, cherry filling. No food coloring is needed here, as the bars will take on a natural pink color from the cherries. Perfect for a Valentine’s Day treat if you ask me! Or any day, actually, because these Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars don’t need to be confined to just V-Day because of their sweet pink color! They are equally as delicious for any occasion.
One thing that I love about these cheesecake bars is how they are surprisingly simple to make. You don’t have to worry about a water bath or the top of the cheesecake cracking, because you are going to be pouring chocolate all over these lovely bars anyways! You whip them up a day or so in advance, let them cool on the countertop before popping them in the refrigerator to set for at least a few hours. How much easier can it get? When you’re ready for dessert, bring them out, cut them up and drizzle them with dark chocolate ganache. You will get a round of applause, even if it’s just from yourself! 🙂
Whether you need a date night dessert for two (with leftovers!), a dessert to feed a crowd, or something sweet for a special occasion, these Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars will not disappoint!
I say that if you make anything into a donut form its going to be fun and delicious. That’s even coming from me, someone who hasn’t always been a donut fan due to the unhealthy factor of them. Well, by golly, make baked donuts and you eliminate the frying factor! You can have the best of both worlds. These Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts are bursting with fresh blueberries and brightened by sweet lemon zest. Drizzle them with a lemon scented, white chocolate ganache and they will disappear before your eyes!
It is always such a great feeling when you can make people happy with food, especially your family and friends around you! My husband and sister couldn’t keep their hands off of these Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts and that is how you know they are family-approved. Sometimes your mess-ups in the kitchen can turn out to be a great thing! These Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts started out as a muffin recipe, but quickly turned into a bundt cake recipe when I realized I had no muffin liners. I then overcooked the bundt cake and it was so dry it fell apart. Take two with the recipe on the next day, and the muffin liners I had bought didn’t fit my muffin tins (seriously?!), so I pulled the donut pan out of the cupboards and it was a perfect match. Why didn’t I just think to make donuts in the first place? Moral of the story: donuts are always a good option.
The lemon scented, white chocolate ganache that you drizzle over the top of these Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts give them the perfect glaze that you would find on an original glazed donut. After the ganache sets, it keeps it’s form and creates a slight shell, but is sticky and gooey once you bite in. You know how your fingers are always covered in sticky glaze after eating a classic glazed donut? Get ready for the same effect.
Not only are these baked donuts bursting with flavor, but they are also fairly quick and easy to whip up! The batter will be slightly thick, so when you are piping it into the donut pan patience is key. Trust me, the end result is to die for! Bake these up for a delicious breakfast, brunch or even dessert! How fun would these be if you put a big, ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of the donut and then drizzled them with the white chocolate ganache? Ok, I’m going to have to try that now.
Shrimp Scampi Linguine holds a special place in my heart. You ask why? You may want to sit down for this one. I did it – I actually did it! I got my shrimp-hating husband to eat a shrimp dish, and LOVE it! And I quote, “Every bite of shrimp was like a flavor explosion in my mouth!”. That’s it ladies and gentlemen. That is all I need. I love creating delicious food for those around me, and it’s especially great when I can make something new for my picky-eater husband to try and to love. I do have to give him some credit, though, because his tastebuds have come a long ways since we’ve been together. This shrimp scampi dish was so fun for me to make, and has already been requested to be made again for this weekend! I’ll take it. Also, it took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. How great is that?
This dish also brought me back to remembering how much I love to cook with wine. In every bite, you can taste the perfect medley of white wine, garlic, lemon, butter and parsley. It makes you just want to close your eyes and savor it. I used a Sauvignon Blanc, but really any white wine you have on hand will work as long as it isn’t too sweet or bubbly. Call me crazy, but sometimes there’s nothing better than the aroma of white wine reducing over fresh, garlicky shrimp with just a spritz of lemon juice smoothed over by the richness of melted butter. Can’t you smell it already?
For the shrimp, I went ahead and used a regular size, but jumbo shrimp would sure make a great pairing as well with this dish. I just grabbed a bag of raw, frozen shrimp from the freezer section, so don’t fret over getting the fanciest shrimp that you can from seafood department (but if you want to then go for it). I would say to stick to the ratio of 1/2 pound of pasta to 12 oz of shrimp, so that each serving of pasta is perfectly coated with the rich, velvetly sauce, and tangled up with the perfect amount of shrimp. Depending on your serving size, this could feed 2-4 people, but I would bank on only serving 2 off of it because you don’t want to go skimpy with the scampi.
This recipe was originally posted a couple years ago, but it has been such a favorite of ours that I couldn’t resist sharing it again! Make this simple and delicious dish a weeknight staple in your house and you won’t be disappointed.
I’ve never been much of a breakfast eater, just give me my coffee and a granola bar and I’m good to go! But these Coconut Oatmeal Baked Apples may have just changed my mind! Stuffing the apples full of coconut oatmeal, baking them until they are perfectly done, topping them off with Greek yogurt and a dusting of cinnamon makes these baked apples the perfect breakfast vessel. All you could want in a breakfast is wrapped up in a perfect, little baked apple package. Not only are these Coconut Oatmeal Baked Apples a delicious breakfast, but they are also sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free! Who would’ve thought that you could have it all?
These Coconut Oatmeal Baked Apples are such a heart-warming breakfast to start your day. They are filled full of oatmeal that has been simmered in coconut milk, delicious cinnamon, and, of course, the naturally sweet apple to hold it all together. How fun are these? Set one of these on the table for breakfast and start your morning off with a smile! These baked apples are also great for meal-prepping. Make these Coconut Oatmeal Baked Apples the night before, pop one in the microwave in the morning, top it off however you desire (Greek yogurt, honey, cinnamon and nuts are my choice!) and dig in.
Even though these are sugar-free (only natural sugars from the fruit and coconut milk), dairy-free, and gluten-free, you would never know! My husband devoured his and was in disbelief that they could be so healthy and good at the same time. Eating healthy doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice flavor! These Coconut Oatmeal Baked Apples simply highlight the natural flavors of all the ingredients in them.
I may just be converted into a breakfast eater with these baked apples! They are just so darn cute, too 🙂 .
A roasted chicken for dinner is timeless and home-warming. Whether you’re talking about a weeknight meal or a Sunday dinner, a chicken dinner is always the winner! So why not go outside the chicken dinner box a little bit? Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken is the perfect way to amp up your usual weeknight or weekend dinner! It is packed full of rich flavors to transport your tastebuds. From sweet honey, to nutty sesame, to salty soy sauce and umami packed hoisin, this Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken is a perfectly balanced punch in every bite.
When you place this Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken on the table, you will wow everyone you are feeding! You know that greasy, rich, super satisfying but yet really un-healthy sesame chicken you get when you order Chinese take out? Well, you roast up this chicken and you just met it’s match! Toss out all of the guilt of eating it, though, because this chicken is all sorts of good for you. The secret is in the sauce. After the chicken is done roasting, serve it up with brown rice, a green veggie of choice and then spoon the sauce from the bottom of the pan all over your plate. Trust me, it’s that good!
The chicken will naturally get all sorts of crispy and golden while you are roasting it, so you won’t even miss the fried version! The bed of onions and carrots that you roast the chicken on top of soak up all of the wonderful juices from the sauce and are a perfect side to serve along side this chicken.
Your house will smell crazy good once you get this Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken roasting away in your oven. Going back for seconds is encouraged and leftovers are going to be fought over. You don’t want to miss out on this one! Whether you have a blizzard blowing outside your window or the sun shining on the ocean, this Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken is perfect for all climates and occasions.
There was a time after Christmas and the New Years that I didn’t have any dessert in the house. I don’t know what happened, but it was a tragedy! How do I have nothing on hand? Not even a parcel of a cookie was left. To say it was a disaster is an understatement. Not even a box of brownie mix was in the cupboards. Sitting there in a total disastrous state, a light bulb went off in my head! MUG CAKES. Mug cakes are the answer to any quick and urgent dessert request! All the wonderful fudgy, moist flavor of a chocolate cake in the palm of your hand, literally. You can have a spoonful of chocolate cake in your mouth in under 5 minutes, how great is that?!
I love how fun and easy these Mocha Fudge Mug Cakes are. They are packed full of all the chocolate flavor you could dream of with a hint of espresso to keep you going back for more. Top these off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dusting of espresso powder and a few extra chocolate chips for good measure. Dig in with a spoon and be as happy as a bug in a rug.
Who would’ve thought that you could make a cake in a mug in your microwave? It’s pure genius if you ask me. I’m a chocoholic, so the more chocolate chips the better! The espresso powder doesn’t overpower the chocolate, but accents it and gives it a deeper, more rich flavor. They are match made in heaven and given to you in a mug. I don’t think it can get much better than that. Toss all of the ingredients into your favorite mug, whisk it all together, microwave it for a little over a minute, top it off however you desire and then dig in to the mug cake of your dreams.
Have your cake and eat it too, and in under 5 minutes! 🙂
When it comes to healthy comfort food, these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas are the way to go! I say you should never have to give up comfort and flavor just to eat a little bit more on the healthy side. Loaded with natural protein from the chicken and black beans, these enchiladas also get a boost in nutrients from the sweet potatoes. And of course, there always needs to be cheese!
I think that the sweet potatoes blend in beautifully with all of the wonderful flavors of these enchiladas. They act as a perfect, slightly sweet filler to accompany the chicken and black beans. You know what’s so great about enchiladas? You can sneak about anything into them and they will turn out delicious! Toss in some fresh spinach leaves to get in some extra greens and you won’t even know. They are very customizable as you can sub out the chicken if you want them to be vegetarian, or add in a different bean, or even a butternut squash if you don’t have the sweet potatoes and black beans on hand. This combo of the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chicken Enchiladas is a fiesta in every bite. A healthy fiesta, too.
Enchiladas also make a great meal prep option, as you can make them in advance and reheat them as needed. I love to serve mine with some sour cream, extra cheese (of course) and fresh avocado. The creaminess of the sour cream and avocado are just a match made in heaven when paired with these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chicken Enchiladas.
Warm up from the inside out with these enchiladas and don’t you dare feel guilty about it! You are eating healthy proteins and veggies after all :).
