Archives: Recipes

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A few weeks ago, Maddie got into a bottle of olive oil I had left out on the counter, along with a lemon and some salt. I’d just finished making a marinade for a steak we were planning on grilling that night and hadn’t had a chance to clean everything up yet. I left Maddie alone for 5 minutes while I went to do some other chore. When I walked back in the kitchen, I saw that she had poured out a ton of olive oil into a cup, squeezed lemon juice all over it, and sprinkled a ton of salt. She was covered in oil!

When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she was making lemonade. Silly girl! (PS – is was a pain in the butt to clean up!)

After that day, I figured we needed to actually make some fresh squeezed homemade lemonade. It sounded like it would be a fun activity the kids could help with, and we’d have a tasty drink at the end of the project! I grabbed a bag of lemons at the grocery store and picked up one of the old-fashioned hand juicers. I wanted my kids to see that homemade treats take some muscle. No shortcut electric juicers for us!

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Fennel is one of those foods that people either love or hate. I have a hard time coming up with foods that I DON’T like, so, (surprise, surprise) I happen to love fennel! It’s delicious served raw, sliced thin and tossed in a salad. But my favorite way to eat fennel is roasted with a Vidalia onion and a tiny bit of garlic salt. I’d say this is one of my top 5 favorite vegetable side-dishes. (Mashed potatoes will always hold the number one spot in my heart!)

Raw fennel has a light, crisp, anise (licorice) taste. But roasted fennel tastes completely different. It caramelizes in the oven to create a warm, slightly sweet, comforting side dish that’s perfect to serve with chicken, steak, or lamb.

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Who’s ready for Spring?

I’m so over the cold and gloomy weather. I’m ready for sunshine!

Are you looking for a warm and comforting recipe to get you through another cold day? I’ve got a great one! This recipe for Southwestern Chicken Egg Roll Wraps is perfect for gloomy winter days. It’s a family favorite in our house – not too spicy, but packed with flavor. It’s an old Southern Living recipe (so you know it’s good) that’s been perfected over the years by my sweet friend Lauren, who’s given me permission to share it with you guys. Thanks Lauren!

I used my Instant-Pot to cook the chicken, but you can make this recipe even easier by using cooked rotisserie chicken. (If you do use rotisserie chicken, make sure to add a little water to the sauce since you won’t be rendering any juice from cooking the chicken.)

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All opinions are mine alone. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Louis Kemp. #CrabDelightfulHoliday #CollectiveBias

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Christmas Eve meal. My family loves pasta, and on the 24th, I make a huge pot of pasta for us to eat. It’s the one meal I know everyone will love – even my kids. We pile the pasta in big bowls, top it with “sprinkle-cheese” (what my kids call Parmesan), and eat it up while we guess what Santa will bring.

This year, I’m planning on making a Christmas Eve Creamy Crab Pasta with with plenty of garlic, cheese, and cream. The star of the dish is Louis Kemp® Crab Delights® – Flake Style. The mild crab taste of Crab Delights pairs perfectly with the pasta and the creamy sauce, and it’s a great shortcut for moms during the busy holiday season. Because we all have enough to do as it is! Crab Delights is made with premium Wild Alaskan Pollock fillets, is a great source of protein, and is naturally low in calories and cholesterol, which makes it perfect for this indulgent pasta recipe.

My Christmas Eve Creamy Crab Pasta also includes bright red tomatoes and fresh green parsley, so it reflects the colors of the season – red and green! It makes for a beautiful presentation that can easily work for a holiday dinner  party, or for a comfy night at home with your family, like we’re planning.

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You guys. I have MAD respect for food bloggers. Food blogging is TOUGH!

First, you have to try and find a recipe that hasn’t already been made one million times on Pinterest.

Then you have to shop for the ingredients and make sure you don’t forget anything. Then you have to cook and bake when the sun it up so your pictures look good. (Or buy a fancy photography lighting set.) Then you have to focus on your recipe, while stopping a million times to stage pictures, and then actually take the pictures, all the while trying not to mess up the recipe or forget a step or an ingredient. When you’re done cooking, you have to stage a shot of the finished dish. Then clean up everything. (The worst part.) Then you have to type up the recipe, making sure not to forget any of the ingredients or steps. Then edit the pictures and make your Pinterest graphic. Then work on your SEO…

So much work! Especially when you’ve got kids running around being super distracting…

Anyway, you guys know I’m all about keeping it real and being transparent. I never want anyone to think I’m perfect. So, long story short, guess how many times I had to make these biscuits?

Three!!

I messed up this recipe the first two times before I finally got it perfect. Bless my heart, right? But, in the end, they turned out delicious.

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