Saturday, April 30, 2016

Chicken and Egg Salad Sandwich / #SundaySupper

Today for Sunday Supper we are sharing Mom's Favorite Recipes, and just in time for Mother's Day! So, I made a recipe that was a favorite of my husbands mom, her famous Chicken and Egg Salad Sandwich. This recipe is a lot like my mother in law, unassuming and fantastic! It is loaded with hard boiled eggs, shredded chicken, crispy bacon, and topped with creamy avocado. There is nothing fancy about this sandwich, except that it is full of flavor, freshness and lots of wonderful memories!

chicken, egg salad, avocado,
Chicken and Egg Salad Sandwich

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

How to Cook Your Favorite Restaurant Meal at Home~A New Series

I have an exciting new series starting today, "How to Cook Your Favorite Restaurant Meals at Home"! In this monthly series, I will be using a meal from the menu of a different restaurant each month. I will show you how I cooked it, and how much I spent, comparing it to the price on the menu.
As much as I enjoy dining out, I don't always feel that the price I pay is justified. And when I feel like that, it takes all the fun out of it! Throughout my restaurant career, I worked in several restaurants, and owned a couple, so I am more than familiar with the daily stresses and expenses of making it run. It is very expensive! But as a consumer, my money only goes so far, making it important to carefully choose how I spend.
The menu item I chose is from Outback Steakhouse. I made the Outback Sirloin, 12 ounce cut, with a side of Fresh Steamed Broccoli, and a Hot Baked Potato. The cost of this meal at Outback is $18.99.


$18.99 meal
    3.49 soda
    1.81 8% tax
    4.00 tip
$ 28.29  Total per meal cost


I bought a 2.5 pound Certified Angus Beef from the grocery. It was on sale for $4.99 a pound. It gave me 40 ounces of meat. That's a little more than I needed for 3-12ounce steaks, so I had a little extra and some gets lost in the cooking. I also bought 3 potatoes, and broccoli.


$3.73  Beef
    .43  1/4# broccoli
    .25  potatoes
    .25  soda
  4.66  Total per meal cost



Of course, I know that there are advantages to eating out. You don't have to clean up and do dishes, you get to get away, enjoy yourself, and have someone wait on you. You also get certain things extra. At Outback, it's that special, yummy bread they serve you. The purpose of this new series is not to talk you out of eating out, but to show you how you can eat at home like you can eat out, but for a lot less!
 

Sunday, April 24, 2016

North Carolina BBQ with Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies / #SundaySupper

This North Carolina BBQ with Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies is one of my favorite meals, and I am excited to share it with you! Today for #SundaySupper we are making our favorite regional specialties, and I hope you will try this. This BBQ and sauce is a favorite of many people in the eastern part of the state! There is a huge rivalry between which BBQ is better, eastern or western. But, I have to tell you, they are both amazing!
This is not a quick meal, but it is a meal worth taking the time to prepare. You can smoke the pork if you have a smoker, or you can cook it in the oven. Either way, it is wonderful! The cole slaw is best if made ahead of time so the dressing has time to permeate the cabbage, and the hush puppies, with the minced onions are just amazing! There are few tastes that compare to the yumminess of fresh fried hush puppies!
This meal is perfect anytime, for lunch or dinner, family meals or parties. You and your guests will not be disappointed!

North Carolina BBQ w/ Cole Slaw and Hushpuppies

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Hummingbird Bundt Cake / #BundtBakers

Today for  #BundtBakers we are talking about Retro Bundts. The old fashioned cake recipes that have been around for awhile, are all gussied up and looking spectacular as bundt cakes! I made a Hummingbird Bundt Cake because it is one of my very favorite cakes! The aroma coming from these cakes as they bake is amazing, and the cinnamon, the pineapple, the bananas~omg, incredible! And then there is the taste of this cake. Moist and full of flavor! I used the recipe below, which is the original Hummingbird Cake recipe, written by L.H. Wiggin, which first appeared in the February 1978 issue of Southern Living magazine.
 Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Spring Cookie Bouquet / #SundaySupper

Today I am welcoming spring with this colorful Spring Cookie Bouquet! I wanted the bouquet to be colorful and kind of wonky, with a silly and fun design that makes you smile when you see it! There is nothing serious about this Spring Cookie Bouquet!


Spring Cookie Bouquet  

Friday, April 15, 2016

Chocolate Marbled Strawberry Bananas Foster Cheesecake Bars

When I first thought about making this recipe, I was making simple Banana Cheesecake Bars.  So how did I end up with Chocolate Marbled Strawberry Bananas Foster Cheesecake Bars? It started with the sauce I made for the bananas. It is made with brown sugar, lemon juice, and bananas. So I added some cinnamon, but skipped the rum, and made it Bananas Foster. Then I saw some big, beautiful strawberries at the store, and thought about what a great combo they make with bananas, so I added them. Then I opened the pantry and found the milk chocolate bar I bought at Trader Joe's and I thought about how great chocolate goes with strawberries and bananas, so I swirled the chocolate in and ended up with Chocolate Marbled Strawberry Bananas Foster Cheesecake Bars! It's a treat with a big name, and a big flavor to match!

Chocolate Marbled Strawberry Bananas Foster Cheesecake Bars

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Celebrate It! Blog Link Party!

It's time for Celebrate It!

Thanks for stopping by today! I am so glad that you are here!
Link up what you have been up to, and hang around to visit some other bloggers.
We have a lot of interesting and talented bloggers that link up !

Here are last weeks 3 most clicked links:


5 Simple Blog Basics
from
6 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
from
Just 2 Sisters

Starting Garden Plants from Seeds
from
Thank you again to everyone that stopped by to link up or to look around!
So glad you are here to share your projects and ideas!!
We love to celebrate with you!
Here are a few things that will make this party fun for everyone:
 
1. Visit 2 or 3 other party goers if you can. It makes it so much more fun
to link up when someone clicks on your link and visits your page.

2. I pin each of your link ups to the Celebrate It! board,
 and I will also pin them to another one of my
 boards that fits the pin.
 Your link up will get tweeted both times also!

3. By linking up you are giving me permission to feature your post on social media.
  Proper credit is always given. You may receive an 
email reminder about this party.
Let's have a party!








Saturday, April 9, 2016

Mini Pizza Pockets / #SundaySupper

These Mini Pizza Pockets are the perfect finger food! They are simple, quick to come together, and they taste amazing! Finger foods are fun to eat! They are great for impromptu parties on the back porch, wonderful with wine when you want to relax and unwind, and great to serve to kids who think they are fun, cute and just their size! Finger foods make the meal casual and fun!

We are all about Finger Foods today for SundaySupper, so enjoy this recipe, and don't forget to check out more fun recipes below! It is amazing how many foods can be finger foods!

mini, small, pizza, bites, pockets
 Mini Pizza Pockets
(printable recipe)
Makes 12-15
28 oz. can San Marzano Plum Tomatoes
1 small slice of fresh Garlic
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Italian Medley Seasoning
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 small leaf of fresh Basil
1 tube of Pizza Dough Crust
4 ounces of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

1 egg
Shredded Asiago Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

puree, tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes
Open the can of tomatoes, and drain the juice. Place the tomatoes in to a food processor or blender, and puree. Place in pot and put on medium heat.
chopped, fresh, garlic
Slice a small piece of fresh garlic from a clove, chop in to small pieces and add to sauce.
Homemade pizza sauce
Add the seasoning and sugar to the tomatoes. Take a leaf or two of basil and tear it into very small pieces; add it to the sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer, maintain heat on low.
mini food, appetizers, main dish, entree, pizza
Roll out tube of pizza crust. Use a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter and cut circles out of the dough. Re-roll the extra dough until you have enough rounds. Take the melted butter and brush it around the outside of the pizza dough round. On each round, place a 1/2 to1 teaspoon of sauce and a small cube of cheese on top. It may look as if the sauce will not fit and will over flow when you fold the dough, but the dough will expand when it is baking, making plenty of room.
mini food, appetizers, main dish, entree, pizza
Fold the rounds in half and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
mini food, appetizers, main dish, entree, pizza
Serve with pizza sauce garnished with shredded asiago cheese.
pizza sauce, small pizzas,
Thank you for stopping by and joining me today!

Scroll down and find recipes from the #SundaySupper family as they share some of their favorite Finger Foods!:

Thank you to Christie Campbell from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures for hosting today's event!
Pinky Appetizers
Manual Mains
Digit Desserts
Plus Bite-sized Pavlovas and More Finger Food Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
Pinky Appetizers
Manual Mains
Digit Desserts
Plus Plus Bite-sized Berry Pavlovas and More Finger Food Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.



Thursday, April 7, 2016

Celebrate It! Blog Link party!

It's time to Celebrate It!

Stuffed Spring Cookies / Fill The Cookie Jar

Spring is in the air, and I am celebrating with these Stuffed Spring Cookies! Cookies are always a great way to celebrate! These cookies take some time to make, but several of the steps can be made ahead of time and the cookies are essentially two cookies in one because they have a top and bottom, so going a smaller size on these is not an issue. For more spring cookie inspiration, when you are done reading this, keep scrolling down and see all the cookies the other members of Fill The Cookie Jar made today! Happy Spring!

 Stuffed Spring Cookies

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Stuffed Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce / #SundaySupper

Of all the many meals I have cooked for my family, this Stuffed Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce always gets the most yums! I don't know if it is the creamy mix of fresh ricotta and mozzarella trying to burst through the edges of the homemade ravioli's or the richness of the alfredo sauce made with fresh asiago and heavy cream as it bubbles it's way to thickening in the pan, but it does taste amazing! I hope you think so too!
Stuffed Ravioli, Alfredo Sauce
 Stuffed Ravioli w/ Alfredo Sauce