Jalapeño Popper Pizza

It's Friday and we're going to talk about pizza. As such, I hereby open with this quote,

"You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey! That's like Fourth of July with no apple pie, or Friday with no two pizzas!"

I bet you can guess what show that quote is from... 

If you guessed 'Friends', you guessed right 😜 What can I say? I was picking up the house this morning, doing my normal chores, making the bed, and thinking about what I was going to write today. I started thinking about pizza... and that it's Friday... and the quote just popped into my head. Quotes from 'Friends' strike my mind every day in almost any situation, and while we won't be having 2 pizzas this Friday, the quote still made me smile. 

25 Seafood Recipes

Time for a round-up!

I haven't posted a round-up since September, so it's definitely time. And this has to be one of my favorites because seafood? I would eat it at EVERY meal if I could. Seriously! But there's another reason I'm posting a round-up today-

I've spent the last 2 days in the kitchen, up to my ears in potato parts and banging my head against the counter. What's going on? Gnocchi, that's what. I've been trying my hand at homemade gnocchi. You know, those little Italian potato dumplings that are like little clouds of dreaminess? It has not been going well. It turns out there are lots of mistakes to be made while attempting gnocchi. So far, I've had gnocchi that fell apart in the pot, I've had mushy little balls with a texture that can only be compared to snot, and finally, I had a dough that came apart at the seems. 

Pesto Stuffed Shells

It's the first recipe of 2017! Yipee!

11 days into the new year and I'm finally getting around to posting about what I do best- FOOD! This recipe is a keeper, I'm telling you. Perfect for a frigid winter day full of ice and snow which I know a lot of us are dealing with right now. We only got about 2-3 inches last week and most of it melted on Monday. Today's temperature is supposed to be a lot warmer though (thank goodness!) because it's been a week of temperatures in the teens. Brrr! But I guess our snow is nothing compared to what's been going on in my former home of Oregon. They are getting more snow than I've ever remembered them getting, and we never got much snow when I was growing up. A snow day here or there, but not this much! In my mind, it's the perfect weather for staying in and popping a carb-a-licious casserole into the oven for dinner ☃️

Turkey Bacon Avocado Paninis

It has been one of those kind of weeks.

Last Monday, a familiar but most unwelcome acquaintance set up shop in my house- the common cold. And ugh, it has been anything but fun. I've been running the gambit from sore throat to fever to head fog to a lost voice. Truly, by the end of the day Saturday, the hubby and I were communicating by text. I'm normally a very quiet person, but found the sensation of not being able to talk very unpleasant. Not cool when you are trying to watch Oregon football! 😡 Luckily, I'm on the mend. My voice is back and with only a nasty cough left, I'm pretty much over the hump.

Good thing too, because I'm doing the Thanksgiving shopping today 🙀

Alpine Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Ok, so I posted 3 casseroles/oven bakes in a row...

Easy Tortellini Bake

Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Untraditional Green Bean Casserole

It's time for dessert! 😋

Untraditional Green Bean Casserole

Look at me! Making my goal of posting twice in one week! Woot woot 😁

Really, I figured I better post this one since I had so much interest from the September Wrap-Up. The people want this recipe. The people clamor for it. And so, I shall share it-

This recipe takes me back to childhood. While I was growing up, I thought this was Green Bean Casserole. I had no idea that traditional Green Bean Casserole was a concoction of cream-of-something soup and crunchy onion straws. The moment I found out was when I spent Thanksgiving with a friend when I was about 17. I had heard that they were having Green Bean Casserole with Thanksgiving, and I was excited. Puzzled, as I wasn't sure why anyone would serve Green Bean Casserole on Thanksgiving, but nevertheless, excited. 

Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Put down your pumpkin pies, your pumpkin cakes, your pumpkin breads, and your pumpkin muffins. Why not try something new this fall? Something new being pumpkin used in a savory manner, rather than adding the "normal" sugar and pumpkin pie spice. 

I looooooove pumpkin in savory dishes. I'd actually never tried it until 2 years ago when I made Turkey Pumpkin Chili. I don't know if I was expecting my chili to taste like pumpkin pie, but it sooooooo did not. I was instantly hooked on the savory pumpkin 🎃

Easy Tortellini Bake

You guys.

I seriously meant to blog this weekend. Truly, madly, deeply, I did. And then... it was like vacation mode. I didn't even open the blog. I didn't read any blogs. I just watched football. And it was wonderful.

Granted, it was technically a terrible weekend of football. Just terrible. The Duck's had an ugly game on Saturday, and let me tell you, the Steeler's on Sunday was no picnic either. But it was nice to just relax. Drink some wine. Yell and throw my slippers at the TV every so often. 

But now it's Monday and I haven't posted in almost a week. Eek. Luckily, I've got something on board that is easy. Delicious. And most of all, comforting. 

Enchilada Stuffed Poblanos

So... funny story.

I'd always thought poblanos were mild peppers. I'd never cooked them before, I'd just read recipes using them, plus I've had them in Mexican cuisine. I'd just never prepared them myself. Well, a couple of weeks ago, with the hubby gone on a business trip, I decided to stuff a bunch of peppers for quick, easy dinners while he was gone. While I normally stuff regular bell peppers, this time I opted for poblanos. I've been trying to grow poblanos all season, but my plant never fruited. It blossomed plenty, but no luck. Darn it all. My father-in-law's did though, so we received peppers from him throughout the season. It was just a lousy season for any kind of pepper at my homestead. 

Garden Veggie Pasta Soup

Happy Saturday everyone!

I was going to post yesterday, but you know what? I wasn't feeling it. While still trying to be my most authentic self, I just didn't feel like putting fingers to keyboard. It might still be the writer's block a little bit. It might be because the hubby's on a business trip and I've become obsessed with findings on Netflix. It's true, I discovered "Stranger Things" and nothing was done for 8 hours while I binged. If you like sci-fi, you'll like that one. Then I stumbled on "Shameless". Oh man, I'm deep into that one too. There's nothing like watching a show about a huge family with lots of problems when you have an empty house 😜

So, to set aside my TV bingeing for a moment or two, let's talk about the opposite of TV bingeing- gardening!

Basil For Days (And 3 Pesto Recipes!)

Summer may be winding down, but no one has told my basil that. I don't know about you guys, but I've got it coming out of my ears! If there's one crop in my garden that never fails to produce, it's that large-leafed Italian favorite, basil. I normally plant plenty of it in my herb garden, but this year I went a bit further. I read that it's a great companion plant for tomatoes, keeping hornworms away and infusing the tomatoes with even greater sweetness. And I can confirm, I've had little problem with hornworms this year. In fact, since the basil has exploded and grown, I haven't see a single hornworm. I'll be pairing these two together from here on out!

Garlicky Caprese Flatbread

There are no words.

I can not express how much I love to make this flatbread. Literally, there are no words. 

Well, I probably shouldn't say that, because let's face it- it's me we're talking about here. Girl who has something to write about almost anything. Girl who may not talk that much, but girl who writes prolifically. And yeah, I guess I do have words that describe how much I love this flatbread.

Homemade Salmon Shmear

Sunday recipe, what up!

What better for Sunday morning brunch (or lunch! Or dinner!) deliciousness than bagels with extra-whipped and fluffy flavored cream cheese? Not a lot, my friends. Not a lot. 

Recipe Redux: Tortellini Pepperoncini Salad

It's been a stormy morning y'all.

The hubby woke me up at 6 this morning to let me know a monster storm was on the way. I roused myself from slumber, shuffled my way to the den window that faces the northwest, and took a peep. Oh yeah, I could see the storm coming. I could see the lighting from miles away! We are prone to losing power out here in the country with these big wind storms, so I booked it to the coffee machine. I brewed 2 cups before the storm hit. I figured if I lost power at least I would have a 2nd cup of coffee, even if it turned out to be lukewarm. Lukewarm caffeine is better than none I figured :-)

Arancini with Homemade Marinara

I have opened my blog several times since Sunday, with the intention to write a recipe. Each time, I sat there, staring at the screen, searching for the words that will not come. Everything I started to write didn't sound appropriate. It felt... meaningless. 

On Monday, I was reading the latest post on one of the blogs I follow, Pinch of Yum. Lindsay practically took the words from my mouth on how she was feeling. Right now, after the worst mass shooting in US history, I feel empty. Why does this keep happening? Everyone and their mother has an opinion. Most of the opinions I don't want to hear. If you can't muster the empathy to feel for the victims, people who were in that building, relatives who've lost someone that meant everything to them... I don't even know what to say to you. Here in my small corner of Kentucky, people are pretty judgmental about the fact that this shooting happened at a gay club. I overheard a lady at the grocery store in front of me in line tell the cashier that at least it was "a bunch of gay people" that died. 

3-Cheese Risotto

Friends, I'm currently in a "creation" frenzy. I've been churning out the recipes here at home, night after night. Which has been unusual as of late. The hubby returned home from work the other night and exclaimed, "You made dinner again? Wow!". Ha ha. And the next thing he said? "You must be running out of back-up posts on the blog." 

He hit the nail on the head. Sometimes I go through weeks-long phases where all I want to do is write. Sometimes the phase is creating the recipe and taking pictures, and that's where I am currently. Taking lots and lots of pictures, and wracking my brain for any ol' little thing to write. In truth, I'm trying to create a big backlog because my parents are coming to visit next month! It's going to be a longer visit and I know I won't be doing any work while they are here. 

So, that's where my head is at. Must. Take. More. Pictures!!

Strawberry & Avocado Pasta Salad

- with balsamic dressing

Well, it's finally happened. 

Almost 3 months after we got the bees, one of the dogs has been stung. Poor little Mariota. Just the other morning, I was letting the boys out- all four of them. I say four because my mother-in-law's Pekingese was staying with us. All of them were sniffing around in front of the bee hives. I hate when they get right in front because I'm always afraid they are going to get stung (obviously for good reason!). So, there I am, hollering away at the top of my lungs for the dogs to get away from the bees. They were all moving my way when I saw Mariota snap at his hind quarters. And then his front quarters. And then... the cries. Oh, I felt so bad for him. He came squealing up to me with no idea what had happened to his little body. 

25 Side Dishes

Hey hey! We've got a holiday weekend coming up y'all!

The Memorial Day Holiday weekend is upon us. I don't know about you, but ever since we moved to Kentucky, Memorial Day has been spent with the hubby's family. The hubby's cousin and his wife drive in from out of town, and we all gather together for a family barbecue. This time, the hubby's cousin and his wife are bringing their new baby girl for everyone to meet! We are excited. The weekend is promising to be very sunny, right now they are forecasting a high of 90º. Whew! Good thing the hubby's-cousin's-wife's-mother (whose house we party at) has a pool. The pool is the best part of the get-together, at least as far as all the nieces and nephews are concerned :-)

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

Fire up those slow cookers y'all!

There's so many things to love about this recipe. For one, you make it in the slow cooker. One of my absolute favorite cooking methods. Especially for things like taco meat. Two chicken breasts in the slow cooker kept me and the hubby fed for 4 days. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have invented another recipe with the taco meat. As life would have it though, I devoured tacos for 4 straight days. 

It. Was. Glorious!

There's nothing better than savory shredded chicken, piled high with creamy avocado and cheddar cheese, all topped with a cool, crisp salsa verde and tucked neatly in a fresh corn tortilla. This is taco heaven! :-)

Recipe Redux: Tomato Cucumber & Mozzarella Salad

Time for this month's Recipe Redux! Truth be told, I've been dying to "redux" this recipe for awhile. It's one of my most popular "old" recipes and one that I make a ton of during the summer. This truly is a summer salad, as there are only 5 ingredients consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella chunks, lime juice, and olive oil. Well, I guess there's also salt and pepper but do people really count those as ingredients? I'm not sure... Anyways, when you are making a simple recipe, the ingredients you use really need to shine. And shine they do in this awesome, yet uncomplicated side dish.