Making Our Dinner Time Easy While Still Healthy with Meez Meals

**Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary experience with Meez Meals to bring you this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% my own.

We love preparing fresh, healthy meals each evening. But, some days our schedule can be a bit challenging. We have tried those "30 minute meal" recipes that are only 30 minutes if EVERYTHING is prepped for you. We have had quite a few frustrated evenings when recipes took much longer than planned thus giving us little time to enjoy the meal before heading to an activity. I am sure quite a few of you can relate! Meals should be a time to relax and share the day, not a source of aggravation.

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Warm Blueberry Granola Crisp and siggi's {Giveaway 7/11/15}

**Disclosure: We received complimentary siggi's yogurt to help us bring this recipe and giveaway to you. All opinions are 100% our own. No other compensation was received.

We have had our share of rainy weather here is Chicago this summer. So, a nice pick-me-up from the oven is very much appreciated! This morning, I made my own warm blueberry granola crisp and it was the treat I need on this cloudy morning! Topping it of with siggi's made it quite the snack!

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Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

Over the past couple of years, Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup has become one of our staple recipes. The soup is pretty easy to make and is quite flavorful. Ideal for a winter warm up!  My soup is adapted from Giada's Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti. Simple and yummy:

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New Year Dumplings for the Chinese New Year & In the Forbidden City Giveaway

**Disclosure: Thank you to the China Institute for providing us with a lovely book to give away. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Chinese New Year is right around the corner! Recently, we read and reviewed the gorgeous and informative In the Forbidden City which magically unfolds that history and mystery of China's Forbidden City using intricate illustrations. We are proud to announce that in the spirit of the Chinese New Year we are giving away one of these lovely volumes to a lucky reader! In addition, the China Institute has provided us with a scrumptious dumpling recipe that you can use to celebrate the Chinese New Year!

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Our New Mexican Lasagna Recipe for Red Gold's Lasagna Party and {Giveaway 1/26/15!}

**Disclosure: We received complimentary product from Red Gold to bring you this recipe and giveaway. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Red Gold is celebrating lasagna through February 3, 2015 and we are getting in on the fun with our new Mexican Lasagna Recipe!

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Peanut Butter Buckeyes!!! {Simple Recipe}

Last year, I decided to branch out from my usual round of holiday baking and tried Buckeyes. What a total success! My family could barely share them with anyone! Pretty easy, chocolate and peanut butter goodness! Here it goes:

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Fresh Vegetable Dip with siggi's {and a Giveaway 12/11/14}

**Disclosure: I did receive complimentary cups of yogurt to create this recipe and bring you this giveaway. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Ever since my first trip to Iceland a few years ago, I have been hooked on skyr. Good for me that siggi's makes this Icelandic yogurt right here in the United States! I love the flavor and thick, rich texture of skyr. Plus, you will not find any artificial ingredients in siggi's which is a definite plus! Given skyr's thick texture, I thought that it would be a great and healthy base for a dip so I created a Vegetable Dip with siggi's and some of our favorite ingredients. Here is what I used:

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Simple Maple Granola {Recipe}

I have found a lot of recipes for granola but I wanted to make a super-simple recipe that can easily be added to and I can tweak as I like or even based on ingredients on hand. Additionally, I love to throw a bit of granola on my yogurt but I don't necessarily want raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, etc. in my yogurt. A bare bones granola is very easy to make and you can easily add nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. as you see fit. Here is an easy one I whipped up in the kitchen:

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp avocado oil

3-4 tsp maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix oats, avocado oil and maple syrup. I used 3 tsp of maple syrup and found the resulting granola sweet enough for me but my daughter would like it a little sweeter. {Big shock!} If you like a bit of a sweeter granola, try the 4 tsp. 

Next, spread mixture on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Be sure to check around 15 minutes to prevent burning. The granola should be a toasted golden brown. Let cool and your granola is ready to eat!

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Spiced Up Cornbread For Red Gold's Summer Grilling Event {Through 7/23/14}

**Disclosure: We received products in order to facilitate a review and recipe. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

While shopping at the grocery store and picking up a few things for the kitchen, I am sure that you often see cans of Red Gold. Well, did you know that Red Gold is from Indiana? Red Gold is a family company launched in 1942 that has been packing Midwest tomatoes ever since. Pretty neat, huh? Well, this summer Red Gold is holding its second Summer Grilling Party over on Facebook with recipes and giveaways! Many winners will win a festive Red Gold apron and one lucky winner will win a Big Green Egg Grill and a Red Gold grill pack! Awesome! The giveaway is going on through July 23!

Red Gold did provide me with some delightful tomatoes to try out--- Red Gold Diced & Green Chilies, Chili Ready, Basil Garlic and Oregano, Lime & Cilantro and Diced Tomatoes. Bet you didn't know they had so many varieties! The Red Gold Diced & Green Chilies inspired me to make an amped up cornbread. I have seen a number of spicy cornbread recipes in the past but have never tried one myself. This week seemed like the perfect opportunity and the result was a lovely cornbread with a nice bit of edge!

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Mixed Berry Cobbler {Simple, Berry Goodness}

It has been way too long since we have done a recipe on here! My hubby and I actually have a few that are in the formative phases but not quite there yet. This time of year is berry-good in our house as my husband snaps up organic berry deals. I was inspired by our recent collection of berries to make a cobbler for the Fourth of July. Cobblers are pretty easy and please most. I made ours in one dish wish we split three ways, but you can also easily bake cobblers in individual portions. I used cherries and strawberries in my cobbler, but you can simply add blueberries, blackberries and raspberries as well.

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PEEPS Easter Latte {Put a Sweet Little Cap on your Warm Beverage}

**Disclosure: We received complimentary samples in order to create a treat. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

What says Easter more than brightly colored, sticky sweet PEEPS? Yellow, blue, pink, purple and more PEEPS will brighten up Easter baskets all over in  a few weeks. I had the opportunity to experiment with PEEPS recently and have come up with a fun latte perfect to add some spring fun to your morning. A little sweetness and a splash of color---lovely! However, I would like to share a few facts that I learned about PEEPS first.

The Peepstistics

The very first PEEP chick was hatched in 1953. So, they have been a favorite for quite awhile! Now, enough PEEPS are produced each year to circle the globe not just once---but twice! Back in the day, it took 27 hours--with a pastry tube--to make a PEEP chick. With today's automated process, it takes 6 hours to make a PEEP. Big difference! The distance between LA and NYC is approximately 70,000,000 PEEPS. That is one long rainbow! PEEPS are made in the U.S.A.---further solidifying them as the perfect Easter treat for us!

Flexing some Peepsonality!

After checking out all of PEEPS' sweet offerings, I was inspired to craft a latte. My husband and I each crafted one of our own using some delightful and spirited items! Here is how we flexed our Peepsonality!

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Creamed Parsnips with siggi's and a {Giveaway} 4/7/14

**Disclosure: As a siggi's ambassador, I have received complimentary product to sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Lately, we have been on a root vegetable kick, exploring ones that are relatively new to us. The parsnip has quickly become one of our favorites. It is pretty easy to work with---think carrot--and has a nice, sweet flavor. Recently, I became an ambassador for siggi's so I thought this would  the perfect opportunity to be a little adventurous with the parsnip. I love, love, love siggi's skyr! Blending it with a parsnip seemed to be a no-brainer!

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St. Patrick's Day Menu Ideas: Make a Meal Worthy of a Four-Leaf Clover

My first year blogging, I shared my favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes for Corned Beef and Irish Lemon Sponge Pudding. These two are truly my gold standards--I have been using them for about 15 years. {Scary, I know!} I thought that I would share them again as well as some new ones that I have uncovered online. I am always tempted to make more for St. Paddy's Day but, with a family of three, the Corned Beef and Irish Lemon Sponge Pudding always seem to be enough. {Plus, I am sure my daughter will put in a plea for scones as well!} If you are working on putting your St. Patrick's Day menu, take a peek at some of these ideas:



Irish Lemon Sponge Pudding

Our family's traditional recipes:

• St. Paddy's Day Corned Beef
• Irish Lemon Sponge Pudding
• Scones

Inspirations from Irish Abroad:

Irish Abroad, a networking site for Irish abroad and in Ireland, has quite the collection of Irish-inspired dishes. Here are some ideas:

• Turnip and Potato Casserole
• Lamb Shanks Braised in Stout
• Roasted Salmon with Leeks
• Red Onion Tart with Cashel Blue Cheese
• Strawberry Fummery

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Balsamic Chicken and Wild Rice {Recipe}

I think that I have mentioned before how much I love Cooking Light. We have found some great recipes from Cooking Light and find them to be well balanced yet not to difficult to execute. One of our standbys from Cooking Light happens to be Sauteed Chicken Breast with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce. Last night, I made it with a few tweaks. I wanted to share the recipe because it is a good one!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp chopped scallions
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 Tbsp buckwheat
1/2 cup wild rice (dry)

Directions:

First, start preparing the wild rice according to the package directions. Wild rice does take a little longer to cook, so starting it a little before you prepare the chicken may be a good idea.

Then, mix the balsamic, broth and honey. I whisked the mixture lightly. Heat the butter and oil in a skillet. {I used my Le Creuset.} Mix the flour and the pepper in a shallow dish for dredging. You may want to cut the chicken breasts in half {we left ours big however bigger pieces take longer}. Dredge your chicken and pan fry. Fry for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Since I left our breasts large, they did take about 7 minutes on each side. Once your chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet. Add the scallions and sautee for 30 seconds. Next, add the liquid mixture. Scrape the pan to add the browned bits. Boil the liquid about 3 minutes--until the liquid has been reduced by 1/2. To plate, put some wild rice on your plate. Then, place the chicken atop the wild rice and drizzle with the sauce and scallions. For dinner last night, we also made some brussel sprouts.

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Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows {as promised}

So, I whipped up another batch of Alton Brown's marshmallows and dipped them in chocolate. If you want to dip your marshmallows, let them set according to Alton's recipe and then cut them. Once you have done this, prepare the chocolate for dipping according to this recipe:

Ingredients:

5 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 oz. 2% milk

Directions:

Line dish with wax paper. Grab some pop sticks for dipping. Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler. Pour milk into top pan and warm slightly. Then, add chocolate and mix while chocolate is melting. While melting chocolate, do not let the temperature get above 115 F. I usually end up finishing the melting process by removing the top pot from the heat and stirring. You can always move it back to the heat if you need to.

Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, dip your marshmallows and place them in lined dish. Cover dish. Then, place in refrigerator until chocolate has solidified.

Yum!

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Simple Sugar Cookies

I have one of those cookie bibles full of cookie recipes. There are pages after pages of sugar cookie recipes---over 1000, actually. I have morphed a couple of them into the sugar cookie recipe that we used this year. My husband and daughter can't keep their hands off them, so this one is a keeper!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter {room temperature}
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

 Mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon in mixing bowl. Set aside. Next, cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Then, gradually add the dry mixture to the wet. Cover and chill for 4 hours. {I chilled mine over night and had to let it warm a tad to be workable.}

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Prepare a floured surface for rolling out dough. Lightly flour rolling pin and cookie cutters. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut cookies and place on baking sheet with cookies about 1" apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes for desired brownness. {My husband likes his a bit crunchy. I like a mix of soft and crunchy.} Let cool on wire racks. Then, store or decorate and then store.

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Fluffy Marshmallows Thanks to Alton Brown {Homemade}

 

After having some fresh marshmallows in France and New Orleans this year, I just knew that I had to make them. I am not normally a marshmallow person, but the fresh ones are just so light and airy. My daughter and I used a recipe by Alton Brown for our first {and successful} attempt. I thought maybe I was a little ambitious by including my daughter on this project. However, she was eager to help and did quite a good job. She even was pretty good at not sneaking a lick until we were cleaning up. I found Alton's recipe to be pretty easy to follow. If you follow the steps, you will not end up with a sticky mess. Rather, you will end up with delightful, sugary puffs! If you are looking for a marshmallow recipe, Alton Brown's recipe is great. We plan on making some chocolate covered marshmallows for the holidays, so I will let you know how that goes!

**Updated: To see how we dipped them, head to our chocolate dipped marshmallows post.

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Shepherd's Pie {Easy Comfort Food}

My husband and I have been making Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Shepherd's Pie for longer than I care to mention. The recipe has been adapted over the years according to our tastes and what we have more readily available. I like this recipe because it is easy but tastes like much more effort was put into it. Nice, warm comfort food for winter!

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Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Once the crisp air of fall rolled in, I had an instantaneous craving--one that you are probably familiar with. I could not wait to have a pumpkin spice latte from a certain coffee joint! And, yes, I did indulge. Soon afterward, I discovered a Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe by Amy Jamieson on People's website. To add to my excitement, the recipe truly used pumpkin--not just the spices. Having just cleaned out a pie pumpkin, I had some pumpkin to spare. So, I thought that I would try the recipe. Tonight, I gave it a whirl and enjoyed it. The recipe is very easy and the latte is definitely one that is perfect for sipping during a fall evening spending time with the family or enjoying a good book. I adapted the recipe a bit, so take a peek:

Ingredients

3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp maple syrup
2-3 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon + a pinch for the top of the latte
1 pinch ground ginger
1/2 cup coffee

Directions

Make coffee according to preferred method. Add all other ingredients to food processor or blender except the pinch of cinnamon. Blend on high speed until frothy. Then, pour into saucepan on stove top and warm. Do not heat to boiling. Then, pour milk mixture on top of 1/2 cup of coffee. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon. Yum!

I love that this recipe uses real pumpkin and that I actually know every ingredient in it. Plus, it is surprisingly easy to make at home!

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Super-moist Pumpkin Bread

I think that I hit one out of the park the other evening with a new pumpkin bread recipe. My daughter has been totally addicted to it! It took me awhile to find the right recipe. So many of them had four Simply Recipes and adapted it a little bit. We are almost done with our loaf--I am sure my daughter will be asking for another!
eggs and I had a hard time finding one that would work with how we bake. I finally found one on

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease loaf pan very well with butter. Grab two mixing bowls. Sift together first 4 ingredients in one bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients in the other bowl. Next, add your wet mixture to your dry mixture and combine until just mixed. Bake about 50-60 minutes. To test, poke with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is finished. Let it cool a little bit and then turn out.

The resulting loaf was nice and moist! While the loaf was baking, it smelled a little eggy. However, you do not pick up the eggs in the flavor! A nice fall loaf!

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