Showing posts with label Cooking and Recipes. Show all posts

Sweet & Savory Spring Salads

I've been looking for new ways to get those healthy greens in and Pinterest is always to the rescue for some inspiration and adventure, so to speak. I recently started pinning different salad recipes since the two that I have on rotation are getting a little old.

Let's look at some delicious salads that are perfect for the warmer days ahead. The titles are clickable if you want to venture over to get the recipe.



 


 






     



 
 
If you happen to try any of these recipes please let me know your thoughts or feedback.

Enjoy!

PS: I incorrectly announced on Friday that our Wanderlust Wednesday link up was tomorrow. It's not. The link up is actually next week Wednesday (April 13th). Can you say hot mess express over here or what! Sorry if I misguided anyone but I do hope you'll link up your favor wanderlust adventures or dream destinations next week.

Easter Entertaining & Favorite Recipes


On Sunday I hosted our annual Easter party for friends who don't have family in the area to come and enjoy a nice meal plus it gives me an excuse to dust off my entertaining ware that never gets used. K likes to cook a turkey in the oil-free turkey fryer we got as a wedding gift and I bake a ham which both take around 2 hours to cook each.



I usually try to host Easter dinner on a Saturday so we have Sunday to clean up and relax but since we already had plans to go to St. Augustine, we had no choice to host it on Sunday but luckily a few friends were able to make it while many others already had plans.


Since it was a small group I kept the appetizers minimal and served mini chicken pot pies from Trader Joe's and Andrea's amazing Slow Cooker Island Kielbasa recipe, which is so easy to whip together with only 4 ingredients (I used pineapple juice but not the chunks). Everyone raved about how good the kielbasa was!


For Easter decorations, I kept it simple and put together some Pinterest-inspired mason jar flower arrangements and added slices of lemon to the water.


Easter Dinner Menu:






Garlic mashed potatoes and gravy were pre-made from the store because I was worried about not having enough time to cook all of this on Sunday morning so decided to take a couple shortcuts.


For dessert, Kate made some amazing Pistachio cupcakes and another friend made some S'mores Rice Krispies Treats Pinwheels. Both desserts were incredible and we have tons leftover which is slightly dangerous. 


Finally, K concocted some Moscow Mules for a refreshing evening cocktail.


I'd say the Easter dinner party was a success this year spent with good friends and a delicious spread. Lola also enjoyed all of the attention!




Grilled Mexican Street Corn

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I made this delish recipe a while ago but didn't manage to snap many good photos. The original recipe has much more enticing photos if you want to check it out. This was my first time trying Mexican Street Corn and I really love how it turned out. I left out one or two ingredients that I didn't think were necessary and adjusted the cooking method slightly so here's my version of the recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

For the Spread
4 ears fresh corn, husked
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp. light sour cream
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

For the Topping
1/4 cup grated Cotija cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
Chopped cilantro

    What To Do:
    1. Soak 4 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. 
    2. Pierce a skewer halfway into the end of each corn cob.
    3. Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees F).
    4. Combine the spread ingredients in a bowl and the topping ingredients in a separate bowl. 
    5. Smear the spread over each cob and sprinkle on the topping mixture.
    6. Wrap each corn individually in a piece of aluminum foil securing it so the toppings don't fall out.
    7. Place the foil wrapped corn directly on the grill, cover at let cook for a total of 20 minutes, turning often until the kernels are tender.

    Serve immediately and enjoy!

    Here are a few other Mexican Street Corn recipes I found if you want to experiment with different/healthier ingredients and cooking methods.  


    Recipe links: 1 * 2 * 3

    Bite Me Dip


    This is my mother in law's recipe which makes an appearance every year at our family gatherings for Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving. "Bite me" dip is one of the staple appetizers we share while dinner is cooking and it goes extremely quickly because of how delicious it is. The ingredients are also very random but they blend together nicely to make a cheesy dip that has lots of flavor and a little bit of kick.

    I decided to try my hand at making my MIL's famous dip to bring to Kate's annual holiday party back in December hence the festive serving dish. It's a great appetizer to feed about 15-20 people.

    Ingredients:
    8 oz. sour cream
    1 bunch green onions, chopped
    1 jar sliced jalapeños, chopped
    16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
    1 small can chopped olives
    1/2 cup chopped deli ham (not shown in photo above)
    1 round loaf of sourdough bread


    What To Do:
    Hollow out bread to1 inch thickness and keep pieces for dipping. Combine all other ingredients. Mix well and put into bread. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Serve with torn bread pieces, tortilla chips, crackers or bagel chips. 


     Enjoy!

    A Different Mimosa



    I cooked up Sunday brunch at home recently for K and myself and decided to experiment with the ingredients I had at home to make mimosas. I used Pinot Grigio wine instead of champagne along with some strawberries for garnish and we loved how they tasted.



    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup chilled white wine
    1/3 cup ginger ale
    1/4 cup chilled orange juice
    Frozen strawberry halves

    Makes 1  Mimosa cocktail


    What To Do: 
    Combine all liquid ingredients and use a cocktail stirrer to mix the flavors.  Add frozen strawberries to the top so they help keep the cocktail cool while also providing a hint of strawberry flavor.

    Sip and enjoy!

    10 Best Recipes from 2015

    Over the years I've picked up the love of cooking new recipes. Sometimes I go to a restaurant and try something amazing and have to recreate it at home. I also get a peace of mind knowing what ingredients go into the meals that I eat and try to use less saturated fat, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients when I can. I also use so many herbs and spices that salt is never added to my recipes and I prefer to use coconut oil and anti-oxidizing ingredients such as garlic to give my recipes flavor.

    These are some of my favorite recipes that I made in 2015 and shared on the blog:



      







    Homemade Moscow Mule Cocktails


    This cocktail recipe is so simple and delicious. I made the mistake of presuming ginger beer was alcoholic so I couldn't find it in the grocery store only to find out it's not alcoholic and can be found in the same aisle as all the sodas such as Coke etc.

    Serving size: 1 cocktail

    Ingredients:
    Ice cubes
    2 oz. Vodka
    6 oz. Ginger Beer
    1/2 oz. lime juice
    1 lime wedge (for garnish)


    What To Do:
    Fill cup with ice cubes and pour vodka and lime juice over ice. Then add ginger beer and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge.

    Most restaurants serve Moscow Mules in a copper mug. Either way they're delicious with a nice combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Here are some fun variations of this recipe that I found on Pinterest (titles are clickable):

    The Angry Mule


    The Apple Pie Moscow Mule


    Strawberry Basil Moscow Mules


    Moscow Mule Margarita


    Blackberry Moscow Mule


    Joining the gals over at The Sequin Notebook for their monthly cocktail linkup.