Sunday, December 31, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Reader Faves


Today's theme is Most Popular/Reader Faves and I left that up for everyone to interpret if they wanted to do the most viewed, most commented on, etc. Usually I do the most viewed recipes that were published in the year, but I wanted to do the most viewed of 2017 out of all the recipes on the blog and I love the recipes that made it to the top ten list :)

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Best Crockpot Recipes


It's time to feature an appliance that we all know and love: the crockpot! *cheers* The slow cooker is so versatile and simply wonderful. I am sure there will be plenty of recipes I will save from my blogging friends. I failed to make any desserts in the crockpot this year, so my goal is to make at least 6 crockpot desserts next year!


Friday, December 29, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Best Dessert Recipes


Arguably my favorite day of the Countdown, today we are sharing all our best dessert recipes of 2017. I tried to choose a variety of recipes to share and feel I made quite the variety of desserts over the past year, so it was pretty easy to pick some favorites for each season.


Thursday, December 28, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Best Main Dish Recipes


Now we're getting down to the bread and butter of the Countdown, the main dishes! Where would we be without main dish recipes? For me, probably in a sugar coma :P I post a great deal of main dishes on my blog, so I took out my favorites and will be posting those on the 1st. A lot of these are favorites too, but I took out my most favorite favorites. Can't wait to see what made everyone else's list!



Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Best Breakfast Recipes


Today's all about breakfast recipes, which are some of my favorite foods, but also ones I really never make because I suck at mornings. But one can dream - especially when I see all the great recipes my blogging friends are sharing today. I have to admit that I love the variety I have made in 2017 and look forward to a more successful breakfast year in 2018.


Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Countdown to 2018: Best Appetizers and Snacks Recipes


It's that time of year once again! I am joined by my blogging friends to share the best recipes of 2017. The schedule is shown above in the little image - the countdown runs from December 26th to January 1st. I hope you stop by each day to see what recipes made our lists for each category. If you are a food blogger and just now hearing about the Countdown, please feel free to jump in. You don't have to participate every single day by any means. The blog hop is open from 12am EST the day the category goes live until 12pm EST the following day, so you still have time to draft something up and post it!



Monday, December 25, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - December 25, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Dec 25, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

Merry Christmas to all those celebrating! I'm ridiculously excited for all the goodies today. I'm making deviled eggs (as always), cranberry pie, bacon wrapped turkey, pumpkin cake roll, and a corn dip for an appetizer. There are some off days with no dinners because I don't know our plans just yet and they could change. I'm so ready for NYE too. It may just be my little family for NYE, so we aren't going too big.

Monday - Crockpot Cinnamon Roll Casserole // Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs, Cranberry Cheesecake Crumb Pie, Slow Cooker Corn and Jalapeno Dip, Pumpkin Cake Roll, Bacon Wrapped Turkey
Tuesday - Steak Fajita Pasta
Wednesday - off
Thursday - Slow Cooker General Tso's Chicken
Friday - Pizza with Sourdough Crust
Saturday - Salted Caramel Muffins
Sunday - Loaded Nachos, Turtle Cheeseball, Bacon Crackers, Wings, Jalapeno Poppers

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!


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Friday, December 22, 2017

Fantastical Friday: Happy Holidays


2017 is coming to an end and I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays - whatever you celebrate! New recipes will resume in 2018, but the Countdown to 2018 will start the day after Christmas and I'm excited to look back on the recipes of 2017. Have a great holiday and weekend and I will see y'all on Monday :)

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes

An easy way to fix mashed potatoes and they are packed with garlic and herbs and are amazing!

Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes // An easy way to fix mashed potatoes and they are packed with garlic and herbs and are amazing! #recipe #potatoes #sidedish #slowcooker #crockpot

I love making side dishes in the crockpot at the holidays because it leaves your oven open for the big ticket items like prime rib, turkey, or ham. I was completely enamored when I saw the picture for this slow cooker potatoes recipe because they are mashed potatoes BUT the skins are still on! I love mashed potatoes with the skins still on. These potatoes are so wonderful and the garlic and herbs are so amazing in them. These are a must for any holiday spread.

Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes // An easy way to fix mashed potatoes and they are packed with garlic and herbs and are amazing! #recipe #potatoes #sidedish #slowcooker #crockpot

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Eggnog Bread #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is very fitting: EGGNOG. Normally, I would shy away from this but since it's an event I host, I want to step outside of my comfort zone a little and also pick ingredients or dishes that everyone wants to use/make because it isn't just about me. Much like how I fix foods for Nick and the kids that I don't like, I will do the same for Food Fight. Plus, I may end up with a new favorite. I never liked alfredo sauce, Philly cheesesteak, chicken parmesan, or pot pie until I made it at home.

Eggnog Bread // This delicious and moist dessert-like bread is everything you want this holiday season! #FantasticalFoodFight #eggnog #bread #dessert #recipe

I have actually made this eggnog bread before, way back in late 2016. I wasn't honestly making it for me to eat. Just for the eggnog lovers in the house who outnumber me. I did try it and was surprised at the flavor. I guess I don't mind eggnog flavor as long as it doesn't have too much rum or nutmeg to it. Really one of my biggest problems with eggnog is how thick it is. So this bread has none of that. It isn't too heavy on rum or nutmeg and it doesn't contain any thick liquidness of eggnog. So it's a winner. Even I, as an eggnog hater, enjoyed this bread. Also if I'm being honest...I would classify this as a cake. It's definitely a very cake-y bread and just wonderful!

Eggnog Bread // This delicious and moist dessert-like bread is everything you want this holiday season! #FantasticalFoodFight #eggnog #bread #dessert #recipe

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

White Pizza Dip

Pizza gets a gourmet upgrade and is made into the perfect appetizer with roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs!

White Pizza Dip // Pizza gets a gourmet upgrade and is made into the perfect appetizer with roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs! #recipe #appetizer #cheese #tomatoes #pizza

If I could only have cheese in one form for the rest of my life, it would be in this pizza dip. Roasted tomatoes, four types of cheese, and fresh herbs make up this AMAZING appetizer. I fixed it up for New Year's Eve last year and it was easily my very favorite recipe of the night. It tastes like pizza. But gourmet and an appetizer. I think everyone else loved it too and it didn't last long. I honestly need like a bathtub filled with it. I really loved these fancy crackers with it too. They really held up well to the dip.

White Pizza Dip // Pizza gets a gourmet upgrade and is made into the perfect appetizer with roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs! #recipe #appetizer #cheese #tomatoes #pizza

Monday, December 18, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - December 18, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Dec 18, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

Ah, it's so close to Christmas and that means we gotta make Santa's cookies - pudding cookies this year :) We've got family coming into town and I could not be more excited!

Monday - Slow Cooker Spinach Chicken Pasta
Tuesday - Smoky Tex Mex Sloppy Joes
Wednesday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // Egg Drop Soup
Thursday - Slow Cooker Pineapple Stuffed Hawaiian Meatballs
Friday - Copycat Big Mac
Saturday - The Best Coffee Cake Ever // Gingerbread Pudding Cookies
Sunday - off

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Friday, December 15, 2017

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Crunch Donuts

Why not enjoy a little sweet breakfast with candy canes, chocolate, and marshmallows?!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Crunch Donuts // Why not enjoy a little sweet breakfast with candy canes, chocolate, and marshmallows?! #recipe #peppermint #hotcocoa #chocolate #donuts #marshmallow #breakfast

Each year, I try to make a really good breakfast for Christmas morning. I typically make cinnamon rolls and wake up way too early to do it, so last year I wanted something simpler. My kids love donuts and I knew that peppermint chocolate ones with marshmallows would be really special for them. I thought they were pretty fantastic too. I loved the chocolate donut with slight peppermint flavor added to it and the chocolate glaze too! The glaze was wonderful.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Chrissy's Pot Pie Soup

This ridiculously fantastic soup is creamy and rich with pie crust dippers that can fool you into thinking you have a pot pie in front of you.

Chrissy's Pot Pie Soup // This ridiculously fantastic soup is creamy and rich with pie crust dippers that can fool you into thinking you have a pot pie in front of you. #recipe #soup #potpie #chicken #ham #pie

One of the few foods I do not care for is pot pie. I'm not sure if it's because I grew up having the mini pre-prepared pot pies or just my dislike of pie crust, but either way...pot pie is not my favorite. So why on earth am I sharing a recipe that's so close to pot pie? Because I LOVE this soup so much. I have taken to trying to find compromises for foods my family loves and I don't like because it's not fair to them to not get to eat something because *I* don't like it. Sometimes this results in me finding a recipe I actually really like and can make me into a believer - this is why I now like Chicken Parm and Philly Cheesesteaks.

I looked through the Cravings cookbook and saw the picture for this soup and although I've made a pot pie soup before, I figured this one seemed more authentic to pot pie and it also had pieces of crust that the others would love (and I could omit in my own bowl, if I wanted). This is definitely a more time-consuming soup recipe, but with the end result, every second spent on this soup was so worth it. The soup was creamy but not too thick. I loved having chicken AND ham. The veggies were reminiscent of pot pie and you also get little bursts of flavor from the pearl onions. What I was surprised with is that I actually really loved the pie crust pieces. They were salty and crunchy and DEFINITELY will always be welcome in my bowl. Nick and the big kids agreed that this was a worthy substitute for actual pot pie and was very very delicious. Most definitely a keeper!

Chrissy's Pot Pie Soup // This ridiculously fantastic soup is creamy and rich with pie crust dippers that can fool you into thinking you have a pot pie in front of you. #recipe #soup #potpie #chicken #ham #pie

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Green Bean Casserole Shepherd's Pie

A perfect marriage of two classic comfort foods

Green Bean Casserole Shepherd's Pie // A perfect marriage of two classic comfort foods #recipe #casserole #shepherdspie #maindish #beef #greenbeans

I remember when I found this recipe how ridiculously excited I was. I love shepherd's pie and don't make it nearly enough and green bean casserole really only appears a few times a year at big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Why is that? It's much too good to only be made that few times a year. I was a little weary of using instant potatoes because I've never been a huge fan of them (unless my mother-in-law makes them and works her magic to make them taste real), but I was surprised at the flavor of the garlic mashed potatoes. If I'm being honest, I'd still rather make real mashed potatoes to go on this, but in a pinch, I don't mind these instant potatoes.

Green Bean Casserole Shepherd's Pie // A perfect marriage of two classic comfort foods #recipe #casserole #shepherdspie #maindish #beef #greenbeans

Monday, December 11, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - December 11, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Dec 11, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

I am mega intrigued by red pesto sauce and I adore pesto, so I had to put Monday's recipe on my meal plan. I've been craving salad lately, so that is a welcome meal as well. AND I'm so ready for Butter Pecan Cheesecake!

Monday - Angel Hair with Red Pesto Sauce with Meatballs
Tuesday - Pepperjack Smothered Chicken
Wednesday - Oreo Muffins // Lori's 3-Bean Slow Cooker Chili
Thursday - Chicken Parmesan Salad
Friday - Calzones
Saturday - Italian Sausage Frittata // Butter Pecan Cheesecake
Sunday - Scalloped Potatoes and Ground Beef Casserole

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies #SundaySupper

These chewy cookies are everything spice and nice and you won't be able to stop at one!

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies // These chewy cookies are everything spice and nice and you won't be able to stop at one! #recipe #pumpkin #molasses #cookies #dessert #SundaySupper

Today's Sunday Supper Movement event is BEST COOKIE EXCHANGE RECIPES. I jumped onto  this so quickly because I am in love with cookies and I love doing cookie exchanges. Really I love making cookies, especially at the holidays.

I originally found these cookies and they were named Pumpkin Gingersnaps. I didn't change the recipe, but I felt that they reminded me more of molasses cookies because they are thicker, crunchy on the edges, and soft and chewy in the middle. They definitely reminded me of my mom's molasses cookies that were my childhood favorite.

These pumpkin molasses cookies were so puffy and chewy and I loved every bit of them. I ate entirely too many and I'm seriously considering making another batch and hiding them, because as it turns out, Nick and Cami also really really like them.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies // These chewy cookies are everything spice and nice and you won't be able to stop at one! #recipe #pumpkin #molasses #cookies #dessert #SundaySupper

These cookies, I feel, would be best for an in-person cookie exchange. But if you do want to send them, I suggest buying some inexpensive plastic food storage containers at a dollar store, so that there is a little protection while getting sent through the mail.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies // These chewy cookies are everything spice and nice and you won't be able to stop at one! #recipe #pumpkin #molasses #cookies #dessert #SundaySupper

Friday, December 08, 2017

Fantastical Friday: 10 Recipes for National Chocolate Brownie Day


It's National Chocolate Brownie Day and that means I have found some brownie recipes to share, in case you want to celebrate. I have shared bars and brownies recipe round ups before but these are 10 new recipes I have hoarded since then.

10 Recipes for National Chocolate Brownie Day #dessert #chocolate #brownies

Thursday, December 07, 2017

Gingerbread Cheesecake

This extraordinary holiday dessert has a gingersnap bottom, a creamy gingerbread and molasses cheesecake base, and is topped with a light and fluffy rum topping.

Gingerbread Cheesecake // This extraordinary holiday dessert has a gingersnap bottom, a creamy gingerbread and molasses cheesecake base, and is topped with a light and fluffy rum topping. #dessert #holiday #gingerbread #cheesecake #rum

I'm not sure why, but I've found that lately I've been making cheesecake for holiday desserts. Typically, I am the one who brings dessert for any family function and I just keep latching onto cheesecake for some unknown reason. Last Christmas (yes...2016), I whipped up this gingerbread cheesecake and it was unbelievably amazing. The molasses in it was perfection and I loved the lightly rum flavored whipped topping. Plus the gingersnap bottom  - to die for! It turned out so beautifully and I was so happy with it. It was hard for me to not make it again this year, but alas, too many recipes hoarded to have repeats. But I'm very tempted to make it again and throw all caution to the wind :)

Gingerbread Cheesecake // This extraordinary holiday dessert has a gingersnap bottom, a creamy gingerbread and molasses cheesecake base, and is topped with a light and fluffy rum topping. #dessert #holiday #gingerbread #cheesecake #rum

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Crockpot Italian Chicken & Quinoa Soup

Loaded with flavor, this crockpot soup is a wonderful meal for a chilly day!

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Quinoa Soup // Loaded with flavor, this crockpot soup is a wonderful meal for a chilly day! #recipe #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #chicken #quinoa

I love to be surprised by foods I make. Soups aren't always the prettiest, so looks aren't really a good judge. The minute I went to serve this soup up and the ladle wafted all the soupy goodness smell up in the air...I KNEW this was going to be incredibly wonderfully delicious. I know that you aren't supposed to use the word delicious to describe foods, but sometimes you just have to. It's nothing to look at, but it sure is a fantastic soup with loads of flavor.

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Quinoa Soup // Loaded with flavor, this crockpot soup is a wonderful meal for a chilly day! #recipe #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #chicken #quinoa

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

One Pan Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

This wonderful pasta recipe with all the best stuff is ready in under 30 minutes!

One Pan Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta // This wonderful pasta recipe with all the best stuff is ready in under 30 minutes! #recipe #sausage #pasta #kale

Despite it being off season for soccer, I still appreciate a one pot recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking and don't mind being in the kitchen for an hour. I find it funny that I wouldn't eat sausage as a child and now it's one of my favorite meats - especially in pasta dishes and with kale. Yum!

One Pan Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta // This wonderful pasta recipe with all the best stuff is ready in under 30 minutes! #recipe #sausage #pasta #kale

Monday, December 04, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - December 4, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Dec 4, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

I am so excited to have two recipes from Cravings cookbook again. They were two ultra awesome recipes and once again...I highly suggest this cookbook. Ask for it for Christmas (if you celebrate) or for your birthday - you need it!

Monday - Chicken Mozzarella Pasta
Tuesday - Chipotle Ground Beef Enchiladas
Wednesday - Cinnamon Roll Donuts // Chrissy's Pot Pie Soup [from Cravings]
Thursday - Skillet Beef Broccoli Ramen
Friday - Steak and Shake Frisco Patty Melts
Saturday - French Toast // Eggnog Bread
Sunday - Cheesy Jalapeno Tuna Casserole [from Cravings]

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies #FBLCookieExchange

These seasonal spiced cookies have a dollop of white chocolate in the middle - seriously wonderful cookies for Christmas!

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies // These seasonal spiced cookies have a dollop of white chocolate in the middle - seriously wonderful cookies for Christmas! #recipe #cookies #FBLCookieExchange #gingerbread #Christmas

After the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap ended, Allison of The PinterTest Kitchen and I decided we wanted to host a cookie exchange because it just didn't feel right to not have our yearly cookie exchange! And the Food Blogger Love Cookie Exchange was born.

The premise is that you are matched with 3 bloggers and send each a dozen cookies (and they don't know who has them until they receive their cookies!). In turn, you also receive a dozen cookies from 3 different bloggers. I received Triple Chocolate Biscotti from Fix Me A Little Lunch, shortbread sugar cookies with anise in them (I'll update the recipe title) from That Recipe, and Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen. I will update later today with the links to the recipes of the cookies I received. I loved each and every one of them. Thank you to everyone who joined in!

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies // These seasonal spiced cookies have a dollop of white chocolate in the middle - seriously wonderful cookies for Christmas! #recipe #cookies #FBLCookieExchange #gingerbread #Christmas

I sent a dozen each of these gingerbread thumbprint cookies to Hetal, Megan, and Colleen. I picked out the recipe at the end of October, knowing that I really wanted to make something more holiday-esque. Last year I finally figured out that I wanted all the gingerbread things at Christmas time, so I am making as many gingerbread recipes as I can fit in during the holiday season this year! Originally these cookies were stuffed with dark chocolate, but I went the white chocolate route because I just felt gingerbread and white chocolate go together better.

If you would like to be notified of blogging events like this cookie exchange, please check out the Food Blogger Love group: here.

Friday, December 01, 2017

Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

These sweet muffins have a burst of tart cranberry - the perfect winter breakfast!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins // These sweet muffins have a burst of tart cranberry - the perfect winter breakfast! #recipe #breakfast #muffins #cranberry #winter

Hello, December! The end of the year is upon us and once again, I can't believe it. For some reason, cranberries don't really hit my radar until after Thanksgiving. I don't like cranberry sauce, but I love cranberries in baked goods. These muffins are the fluffiest, moistest, creamiest, loveliest, and all the other -ests. The bite of cranberry is just the right amount of tart to offset the sweetness of the muffins and it's the best. I could not stop eating them.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins // These sweet muffins have a burst of tart cranberry - the perfect winter breakfast! #recipe #breakfast #muffins #cranberry #winter