Monday, April 30, 2018

Menu Plan Monday - April 30, 2018

Menu Plan Monday for Apr 30, 2018 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

Nick has started a low carb diet since he cannot exercise with a broken foot, so I'm trying to make lots of fresh ingredient dinners. I just started my pizza herb Aerogarden a little over a month ago, so I ain't mad at all. Bring on all the dinners with basil!

Monday - Skillet Mozzarella Basil Pesto Chicken
Tuesday - Ree's Burrito Bowls
Wednesday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Thursday - Updated Beef Wellington
Friday - Pizza with Sourdough Crust
Saturday - Sunday Meatloaf
Sunday - Breakfast Cheesecake // White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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, April 27, 2018

Fantastical Friday: 11 Grilled Cheese Recipes for National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month


April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month and even though it's almost over, there is still time to make a grilled cheese or save a bunch of new recipes to try later. Over the years, I have made tons of grilled cheese recipes because I love them, my husband loves them, and, of course, my kids love them too. The following 11 recipes are some of my favorites I have posted!

11 Grilled Cheese Recipes for National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month #recipe #grilledcheese #sandwich

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Cowboy Tumbleweed Burgers

Burgers made from beef and chorizo topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and spicy jalapenos!

Cowboy Tumbleweed Burgers #recipe #burgers #beef #chorizo #sandwich #bacon #jalapeno

I was totally on board when I saw this burger had jalapenos and bacon. I was even more on board when I found out that it was a mix of beef and chorizo. I was literally the board when I found out it had caramelized onions - haha! This burger has all sorts of good toppings to go with an excellent combination of traditional beef and spicy chorizo. I loaded mine up with jalapenos and caramelized onions and it was just plain good. I know that's not a particularly strong descriptive word, but sometimes that's just the best way to say it. Good.

Cowboy Tumbleweed Burgers #recipe #burgers #beef #chorizo #sandwich #bacon #jalapeno

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Chili Lime Chicken Salad

Mix up Taco Tuesday with this chicken salad that features corn, black beans, sauteed peppers, and a spicy chili lime dressing!

Chili Lime Chicken Salad #recipe #salad #chicken #lime #maindish

Salads are one of the most versatile meals and one of my all-time favorite lunch foods. I could eat salad every single day honestly. Every once in a blue moon, I'll make salad for dinner and I really enjoy making southwest/Tex Mex type of salads on Tuesdays. I just love having corn and black beans in my salad. This particular salad also has a little chili lime ranch dressing that really puts it up on a pedestal for me, a person who doesn't regularly eat or enjoy ranch dressing. This dressing is perfectly seasoned and has the right amount of heat to not overpower the salad, but to give you that little kick that is just perfect for Taco Tuesday.

Chili Lime Chicken Salad #recipe #salad #chicken #lime #maindish

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Steak

This mouthwatering recipe contains roasted tomato and asparagus, steak, pesto pasta, AND a fried egg to top it all off!

Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Steak #recipe #maindish #pasta #steak #asparagus #pesto

I know the picture says sundried tomato, but that was the original and I was not paying attention when I was editing pictures. Much professional. I also completely left out the pesto part, which in my eyes is pretty important because pesto is important. Regardless of my naming faux pas on my picture, this recipe is amazing! I am not really largely into sundried tomatoes, but love roasted grape tomatoes, so that's what I subbed in. It works perfectly in this recipe since you have to roast asparagus too. Steak got added to the mix because we were craving steak and thought...why not?! Overall, the elements all worked together wonderfully and made a meal that is definitely a favorite for most of my family (Matthew doesn't like asparagus too much).

Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Steak #recipe #maindish #pasta #steak #asparagus #pesto

Monday, April 23, 2018

Menu Plan Monday - April 23, 2018

Menu Plan Monday for Apr 23, 2018 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

I'm looking forward to all the recipes this week and cannot pinpoint one that is calling out to me over any of the others. There are two favorite recipes being made that we actually do eat quite often. Then there are tons of new recipes that look so wonderful.

Monday - Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta
Tuesday - Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce
Wednesday - Bloomin' Cinnamon Rolls // Skyline Chili
Thursday - Grilled Citrus Chicken with Strawberry Harvest Salad
Friday - Queso Frito Burgers
Saturday - Easy Hawaiian Sliders
Sunday - Cream Cheese Danish // S'mores Cookies

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, April 20, 2018

Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Muffins

Granola topping and a teensy bit inside the batter adds great texture to this breakfast muffin recipe!

Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Muffins #recipe #breakfast #banana #muffin #granola #chocolate

I'm not particularly fond of bananas by themselves, but I love bananas in bready type foods like bread (LOL) and muffins. I love banana pancakes. I also love banana pudding. But anyways, banana muffins are definitely an acceptable way for me to eat bananas and I had saved this recipe from one of my Secret Recipe Club assignment blogs to make at some point (not for reveal day). I loved the idea of using granola as a topping and I loved having chocolate in the muffins even more!

Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Muffins #recipe #breakfast #banana #muffin #granola #chocolate

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts #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 STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make for this month's food fight until I was meal planning. I was looking through my breakfast board on Pinterest and saw this recipe and knew it was the one. I was excited when I discovered it was an easy breakfast because I have not been very good at making breakfast recipes lately.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts #recipe #breakfast #donuts #strawberry #FantasticalFoodFight

These donuts are basically like Chinese donuts. They are ridiculously easy to make and they are quick. All you need is a tube of refrigerated biscuits, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries. Plus oil to fry them in. The biscuit dough ends up light and fluffy. The strawberries and whipped cream were literally perfect with them. I could have eaten a whole batch by myself!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts #recipe #breakfast #donuts #strawberry #FantasticalFoodFight

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Blackened Chicken Fiesta Salad

Juicy, flavorful chicken nestled on top of an amazing corn, tomato, and chickpea salad

Blackened Chicken Fiesta Salad #recipe #chicken #salad #chickpea #corn #tomato #maindish

I have made quite a few fiesta salads but this is by far my favorite. The blackened chicken was wonderful on its own, but it was the salad mix that really blew me away. It's not a salad with lettuce or leafy greens. It's a salad with chickpeas, tomato, and corn. I think it was my first time using chickpeas and we really enjoyed them. The salad itself was even better the next day after the flavors had married a little more. 

Blackened Chicken Fiesta Salad #recipe #chicken #salad #chickpea #corn #tomato #maindish

Monday, April 16, 2018

Menu Plan Monday - April 16, 2018

Menu Plan Monday for Jan 30, 2018 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

I honestly am not paying attention to any of these recipes except for Thursday's dinner because I made it recently and am head over heels in love with it. The pickled shallots, spicy honey mustard,  and arugula compliment schnitzel SO well. I drool just thinking about it!

Monday - Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, cornbread
Tuesday - Mexican Shredded Beef Enchiladas, corn
Wednesday - Coffee Cake Donuts // Egg Roll Soup
Thursday - Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches, potato wedges
Friday - Chipotle BBQ Hawaiian Pizza
Saturday - Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Sausage
Sunday - Breakfast Cheesecake // Copycat Twix Bars

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

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Chipotle Peach Meatballs #SecretRecipeClub

Hello, all! Over the last year, I have realized how much I missed Secret Recipe Club and decided that although monthly reveal days with 3 or 4 groups is overwhelming, getting together and doing a reveal day every once in a while would be so much fun. For now, this will most definitely be an annual thing. I decided to do it in April because that is when the first reveal day happened many years ago. I hope you all enjoy this Reunion Reveal Day. I know it was so fun to get back with my fellow SRC bloggers and I can't wait for next year :)

Chipotle Peach Meatballs #recipe #SecretRecipeClub #appetizer #meatballs #chipotle #peach

I was assigned to Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook. I have made from Lauren's blog before back in March 2015 - I made her Cranberry Coffeecake, which I absolutely loved. This time around, I searched her more recent recipes to see if I could find the winning recipe.

This Corned Beef & Cabbage Turnovers looked so delicious. I've been craving corned beef and cabbage like crazy, probably because it was just March. I also really wanted to make this White Cheddar and Cranberry Dip but thought that it would be hard to find fresh cranberries now that it's spring. Ultimately, I decided upon the Chipotle Peach Meatballs.

Chipotle Peach Meatballs #recipe #SecretRecipeClub #appetizer #meatballs #chipotle #peach

This recipe was so easy to put together. We ended up eating it with leftover mashed potatoes for dinner and loved the combination. I can also see these being made each New Year's Eve. Seriously, they were so easy and so flavorful. Even my peach and chipotle hating child loved them.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Fantastical Friday: National BLT Sandwich Month


April is the month of the BLT! That's right, it's National BLT Sandwich Month :) What better way to celebrate than to make and eat as many BLTs as possible.

Celebrate National BLT Sandwich Month in April with these 7 recipes!

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Snickers Cheesecake Pie

A lovely no-bake dessert with loads of chocolate and caramel - sure to please a crowd!

Snickers Cheesecake Pie #recipe #dessert #nobake #pie #Snickers #caramel #chocolate

I am not a fan of pie. Really it's not so much that I don't like pie as much as I don't like pie crust. I tolerate pumpkin pie because I'll eat the bottom of the crust and leave the edges alone. But otherwise, pie is just not my thing. I do love a pie like this Snickers Cheesecake Pie because it uses graham crackers for the crust. No hate for graham cracker crust. Graham cracker crust is the bomb. This particular dessert was definitely bound to be a favorite because it has my OG favorite candy bar, Snickers. It's a wonderful no-bake dessert - hope you guys try it out!

Snickers Cheesecake Pie #recipe #dessert #nobake #pie #Snickers #caramel #chocolate

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Cheesy Meatball Parmesan Soup

A soup reminiscent of spaghetti and meatballs that the whole family will love.

Cheesy Meatball Parmesan Soup #recipe #maindish #soup #beef #meatballs #cheese

I love meatballs - just traditional meatballs with a tomato-based sauce, but I feel like I don't make them enough. When I make spaghetti, it's usually on Mondays when we are super busy and I just need something quick to throw together, so I forego making meatballs. @e eat soup on Wednesdays though when I have more time to make dinner. I looked forward to making this recipe because it was meatballs plus tomato-based "sauce" in soup form. The soup is wonderful and I think is made even better by the addition of topping it with cheese and broiling it. Broiled cheesy goodness on soup is heaven, y'all. Heaven.

Cheesy Meatball Parmesan Soup #recipe #maindish #soup #beef #meatballs #cheese

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

One Pan Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Veggies

Crispy chicken along with some of that delicious crunch on the veggies makes for a delicious meal.


The best kinds of recipes are ones that you can throw into a pan and bake. I am easily thrilled when a recipe contains zucchini and/or squash. I cannot get enough of these veggies and would eat them with every meal. I have had zucchini in spaghetti and bbq pulled chicken. Just give me all the zucchini! I love that this recipe took the excess coating for the chicken and tossed it with the veggies, so that nothing went to waste.



Monday, April 09, 2018

Menu Plan Monday - April 9, 2018

Menu Plan Monday for Jan 30, 2018 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

I'm excited for all the pasta this week, but also really excited to try the Mississippi Pot Roast Philly Cheesesteak subs. Mississippi Pot Roast is a huge hit in our house and is referred to as "The Pot Roast" and it's always in the Food subreddit on Reddit. A few weeks ago, someone posted in r/food that they made it into cheesesteaks and I was immediately on top of putting that on my April meal plan.

Monday - Slow Cooker Parmesan Meat Sauce, broccoli, garlic knots
Tuesday - Chili Lime Chicken, Spanish rice, refried beans
Wednesday - Oreo Muffins // Italian Sausage Soup
Thursday - Garlic Chicken and Broccoli Cashew Stir Fry
Friday - Mississippi Pot Roast Philly Cheesesteak Subs, chips
Saturday - Chicken Bacon Garlic Alfredo Roll Ups, salad, garlic breadsticks
Sunday - Belgian Waffles // Mint Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Squares

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, April 08, 2018

Enchilada Burgers #SundaySupper

The best way to glam up a regular burger is to add enchilada fixings to it!

Enchilada Burgers #recipe #maindish #burgers #beef #SundaySupper

Today's Sunday Supper event theme is DINNER IDEAS USING GROUND BEEF. I immediately chose to share a burger. Burgers are one of my favorite things to make with ground beef and, in my opinion, one of the easiest and most versatile things to make with ground beef. I do not like to season ground beef with anything except a little salt and pepper for my burgers. As much as I love garlic, the second garlic touches the ground beef for a burger, I'm out. For me, it's all about the toppings to add more flavors to a burger.

Enchilada Burgers #recipe #maindish #burgers #beef #SundaySupper

These Enchilada Burgers are great because you can basically add any toppings that you would normally add to enchiladas or tacos. You can buy premade toppings (like pico de gallo, guacamole, enchilada sauce) or you can make your favorite recipe. So this burger can be "gourmet" or a quick, easy meal. It's really up to you and how much time you have on your hands.

Friday, April 06, 2018

French Onion Burgers

This gourmet burger has sauteed leeks, crispy fried onions, and a thick slice of Gruyere on top!

French Onion Burgers #recipe #maindish #beef #burgers #burger #leeks #gruyere

I was a little skeptical of this recipe because I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of French onion soup. However, I didn't see anything in the ingredients lists that made me bat an eye. I did have to look up what the heck a cornichon was because I had no idea - it's a French pickle. Thankfully, my grocery store had them in the little international food section (with the German foods).

This burger is seriously such a gourmet recipe. The "fry sauce" with cornichon was great. The sauteed leeks are one of my favorite burger toppings of all time. And the gruyere and crispy onions MAKE. THE. BURGER. All these components together almost pushed this burger into my favorite burger of all-time. Almost. It is my number two favorite burger and that's saying something...because I have made a ton of burgers I really love.

French Onion Burgers #recipe #maindish #beef #burgers #burger #leeks #gruyere

Wednesday, April 04, 2018

German Cheese Soup

This beer cheese soup with brats is total comfort food for a chilly day.

German Cheese Soup #recipe #maindish #soup #bratwurst #cheese #beer

Just when I finally think that Tennessee has decided to warm up, there is a cold front coming through and it's going to be chilly again. Hopefully, it's a short-lived cold front and spring will more or less arrive with no going back to all this cold weather. Today is Soup Night for us and while we're not having this German Cheese Soup, it's definitely a great pick for those who are still having some cold and chilly nights. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I love beer with cheese. It's such a perfect pairing. This cheese soup was also made better by the addition of brats. Nothing is better than beer, cheese, and brats together!

German Cheese Soup #recipe #maindish #soup #bratwurst #cheese #beer

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Ree's Spaghetti

This amazing homemade spaghetti sauce can be made in bulk for freezing and is simmered for over an hour to really marry the flavors.

Ree's Spaghetti #recipe #maindish #tomato #spaghetti #pasta #wine

I'm not sure if I've ever outright stated it on my blog, but I know I have put it on a "get to know me" template on my Instagram stories...Spaghetti is my favorite meal. Ever. I have tried countless homemade spaghetti sauce recipes and I do like most of them, but I am kind of picky on what I look for in a spaghetti sauce. I don't like a sauce that's too tomatoey and I like a very meaty, thick sauce. Don't at me with that runny sauce. I like lots of herb taste - especially basil and oregano. I was so happy with this spaghetti sauce. It had the right balance of everything and it also makes a load of sauce. I halved the original recipe and still had a ton leftover.

Ree's Spaghetti #recipe #maindish #tomato #spaghetti #pasta #wine

Monday, April 02, 2018

Menu Plan Monday - April 2, 2018

Menu Plan Monday for Jan 30, 2018 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

We're having our Easter dinner a little on the late side because Nick's mom was out of town for Easter. Easter isn't a huge holiday for us and we don't really do much but give the kids some candy. We do, however, love Easter dinner and I cannot wait for ham. We don't have ham enough. Also carrot cake because it's probably my second favorite cake behind chocolate.

Monday - Crispy Lemon Parmesan Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders, potato wedges, asparagus
Tuesday - Walking Tacos
Wednesday - Cinnamon Roll Donuts // One Pot White Chicken Lasagna Soup
Thursday - Korean BBQ Steak Bowls
Friday - French Bread Pizzas
Saturday - Tatortot Hotdish
Sunday - Easter Dinner for us - Asparagus Casserole // Carrot Bundt Cake

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

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