Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad

I love roasted vegetables but I don't always have the opportunity, fancy equipment for grilling, or even the right food to create the perfect side dish for what I'm craving. If that's the case though, I improvise by using modified versions of what I do have.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Out and About: Fair Oaks Farms

I visited Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago with my parents and my son. They were on vacation and wanted to have all these adventures with the little guy before they went back to work - Fair Oaks was just one of them. We thought we'd have a great time doing all fun things a kid can do there: going through mazes, seeing the baby cows and eating at their cafe. Well, none of those even happened with the exception of the cafe. I'm not going to get into the lack of things for a kid (or an adult) to do though - because I think we just went on the wrong day - so I'll keep this food-related.

The cafe...oh, the cafe. The food wasn't up to par and didn't live up to the hype at all. My mom and my son got their 'Almost Famous Grilled Cheese' and I'll tell ya, there's a reason it isn't famous! My son took one bite of his kids meal sandwich and said he didn't like it. I did the mom thing and tried to get him to eat more until I tasted it myself. It was so dry and bland and tasted like melted Cheddar on toast. And it wasn't even good toast! My mom's grilled cheese wasn't as dry, but it wasn't anything to write home about. My dad and I got Cuban sandwiches that were also pretty bland. It was a tad dry and the best part was the mustard packet they put on the side.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Visiting the Apple Orchard

The beautiful scenery along the road.

A couple weeks ago, we made a visit to the apple orchard. This wasn't an ordinary, run-of-the-mill orchard though, it was an actual orchard owned by family. My mother-in-law's cousin has this amazingly, beautiful land in Michigan and every year, they invite the entire family for a day of picking.

Chicken Makes Perfect Potstickers

I made potstickers for the first time Thursday night. They were so good and I'm really proud of myself for creating such a yummy recipe. Yes, I create recipes a lot, but this was a new challenge because it was something out of the norm. I never really attempted them before because I was a little intimidated by how difficult they looked, but I'll tell ya, they were actually very easy to prepare! They were also very easy on the budget because there isn't much that goes into them. And, if you don't have one of the ingredients or want to try a different twist on it - go ahead because this is one of those recipes that is so versatile and can suit anyone's tastes.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Raw Applesauce for Cooking

I like to cook with applesauce every once in a while but don't always have it on hand. I have an overload of apples right now from our orchard visit (more on that later) so I decided to make my own this time. Now, I usually make my applesauce for eating, but it's a different consistency than the store-bought types. The jars you find at the store are nice and smooth, while I keep mine chunky. While both taste good, one is much better for cooking!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Malibu Tropic Breeze

I had some strawberries in the fridge that were on their last leg so they were pretty much the inspiration for this drink. Drinking it makes me think of sitting on a patio on a warm summer night while a cool breeze whistles by. Or, maybe it just makes me wish I was...

Sunday, October 9, 2011

PB & J Pancake Sticks

Some morning are easier than others in my house. Some are also harder. On those mornings when nothing is going right and I need to get my son settled and get started on some work, I look for an easy breakfast. I'll usually ask the little guy what he would like and I'll almost always get an answer that is actually breakfast food! Every once in awhile I'll get a reply of pretzels or string cheese, but the other morning, my answer was pancakes.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Dustin and Lauren's Invitations

My most recent invitation adventure took me back to metallic paper. I love it...and not just because it's shiny. Metallic paper has such an elegant style and look that it's difficult to not feel fancy when holding it in your hand.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Italian-Style Stuffed Zucchini

I went to the farm stand near our house a few days ago specifically for zucchini. They have the kind that you would grow in your know, the ones that aren't super tiny you get your money's worth.

When I was younger, my parents had a garden behind the garage and they would grow everything from strawberries to chives to zucchini. I remember that zucchini fondly because to this day, I have not seen any that could compare. I'm not exaggerating when I say they were a foot and a half in length and at least five inches in diameter. You can't find vegetables like that anywhere anymore, but at least the local farm stands come close.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Cheesy Corn Muffins

A few days ago, I was having one of those nights when I needed to make something quick. Luckily, there was leftover beef stew in the fridge that my husband had made, but I had to make something to go with it. The answer? Corn muffins. These muffins were super moist with a few surprises of corn in each muffin. I did the semi-homemade thing and used a box of mix and just doctored it up a bit. Hey, if Sandra Lee can do it, so can I!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Homemade Roasted Peppers

Roasted red peppers are, in my opinion, one of life's little luxuries. They're so mildly sweet with a smokey flavor that can compliment almost anything from salads to pizza.

Tropical Italian Ice

Fresh pineapple doesn't seem to stay fresh as long as I'd like it to. Eventually, it starts to get dark spots and just doesn't look as appetizing anymore. It's still fine to eat at that point, but you always eat with your eyes first so I try to use it in ways that hide the flaws.

I decided to use up the leftovers from my fresh pineapple for some Italian ice. At first I thought I'd just do a plain pineapple flavor, but it screamed for coconut. After adding a few things, I ended up with a velvety smooth, frozen treat that had hints of tropical flavors. It wasn't too sweet and none of the flavors were overwhelming. This one is definitely a keeper!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Cookie Cookbook for Cancer

There are a few blogs I follow that inspire me in cooking and everyday life. I happened to check one of them out today and the post was one that needed to be shared.

The post from on September 30th was about chocolate chip bars from a bake sale cookbook. Now, this isn't just an ordinary bake sale cookbook, it's actually for a cause...for something more than your typical fundraiser events. These chocolate chip bars come from the cookbook titled, "Cookies For Kids Cancer: Best Bake Sale Cookbook."

Recipegirl's post brought me to her son's blog. featured another recipe from this cookbook called "Prince Liam's Peanut Butter Cookies." (This is the part that tugged at my heart strings) These cookies were made for a little boy named Liam who was diagnosed with pediatric cancer when he was just 2 1/2 years old. His mom held bake sales to raise money to find a cure.

When I became a mom, I started looking at the world differently and it will never look the same as it did before I had my son. When I hear of diseases, ailments, conditions, etc. that affect children, it breaks my heart. I have no idea why something like this would happen to such a little guy, but my heart goes out to his family and anyone who ever has to go through something like this.

If you're interested in checking out this cookbook or becoming involved in the cause, visit

( and will be giving away 3 of these cookbooks to raise awareness for this charity. If you'd like to be entered in their contest, visit each of their blogs for more information.)

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: Tangy and Tart Turkey

I'm always on my quest for new and interesting grilled cheese sandwiches. This one isn't some crazy concoction made of weird ingredients, but it is really good. I took some regular lunchmeat and topped it off with some Swiss cheese and some tart cranberry sauce. The saltiness of the cheese complimented the sweetness of the cranberries so perfectly that I think I might just have to make it again with upcoming Thanksgiving leftovers.