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While I love going to the movies, the amount of money these places charge for a bag of popcorn, soda and a bag of Sour Patch kids absolutely outrages me. I’m already paying more than enough for the actual admission, and so I refuse to drop anything extra on the snacks. Plus, [...]
What’s weird is that while many parts of the country are still feeling the chill, Buffalo has had absolutely gorgeous weather over the past week. We’ve had a week straight of upper 70s and pure sunshine. This doesn’t happen often around these parts. In May, just getting through a day with no rain [...]
Right after the Superbowl, Mr. Big Flavors and I decided that our next kitchen purchase needed to be a pizza stone. We made three pizzas on three baking sheets for the Big Game, and the resulting crusts each had a different texture – too crunchy, too crispy, or too flat. Just too inconsistent, really. It was [...]
Mr. Big Flavors and I headed to Shea’s to see the one-and-only Anthony Bourdain on his Guts & Glory tour. I’ll be honest – I didn’t really know what to expect. Would he be eating or cooking? Or was this going to be a “No Reservations” highlights reel, with clips from various episodes? [...]
We have this awesome Thai restaurant right in our neighborhood called Taste of Thai. It’s somewhat of a hole in the wall with seemingly traditional Thai artwork hanging on the dark maroon walls. When it comes to ethnic foods, this is my favorite kind of place. It’s that kind of place that [...]
There is one member of the Big Flavors family that is just not discussed enough around here. She’s made an appearance on the Hot Dog Taste Test Championship and on the About the Big Flavors page, so you know she’s [...]
The egg-stravagnza is continuing, and just in time for your weekend! Of course, when you think of eggs, you think breakfast. They’re filling enough to eat as a meal, and also pair well with plenty of different ingredients and flavors. That’s why I turn to omelets for breakfast (well, actually for lunch [...]
Eggs are an important kitchen staple in the Big Flavor household. We’re always using them to whip up breakfasts and desserts, and we’ve always used the tried-and-true methods of preparation. As in, we crack eggs on the counter top and drop the contents into a separate bowl to fish out any egg [...]
Does it feel like spring where you are? If so, could you pretty please bottle up some of that warm weather and sunshine and send it my way? Because in Buffalo it’s still about 20 degrees, the snow is still falling and the cold wind is still whipping around. And, I’m sick [...]
How was your St. Patrick’s Day? Did you overdose on corned beef, shamrock shakes and/or green beer? I hope not. Instead, I hope you took my advice from Thursday and made plenty of extra corned beef. We certainly did. Well, maybe not “plenty of extra” but, it was a fairly obnoxious amount of meat. [...]
St. Patrick’s Day is always a celebration in this city. Not only is there a very strong Irish heritage and presence in Buffalo, but everyone and their brother is Irish on this weekend. In fact, the St. Patrick’s Day parade here is the 3rd largest in New York state. It stretches [...]
I’ve always had a soft spot for a good healthy morning muffin, which first originated during my bagel-slingin’ days. We (and by we I mean the bagel shop) always had 6 or 7 different muffin varieties for sale. They were baked in the morning and once they were gone, they were gone. The [...]
The Big Flavors are not big meal planners. I mean we do have ideas around what we want to eat for dinner during the week, but we don’t list it out by each day and then plan our shopping trip around the list. We probably should do this, and I’m actually a bit surprised [...]
I think it’s time to declare February as Bean Month, at least in the LKBF kitchen. Don’t worry, I already confirmed that there is no conflict with an actual National Bean celebration. The closest holiday is National Baked Bean month, and that’s all the way in July. For some reason, we’ve been on a bean [...]
I shared a recipe for healthy, one-pot chicken and beans with you earlier this week so that in my very next breath I could tell you about these donuts. There’s so much less guilt when you stage a chicken and vegetables recipe first and then follow-up with less-than-healthy [...]
While I know eating healthy is important, I find it can sometimes be difficult to find good-for-you meals that have actual flavor and also keep you full for more than an hour. In the Big Flavors house, a healthy meal will always contain some type of protein. It’s hard to get Mr. Big Flavors to [...]
Remember the Valentine’s Day cards of your youth? Those little 3 x 5, colorful and animated valentines always stressed me out. I was never good at matching up the right card to the right classmate or picking out which valentine I should give to the kids I didn’t like. And, the teachers always made [...]
Tis the season for a big-ol’ hearty bowl of chili. But for some reason, I’m just not a huge fan of the traditional tomato-based, ground beef and big red kidney bean kind of chili. Maybe it’s because I’ve never found a beefy chili recipe that I’ve really enjoyed. Or maybe it’s because I still have [...]
Since the Bills will probably never make it to the Superbowl while I’m alive, Superbowl Sunday is mainly about the food for me. Sure I like watching the game and hearing all of the dramatic stories. I even enjoy catching a commercial or two. But, until the Bills make it to the [...]
Whether it be for snacking or an actual meal, I just can’t pass up using the crockpot on football Sundays. Crockpot cooking ensures tasty food and great results with very little work required. This means more time watching the pre-game festivities and less time in the kitchen. Everyone wins! Here are some of my favorite [...]
I can’t even begin to explain my love for peanut butter toast crunch cereal. It’s not even a stretch to tell you it was one of the happiest days EVER, when I saw that PBTC was back on shelves (yes, us Peanut Butter Toast Crunch fanatics are allowed to abbreviate for easier discussion). [...]
I recently joined a group of lovely ladies in a monthly recipe exchange club. It’s a pretty simple concept – we select a different theme for each month and then cook or bake whatever we want, so long as it fits within that theme. Though we call it a recipe exchange club, we [...]
Mr. Big Flavors and I just recently went on a spice shopping spree. And, I’m not talking about restocking the pantry with some staples that we were running low on. I’m talking $60 dollars in a whole new plethora of spices. We went to this great little shop called Penzeys [...]
Here’s my shot at a step towards being a bit more healthy with snacking. It can’t be all cheese-filled snacks and processed foods all of the time, I guess. (Though, I sure wouldn’t mind always having a big batch of chicken wing dip on hand, just in case.) I was looking around [...]
I was pretty sure I had sufficiently gorged on enough snacks and treats throughout holiday season to really commit to eating healthier in the New Year. You know that feeling you get right after [...]
I can’t believe 2013 is just a few hours away! Where did 2012 go? What are you looking forward to in the new year? What resolutions are you’re committing to or what goals you’re trying to meet? Sadly, I’ve never been any good at resolutions. So, I’m making goals instead. First on the list is growing this blog [...]
Well, the Little Kitchen Big Flavors blog is officially 7 1/2 months old now! With the end of 2012 just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to take a quick look back on the most popular recipes posted during the year. With just over 80 posts in that short amount of time, I [...]
I’ve previously mentioned that Buffalo restaurants almost always have stuffed banana peppers and chicken wings on the menu. It’s rare that you’d go to a restaurant in this city and not see [...]
Lately, I feel like I could eat pizza for dinner every night. And, that’s a good thing because we sure have been eating our fair share of it. With this extensive DIY house renovation taking place, there has been some serious take-out food happening at the LKBF abode. One day I’m writing [...]
Mr. Big Flavors says that these Rolo Surprise cookies are his very favorite. I’d like to believe that, but that man is a certified cookie monster. I’m pretty sure all of the cookies he’s ever eaten have been near favorites. Either way, it’s kind of a tradition that I make them every year for his birthday. It also [...]
This post brought to you by Edwards. All opinions are 100% mine. Since when did the holidays become the busiest time of the year? There are so many cookies to bake, presents to wrap, and Christmas decorations to hang all over every inch of the house. As soon as December rolls around, I'm suddenly overwhelmed with all of the [...]
This might have been one of the longest weeks, ever. Lowlights include trying to hang a ceiling light fan for four hours, getting 4 hours of sleep each night, and screaming at the Home Depot store manager over why I should get my countertops for free because it’s not my fault that they don’t have clear [...]
Some people who know me know that I have an alternate title. I’m not just Mrs. Big Flavors. To some, I’m known as the pickle queen. That’s pretty much because I’m addicted to pickles. I could eat a whole jar (maybe even two jars) of pickle slices in one sitting, without even skipping a beat. (How’s that for your [...]
Here’s an excerpt from one of the many food-related discussions I have every day… Mrs. Big Flavors: In my opinion, it’s not dessert unless it contains some form of chocolate. Mr. Big Flavors: I don’t think you can say that. What about desserts with pumpkin? Mrs. Big Flavors: Well, those are breakfast foods, [...]
We interrupt this regularly scheduled Super Snackin’ Sunday to present the finale to our 2012 CSA Chronicles posts. 25 weeks of our CSA share seemed to fly right by, and I’m very sad to see it go. It was both exciting and a little challenging to have a weekly stash of new and fresh vegetables in our crisper [...]
Have I mentioned that life in the Big Flavors house is absolutely craaaazy these days? I’ll be honest, recently many dinners in this house have consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or some Chinese food take-out. Hey, it can’t always been homemade three course meals and picture perfect desserts, although that would definitely [...]
Two Super Snackin’ Sunday recipes in a row that don’t require any cheese? This is so unlike me. When we’re snacking, there’s almost always some kind of cheese or dip involved. Nuts, too, always seem to make an appearance at our game day spread. Mr. Big Flavors loves a good beer nut that balances salt, sweet [...]
I don’t know about you but I never have any trouble eating massive amounts of turkey and staple side dishes on Thanksgiving. I always fill up my plate with mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and stuffing, and then top it off with a couple of fresh baked rolls and plenty of gravy. And [...]
Unfortunately, some Sundays I don’t have the time to make a bunch of snacks and sit around to watch football all day. Booooo! I hate those Sundays when real life gets in the way. It’s been super crazy and busy around the Big Flavors household, and this weekend is just jam-packed with other things [...]
This coffee cake is how I comforted myself with the whole “fall back an hour on Sunday” business. I mean, really, can we get over this “Fall Back, Spring Forward” garbage? Yeh, I know it’s nice to gain that one extra hour of sleep on November 4th. I’ll even admit that I [...]
This Sunday, it’s a Buffalonian style Super’ Snackin’ Sunday. We’re calling these “Sully Style” because chicken wings were the first thing that Mr. Big Flavors (known by his friends as Sully) ever cooked. In a way, chicken wings were the start to Mr. BF’s obsession with eating and cooking. When you live in Buffalo, [...]
Well, this may be the first year that I have actually done Halloween-themed food research. Between helping my sister locate the perfect treat for her work’s “spoooky cooookie” contest and concocting my own treat to bring along a newly instituted Recipe Exchange party, I’ve done plenty of googling and pinterest-ing of Halloween [...]
