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I recently started getting produce through Bountiful Baskets. My latest box had two bunches of asparagus, so I found myself looking for different ways to use it other than just steaming or roasting or grilling (my usual ways). Happily, I'd just received an update from Family Balance Sheet and it was "20 Ways to Make Asparagus"! Perfect. Timing.At first I was going to make the Curried Quinoa &
I've decided to start posting the occasion cakes I've made over the last few years. Hopefully you'll be inspired for one of your own cakes! :)I've mentioned before that my husband loves apple pie and other apple-related desserts. If given a choice between an apple treat and some other kind of treat, he will almost always choose the apple.Several years ago (2007, if we're being exact), I asked my h
I made this Herb & Fennel Crusted Pork Roast for our Easter dinner last weekend. We had it with a bunch of yummy sides including Smoked Paprika Potatoes and my sister's mac & cheese. I love to roast meat because it's so easy--put it in the oven and wait until your meat thermometer tells you it's ready. The meat thermometer really is the key to making a great roast. If you don't have one it
I eat raw cookie dough. I admit it freely and openly. I know they say you're not supposed to eat it raw. But I do. Sometimes I eat enough raw cookie dough that I don't want any cookies ones they're cooked. I've never gotten sick. That's not to say that, with my risky behavior, I won't get sick. Someday. I suppose.Now, if you're not the risk-taking type like I apparently am, and long to know t
I hope you had a great Easter weekend! I may or may not have indulged in way too much candy, great food, and desserts. You, too? Then you need this fantastic salad. Look at all the green spinach--Yum! This salad is more proof that side dishes don't have to be sad.I found this salad from Nest of Posies via Pinterest, and it is so easy and so tasty and so full of good, healthy stuff. Her recipe does
I've decided to start posting the occasion cakes I've made over the last few years. Hopefully you'll be inspired for one of your own cakes! :)"The Great Valley! I found it! I fo-ou-und it!" Sarah, Ms. Sassy-Pants Dinosaur.I made this for my youngest daughter when she turned 3 (almost 3 years ago). At the time she ate, breathed, and slept dinosaurs and The Land Before Time stories. There was no que
I think I've mentioned before that I have a love/hate relationship with waffles. I love to eat them, but I hate that they take longer to make than pancakes (I can cook more pancakes at a time), so I don't make them very often. That might change now, though, now that I found this recipe from Desi at Unconventional Kitchen. I picked this recipe this morning because most of the other recipes that cam
I hope I'm not the only one who sometimes (read: often) relegates vegetables to last place in the order of meal importance. I'll even confess that sometimes I just skip the veggies altogether (which, you can be sure, doesn't make my family sad in the least). Vegetables are often an afterthought, quickly blanched broccoli or raw baby carrots straight out of the bag, instead of making them into some
One of the reasons why I love Facebook is that it has reconnected me with several of my high school friends that I'd completely lost touch with. This recipe is from my friend, Amy, one of my high school besties. Amy has mentioned Homemade Sloppy Joes more than a few times in her status updates, and after she made them again a few days ago I finally asked her for the recipe.It was an 'Enough! I mus
It's been quite a while since I shared one of my decorated cakes, and I've decided I'll post one each weekend for fun. Maybe you'll even be inspired for one of your own cakes!I made this Rack Track cake a few years ago for my nephew. It was such a fun (and easy) cake to make. This was before I learned anything about taking pictures of food, so some of the details are washed out by the flash...oops
Remember when I said my husband came with a dowry, and that part of that dowry was a very nice cookbook collection? This recipe is slightly adapted from one of those cookbooks, called Dad's Own Bookbook by Bob Sloan. This book is full of fantastic recipes that are broken down into baby steps so even a novice cook can prepare great food. Besides delicious recipes, it also has lots of very useful in
Look what I found today! I was actually and literally stopped in my tracks at the store when I saw these. I love chocolate-covered marshmallows. And I love peeps at Easter time. I just about died. The lady at the cash register said they were new, but even if they aren't, they're new to me, and let me tell you, I exercised extreme self control by only taking three packages instead of the
Does this picture look any different to you? I took a whole bunch of pictures with my teenage daughter's camera (testing it out), and when I put the memory card in my computer the pictures weren't there! What in the world?? And there wasn't time to try again before I had to leave for the afternoon (Grrr...). So, this is a picture I had taken, with my phone, to text to my bestie in California.
My 16-year-old daughter loves to make soup, and she makes it often. Several weeks ago I was down with a pretty bad cold and asked her to make me some lovely medicinal soup. I watched her pull ingredients out of the fridge and cupboard, and then she said, "I'm going to experiment." Now, I love my daughter, and it's not that I didn't have faith in her experimental-soup-making ability, but I was sick
I recently came across this recipe from Saving Money, Living Life on Pinterest, and even though it resembled a casserole (I have casserole issues), I thought it sounded pretty decent. My only reservation about the recipe was that you are supposed to cook it in the oven for 45 minutes, after you've cooked it in the pan. This is one of my casserole-type-food-issues. I hate taking the extra
I was doing my grocery shopping last night at 8 pm because that just the kind of day I had yesterday. As I was walking down the cereal aisle I came across this box of NEW! Scooby-Doo, lightly-sweetened, vanilla-flavored cereal. "Oh! That looks fun!" was my reaction. That should have been my red flag: I love Scooby-Doo. He was my favorite cartoon character when I was a kid, and I still like to
I've been wanting to work on a fudgy brownie recipe that uses dry, unsweetened cocoa for a while. I have a recipe for Fudgy Brownies that is really good, but it uses melted chocolate, and I know that lots of people like to use cocoa because it is cheaper to buy and that they usually have it as a staple in their kitchen (and because their kids won't eat it like they would baking chocolate). Bu
This type of energy tidbit isn't new, but the first time I had one was about 9 months ago. I'd just run a 5k with my husband, and we were with all the other runners milling around in the lobby of the recreation center waiting for the winners to be announced (I never have a chance of winning an award, but my hubs is pretty fast). Tables were set up in the lobby with contests to enter, advertising f
My husband came with a dowry. A vacuum, a nice crock pot, and lots (and lots) of books, including a very respectable cookbook library. I don't think that he actually used the cookbooks (at least not very often), he just liked the books. In fact, one of the things I loved about my husband from the first was how he would stroll through a bookstore, perusing the shelves, leafing through and even buyi
I have a 16 1/2-year old daughter, who, in spite of her fantastic intentions of going to bed at a reasonable time so she can get up at a reasonable time, is usually running out the door at mach 2 in order to make it to school. This often translates to: not eating breakfast. We needed something she could pick up and walk out the door with, without having to slow down a whole lot.I've run across rec
After having such a mild fall, this winter has officially been the coldest winter I've ever lived through. Driving my daughter to school in the morning in temperatures that have ranged from -3 to 5 degrees has been simply insane. The heated seats in my van are getting a good workout, though. These frigid temperatures call for warm, cozy food, like this Sausage Pie.This pie is very, very tasty, and
This crust-less quiche makes regular appearances in our house. It's so easy to make, and tastes so good. It also freezes well, and I'll often freeze portions wrapped in plastic wrap for quick meals or snacks. Over the years I've served this as breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, and it's been fantastic every time.I've tried several different types of frozen hash browns, and prefer the Ore Ida br
Happy New Year! What better way to bring in 2013 than with a luscious dessert? Because none of you have had enough desserts and treats during the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, right? Yeah, that's what I thought.This Rustic Apple Crostata was one of the desserts we had with our Italian-themed New Year's Eve dinner. It's super, super easy to put together because it's a free-form tart
Are you all excited to move into 2013? Me, too! Before we do, I wanted to share my 5 favorite posts from 2012:1. Cranberry-Almond Granola BarsMy life was actually, really changed a bit when I realized how easy it is to make your own granola bars. I also made Trail-Mix Granola Bars, and still want to post a recipe for a simple Chocolate-Chip Granola Bar.2. Quinoa & Sausage Stuffed Acorn Sq
I like cauliflower and eat it raw or in soups or other vegetable dishes, but I've never tried it roasted until now. I might never be the same again. Just kidding, but it really was fantastic. I've seen recipes that include balsamic vinegar, or Parmesan cheese, or bread crumbs, but I decided to make it super-simple this time--just some olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Amaz
Almond Joys are up there in my Top 5 favorite candy bars. Love them. When I came across this recipe for Almond Joy Bars on Pinterest I knew I had to try them. I had a cookie exchange coming up--Perfect! I could make them, take most to the cookie exchange, and not end up eating the whole pan myself (minus the 1 each I'd allow my family).The original recipe was for a sheet-pan's worth of bars, but I
What's that? Pan sauces are only for when eating out at a restaurant? Only chefs make them? They're scary and complicated? Pfffft! I disagree! If you can cook a chunk of meat in a pan, you can make a pan sauce.I wish I'd been able to take pictures of the process, but it was already dark when I made dinner, so pictures were not an option. This is actually a pork chop I saved so I could take a pictu
First, I have to tell you that I tried really hard to think of a name for this other than 'Cheesy Quinoa'. But other than 'Creamy Cheesy Quinoa', which is worse, I couldn't come up with anything. So 'Cheesy Quinoa' it is.I love quinoa. It is one of the best things I've discovered in 2012. It's so easy to cook, it tastes fantastic, it's a nutrition powerhouse, and it's really, really versatile. I h
Burr!! It's so cold outside! Definitely time for some of this creamy clam chowder. It can't help but be a happy day when I have this on the stove.This is a recipe passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. I can remember watching my mom make it, and stealing clams out of the can when I thought she wasn't looking. She liked to use whole baby clams, and once, as I pilfered the ten
All ya'll who just fell off your chair because I'm finally posting something new (after exactly 3 months), go on and pick yourself up off the floor because I HAVE CHOCOLATE WAFFLES! Whoo-hoo!This recipe is from my sister. She usually serves it with copious amounts of whipped cream and sliced strawberries, but it's December in Utah, which means no decent strawberries. And I didn't want to
This pita bread is one of the coolest things I've made in the kitchen in a long time. The first recipe I tried was a bust and I ended up with flat, dense, rounds of bread. They tasted nice, and were great dipped in soup so they weren't a total loss, but definitely not pita bread. I did some poking around online (and cried to my friends on Facebook, who gave me some tips), and my second try (
Wee-Ooo! We're all moved and almost completely unpacked and settled. I've never unpacked this fast, and I've been trying to decide if it's because this townhouse is very small and half our stuff is in storage, or because this is the first move that I'm not either very pregnant or have a baby/toddler to take care of. My guess is it's probably a combination of both. We've had delay after delay on t
I mentioned in my latest post that we are moving. As of today, I've got 8 days and a wake-up before our first moving day (we are going to live in a townhouse until our house is built). With just over a week to finish packing up my house I've not done much (any) cooking; other than spaghetti and a fantastic crock-pot recipe a friend sent me, we've been eating out a lot (which is getting very old, v
First, I feel I need to say that I find it strange that I'm suddenly able to find the time to blog more frequently when what I should be doing is packing for our move. Hum. Strange. And mysterious.Continuing on.....These beans are easy and take about 10 minutes to make, which is perfect because I had about 30 minutes to make something for dinner between me getting home from taking care o
My adorable, oldest niece is staying with us until she starts college at BYU in the fall. And apparently she has a muffin addiction: She loves them. She eats them all the time. My sister (her mom) keeps them in their freezer. But I don't typically have them on hand. So, being the amazing auntie that I am, I made her some of these Chocolate Muffins last night. At 11:30 p.m. Did I mention how amazin
Oh. My. Goodness. Life is crazy! C. R. A. Z. Y. We decided that we are going to move--again--and my life has been turned upside down the last eight-plus weeks trying to get everything figured out about building the house, and where we are going to live during construction, and what to do with our horses during construction...blah, blah, blah. Moving = complete insanity, as I'm sure you all know. E
I resisted the Green Smoothie band wagon for a long time, because, well, why would I want to drink something with spinach in it? But they kept showing up in my blog reader, and on Facebook, and on Pinterest, so I finally gave it a go. I was pleasantly, happily surprised. If you've never had a green smoothie and find the whole idea a little scary (like I did), have no fear! You can'
My name is Tiffiny Felix.I don't know when it happened, but I just noticed that your cake mixes are no longer 18.25 oz, but are 15.25 oz. Did you think that people wouldn't eventually realize that you decreased the size of the mixes but didn't lower the price? Did you think people wouldn't notice that their cakes were shorter, or that their batter made 22 cupcakes instead of 24? Did you think peop
Wow! My last post was such a bummer I had to post something fantastic right quick, and these Sugar Cookie Bars are just what we need to get over that sad Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake. These bars are everything a delicious frosted sugar cookies should be, plus more!They are super fast and easy because they are bars (no rolling and cutting, or even scooping), they are soft and chewy, and the frosting i
When I asked for help deciding which sweet treat to make next, the overwhelming majority of people picked the Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake (Sugarcookie Cheesecake came in a close second). I had found the recipe on Pinterest, and like so many other people have discovered after making recipes they find on Pinterest, the cake was a total disappointment. The recipe is from a site called Sugar Baby Aprons,
I know I said Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake would be my next post, but I had to use my new toy right away! I asked my kids what I should make for our first ice cream and Cookies & Cream was the unanimous choice (fairly amazing, actually). I used the basic vanilla recipe that came with the ice cream maker and then added crushed Oreo's when the ice cream was almost ready.The results? My new Cui
I'm so excited!! I've wanted an ice cream maker for years, but never felt I could splurge on one (and, to be honest, I've been a tad worried I might actually use it, and make ice cream a little too often). Then Costco had one for a great price, plus a coupon! I have a list of recipes and ideas I've been saving to try and I can't wait to get started on them. Watermelon-Lime Sorbet, Cannoli Ice Crea
Happy Thursday! I want to make something sweet for my next post but there are too many choices! Help me decide by taking the poll below. Thanks!<a href="http://www.zoomerang.com/">Online Surveys - Zoomerang.com</a>
So, I've tried to sit and write this post several times but my writing-mojo just hasn't been flowing. It still isn't, so here's a quick run-down:It took me a long time to try hummus because I thought it was too weird. When I finally did try it I was amazed by how delicious it was, and then I cursed myself for being so lame and refusing to try it for so long. It's great in a wrap or as a dip.Somet
I got the idea for this recipe from this shrimp casserole I saw on Pinterest. Now, I am not a fan of most casseroles --for a variety of reasons--but I was intrigued by the shrimp and took a look at the recipe. Just reading the recipe made me sad: It called for small amounts of three different colors of bell peppers, which can be spendy, and using just part of each one can lead
A few nights ago I got home from the store and there was a plate of these little beauties on my counter waiting for me. My sister made them and shared because she is awesome! What a fantastic surprise! And I'm not a bit ashamed to admit I ate every single one on the plate--they were so completely delicious...These lovely edibles are floating around Pinterest as Strawberry Shortcake Cookies,
Snickerdoodles are one of my Top-5 favorite cookies. I love how simple they are, and the cinnamon-sugar on the outside adds a subtle flavor and crispiness that makes them irresistible! I also love that you can make them with simple baking staples. No chocolate chips, nuts, M&Ms, toffee bits, or other cookie mix-ins? No problem! You can still make Snickerdoodles.The cream of tartar has alw
I love pulled pork because it is super easy (I cook the meat in my crock pot), it is super tasty (thanks to my scrumptious Southern BBQ Sauce), and I always have left-overs.You can eat the pork on a bun, or one of my favorite ways, with roasted spaghetti squash. I've even used left-over meat to make a salad. Yum! I like to use country ribs over a larger cut because I think they cook faster, a
Years ago I was in the grocery store and a man had a table set up with samples of pulled pork in BBQ sauce. It was called Miss. Essie's, and it was a Southern-style sauce, which meant more vinegar, less sugar. Up until this point I had not been a fan of vinegar-based BBQ sauces, but he was so convinced I would like it I took a sample.The flavors in my mouth were amazing. I asked him how to make th
When my husband first brought home a canister of Pero I thought it was weird and yucky (of course, I hadn't tasted it). He liked to drink it at night when he wanted something kind of coffee-like, but that wouldn't keep him from sleeping. Pffft! Way too weird. I mean, look what's in it: barley, malted barley, chicory, and rye. It was months later when I finally let him make me a mug. And I lik
