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weekly specialsAuthor Archives: Laura Youngquist
April 29, 2020
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
This year, Cinco de Mayo falls on a Tuesday, which is also known as Taco Tuesday, so this is basically the best situation ever! Maybe I’m stretching a bit, but it gives us something to look forward to and celebrate in light of being quarantined. How do you plan on celebrating? We are going to enjoy a nice Mexican themed dinner with all the fixings! Here is the menu: Spicy Homemade Tomato Salsa Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas Homemade Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri We’re going to enjoy a “Trio of Dip” with Guacamole, White Queso, and Spice Homemade Tomato Salsa. This will be something to snack on while we cook and also to enjoy with our meal. The guacamole and queso are both store-bought. I do have a great recipe for Chunky Guacamole, which can be found here, and White Queso Dip, which can be found … Continue reading
April 28, 2020
Pantry Meals
In the midst of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home order, meals can be a little harder to plan. Grocery stores are working hard to keep the shelves stocked but that doesn’t mean you will find every item on your list. I think that creates a great opportunity to clean out the pantry and make some meal using existing items on home. Maybe you have a lot of canned goods or items that are nearing expiration…use them! I created 5 different pantry meals last week that I’m going to share with you today. I didn’t use a recipe for any of them. They all resulted from items found in our pantry, fridge, or freezer. It was a great way to use the food, especially from the fridge, before it spoiled and a fun way to create some new meals. I highly suggest doing this at home. Who knows, you might create something … Continue reading
April 26, 2020
National Pretzel Day
Today is National Pretzel Day. I know, there is a special day for virtually everything these days, but in times like these, it’s fun to have something to look forward to! A bag of crunchy pretzels works just fine to celebrate with but I’m thinking a chewy and warm pretzel is the way to go. Soft pretzels are my favorite treat! I don’t make them often but when I do, I always wonder why I don’t make them more often…. it’s a vicious cycle. However you plan on celebrating is up to you, but I do want to share a few recipes with you to try. Homemade Soft Pretzels w/ Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites w/ Beer Cheese Sauce Buffalo Cheddar Soft Pretzel Twists Homemade Soft Pretzels w/ Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce are soft, chewy, warm, and have a wonderful butter flavor. The Spicy Mustard Dipping … Continue reading
April 23, 2020
Homemade Pop-Tarts
Do you remember eating Pop-Tarts as a kid? I do. The wonderful little toaster pastries filled with sugar were one of my favorite breakfast items as a kid. My tastes have changed a bit since then but every so often I do crave the fruity-sugary-goodness of a Pop-Tart. I decided to take a crack at making my own Homemade Pop-Tarts and they were delicious! The crust was soft and flakey, the filling was packed with fruit and tasted like fresh jam, and the icing on top added the perfect amount of sweetness. The nice thing about these is you can change up the flavor and use whatever fruit you like. I chose blueberry and raspberry, but you could easily substitute strawberry, for example. If you have kids (or are still a kid at heart) these could be a fun quarantine project. The kids can help in the kitchen, put those … Continue reading
April 21, 2020
Creative Cauliflower Meals
When most people think of cauliflower, they probably don’t get excited. It’s just another vegetable with a bland flavor…blah blah blah…but it’s so much more! It’s packed with fiber and B-vitamins, is incredibly versatile, and is one of my favorite vegetables to create meals with. You can create a full meal with one head of cauliflower. Roast it, put it in soup, make pizza crust or rice, etc. I however, like to make Chinese inspired dishes with cauliflower. We did “Chinese Food Week” at our house and created some amazing meals! You can’t tell the difference in the substitution of vegetable for meat, and the flavors were out of this world. These make great Meatless Monday meals, are all vegetarian, and are also vegan. We made the following dishes. Recipes and instructions for each are below. Cashew Cauliflower Kung Pao Cauliflower Orange Glazed Cauliflower Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Sweet & Sour … Continue reading
April 10, 2020
Potato Tacos with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce
Potato Tacos with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce are a delight! They are vegetarian as well as vegan, so they make the perfect meal for Meatless Monday (or any day of the week). Plus, they are delicious! And who doesn’t love tacos? The Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce is a wonderful condiment for these tacos. It add a citrusy, tangy, flavor to the tacos. You’ll have plenty of leftover sauce as well to enjoy later in the week on more tacos, rice, chicken, salad, etc. The recipe can be found here. Start by making the Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend on high until smooth; jalapeno, cilantro, garlic cloves, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, vegan mayo, and salt. I like to lightly chop the jalapeno and cilantro, and mince the garlic before adding it to the food processor so it’s easier to blend. I … Continue reading
April 8, 2020
Vegan Vegetable Noodle Soup
Vegan Vegetable Noodle Soup is packed with fresh vegetables and is incredibly tasty and healthy. It’s a spin on traditional chicken noodle soup but without the chicken. Don’t let the word vegan scare you away. Yes, this is a vegan dish, but it is also vegetarian, meatless, and delicious, so give it a try! If you are missing the chicken texture in each bite, add some chickpeas. You can also mix and match the vegetables to your liking or to use up anything you have on hand. The recipe can be found here. Start by prepping the vegetables. I like to chop everything ahead of time to make assembly easier once I start cooking. Slice the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic. You can also play around with quantities. If you like carrots but not celery, add more carrots and less celery. You want to enjoy the soup … Continue reading
April 7, 2020
Snack Mix Varieties
This week is Spring Break for me but we’re not going anywhere. Plans were made, then cancelled, and we’re finding other ways to enjoy our staycation. I’m thankful we have a healthy household and even more thankful to have time to work on recipes! This blog is about a variety of Snack Mixes, or Trail Mix as some people call it. I was going to make a variety of Snack Mixes to bring on our road trip but just because the trip was postponed doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy those snacks at home 🙂 Snack Mixes are great for a variety of reasons; they are easy to make, are a great on-the-go snack, can be customized to different tastes, they make a TON, and hold up quite well in a Ziploc bag. So…they make the perfect snack for a road trip. Since most of the country is missing spring break, … Continue reading
April 6, 2020
Greek Lemon Rice with Chickpeas
Greek Lemon Rice with Chickpeas is an amazing one-pot dish! It is full of great Mediterranean flavors and is packed with so many herbs and veggies. You’ll think you’re somewhere warm and sunny when eating this dish 🙂 The recipe can be found here. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure you have a large ovenproof skillet to use. You will start by heating ingredients on the stove and will eventually move the skillet into the oven, so you want to make sure you are using something rated for oven use. I used a large cast iron skillet, but a Dutch Oven would also work well. Prep all of your ingredients. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, drain and rinse the chickpeas, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, chop the dill, slice the lemon, slice the olives, and slice the tomatoes. Whew! I think that covers it all! Set all the … Continue reading
April 3, 2020
Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. I love the crumbly crush, the sweet and creamy filling, and the variety of toppings you can use. It’s such a customizable dessert! I recently tried my hand at cheesecake bites made in an Instant Pot and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. They had the perfect texture, were just the right size to satisfy a craving, and took very little time to make. Please note, you will need not only an Instant Pot but also an Instant Pot Silicone Egg Bites Mold to make either of these recipes. My first batch was Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake Bites. This is the easiest cookies and cream dessert you will ever make. The “crust” is one Oreo and the filling has crushed Oreos mixed in. I could eat each and every cheesecake bite from this recipe in one sitting. Delicious! The recipe can … Continue reading
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