Category Archives: Holidays

Normally by mid-December we would have a plan for Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day brunch, and Christmas Day dinner…. it’s a busy 2 days to say the least!  But we have zero plans scheduled at the moment.  It’s an odd feeling and we know we are not along.  Do you spend time with family and friends over the holidays or opt for a quiet day at home?  Do you take the simple route and order a meal to go from your favorite restaurant or perhaps a heat-and-serve meal from the grocery store?  Whatever you end up doing, it will be a year to remember! We will still have a lovely meal to commemorate the holidays and spend the day cooking together.  I have a few recipes I want to share with you that not only make the perfect Christmas meal but are great options when cooking for a small group … Continue reading

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Christmas is a time for baking, enjoying good food, and spending time with family and friends.  The holidays may look a little different this year but that doesn’t mean you can’t participate it some of your usual traditions.  Take a cookie exchange party for example, you can still bake the cookies but instead of getting together with friends to exchange, you can deliver to their doorstep or ship them.  It’s a nice way to say you’re thinking about them and still want to be connected this holiday season.  Plus, you can’t have a happy holiday without desserts and plenty of sweets 🙂 Whether you are making breads, cookies, pies, candy, or other goodies, I suggest you still follow through with your traditions.  It will get you in the holiday spirit and bring some comfort to these trying times.  I personally like to eat Christmas cookies all month long and even … Continue reading

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Okay, hear me out!  We’ve been seeing this one pop up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for a few years now and decided we need to finally check this out for ourselves: Flamin’ Hot Cheeto® Oven Roasted Turkey Dinner (click this link to go directly to the recipe page).   A more unique spin on your traditional Thanksgiving dinner!  Is this just some crazy gimmick or is this a recipe worth trying?  Continue on to find out! (Spoiler alert: it was great!) The ingredient list isn’t very big, here’s what you need: 12- 15 lbs Whole Turkey, thawed 3 lbs Klondike Goldust Potatoes 32 oz Cheddar Cheese Block 1 8.5 oz Bag Flaming Hot Cheetos 1 Stick Butter, melted Salt and Pepper, to taste Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove the neck and package found inside the turkey.  Rinse the turkey, … Continue reading

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Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here?  It’s been an interesting year (to say the least), so I’m looking forward to the holidays.  Although, the holidays might look a little different this year.  We still plan on seeing our immediate families for a nice Thanksgiving meal but will keep our gathering to 4-6 people.  We will miss traveling, seeing extended family, participating in some Black Friday shopping, and more this Thanksgiving, but will savor the time we do have with the few we choose to celebrate with…socially distanced with some delicious food 🙂 We are going to start our day with a nice fall-themed charcuterie board.  You need something to snack on while you cook, right?  If you’ve never made a charcuterie board before, you are in for a treat.  They are very simple to make, can include as many or as few ingredients as you choose, and make a … Continue reading

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Pumpkin Spice Season is upon us.  It symbolizes the end of summer and the start of fall.  I know summer isn’t officially over, and to be honest, I’m not ready to say goodbye to warmer weather, but I am going to enjoy some delicious pumpkin treats either way 🙂 I have a few go-to recipes to share with you today.  All are themed around, you guessed it, pumpkin spice.  It’s hard to say which recipe is my favorite because they are all delicious in their own way.  Luckily, because it’s still technically summer and not fall, I have even more time to enjoy them all! First up is Individual Pumpkin Pie Pops.  These are miniature pumpkin pies on lollipop sticks, so you eat them like a candy sucker.  It combines all your favorite pumpkin pie flavors in an individual size, grab and go treat. The recipe can be found here. … Continue reading

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Sunday, July 19, 2020 is National Ice Cream day, and what better way to celebrate than with some homemade ice cream! There really is no better time to enjoy ice cream than a hot summer day!  You can obviously eat ice cream year-round but it’s such a cool and refreshing treat during the warm months.  With so many flavors to choose from, you’ll be sure to find your favorite.  I wanted to do something different for National Ice Cream day so I’m celebrating by making homemade ice cream. I have 5 flavors to share with you today; 3 require an ice cream maker and 2 require a high-speed blender, so you don’t necessarily need all the fancy equipment to make homemade ice cream.  It can be super simple and require few ingredients or it can be a more complex recipe with a variety of ingredients.  Basically, you can put as … Continue reading

Posted in 4th of July, Dessert, Labor Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on National Ice Cream Day

Hello Friends, Today we’re talking brisket!  One beautiful (and windy) weekend the family decided to throw a brisket into the roasting box and we made some White Mac and Cheese to go along with it. First, we made our Beef Brisket Rub.  The quantities listed were for our size roast, which was just under 10lbs, or about 1.5 Chihuahuas, for perspective. Recipe: Beef Brisket Rub: ½ cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon of onion powder t tablespoon of Lawry’s seasoned salt ¾ teaspoon Cumin ¾ teaspoon Chili powder   Brisket cooked to 180 degrees internal Can baste with equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water Meanwhile, we need to prep the roasting box.  You start off by just placing your charcoal in a pile across the top of the roasting box.  Amount of charcoal will vary.  Once ready we lit … Continue reading

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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

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Can you believe it?  Easter is right around the corner.  With all that is going on in the world these days I’m starting to lose track of time.  What is typically a day of family and friends gathering together will most likely be spend apart or perhaps in very small groups.  This puts quite the strain on menu planning when you won’t be hosting, won’t be attending the usual get-together, or are just trying to maintain social distance. Not to worry – I won’t let you know down!  I have created a menu of simple items you can make at home.  Some can be modified depending on the ingredients in your pantry, some can be reduced in size or doubled depending on the number of people in your household, and some make great leftovers 🙂 I’m going to start the morning with Peeps Pancakes and Hash Brown & Bacon Egg … Continue reading

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St Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday for everyone!  You can usually find some type of celebration around town whether it be a parade, green beer at your favorite bar or specials on Irish food at restaurants.  Even if you aren’t Irish, it’s fun to participate in the festivities. We like to watch the parade and enjoy an adult beverage with the dressed-up crowds (the people watching is phenomenal), then head home for a feast!  Some years we like to enjoy traditional Irish food but other years we like to take a favorite dish and add and Irish twist.  It really depends on what we feel like cooking that day!  This year, we are going to enjoy the following menu with friends and family: Reuben Dip Guinness Cheddar Mac & Cheese Guinness Glazed Chicken Sandwich Irish Mule Guinness Brownies   The Reuben Dip is our appetizer and something to much … Continue reading

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