Au Gratin Potatoes is originally a french dish that is common in the boxed mix area in your supermarket. It's a dish I grew up eating and another favorite that I consider a comfort food. I've mentioned before that I love to make those old comfort foods and instead of making the boxed mix I like to learn how to make them from scratch and ingredients that I typically can find in my pantry at home, free of preservatives and additives.This was made for Christmas dinner with a beef roast and red ... continue reading...
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Chicken Pot Pie made with Pillsbury Pie Crusts
As a child I grew up eating those cute little frozen pot pies. I learned at a young age how to poke holes in the top and heat them up. To be honest, it's still a comforting meal to me, and sometimes I'll find them on special at the grocery store for $.75 each and buy a few. I like to recreate some of my favorite boxed or frozen meals that I enjoyed growing up, and make them homemade without all that nasty sodium and preservatives. A few months ago (before our move) I posted a status update on ... continue reading...
Chewy and Delicious M&M Cookies
When my older kids were younger, I remember during classroom potlucks and birthday parties I'd often find myself at the supermarket bakery for the treats for their classrooms. A lot of times I'd choose some cupcakes that went along with the theme (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc), but more often than not I'd pick up cookies to go along with the cupcakes and I'd always pick up the M&M cookies.So when it came time to plan D-Man's birthday party, this was a shoo-in to go on the menu. The ... continue reading...
Friday Letters – March 15, 2013
Dear Readers,Have you read my post about recycling and Arrowhead? Go check it out and tell me your take on recycling!Dear Week,You seemed really long for some reason, hooray for the weekend!Dear D-Man & RoRo,Can you guys try to coordinate your sleeping patterns or something? D-Man you're such a night owl and then you sleep in, and RoRo you go to sleep early and you're such an early riser. But Mommy being up past midnight and then up at 5am is really not doing any of us any good, so let's get it ... continue reading...
Recycling is a Natural Part of Life
Image SourceDid you know next month, April 22, is Earth Day?Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment.Since Earth Day is coming up soon, today I'd like to share something with you. As you know, I have a rather large family. I like to cook, a lot. With a large family, comes A LOT of trash consumption. Whether it be from papers collected from handouts at school, schoolwork, magazines and newspapers, or ... continue reading...
Think Outside the Blog – Weekly Blog Hop – Week 19!
Welcome to week 19 of our weekly Thursday Blog Hop, Think Outside the Blog. Here we are on week 19 of our super unique blog hop - Think Outside the Blog. We have some exciting news! We're getting prepared for some changes with our blog hop that we hope to debut in April. We don't want to be the normal blog hop, so we're going to change things up a bit. We're very excited to share these changes with you over the next few weeks and debut them next month. This blog hop was always intended for those ... continue reading...
Herb Seasoned Smashed Potatoes
OK friends, this is just one of those recipes that is super easy, and absolutely delicious. The kind where you proclaim, "That's it?!" after taking your baking sheet out of the oven. The type where once all the food has been eaten, you want to make it again the next night. It's just that easy and good!Before I did the blogging thing, I was addicted to Pinterest. Let's be honest here, I had a few friends that had dabbled in blogging, but I just didn't know what it really was, and didn't know how ... continue reading...
A Superhero Birthday Party!
D-Man's 4th birthday was well over a month ago, and we even had his birthday party 2 weeks later after our move. So I am really late about sharing the party and photos with you all! This party was literally just a week after our move, so I had scrambled to get our house in order AND plan a party AND deal with sick babies AND I was sick myself throughout this process. This was the first party D-Man has ever had! Between Christmas, Boobie's birthday, sick kiddos and weather conditions, previous ... continue reading...
Friday Letters – March 8, 2013
Dear iPhone 3GS,I'm so done with you! Ready for something new because you just don't work properly anymore. iPhone 5, here I come!! ... continue reading...
Think Outside the Blog – Weekly Blog Hop – Week 18!
Welcome to week 18 of our weekly Thursday Blog Hop, Think Outside the Blog. Here we are on week 18 of our super unique blog hop - Think Outside the Blog. I look forward to each week, I meet new people and see new blogs. I love our blog hop, because it celebrates various types of bloggers. Each of us are kind of our own type of "normal".Thank you all for being you, and continuing to support our blog hop and our vision!If you would like to co-host, leave a message on any of the hosts blogs or send ... continue reading...
Breaded Chicken Stuffed with Provolone, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Garlicky Spinach
I used to think that stuffed chicken was a fancy dish, almost impossible to make. I thought it was time consuming (it kind of is) and elaborate (not really).I also thought it would be delicious, which it is!Last night I had a dilemma What to make for dinner. I wanted to make something new, something I'd get excited about. So I put this together, and it was great.I've made stuffed chicken before, I believe with mozzarella, and some other ingredients. I didn't bread it that time (it was still ... continue reading...
Fluffy Golden Blueberry Waffles with Whipped Cream
For a long time I have tried many different ways on making waffles or pancakes from scratch. They were always good, but many still had a slight rubbery texture, or they were heavier than the reputable mixed variety. I prefer a lot of things "homemade" meaning from scratch, no boxed mixes involved and this had been frustrating for me. I wanted a golden, light and fluffy waffle that was crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. One that wasn't dense and heavy, and with this recipe I ... continue reading...
Friday Letters – March 1, 2013
Dear Blog,I've got some plans for you! It feels good to be back posting recipes. I've got some more prepared to share!Dear Month of March,You've arrived and I feel inspired. Spring is almost here and Easter is at the end of the month! I have some changes and ideas in store, and I'm feeling mighty inspired! Next month is rather busy, I have two more of my kids' birthdays and my wedding anniversary!Dear Suitcases,It's almost time for some travelling! Next month for our wedding anniversary we will ... continue reading...
Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork Sliders
It's the first day of March, and I've decided to come back to you guys in full swing!Since the beginning of this year I've been busy busy busy and haven't had a chance to share with you some good food and recipes like I'd like.You've gotten to know me a bit more intimately but let's face it, you guys are here for the food! I mean, it's a food blog, not a self blog!I appreciate you for sticking around and reading about the past few crazy months with me, but it's time to get back to basics and ... continue reading...
Think Outside the Blog – Weekly Blog Hop – Week 17!
Welcome to week 17 of our weekly Thursday Blog Hop, Think Outside the Blog. Here we are on week 17 of our super unique blog hop - Think Outside the Blog. A week ago I attended an event for Black History Month in honor of the legendary Gordon Parks. That evening I met some pretty incredible people that discussed the life and works of Mr. Parks. One thing that was discussed was how he blazed his own trail, instead of thinking in the box, or even outside of the box -- he built his own box! That ... continue reading...
Macy’s Celebrates Black History Month & American Icon Gordon Parks
Last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an event in honor of the late and great Gordon Parks and Black History Month. This event was hosted at Macy's in Union Square (San Francisco) and had some pretty fabulous sponsors. There was music, food, celebrities and leaders. The event was the unveiling of Gordon Parks photographic art that will be on display in Macy's San Francisco on the third floor, and we had a wonderful discussion panel that led a variety of topics. We discussed ... continue reading...
Friday Letters – February 22, 2013
Dear Boobie,It's been so nice having you back home with us, I just wish your school wasn't being such a pain about your paperwork and we can get you started already!Dear Macy's San Francisco,Thank you for the wonderful event you put on last night for Black History Month and honoring the Legendary Gordon Parks. It was a wonderful and classy event, with good food, good music, and some amazing speakers! Loved every minute of it!Dear Mommy Powers,It was so nice to meet you last night and hang out, ... continue reading...
Think Outside the Blog – Weekly Blog Hop – Week 16!
Welcome to week 16 of our weekly Thursday Blog Hop, Think Outside the Blog. Here we are on week 16 of our super unique blog hop - Think Outside the Blog.Each week I see new faces, new participants, and new stories to read about and enjoy. I love reading about your lives, and the stories that make you all different. I love the way this blog hop celebrates how unique we all are and we all accept each other and our differences as well as the interest we all share. I look forward to each week and ... continue reading...
Fun with Tie-Dye and Food Coloring
Last night I (finally) watched my wonderful Valentine's gift from Melissa at Painting Mariposas in the Sky. It was the movie Julie & Julia and I absolutely loved it. I feel like ever since 2013 began I've been consistently busy with everything and haven't really had a chance to sit down and share the recipes on my blog that I originally intended. There's still some changes I'd like to make around these parts, things I would like to add as well as many recipes I still have to share with ... continue reading...
Friday Letters – February 15, 2013
It's that time again for Friday letters! I've had an incredibly fun filled and BUSY week! Looking forward to slowing down and getting back in the groove of things!Dear D-Man,We sure had a wonderful birthday party, right? I'm so glad you had fun and all our friends and family came to celebrate with you.Dear RoRo,Every day you are speaking more and more, finding new words to say and developing quite the personality! I love hearing you practice with sounds, babbling, and ultimately saying a lot ... continue reading...
