Food
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Oven Roasted Tri-Tip
Tri-Tip wasn’t even on my radar until we lived in Central CA over a decade ago. I grew up mostly in the Midwest and only knew of the traditional cuts of beef…But when we lived close to Santa Maria and had the Santa Maria Tri-Tip, I just about died and went to heaven. I started preparing Tri-Tip for Christmas dinner each year. Sometimes I’d pair it with shrimp or crab legs and do a surf-and-turf dinner. Mostly the Tri-Tip was the star though. This last Christmas, I finally feel like I’ve perfected the oven-roasted Tri-Tip. I even impressed my mom, who is a Prime Rib lover, hardcore. This version of…
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Pad Thai Chicken and Noodles
To my family’s chagrin, I absolutely love to attempt creating ethnic foods, even if I have no idea what I’m doing. Thai food has been my go-to lately. When I read Sara’s take on Pad Thai, I had to recreate it. The best part was that she did it in the Instapot, which is my most used tool in my kitchen. Sara’s recipe called for carrots and green onions. I did not have enough green onions and was too lazy to run to the store…but I did have a red bell pepper I needed to use, so that is what went in the Instapot. I also used brown rice noodles…
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Whole Wheat Bread+heart healthy
When my dad was a navigator in the Air Force (30+ years ago), his call-sign was Dough Boy. For the longest time, I thought it was due to his love of all things doughy…donuts, cinnamon rolls, bread, rolls. It was not until I was well into adulthood where I put 2-and-2 together and realized Dough was his name ‘Doug H’. Still, his love of all things doughy has been with him his whole life. After his heart attack and double bypass surgery a couple of years ago, life had to change. My mom began making this recipe to replace the regular white bread that they were used to. This recipe…
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Deconstructed: Big Mac Sloppy Joes’
I not-so-secretly love McDonald’s…so when I had no idea what to create for dinner a few weeks ago; the Big Mac Sloppy Joes’ was born. This recipe is super easy and has very few ingredients. An added benefit is this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. While this version of the Big Mac still isn’t terribly healthy, it is exceedingly less than its counterpart. And…if I can toot my own horn, it is much tastier than the real thing. Do you have a copycat recipe from a famous food? Attempting to DIY highly popular foods from restaurants is one of my most favorite things to do.…
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Carrot Apple Pecan Muffins
This is a story about a mother-in-law wanting to make her son-in-law’s favorite dessert…so her daughter purchased all of the ingredients…and the dessert never was made. So this daughter had 40oz of shredded carrots in her fridge that she had to do something with. Thus the Carrot Apple Pecan Muffins were born. My husband, Matthew, is a HUGE lover of carrot cake. And while I don’t mind the flavors, I just cannot get past the whole vegetable in a dessert thing. That thought process is tucked away in my brain, filed right next to knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but having the wisdom to know it does not…
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Coconut Pineapple Grilled Chicken
Every Thursday night, I meal plan for the coming week. And while it may seem I have dinners always planned to the T; sometimes, just like everyone else, I need a little inspiration from Pinterest. This Coconut Pineapple Grilled Chicken is one such little inspiration. Sara is the author of Dinner at the Zoo and she is the culinary genius behind this yummy concoction. Her original recipe is here, but I tweaked it a little bit for my liking. My chin-chillins a huge lovers of Mandarin Oranges, and I know that they go extremely well with pineapple and coconut. So if your heart desires, add in a can of Mandarin…
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Copy Cat Mimi’s Cafe Blueberry Muffins
The first time I had the pleasure of tasting Mimi’s Cafe’s tasty blueberry muffins was 12 years ago. We had just moved to Colorado Springs and I was just barely in my second trimester with the twins. I took one bite into this muffin and instantly knew I would be in a longterm relationship with this food. I’ve mentioned in the past that quite a few of my significant memories include the first time I try a food. The first time I ever tried a Whopper, I was 10 years old and visiting my cousins in Oregon. The first time I ever had a French Dip sandwich was my first…
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Pumpkin Spice Roll with Chocolate Mascarpone Filling
My husband, Matthew, LOVES pumpkin pie. Actually, he just loves pumpkin-flavored things in general. I, on the other hand, do not…unless it happens to have chocolate with it. Pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies, yes! Pumpkin spice roll with chocolate filling, ABSOLUTELY! So, I made a compromise with Matthew and asked what he thought about having this instead of the traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year. Thankfully he completely agreed. Do you have any recipes that are a variation of the original? Hope y’all had a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Instapot French Dip Sandwiches
When two individuals decide to make a life together, they pick and chose what to bring to the relationship. Sometimes it’s who’s knife set is better and who’s needs to be donated. Other times it’s which traditions are maintained. In the case of my marriage, French dip sandwiches are one such tradition. Growing up Matthew’s family would always have French dip sandwiches on Christmas Eve. When we had our first Christmas together with his family, I was introduced to this tradition. I am a little ashamed to say, that I had never experienced this wonderful, tasty food before. Since that first Christmas Eve, French dip has been on regular rotation…
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Instapot Cheesy Sausage & Tot Casserole
Sometimes I create my own recipes, and other times I steal someone else’s and tweak it. Why do the heavy lifting if someone has already perfected the heavy lifting for you? This recipe is one such case. One typical Saturday night, a Saturday night that wasn’t a date night, I was perusing Pinterest…or as Matthew so endearingly calls it, internet hoarding…when I came across this recipe. As I spent some of my formative years (high school) in potato country, any recipe that is full of cheese and potatoes instantly calls to me. I know, I know…I’m a nutritionist who is working toward her dietetic degree…but a heart wants what a…
