The sun is finally shining today! This past winter was so very cold and miserable, and so far this spring has been pretty gloomy and rainy. I am way past ready for summer to get here. Call me crazy, but I would rather have scorching hot summer days than any of the other crazy midwest weather we have been dealing with. It is sunny and warm outside today, so I am in the mood for some summertime food.
If you are like me – every time you go to a Mexican Restaurant you are ordering queso (and probably the large one). If my husband and I go to any other type of restaurant, we usually spend an eternity trying to force each other to decide what type of appetizer we want to share. If we go to a Mexican place, it is just an unwritten rule – we ARE getting queso. I have been trying for a while to make the perfect white queso dip at home, and it has been really difficult. But today, I finally got it right! I guess it just needed to be Cinco de Mayo for it to work out!
This Guacamole Stuffed Chicken is a simple and easy chicken recipe that is healthy, low calorie, low carb and FULL of flavor! I find that a lot of recipes involving chicken breasts can turn out dry, but not this one. The fresh guacamole that is stuffed inside the chicken breast keeps it from drying out and also helps to infuse it with flavor. This recipe comes in at just under 300 calories and only 5 net carbs per serving. This would be great for just about any diet!
My favorite thing about going to a Mexican restaurant, other than the margaritas that is, is the fresh salsa. There are some great store bought salsas, but that endless salsa at a Mexican restaurant is just amazing. I created a recipe for salsa that is similar to the one that is served at one of my favorite restaurants. Homemade salsa is really so simple to make. The ingredient list is a little long, but once you have everything, it only takes a couple minutes to make an amazing salsa.
Ever since I started this blog, I have been eating like crazy. All of the recipes you see here have been prepared, tested, improved and made again. Guess who does most of that testing – yours truly! Don’t get me wrong, I love it all, but sometimes I just want a nice fresh salad, so last night that is just what I had. This Arugula Salad with Lemon and Shaved Parmesan is a very quick and easy thing to throw together. I contemplated not even making a recipe for this, but I know that I personally just need some inspiration sometimes, so I thought maybe someone else would too.
Last night was one of those nights when I just couldn’t think of anything to make for dinner. I didn’t have a lot of stuff on hand, and I was not about to head out to the store in the rain with four little ones. So, I opened up the fridge and started looking for inspiration. I had some rice leftover from dinner a couple nights before, and it hit me – chicken fried rice! This is a great recipe because leftover rice is really better than fresh (fresh will work too, though). It also uses a lot of stuff you may already have on hand.
I love the idea of sheet pan side dishes and meals, I really like being able to throw everything on one pan and go. Unfortunately, a lot of these sheet pan dishes, to me, can lack in flavor. I happened to have some asparagus left after making my asparagus, brie and prosciutto tart, so I decided to create an easy and flavorful sheet pan side dish that could be served with a weeknight dinner, to guests or even at a large gathering.
During the week, my life is so crazy. Well, really it is crazy all of the time with four kids, but it is even crazier on weeknights. I am always on the lookout for a great slow cooker meal. I love being able to throw the ingredients in earlier in the day, and have a meal ready to go at dinner time. This slow cooker lemon cream chicken is just right for this time of year. The sauce is so flavorful and not too heavy. This could be great with a side salad or some veggies is you are being health conscious, or it would be amazing over a bed of rice or pasta as well.
The first time I hosted an Easter brunch at my house, I was terrified because I had never prepared a ham. It has always been one of those things that my Nanny took care of, and she does it so well that there really isn’t a need for anyone else to know how. After we moved out of state though, we started hosting different holidays at our house and I had to learn quickly. I found a recipe similar to this one online somewhere, and it has evolved into this Spiral Ham with a Brown Sugar, Honey & Dijon Glaze.
Over the last seven years, we have lived in six different homes and in four different states. We have moved five different times and had four babies. It’s been a wild few years! Out of all of those places we have lived, though, I have to say that Texas had BY FAR the best food of all. I am constantly trying to recreate the things that I had there, and I am still trying to figure out how to make most of them like they do. Street corn is one of those things that I just had to have a great recipe for, so here is my recipe for Street Corn off the Cob!
