recipes
Oyster “Pearl” Cookies
Sometimes the best party projects are the simplest, and these little Oyster “Pearl” Cookies are the perfect example! They were so easy to put together, using just a few ingredients and taking less than 30 minutes from start to finish. And yet, despite their simple assembly, they added so much–including a perfect pop of color–to our otherwise aqua and sand colored beachy mermaid party table. Oh, and did I mention they were delicious? Hard to go wrong with vanilla wafers and homemade cream cheese buttercream frosting! Here is what you need: 2 boxes vanilla wafers homemade cream cheese buttercream frosting, tinted pink decorating bag with a star tip pearl-colored Sixlets ... read more
How to Make a Sandcastle Cake {Tutorial}
Oh, the cake! I knew as soon as we decided on a mermaid theme for Trouble’s 4th birthday that a sand castle cake would be perfect. I had seen a few really photos on Pinterest, I just couldn’t find any detailed instructions. Since paying hundreds of dollars for a professionally decorated cake was out of the question, I decided to go with plan B: wing it! I kinda prefer plan B anyways. Let me just start by saying that I am not a professional baker, or even anything close to it, but what I lack in technical skill I make up for with sheer determination. I’m not going to lie, ... read more
Sugar-Crusted Blueberry Cake with Sour Cream Glaze {Recipe}
Have you ever had a recipe “fail” turn into one of your best recipes ever? That is exactly what happened with this cake. My plan was to bake a blueberry buckle, but then realized I didn’t have the requisite springform pan. I thought I’d improvise and add the streusel topping to the bottom of the pan first, with the intention of turning it into an upside-down blueberry cake, but then I waited too long to flip it after taking it out of the oven. Some of the topping stuck to the pan, which made the cake look awful, even though it was still perfectly edible. I probably would’ve simply ... read more
Taco Bites {Recipe}
Tacos are always a hit in our house, but my kids are still at the stage where those regular hard taco shells end up becoming a crumbled mess on their plates. The other day, as it was already 6:30pm and we were all starving, I was scrambling for a FAST (and easy) dinner solution, I stumbled upon a solution so simple and yet so perfect, I couldn’t believe I had never thought of it before. Taco Bites. All the yumminess of a taco in a handy bite-sized package. I’m probably not the first person to ever come up with this idea, but I gotta tell ya, I was pretty darn ... read more
Quick & Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oreo Pie {Recipe}
Ever have one of those moments where you suddenly realize you were supposed to make a dessert and now you’ve only got a few minutes to whip something up or everyone will know you don’t actually have it all together? Yeah me neither. But in case you ever do, this recipe is the perfect solution! Not only is it SUPER yummy, (But not fattening at all. Nope. Not even a little bit.), it can be quickly whipped up in about 20 minutes, and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand. Here is what you need: 1 refrigerated rolled pie crust 1 small box chocolate pudding 2 cups milk 1 ... read more
30 Minute Corn & Black Bean Chili {Recipe}
It’s MAY! With Cinco de Mayo just a few short days away, I thought it would be fun to share my new favorite chili recipe. This super easy meal whips up in less than 30 minutes using basic pantry staples. The key to the super fresh flavor is the green verde chili, so don’t skip that part! As usual, I used vegetarian protein crumbles instead of ground beef, but those of you who prefer REAL meat could substitute a pound of ground beef or turkey instead. Although I personally prefer things a little spicier, I make this version fairly mild so that it is still kid friendly. (My kids absolutely ... read more
Sweet & Spicy Coleslaw {Recipe}
I don’t know how it works in your house, but around here, as soon as the weather starts to warm up, we start grilling as much as possible! Our favorite grill fare (by far!) is a good old fashioned cheeseburger (or veggie burger, as the case may be), and to me nothing goes better with a home-grilled burger than made-from-scratch coleslaw. I know coleslaw can be a pretty controversial–and highly subjective–topic. Some people prefer a creamy mayo-based dressing, while others insist the only way to eat coleslaw is with a vinegar base. And then there is the sweet versus sour camps….it is almost enough to make your head spin! Personally ... read more
Fresh Veggie Egg Scramble {Recipe}
I am so sad that today is our last day of the Worden Farm season! (SW Florida residents, don’t miss the FREE Prospective Member Event happening this afternoon!) We have SO enjoyed our overabundance of fresh veggies for the past 20 weeks, and we will be counting the days until the new season begins next December! I’ve talked about it a lot, but joining a farm co-op is a great way to save money on produce. You can check out your own local options on localharvest.org! But on to the food! In our house Daddy is in charge of omelets–mine don’t even come close–but Mommy makes the best scrambled eggs. ... read more
Easy Eggplant Parmesan {Recipe}
I absolutely adore eggplant parmesan. All that ooey gooey cheesy saucy comfort food deliciousness…..what’s not to love? Eggplants used to intimidate me until I discovered the secret to good eggplant texture. Do you want to know what it is? Salt. Lots and lots and lots of salt. Weird, huh? I know. But it works. And while eggplant parmesan might seem like a complicated dish, this version is pretty darn easy thanks to a not-quite-from-scratch sauce. I promise it is SO much better than the frozen stuff! Here is what you need: 3 medium eggplants 4 eggs 3-4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs olive oil cooking spray 1 jar spaghetti sauce ... read more
Fresh Lemon & Sage Veggie Pasta {Recipe}
After almost two full seasons of Worden Farm veggie goodness, my kids have (thankfully) gone from literally freaking out at the site of anything green to actually asking for more vegetables on a regular basis. It’s a transformation I never expected, but I am definitely not complaining! Even so, their all-time favorite food is still (and may always be) pasta, especially “butterfly noodles” (farfalle), as they call it. This yummy recipe found a way to combine all the fresh veggie goodness of Worden Farm with their favorite pasta, and even threw in a little cheese (yum!) and fresh-squeezed lemon (from our lemon tree) for good measure. It was a fabulous ... read more
Irish Pub Pasties {Recipe}
We have a great little Irish pub in my town called The Celtic Ray, and as St. Patrick’s Day approaches I thought it might be fun to come up with my own interpretation of one of my favorite items on their menu–the Pub Pasty (pronounced PAH-STEE). For those of you not familiar with this yummy little treat, a pasty is a hand-held pie filled with savory meat or vegetables & spices. The traditional pub version is usually dipped in batter, then deep fried. My home version uses ready-made rolled pie crusts which makes them super easy (and a lot less messy!) They were an across-the-board hit with the whole family, ... read more
Overnight French Toast {with Warm Maple Butter Syrup}
I’ve made a version of this amazingly decadent french toast recipe for so many gatherings–and shared it with so many of my friends over the years–that I honestly can’t believe I haven’t posted it here until now. It is absolutely delicious yet super simple to make and practically fool-proof. Best of all, it can be prepared the night before so that all you have to do is crumble on the streusel topping, pop it in the oven, and heat the syrup. It is my number one go-to recipe for any big breakfast or brunch, and we will for sure be adding this one to our Easter Brunch menu this year! ... read more
Cream of Cabbage Soup {Recipe}
It is Worden Farm time for us again which means lots & lots of yummy fresh veggies all season long. This year I opted for on-farm pickup rather than box delivery. I love able to choose, and the girls absolutely adore going out to the farm. It is quite a drive which means we don’t usually make it out there every single week. However, that just means we get double the number of vegetables the following week! If you are not currently part of a local farm co-op, I highly recommend it. (Here in SW Florida, check out the Worden Farm membership options; otherwise check out LocalHarvest.org to find a farm ... read more
How to Make Homemade Butter {in a Stand Mixer}
Okay, so maybe I just tend to get overly excited about butter in general, but I am pretty sure that making homemade butter in my Kitchen-Aid is both the coolest and the most domestic thing I’ve ever done. Just when I didn’t think it was possible to love an appliance even more….I mean really, what’s better than homemade butter? Mmmmmmmm…..butter…… But I digress. It was seriously so easy that I see a lot more butter making in our future. Since this was technically a homeschool activity (and had no selfish motivations whatsoever!), we tried to follow the instructions from Little House in the Big Woods as closely as ... read more
Spicy African Sweet Potato & Peanut Butter Soup {Recipe}
When it comes to soup, I just love unique flavor combinations. I first tried a version of this African sweet potato & peanut soup many, many years ago out of this Vegetarian Times Low Fat & Fast recipe book, which was–back when I still used actual cookbooks instead of the internet–my very favorite cookbook ever. This slightly more dressed-up version uses fresh sweet potatoes and tomatoes instead of canned and also adds the rich flavor of coconut milk and chipotle peppers. The combination of sweet and spicy is so good! (Printable version of this recipe available at the bottom of this post) Ingredients: 2 pounds sweet potatoes 8 plum ... read more
