Well, the 2022-2023 school year is officially underway. Georgia schools don't mess around - most students and teachers have been back in the classroom for over a week already. And I don't know about you, but the first sign of school buses driving around the neighborhood, signals the end of summer for me. 🚌 😫 I have mixed emotions about this. 🙃 This post is officially dedicated to every teacher, parent, bus driver, administrator, janitor, therapist and cafeteria worker in the schools this year. Thank you for your commitment to investing in the lives of these precious children. Although it's most certainly not reflected in your pay check (if you get one) - your job matters and you're making a difference in the lives of children. Just keep that in mind. I appreciate you. I don't remember what time I used to get on the school bus in the morning but I know that the sun had been up for a while.🌞 The kids in my neighborhood are being picked up in front of my house at 6:15. 6:15!!!😴 Does that sound ridiculously early to anyone else? As a girl who spent far too much time trying to achieve maximum hair height in high school, I can't even imagine what time I would have to wake up in order to catch a 6:15 bus. #80sgirl 😂 I also can't imagine that anyone catching an early bus or leaving for school that early would have time for a proper breakfast. That's why this Lemon Muffin recipe is perfect for everyone starting school this month. Whip up a batch of muffins for an easy morning treat to send with your kids on their way to school or while they wait for the bus. 🚌 They're also great for packing in a lunch box or serving as an after school snack. Lemon Muffins Streusel Topping 1/2 cup flour 4 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 Tbsps butter, room temperature Muffins 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup sugar zest of 2 lemons 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt
Bake 17 minutes at 375. I love a bite size muffin. Sure a giant, larger than life, bakery sized muffin is great but there's something special about a tiny, two bite snack. I wish I could say that mini muffins help with portion control.🙅🏻♀️ But in reality, I feel like I actually consume more muffin calories when they're small than when I see a single giant muffin sitting in front of me.😅 And even though I eat more of them - I will forever love mini muffins.
Ciao!
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Tan, bossy, competitive, detail oriented, fierce - I've been called every of those things this summer. That last one is my favorite, by the way. 🤪 I admit that they're all accurate descriptions of me - but that doesn't mean it's any easier to hear someone call me "bossy." It's just semantics but somehow, "commanding", "authoritarian" or "assertive" would be easier for me to digest than "bossy". 😂 Sometimes it's all in the name. You have to agree that Pollo A La Brasa sounds way more sophisticated and elegant than "beer can chicken." 🤪 The latter conjures up an image of something you'd eat with your hands at a back yard barbecue. 🍺 The exact same chicken renamed Pollo A La Brasa transforms the same meal into something you'd be served at a fancy French bistro. 🇫🇷 The choice is yours. If you're an unpretentious, casual cook - call it "Beer Can Chicken." If you want to wow young children and impress your dinner guests, refer to your juicy and delicious bird as "Pollo A La Brasa." Pollo A La Brasa 12 ounce can beer 2 Tablespoons minced garlic 2 Tablespoons lime juice 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons yellow mustard 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon cumin 1 whole chicken
Carefully remove chicken from can, transfer to a platter and let rest 15 minutes. Ciao!
I'm not one to ever back down from a challenge. Those who know me well can attest to the fact that nothing motivates me more than the words "no" and "can't". It's a problem. 😅 Walking away from a challenge just isn't a part of my DNA. It's the reason that I couldn't give up on my dream to have a custom kitchen island - even though multiple experts told me that my design wasn't possible. Some call it stubborn - I call it persistent. 🤣 It might seem like a positive trait to some but trust me when I tell you that my determination and competitive spirit doesn't always work in my favor. 😜 A couple of weeks ago my family decided to tackle the 450 foot Sleeping Bear sand dune climb in Traverse City. #ifkyk I listened to them strategizing and preparing for the extreme hike for several days and I wanted nothing more than to join in on the sandy family bonding experience but in the end, I decided that the ankle pain that would inevitably follow the hike, wouldn't be worth the "climbers high." It took some will power to turn down such a cool opportunity but I have no doubt that it was the best decision for me. So... I went along as the hike photographer. 😂 I don't think that it's ever going to be easy for me to walk away from a challenge but I'm learning to accept my limitations. Did I mention that this hike is so strenuous that there's a $3000.00 fine if you get to the bottom of the dune and you can't make it up and have to be rescued? I'm proud of this crew for attacking the dune climb based on their ability level. And, proud of myself for NOT participating. 🤪 The challenge of baking something new is also something that I have a really hard time walking away from. I really enjoy the research and the testing phase of a new cheesecake or a cake flavor. And the task of figuring out how to create a new cookie design is also favorite pastime. So when I got a request for a peanut butter cake - without chocolate - I gladly accepted the challenge. And here is the delicious result: Peanut Butter Cake 4 1/2 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 5 eggs 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan - remove from pan and let cool completely. Frost with peanut butter buttercream. Enjoy!
Ciao! This is the post that my family's been expecting. It is a fact that if you are related to me or in my close circle of friends and you make a culinary mistake - I WILL blog about it. 😅 Culinary blunders make for great blog material but I also feel like hearing about other people's own kitchen mishaps makes us feel better about our own. 🙃 Here's the story: The last time that I made these potatoes, I asked my son to go out and pick some fresh rosemary from the garden. He looked apprehensive and somewhat surprised that I would trust him to go out and correctly identify the right herb in the line up of small green edible plants that were growing along the side of the house. 🌿 But, being the dutiful son that he is - he googled the desired herb, went outside and returned 2 minutes later with a handful of freshly cut herbs. (You see where this is going. Don't you?) I had my doubts that the handful of herbs that he presented to me was rosemary but, I thought that since we weren't at home in Georgia - the Ohio rosemary looked different.🤷🏻♀️ I gave the fresh herbs a quick examination, disregarded my instincts, gave it the sniff test, chopped it up and added it to the potatoes. I was a little pressed for time so I quickly assembled the cheesy potato casserole and slid it into the oven before running out the door. (What did I do before we had delayed start time on the oven?) About an hour into the baking process, when we returned home from church, it occurred to me to ask my first born to point out the plant that he suspected to be rosemary. As you probably figured out my now - it wasn't rosemary. It was lavender. 🤣 Lavender potatoes. That's what we had that day. Honestly - they weren't as bad as I thought they might be. I couldn't really taste the lavender but they definitely weren't as good as they were when I had made them with fresh rosemary. So the lesson here is ... Ohio rosemary looks exactly like Georgia rosemary and is looks freakishly similar to lavender. 😅😅 Cheddar Hasselback Potatoes 6 oz. shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 4 oz. shredded pepper Jack cheese 1 cup heavy cream 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped 4 lb. russet potatoes, peeled
Bake 1 hour at 350. Remove foil and sprinkle top with reserved cheeses. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender and top is golden brown. I've used this recipe for cheddar hasselback potatoes at least a half a dozen times since I added it to my blog cue. I have no explanation for why it's taken me so long to get around to posting this recipe. 💁🏻♀️ But don't judge it based on my lack of promptness.
Ciao! If you were to look through the pictures on my computer - you would find far more food pictures than anything else. 😬 I'm embarrassed to admit that I've categorized and stored so many food pictures that I had to upgrade the storage on my laptop. 📸 I never set out to be a food photographer - it was just a natural byproduct of becoming a food blogger. Food is by far the most popular subject of my photographs but you might be surprised to find out that the second most popular thing that I photograph is... birds. 🕊 There's no logical explanation for my fascination with bird pictures other than I feel like it's the complete opposite of the food pictures. Birds are easily spooked, they move, they fly and they're almost impossible to catch in good lighting. Maybe it's the challenge of getting a decent bird picture that draws me to them. After our two week summer vacation - I came home with a handful of pictures of my family, a few shots of the meals that I ate, a couple cool landscape pictures and a whole lot of bird pictures. 😂 I feel like I owe my family an explanation. Please don't assume that the number of photographs that I have of you (or lack there of) is in any way proportional to the importance that you are in my life. 😂 Taking food pictures on vacation is an entirely different experience than photographing food at home. It's way easier at home where I have access to a camera lens specifically for food pictures and I know exactly where to place food to get it in the best lighting. Food pictures while traveling are way more difficult. I typically don't travel with my food lenses and finding good lighting is definitely not intuitive for me. 😂 Just in case you need more evidence that I'm very mediocre photographer while on the road, you should know that I ended up taking these almond biscotti pictures twice. 🤦🏻♀️ In the end - I hope that despite my sub par pictures - you still get the idea that these biscotti are crispy and buttery and delicious. Almond Biscotti 2 ¼ cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup sugar ¾ brown sugar 3 large eggs, room temperature ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 Tablespoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon lemon zest 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Bake 30 minutes at 350. Slice cookies on the bias at 1/2" intervals. Place back on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes per side at 300. Shout out to my mom for letting me raid her pantry every time I visit to find containers and plates to use for my food pictures. You have the best stock of pretty dishes and baskets and fun trays that I've ever seen.
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