I don't know a whole lot about "AI" and how it's able to target specific audiences with marketing campaigns.  I just know that when I log onto my social media accounts, I see adds that are directly aimed at women in the 50+ range.  I tend to forget that the ads that I see are different from everyone else's, until my husband jumps on my Facebook page.  He scrolled my Facebook for 2 minutes last week and the look on his face said it all.   In that amount of time, he saw ads for the best strapless bra, hormone replacement therapy and home wine delivery services.  🍷😅  

I feel like I should be targeting specific audiences with my Facebook blog shares too.  If only I knew how this worked. 🤣  My recipes are all over the place.  Just think if I could send my dessert recipes to those people interested in baking and my Big Green Egg recipes to those people interested in grilling on a BGE.  Who can teach me how to do this?  😬

If I were to categorize this particular recipe, I would send it out to healthy eaters, Keto dieters and cooks with a limited amount of time.  So if that's you - consider yourself targeted and personally invited to give this recipe a try.  Making chicken breasts in a homemade Italian dressing is easier than you might think and their super versatile.  Serve this chicken with a side of rice, on top of a fresh green salad or on a bun with melted cheese as a sandwich.  

Italian Dressing Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 bone in chicken breasts
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Italian Seasoning Blend
2 1/2 Tablespoons oregano
2 1/2 Tablespoons thyme
1 Tablespoon basil
1 Tablespoon rosemary
1 Tablespoon sage

Slice each chicken breast crosswise into 1/2" slices.  Serve with pan juices.

This Spring weather has me all excited get outside and fire up the grill so I can see this recipe in my near future - next time cooked on the grill.  Enjoy!

Ciao!

Every single year.  I get lured in by the promises of longer days and warmer weather in early March, and I plant tender, young plants in my garden.  And without fail, every year, I spend at least one weekend running around the yard with pillowcases and sheets at dusk to try and protect those very plants from the cruel dagger of frost.  🪴

This year, I had every intention of waiting until the end of April, to put my precious plants in the ground.  And I really tried ... I did. 😬  Then we had 3 consecutive days of nearly 80 degree temperatures and I caught a massive case of Spring fever. 😂 Before I knew it, I was driving to the nursery, picking out plants and putting them in the garden - in early March.  🤦🏻‍♀️

Why do I do this to myself?  I'm fairly certain that repeating an act over and over and expecting different results is a definition of insanity.  😅 🤷🏻‍♀️  I just got so excited about Spring gardening that I couldn't wait even a couple extra weeks.  🤦🏻‍♀️

I love having fresh herbs to cook with in the summer.  They make pastas, marinades, not to mention salads, taste so much better - and fresher. And being able to pick those herbs from my own backyard is so rewarding.  A simple green salad with romaine lettuce, fresh basil and tomatoes and a classic vinaigrette is one of my all time favorite springtime treats.  🥗

​Maybe it's the Italian in me but, I feel like a simple, vinaigrette recipe is something that everyone should have in their back pocket. (not literally🤣)  It's so easy to whip up a homemade vinaigrette that there's really no excuse NOT too.  I make this so often that this Italian vinaigrette is one of the only recipe that I've committed to memory.  It truly is super simple and simply delicious.  

Italian Vinaigrette
1 Tablespoon wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
pepper
​3 Tablespoons olive oil

Here's to tucking in my new plants under the sheets for the next several nights to protect them from frost. 🥶 Reminding myself that it will all be worth it when I have fresh basil to put in my salads next week.  🤣 🌿
​
Ciao!

It's Soup-er bowl Sunday. 🍲 You didn't think I was going to let this day pass without making that pun, did you?  😅  I don't have a personal investment in either team this year but that doesn't stop me from exploiting the event for selfish purposes.  I mean, it's a great excuse to eat your favorite treats and gather together with friends.  

Like I said, I don't have a vested interest in this particular football game. 🏈As a whole, professional football isn't really my thing.  I used to look forward to the halftime show but in the last few years, I haven't even enjoyed the Super Bowl performances of the musical guests.  Now I participate in Superbowl festivities for 2 specific purposes: commercials and food.  If you ask me, those are the best parts of any professional football game anyway.  😂

I want to know - What are your favorite football watching snacks?  Are you a wings and pizza kind of fan?  Or are you team nachos and burgers? 🍔  Dips and chips more your style or are you a sit in front of the tv with a bowl of chili kind of person?  Just conducting an informal survey about what everyone is eating today.  😅
​
If you need a last minute idea for a Soup-er bowl meal - and no, I can't resist saying it like that - check out my recipe for Healthy Baked Potato Soup.  Truth is, with a few simple swaps, you can make this soup as healthy - or unhealthy - as you wish.  Put out bowls of toppings for everyone to dress up their own bowl of soup.  

Healthy Baked Potato Soup
4 yukon Gold potatoes, cubed with skin on
1 Tablespoon water
7 strips bacon or turkey bacon
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions chopped
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk or unsweetened almond milk
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated

Prepare toppings: broccoli, bacon, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, green onions.

Season with salt and pepper.  

Have a Soup-er Bowl Sunday! 

​Ciao!

This may be a chilly November morning, but I'm day dreaming about the most amazing island. 🏝No, not one with tropical beaches and tiki torches.  The island I'm dreaming about has a cutting board drawer and a drawer with an outlet for my computer.  This 2x6 foot island has a whopping 30 drawers!  #organizersdream Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part - this incredible island has a retractable platform so I can stand at my counter like a normal sized adult.  🤣

We're 24 hours away from seeing my vision become a reality. Nearly a year ago, I sketched what I imagined to be the ultimate kitchen island on a tiny piece of paper and here it is - about to be installed.  There were lots of nay sayers and cabinet makers who outright refused to even attempt to build this crazy cabinet.  There were hundreds of reasons why my plan wasn't going to work.  It wasn't structurally sound and some of the things I included in my plan, didn't even exist.  What can I say?  I'm a baker, not an architect.  

Some people have a work desk - I have a work island.  
​
Along with the kitchen island, my stove will be reinstalled tomorrow as well.  Something I've been without for a week and a half.  You don't realize how much you depend on your stove until it's missing.  And can anyone explain, why I started craving pasta the minute that they took away my ability to boil water?  🍝Thankfully I still have my wall oven so I've been using that this week.  If you need a super tasty Fall comfort, sheet pan meal that you can make in your oven in less than an hour - you need to give this Roasted Chicken recipe a try.  It's healthy, it's super flavorful, it's quick and easy to put together and ...it doesn't require a stovetop.  

Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Poblanos
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and halved and sliced into 1/2" slices
2 poblano peppers, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2"wide strips
3 Tablespoons oil
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
4 bone in chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup cojita cheese, crumbled (optional)
2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Dressing
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brush chicken with honey. 

Sprinkle vegetables with cheese and pumpkin seeds. 

To all of you who have been waiting to see pictures of the new kitchen - they're coming.  Lots of changes coming this week - new lighting, pantry shelves and doors  and of course, my piece de resistance - the island.  I'm pretty sure you'll be sick and tired of seeing pictures of my kitchen by the time this is over.  Thanks for sticking with me through this process.  Much love. A

​Ciao!

I have to admit, I’m a little sad to see summer go, but I can't help but be excited about the all of the possibilities that autumn has to offer. 🍂A season of fresh starts, new routines, activities and adventures.  Sure, I'll miss my more laid back summer schedule and nights when the sun didn't set until after 9:00 but I'm excited about this new season that we're entering into. 🍁

I'm ready to trade in my bathing suit for some soft, cozy sweaters and my fresh strawberry shortcake and corn on the cob for all things warm, delicious and  pumpkiny. 🎃There's something about the crisp Fall air that makes me want to escape to my kitchen and start putting together hearty casseroles, make comforting soups and bake soul warming desserts.  🍎 

Sadly, my kitchen still isn't quite ready for me to use - still waiting on water and countertops - so my Fall cooking might not happen until late November this year.  Rest assured that even if it's delayed - it WILL happen.  I can hardly wait to start to start baking in my new dream kitchen.  Just imagine the Thanksgiving extravaganza that I can create this year with double the oven capacity.  🦃 😅 

We eat a fair amount of take out these days and grain bowls have become my new go-to meal.  I've have some really awesome grain bowl creations from local restaurants so putting together a homemade bowl filled with roasted sweet potatoes, fresh apples, walnuts and dried cranberries just seemed to make sense.  I actually made this Autumn Harvest Grain Bowl just before kitchen demolition began in September.  It was super satisfying and SUPER delicious.  

Autumn Harvest Bowl
2 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup quinoa cooked
1 small sweet potato
1 apple, sliced thin
1/4 cup chickpeas, rinsed
2 Tbsp dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons cheese

for the dressing:
2 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Grain bowls are growing in popularity and you might remember the other grain bowl recipes that I've shared on the blog. My family loves mediterranean bowls with olives, cucumbers, tomatoes with a tahini sauce.  Mexican bowls are another favorite in this house.  Brown rice, cilantro, black beans and cheddar cheese take center stage when I serve those.  These Fall themed grain bowls are a great way to enjoy the deliciousness of this autumn season.  Pair it with a steaming cup of butternut squash soup - and you've got yourself a perfect Fall combination. 

​Ciao!