April 4, 2013

Preggatinis! Mocktails Made Easy + Recipe

0

My awesome friend sent me a little preggo package when we announced we were having another baby. When I opened the box there were a giant container of chocolate covered pretzels (sweet & salty-can’t beat that!) and a book, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be by Natlie Bovis-Nelson. For everyone who knows me knows that giving up my wonderful friends vodka and vino for 10 months is the hardest. The only consecutive months I have had of sobriety have been while pregnant! So I was beyond thrilled to see this book full of yummy non-alcholic “mocktails”. Pregnant ladies shouldn’t feel left…

Continue reading →

March 22, 2013

Meatless Friday’s: Nutella Banana Bread

0

I thought I would switch it up a bit for this Friday’s meatless dish and go a bit on the savory side! How can you go wrong with Nutella or bananas or both?! Nothing beats it and this bread will absolutely blow your socks off. I was lucky enough to stumble upon this recipe on Pinterest (of course) and knew I had to try it out. Surprisingly, it was so easy! Only hard part was waiting for the banana’s to brown – it was wearing on my patience because I was feigning this banana bread and drooling over the picture….

Continue reading →

March 15, 2013

Meatless Friday’s: Rigatoni alla Vodka

0

Clearly pasta is one of my favorite meals and I tend to cook it as much as I can! I am a crazy Italian, what can I say… I don’t skimp on it either. I can’t see cutting corners and making certain pastas with alternative ingredients – even though they may be healthier – I stay true to form. Plus they taste ridiculously amazing. My husband may hate me for making some extremely sinful pastas but he loves them just as much as I do! Vodka sauce’s special ingredient is heavy cream and I am totally ok with that! Guess…

Continue reading →

March 13, 2013

Quick Chicken ‘Cacciatore’

1

Last night, both my husband and I were beyond exhausted. Ordering out food was not an option, as we have been spending way too much $$ on takeout/dining out in the past couple weeks. So we put our semi-functioning brains together and created a yummy, hearty dish in under 30 minutes. It was our take on chicken cacciatore, minus the olives and other goodies that are usually in a traditional one. We used what ever we had in our fridge and pantry – usually these again are hits or misses and the last thing both of us needed last night…

Continue reading →

March 8, 2013

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

0

A month ago I went dining with one of my girls at a local Mediterranean restaurant. This place is great if you are in the mood for great hummus, crispy  falafel and wine – lots of it! (Free wine for ladies on Wednesday, can’t beat that!) I like to try one new dish each time I go and my friend raved about their quinoa salad. I typically eat quinoa hot (cheesy quinoa-yes please) so I was all about trying. It was cool, full of flavor and packed with fresh veggies. Tossed with just a simple dressing of lemon and olive…

Continue reading →

March 1, 2013

Meatless Friday’s: Fettuccine Alfredo

0

My Italian-ness oozes over into every part of my life. Especially the kitchen! Nothing beats Italiano food…NOTHING! Clearly I am biased. So there is no doubt in my mind that I am not going to let a Meatless Friday go by without making some pasta. Alfredo sauce is one of my favorite indulgences. Although I don’t eat that often (thanks to all that butter and heavy cream!), so when I do, I can eat bowls and bowls of this stuff! Best part is this recipe is super easy and can compete with some of the best Italian restaurants. Simple Fettuccine…

Continue reading →

February 22, 2013

Meatless Friday’s: Easy Lo Mein

1

I have been having a hankering for some homemade Chinese food. As easy as it is to pick up the phone and just order it, I felt adventurous and decided to test out my wok skills in the kitchen. I don’t know if any of you out there have ever made homemade Chinese, but its complete insanity if you don’t know what you’re doing! The last time I attempted homemade Chinese, my husband and I were just dating, you know, in that cutesy, lovey-dovey stage and decided to make my mom a whole spread for her birthday dinner. Wontons, lo…

Continue reading →

February 15, 2013

Meatless Fridays – Baked Tilapia

0

Meatless Fridays are back! Its that time of the year again And we are certainly kicking it off with a bang. My husband has been dying for fish and I only can eat it when I’m in the mood for it. That could be weeks, months… So I felt bad, the poor guy works his ass off and just had one dinner request, kinda had to make it, right?? He wanted healthy, I’m giving him healthy! Baked tilapia with shallots, parsley and lemon….side of brown rice and veggies! If that ain’t healthy, I don’t know what is. Baked Tilapia 2…

Continue reading →

February 1, 2013

Homemade Spaghettio’s

0

Growing up I never ate Spaghettio’s. No Chef Boyardee either. Sure, as a kid I got sucked into those cool commercials and begged my mom to get them for me but she knew better. I mean, who wants to eat Italian out of a can?! Now that I’m 30 and still have yet to try either, there is still that kid in me that wonders what the hell all the fuss was about. Well, luckily I came across Pennies On A Platter’s homemade version on Pinterest and I felt obligated to my 8 year old self to make it. Thank…

Continue reading →

January 10, 2013

Fajita Night!

0

I am all about the easy, 30 minutes or less recipes for dinner. So when I was flippin’ through the recipe book my mom made me for Christmas, I stopped on a recipe for fajitas. Had minimal ingredients and took less than 30 minutes-score. Doing tex-mex at home is by far the best, its so fun to make all the fixings yourself. I usually make some guac, salsa, and put out a whole fixin’ bar of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and hot sauce. No way am I gonna skimp when it comes to Fajita Night! What makes doing it…

Continue reading →