Gourmet Tater Tot Casserole

We are now officially out of the mid west and I can stop pretending that calling something hot dish is socially acceptable. I don't think that in our 10 years living there I ever willingly called something I made a hot dish. Now I don't even have to silently nod as I inwardly cringe at the word.

No matter what it's called, I've been craving a tater tot covered meat dish for weeks now. As I checked out various recipes online I was prepared to make the standard ground beef and cheese casserole but then I came across this amped up version of tater tot casserole and I was inspired!

Sweet Corn and Red Pepper Fritter Burgers

A lot has changed since I last posted. We've sold our house, got a new job and moved to Texas and all the craziness that accompanies choices like that. We're loving being in the South again and realizing we probably should have done this along time ago. We left behind lots of good friends and memories but we're excited about everything ahead of us in this new adventure!

The move meant a few months of essentially no cooking as everything was packed up and then we had awhile in between houses with hotels and such so it feels good to be back in a nice kitchen again and cooking away.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Sausage Filling



 

How quickly the time goes. I feel like we were just enjoying the last days of Summer and now here we are prepping for another Thanksgiving. We haven't had snow here yet so at least I can be Thankful for that. And good food. I've been surrounded by some amazing food the last week or so, from restaurants and friends to trying some new recipes in my own kitchen. It's so amazing to see what people with so much more talent than I have can do with some simple ingredients.

Eggplant Caponata

It's so hard to come back from vacation. I hereby propose that we work for 4 weeks every year and vacation the rest of it! Wouldn't that be nice? I am excited for this summer though. The sun is finally shining, the grass is green and our garden is coming up. The last two years, our summers have been full of renovations and other projects but this year I am doing nothing! I'll do the garden and keep the yard nice but I have sworn off any major projects. I'm just going to enjoy the weekends and the trips we're planning over the next few months.

Salsa, Beef and Cheese Chiles Rellenos

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo! When you hear of Sabra, most of you probably think of their amazing hummus, but did you know they also have an amazing assortment of salsas and dips? I absolutely love their salsa and I am always amazed at how fresh they taste. They have 8 varieties that are perfect for any party or event you have coming up and are always made with vine-ripened tomatoes and perfectly selected vegetables .

Pistachio French Macarons

There are some difficult foods that are not worth making and some that most certainly are. One that isn't, in my opinion; croissants. While I've made them a few times and am glad to know and understand how the process works, I can find pretty decent or even amazing croissants in pretty much any bakery for a decent price.

Glazed Yeast Doughnuts

After all these years, it's finally here. It's my early Christmas present to everyone; My doughnut recipe. It's not that it's necessarily been a secret or that I haven't shared it with others. Just not formally here. And of course I'm excited to be sharing this recipe through my partnership with Red Star Yeast.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Today at lunch I went for a hot bowl of Tuscan White Bean Soup from the cafeteria at work. Our cafeteria went through a remodel last year and actually serves some pretty decent food. The soups have always been great but this one was extremely underwhelming. Not necessarily bad but really not good in any way. I even had to go get a big side of onion rings to make up for it. 

Crispy Sweet Potato and Zucchini Pancake

 

If you've seen the recipes I typically post, you obviously know that I'm not Diabetic. But the Virtual Potluck group is celebrating World Diabetes Day and our challenge was to share a diabetic friendly recipe! We're also working with two great companies, Anolon and Microplane so that made the challenge even more interesting. Best part is, you'll be able have a chance at winning the tools that we used for this dish!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Sometimes time just gets away from you. I've always been a busy person. Not necessarily hectic, run all around the place type busy, but busy. I like side projects and lots of things going on that I can be involved in, but the month of October just got away from me. Full time job, trying to launch a new business, wedding, travel, foster kids and a major professional certification exam.