Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Blah blah. I have no witty nonsense today. Just this yummy fruit salad. Joe and I made it for our failed picnic. There is this other "perfect" fruit salad that calls for vanilla pudding mix. What the heck is that? This is perfect with honey and lime juice. Way better for you than pudding mix on fruit. Plus I'm pretty sure this dressing would be perfect on any fruit. Not sure how pudding would be on everything. So yeah, this is the best. Light and sweet and tart. Om nom nom get in my belly!

Recipe from Oh! You Cook!

Jelly Doughnut Muffins

You know what my least favorite thing to move is? Food. I hate moving food. So when I was sure I was moving, I started to make plans to eat all my food. Baking supplies are the worst to move. I was searching for recipes that would use baking supplies I had without going out and getting more. I found a lot of recipes but jelly doughnuts won. Why? Because. Jelly. Doughnuts. They were yummy and moist and the jelly was the sweet little nugget on top. Next time, I will definitely go with a pastry tip instead of just poking a hole in the top with a knife and using a baggie filled with jelly. #poorcollegekidproblems Anyways. Aren't they cuuuute?! You know you want one.

Recipe from Brandy's Baking.

Strawberry Chiffon Pie

I am so excited to share this pie with you. You came here, probably looking to laugh a little because let's face it, I'm hilarious but instead, I'm going to tell you about this pie and you're going to want some right now. Please don't hate me. This pie is seriously the best desert I've ever put in my mouth. I am completely obsessed. It is light and fluffy. The strawberry flavor is sweet but not overpowering. It is ridiculously easy to make. The graham cracker crust is buttery and addicting. I ate like half a pie in a day. That's how amazing this is. It is just too good. I'm sorry for ruining your life. This recipe recommended making it in a spring form pan but instead we made it in two pie plates. Definitely worth it. There is just so much filling. Also, I did not add red food coloring. I like the natural pink from the strawberries and I didn't think red dye would really matter.

Again, I'm so so so sorry for ruining your day. But not really.

Caramel Bananas

You know what's nice? Hugs. Warm and cozy and just what you need. Hugs are just so nice. Single girls are home alone with no hugs. Tis very very sad. You're all alone and you need something warm and cozy. So instead you make caramel bananas. They take like no time at all to make and they are sweet and warm and gooey just like a hug. Am I saying I eat my feelings? Maybe. But don't judge because they are so yummy you just need to try them, mmkay? You might even give up boyfriend hugs for these lovelies.

This recipe is from SophistiMom.

By the way, do you like my plate and napkin? World Market yo. Just for you guys so my pictures would look fancy. You like?

Chicken Pot Pie

You know when you think something is great and then you find out it is not so great and you can never go back to the blissful ignorance? That is me and frozen pot pies right now. One of our amazing sisters just had a baby and I made this pot pie to freeze and take to her. This recipe makes two delicious pot pies you can be kind and freeze for new mommies, sick friends, and whatnot. Or just make them for yourself. I won't tell or judge. One bite of these and you'll never be able to go back to the frozen pies from the grocery store.

The recipe is from October Morning.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I've been going through my boards on Pinterest because sadly, I love to pin food but on my dessert board alone, I had more than 700 pins. 700! That's a dessert a day for two years! So I went back the first pins on that board and started looking for easy stuff that would be fun to try to clear out my board.  One of my first pins were these little truffles. I had a couple of reincarnations that I might try at another time but for the moment they've all be moved to another board for the future. They are super tasty but they have the texture of cookie dough so I recommend adding a little more flour to make them stiffer or dip the whole truffle in chocolate. I didn't have any shortening to thin my milk chocolate out with so I decided the drizzle would keep the truffles from becoming too chocolate-y. Don't they look so cute? Obsessed. Plus they really do taste like cookie dough!

Mug Brownie

I like the whole dessert in a mug trend. It's perfect for lazy people like myself. I did post this tasty mug cake so you know this already. I found this mug brownie online the other day and I was like "hey I have all this stuff!!" so I proceeded to make it. It's good to note that this is not tasty without the salt so make sure you add that. And it's also a little too big for one person so share with a friend. I'm sorry this picture isn't super tasty. How do you make a brown blob tasty looking? I pulled it when it was still a little gooey because that's how my oven brownies are.

Open Face Chicken Caprese Sandwiches

Pinterest is great. Almost every recipe I've blogged about has been found on Pinterest. But there is one problem. A lot of recipes I find on there are complicated, time consuming, or have a lot of ingredients that I have to go out and find. Sometimes, you just want a lunch or dinner that won't take a lot of time or financial investment. Joe and I had these sandwiches for lunch and they came together very quickly. As usual, Joe and I instantly came up with half a dozen ways to put our own spin on it but really, this is one of those rare recipes I would eat again without any alterations. Iowa Girl Eats is such a great food blog. Here is her post about these yummies. I can't wait to make these again!

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Remember that episode of Friends where Amy pierces Emma's ears and Rachel gets really mad? They bond over how fat their third sister, Jill, has gotten because of her weakness: garlic bread. Yeah, that's me. I could eat garlic bread with every meal. Joe and I made this little snack and I can not get it out of my mind. It's so easy, I don't even have measurements or numbered steps for this. We dipped our bread in some spaghetti sauce with Parmesan cheese mixed in. It is just so dang good.

Get yourself some french bread, butter, garlic powder, and mozzarella cheese. Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle on some garlic powder and put under the broiler until they look toasty. Top with some cheese and put them back under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly. Devour.

  

Raspberry Lemonade

Have you ever wondered what sort of magic crack they have in restaurants that makes literally everything they serve so freakin' fancy? Like why is lemonade suddenly the most delicious beverage in the world when you are paying like $3 a glass? I don't know either! But I like the fruity crack lemonades so when I found this recipe, I was all over it. It comes out a pretty red pink color and it tastes amazing. New summer obsession! My suggestions? More lemon, less sugar syrup. And don't thaw your raspberries if you are using frozen But whatevs. It's your lemonade. Actually, will you share with me? I don't care if you don't take my suggestions, just share ok?

French Toast Dumplings

Breakfast food and I are good friends. IHop knows me too well. And above all else, french toast and I share a special bond. I just love french toast. It is so yummy. So when I ran across french toast dumplings, I told Joe they had to happen. So I do have to give you some tips because the recipe was not easy as it looks. Here is are the finished dumplings.

Don't they look yummy?

This batch was super mushy. Lesson learned: less than a minute on each side.

The only word I have for this batch is goo. They disintegrated as I pulled them out. Use a bigger pan and don't over crowd it.

Perfect! Cooked for a minute on each side. I also had a lot of space around each dumpling when I dropped them in.

My biggest tips for success: Big pot and work in batches, no more than a minute and a half on each side, keep your heat very low, and let them sit for a few minutes once you coat them in cinnamon sugar. It really makes a difference in the texture. But even the mushy batch was tasty. Maybe just because of the relationship I have french toast.

Lemon Pie Bars

Joe loves lemon anything. I think I could make lemon flavored grass candy and Joe would at least try it.  I first made this for Joe when he moved into the house he lives in now. He had his parents over for dinner and I made these for desserts. They are so light and tasty. They are the perfect spring treat and they are perfect for my spring bucket list. Their crust is like pie crust but thicker, more like shortbread. Joe and I have always talked about adding blueberries so maybe we will do that this summer and try it again. They are super simple, the prep time is next nothing, and Joe has all of the ingredients all of the time. They are just perfect.

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs

What makes the novelty Reese's so yummy? I think it's the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate. Except at a dollar a pop, they are less than satisfying. So I tried making some myself. The results were super yummy. Not exactly the same but none the less, super tasty. I thought they were pretty rich but Joe thought they were just right. I think next time I might add some more peanut butter and thin my chocolate out a little more but otherwise they were are an extremely tasty treat. If you want a thinner chocolate, go for a double boiler and some wax from the baking aisle instead of shortening or a little more shortening. That might give it a little thinner coat of chocolate. They taste like a big buckeye if you've ever had one of those. Plus they are super cute for Easter. :)

South Western Egg Rolls

Do you know what my favorite single ingredient is? Black beans. I am obsessed. I feel like I say that a lot. But it's true. I love me some black beans. I've been contemplating asking the lovely folks at Q'Doba to skip the meat and double the beans. But I feel like they might be confused why some crazy person wants a tortilla with beans and rice. So I haven't tried it... yet. Anyways, I was looking for some tasty black bean recipes and I found this. I just love that these egg rolls are baked. They are full of yummy healthy food. I found the same recipe copied somewhere else cited as "Weight Watcher" egg rolls. Apparently that means they are good for you. I don't believe in Weight Watchers but they are full of veggies and good-for-you stuff. So I'm seriously considering making a double batch and trying to freeze some. The best part about these little yummys are they reheat marvelously in a 300 degree toaster oven for 5-8 minutes. My new favorite snack/quick dinner? I think so. You can find the recipe here.

Grilled Chicken and Lemon Basil Pasta

Oh my lord, you are going to hate me. And I am so not sorry. This pasta will ruin your life. You will seriously consider giving up all other foods to just eat pasta forever. This lemon basil pasta is seriously amazing! It's light and creamy and just so dang good. The lemon is the best part of this dish. It makes the sauce just so dang good. I did not want to stop eating. You just have to try it. And then curse the nutritional gods that pasta isn't the only food we need to survive! And of course, it's from my favorite woman ever, the Pioneer Woman.

Salsa

I am not a salsa person. I don't like most salsa that comes in jars, with one exception. Newman's Own has some pretty tasty salsa but I wouldn't sit down with a jar and snack on that. I only eat their salsa when my mom buys it and even then it's like 5 or 6 chips and I'm done. Anyways, my problem with jarred salsa is the chunks. I don't like chunks in my salsa. Neither does Joe. So when I found a recipe that specifically said to blend it up, I knew I needed to try it. Plus it's from the Pioneer Woman and when I read about how picky she is with her salsa, I knew if her salsa wasn't for me, there would be no salsa ever for me. But it is the salsa for me and I am completely addicted. I have never sat down and snacked on chips and salsa before but I'm out of salsa now because I can't stop once I start snacking. It is just so good.

Shrimp Pasta

When Joe and I first met, he made this for me and I became hooked. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and it is always my answer to the question, "If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?" Joe and I always say it's our first favorite food cooked in our second favorite food over our third favorite food. I am absolutely obsessed with this dish and I can't believe it has taken this long to post it on this blog. I introduced my sister to this dish and she is also addicted so it's safe to say it's amazing.

Shrimp Pasta

• 15 Large Pre-Cooked Shrimp, tails removed
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 T Butter
• 2 T Oregano
• 1 T Italian Dressing
• 1/3 lb Spaghetti
• Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain thoroughly and return to pot and add 1 T of oregano.
2. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and let cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 T oregano and shrimp and cook until shrimp are heated through. Add the Italian dressing over the shrimp and cook until warm. Toss with cooked pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Wonton Soup

My 20th birthday was my first birthday with Joe. He took me to the restaurant that would ruin my life. Hunan Gardens in Kalamazoo has the most amazing fried pork dumpling appetizer in the world. It is so good that I get this craving and nothing will satisfy it until I have some dumplings in front of me. Ever since then, I have loved pork filled dumpling anythings. Like the Chinese buffet down the street from my house? They have pretty great pork dumplings too. Almost as good as Hunan Gardens. And you can get super expensive frozen dumplings from the store that are pretty close too. And this wonton soup. Yummy pork filled dumplings in a chicken broth with bok choy. It was so freaking good! Not the same but it was comparing apples and oranges. These dumplings have a delicate wrapper and a nice ginger-y lightly seasoned pork filling. I realized I love this soup so much because the dumplings are so much better than all the little bits floating in the broth. You can find the recipe from Spoonful.com here. This will definitely be happening again as Joe and I both really enjoyed this recipe!

Joe making the magic!

Oh and happy Valentine's Day!

Berry Oreo Balls

I was so excited when I started this journey. I was inspired by a really common sorority treat that involves crushing a package of Oreos and mixing it with a block of cream cheese and topping it with chocolate. And I was like, "Hey, you know what would make this a special Valentine's day treat? Using the berry ice cream flavored Oreos!" And then it of course was not that easy. It took me approximately a million years to crush the Oreos. And in case you've never attempted to melt white chocolate chips, it's really hard. I burned three attempts at it. The last attempt melted them but it was not pretty. In short, these Oreo balls were supposed to be a beautiful Valentine's day treat and instead they are not so pretty. But they are incredibly tasty. The berry flavor is really yummy and I'm sure you could find an easier way to make these than my epic fail journey. To make your own Oreo balls, just crush a package of Oreos and mix it with an 8 oz. package of cream cheese.

Creamy Rice Pudding

The Scene: It's -4 with the windchill out. We've been getting snow for two days. The roommates have gone out and I've decided not to risk my life driving to my 6-9 history class. I know I should be upstairs getting some reading done or maybe a draft done for the next paper I have due but I want something to eat plus I've been fighting off a headache all day. I miss days like this at home. Laying on the couch with the dog. Having Dad to make dinner and watching the news in a house where I don't pay the heating bill.

This recipe is so freaking good. I absolutely love the rice pudding. Dad used to make this for me and Jessica all the time. It's creamy and warm. The flavor is like warm vanilla ice cream over rice. So so yummy. I just love this stuff. And a whole batch to myself means snacks all the time. I've even been known to eat it for breakfast. It's just a nice warm way to wake up in the morning. The recipe we use comes from da internets. The only tip I have for you is to follow the instructions exactly. It may seem like it will never get thick and creamy but it will. Also, stir stir stir. It will never come together if you don't stir. I hope you enjoy this big batch of love.