Pie in a Pumpkin (Pilgrim's Pumpkin Pie)

October 26, 2017 Amanda Plott

Haven't you ever wondered how pumpkin pie got started? Did the pilgrims really make 'pumpkin pie' for the first Thanksgiving? I guess we'll never know. But, if they did, it probably would have been a lot different from today's standard pumpkin pie. And according to one source, it's thought that it would have been more of a 'pie in a pumpkin'.

This more 'traditional' pumpkin pie is basically made by baking a pie pumpkin and filling it with a delicious lightened up custard mixture that bakes into the whole pumpkin; giving you all the flavors of the pumpkin pie that we all know and love...

Skinny Zuppa Toscana

October 24, 2017 Amanda Plott

Okay, so there really isn't enough good things that I can say about this soup. I actually made my first attempt at this soup a few years ago. Long before I originally posted it here. My in-laws were in town and I knew that this soup from a well-known restaurant happened to be one of my father-in-laws' favorites. Since he's a health-conscious individual such as myself, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making a healthier version of it for him.

I hadn't had the soup before, so I couldn't say at the time if it was anything similar to the one that he was used to, but he did have a couple of bowls of it for dinner! Me? I was anything but a fan. Why? One word. Kale.

Yes, I've ranted on before about my strange love/hate relationship with kale. And, this is basically where the hate part of that started...

Mongolian Beef & Broccoli 'Rice' Bowl

October 19, 2017 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Conagra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. P.F. Chang's and P.F. Chang’s Home Menu® are registered trademarks owned by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. and are used with permission. #AuthenticMadeEasy #CollectiveBias

So, with life being crazier than usual (or maybe it's really just the same amount of crazy), I decided to have a more simple sort of dinner today. Simple in a lot of ways. Simple to make. Simple to eat. Simple to enjoy.

I started out with some sirloin steaks and a head of broccoli and ended up with a pretty fabulous take-out fake-out meal that was quick, easy, and delicious. With keeping this simple, I thought that instead of having rice, I would rice my broccoli. Why not? I've made cauliflower rice before, and broccoli is pretty similar texturally. Plus, it goes so well with beef!...

Vegetarian Burgers + Homemade Special Sauce

October 17, 2017 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TailgateWithATwist #SeasonalSolutions #CollectiveBias

Football season is upon us, and that means... tailgating, homegating and my favorite part of that - burgers! Not just any burgers though. In Texas, grilling and BBQing are nearly as big of a deal as football is. Nearly.

That being said, I've got a few friends and family members who are vegetarians, or who at least try to eat less meat. So, it's always nice to have options for them when we have our big game get-togethers.

That's where MorningStar Farms® Spicy Black Bean Burger Value Pack and MorningStar Farms® Garden Veggie Burger come in!...

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Noodles

October 13, 2017 Amanda Plott

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere! My pumpkin game is strong today. In years past, I've made pumpkin flavored... almost everything. From mac-n-cheese to chili, and so much more. Today though, with a bit of some sort of light allergies among the household, I decided some noodle soup would be the best way to go.

And what's more comforting than a nice warm bowl of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup? You know the kind of soup. The kind where it's just a handful of ingredients and scratch-made noodles? The big thick hearty noodles that fill you up...

Zombie & Monster Men Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

October 11, 2017 Amanda Plott

I have to admit that baking can sometimes scare me. It's such an exact science that when I go to make my usual adjustments, I sometimes end up with a failure. Baking is not a forgiving medium by any means. Over the years, I've taken my past failures and worked through them as best I could to start building up my baking confidence and knowledge.

Cut-out style sugar cookies have been part of that fear factor for me since they are one of the most simplistic and yet horribly technical cookies out there. However, I think that I've finally cracked the code!...