Honey Beer Cupcakes with Fresh Blueberry Buttercream

June 18, 2017 Amanda Plott

My dad's birthday always falls around Father's day, which usually means... double the celebrations! Some of his most favorite beers are from the local Austin brewery, Infamous Brewing Company. I've had the honor of meeting the owner (Josh) and hanging out at the brewery a few times. They've won a LOT of medals for their selection of regular and seasonal beers. Their Pumpkin Massacre is a family favorite when it comes around in the fall.

Their brewery was literally right down the street from my parents when they lived over near the lake. Now it's a bit of a trek for either of us, so unfortunately we don't get to go there much anymore. The good news is that they sell Infamous beer in almost any store here around Austin and most of Texas too. If you can't find Infamous near you though, you could always use another beer of your preference for these cupcakes...

Healthified Crockpot Low Country Chicken Boil

June 13, 2017 Amanda Plott

My local box of produce over the past couple of weeks has gifted me with a bounty of red potatoes that I can't bare to let go to waste! My mother asked me a couple weeks back about this recipe that I had put together a couple of years back now. With my brother not being a seafood eater and my dad being mildly allergic to shellfish, she wanted to put together a Low Country Boil that omitted the shrimp or crawfish. Being as I'm not a seafood fan either, I had tried my hand at a seafood-free low country boil, like I said though, this was a couple of summers ago.

So with an idea in mind and plenty of red potatoes to go around, I got to work on my Low Country Chicken Boil once again. Here among the southern states, summer time is when everyone starts to have crawfish boils! It's always sounded amazing to me; sausage, potatoes, corn - who wouldn't like it? Well, me! If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not a seafood eater. I wish that I could be, but it just isn't a possibility. Sadly...

Roasted Beet & Pistachio Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Vinaigrette

June 10, 2017 Amanda Plott

Can we just take a moment to enjoy and revel in the natural beauty of this salad? Just take on all the glorious colors that are straight from nature's bounty! Reds, yellows, greens, oh my! This salad is truly one of the most bright and vibrant things you could put on a plate. Naturally. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been collecting a montage of beets from my local produce box and for the first time ever... I got my hands on some golden beets!

Don't worry though, I also have a plethora of traditional red beets too for those traditionalists out there. I love beets. All the beets. Red. Yellow. It doesn't matter. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is roasted; cooked in the oven in their own yummy juices and then tossed into a salad. For me, there's no better pairing than beets and feta...

Naked Summer Burger Bowls

June 5, 2017 Amanda Plott

This post was sponsored by Eat Smart as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Y'all! It's been so busy around here ever since my daughter got out for summer. I mean... yikes! The day after my little one got out of school, we took a quick overnight trip a couple of hours away to see my mom and hang out at the drive in movie theater there near her place. It was so much fun and a great way to kick off summer vacation! Today though? It's back to reality and the real world.

I don't know about you, but when I think of summer, I think of burgers and grilling! However, a lot of us are also working on maintaining (or achieving) our best summer bodies. And what does that mean? It's naked burger time! I haven't done a naked burger in a long time, so I thought it would be super fun to infuse one with all the flavors of summer and make it into one fun power bowl...

Crustless Zucchini & Corn Summer Quiche

May 25, 2017 Amanda Plott

Today was the last Saturday for school here and I can tell that summer us on our heels with all the beautiful corn and summer squash coming in. I got some of the biggest zucchini in my local produce box this last week and pondered for a good long while over what I wanted to do with it. With my dad bringing me in some fresh local eggs, my mind instantly went to a quiche. Not just any quiche though. A summer quiche!

Quiche was always a staple in our house when I was growing up. Usually towards the end of the week my dad would put together a quiche using up all the leftover veggies, meats, and cheeses in the house. So, that's basically what happened here but in a completely perfect seasonal way. I love that it's quick and easy to toss together while being a light and festive too!...

Skinny Late Night Summer Snack Ice Cream Bites (Sponsored)

May 22, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

It's hard to believe, but summer is coming, y'all! I should know too since my birthday falls on the first day of summer. As school is letting out and it's starting to get warmer and warmer out, I'm craving the good stuff. The cold stuff. The stuff that's going to chill me out in the dreaded Texas heat. Not only that, but I want something that's going to satisfy everyone's summer snack cravings. A little sweet. A little salty. And a whole lot of cold.

These Skinny Late Night Summer Snack Ice Cream Bites are a perfect fit. They cover the list of wants and needs with their variety of sweet, salty, crunchy and cold. There's seriously something for everyone in there and it's all good amazing stuff! I see these being great for late night summer snacking in their perfectly portioned 3-4 bites of ice cream heaven...