Kid-Friendly Spring Snack Mix

May 1, 2019 Amanda Plott

Spring is in the air. And do you know how I can tell? Allergies! I don’t know about the rest of the planet, but right here, right now, it’s allergy chaos. Never mind that Austin has been engulfed with what is now going on three WAVES of the flu. Just a couple of weeks ago, my daughter’s whole third grade class was pretty thin. Some out for allergies. Others out with a virus. Thank goodness the little babes are in a little bit better spirits this week.

Every year they have a fun book party to celebrate reading a certain amount of ‘crown books’. This year the request from the librarian was for Spring themed eats and treats. So, I was put to the task of whipping up a delicious Spring snack mix after a few of the parents got a peak of my Camp Out Trail Mix from a while back…

Naked Beef Enchiladas

April 27, 2019 Amanda Plott

This certainly isn’t the first time that I’ve stripped my enchiladas down into their pure and naked forms. The last time I stuck with a veggie and cheese enchilada, but this time I wanted to make one that was more Tex-Mex inspired with a bunch of cheese and ground beef to pair with the staple red enchilada sauce.

Trust me when I say that you won’t miss the tortilla in these enchiladas. They are every bit as tasty and full of Tex-Mex flavor as any other enchilada you’ll come across. Plus, one of my favorite parts about these enchiladas is that you can make them well ahead of time to have prepared and ready to toss in the oven for dinner at a moments notice….

Lightened Up Carrot Cake

March 27, 2019 Amanda Plott

I’ve made a good lot of carrot cakes in my time. Anywhere from traditional to gluten-free, and a few others along the way. There’s a few things I’ve learned in my carrot cake making journey. One is that you always ALWAYS need a good simple cream cheese frosting with it. And two is that it needs to be chunky.

I like my carrot cake loaded up with plenty of the good stuff. Carrots, raisins, pineapple, coconut, and yes… even nuts!

I based this ultimate carrot cake off of the one that I made for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. It’s an ingredient heavy cake, just like most carrots cakes are, but I promise you that the cake itself is rather easy to make. No overly complicated instructions…

Reuben Pizza

March 13, 2019 Amanda Plott

Two things are staple dinners in this house almost every week. And that’s tacos (on Tuesdays) and pizza! Yep. That’s right. I eat pizza. A lot of it too. Not a lot as in amount, but a lot as in often. I guess that’s what happens when you have a kid. Pizza and tacos.

I can put almost anything on a pizza crust and it’ll get eaten. And with St. Patrick’s day being a family favorite holiday, I thought now would be the best time to make a reuben inspired pizza! For those of you that may not know, a reuben is a sandwich that’s typically made on a rye bread with pastrami, swiss, sauerkraut, and a thousand island dressing. It’s good stuff!…

Lightened-Up Brown Butter & Bourbon Chocolate Chunk Cookies

February 23, 2019 Amanda Plott

These cookies are legit.

They are much a mouthful to say as they are a mouthful to eat. They are absolutely STUFFED full with all sorts of yummy and delicious tidbits of YUM. We’re talking big chocolate chunks, buttered pecans, and YES even BOURBON.

To say that these cookies are full of flavor would be a sad sad sad understatement. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical that browning the butter would add more flavor, but it is DEFINITELY worth the few minutes of effort. That along with the bourbon… I’m in heaven over here…

Beef & Barley Stew

February 19, 2019 Amanda Plott

It is cold, raining, and yucky here today. So, naturally… that calls for a hearty meal. Stew sounds about right to me! And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, you know I’ve got to be sure there’s some Irish stew going on.

This beef stew is one of my new favorite dinners for cold weather. Which let me just say, isn’t a label that comes lightly. I haven’t worked with barley a whole lot before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But, it was a wonderful addition to stew! There’s big chunks of beef, mushroom, vegetables, and of course that barley in there to help thicken it all up…