Lemon Poppy Seed Bread & Pink Grapefruit Glaze

February 23, 2017 Amanda Plott

Alright, alright... so not every recipe goes as planned. Sometimes I feel like I live in a test kitchen over here. Some things work out perfectly and amazing the first time, but other times... not so much. Baking is hard y'all. It's true what they say, that baking is both a science and an art. Trust me. I have kitchen woes just like anyone else, and this recipe right here is evidence of that if nothing else.

I've had it in my little head for a few weeks now that I wanted to make a lemon poppy seed cake/bread. However, my first attempt was a complete flop. And what's worse? I thought even up until I took it out of the oven that it was going to be great. The batter tasted great. It rose perfectly in the oven, doing everything it was supposed to do before POOF it collapsed into a dense mess of super sad lemon bread. Sigh...

Skinny Cherry Pie Monkey Bread

February 20, 2017 Amanda Plott

It's Monday, my daughter is out of school today, and we were up half of the night listening to the tornado warnings, rain, and heavy winds billowing around my house. To say that I needed some cheering up this morning would be nothing short of an understatement. So, after my morning cup of coffee and some Sudafed to unclog my head I was gearing up with this cheery cherry surprise!

Pie is one of my many achilles heels. And if it's cherry pie? I'm even more of a sucker! There's little to me that's more comforting to me (food wise) other than a nice slice of homemade cherry pie. However, since we were in the early morning hours, I thought I might not want to dive straight into an actual pie. Instead I opted for something a little more breakfast/brunch style...

Grilled Market Salad & Zesty Dressing (Chick-Fil-A Copy Cat)

February 18, 2017 Amanda Plott

So, I was telling my mom about one of my all time favorite salads at a pretty well known fast-food chain the other day when she was looking for some quick lunch options. Anytime the family wants to 'be bad' and have chicken nuggets at this place, I always tend to opt for their Grilled Market Salad. It's a really large hearty salad that's extremely filling and easily could be turned into two meals rather than just one.

That discussion got me to thinking about the salad, how good it is, and how simple it is too. Surely there had to be a way to make it myself! The hardest part would be the zesty apple cider vinaigrette. Thankfully, I found a good starting place and made a few more tweaks to that to get exactly what I was looking for after reading the ingredients on the actual dressing packet...

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

February 15, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

February is all about hearts and in more way than one! It's true that Valentine's day is in February, but did you know that it's also Heart Health month? Heart health is something that affects each and every one of us. Everyone has at least one person in their life that has been or will be affected by heart disease in some way. For me, half of my grandparents currently have heart disease.

Just this past year my step-grandfather was diagnosed with heart disease. He's been put on medication and told to make some changes to his eating habits in an effort to slow progression of (and hopefully even stop) the disease...

Healthy Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

February 12, 2017 Amanda Plott

I'm all about breakfast lately, but it's often difficult to find the time to be able to make myself something that's tasty and wholesome. I've tried to make freezer-friendly breakfast burritos in the past, but they never worked out quite the way that I wanted. Live and learn I guess, so I decided to give them another go with a few changes.

The first lesson that I learned was that freezer-friendkly breakfast burritos must be individually wrapped to keep them from sticking together. Plus reheating them can be a bit of a touch-and-go situation. I've found it best to use a loosened paper towel to wrap them up in for a quick reheat in the microwave...

Blueberry Bagel French Toast

February 8, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

Who's busy on the weekday mornings? I am! I am! Morning time is no joke, y'all! I'm the only morning person in the house, so rallying my 6 year old in the morning is exhausting all on it's own. She has literally hid from me to avoid the inevitable morning routine to get her up, out of the house, and off to school.

One way I can manage to soften the blow of the early morning hours is to come up with fun and easy breakfasts that I can lure my daughter (and myself) downstairs with. Cereal? Pancakes? French Toast! This isn't your average french toast thought. How about french toast made out of bagels? Everything is better on a bagel or made with a bagel, even french toast!...