Baked Caprese Chicken

March 8, 2021 Amanda Plott

Cheers to easy dinners! This Baked Caprese Chicken is a real winner. With just a handful of ingredients and about 5 minutes of actual hands on time (maybe even less) this chicken is super easy, tasty, and quick to make! The recipe is easily doubled or tripled for a larger family, but I’ve left it scaled back for two servings.

So what’s caprese anyway? It’s generally a salad that includes tomatoes, cheese and either pesto or some sort of balsamic reduction. Since its Italian based, this chicken would be good paired with a simple side salad like I did, or with veggies and some pasta or zucchini noodles even. No matter how you serve it up, this tasty chicken is a great part of dinner…

Vegetable Pot Pie

February 2, 2021 Amanda Plott

It’s been a bit chilly here in the mornings. And yes, it does get chilly in Texas. While there’s cooler days and nights around for another 6 weeks thanks to a wonderful and all knowing groundhog, I thought I would keep with he trend and make a delicious, hearty, and filling veggie pot pie.

I’ll be honest in that most pot pies are a no-go for me if only because they’re usually full of heavy creams, and bound together in a lot of dough. So, I decided to swing the other way with this one and used one of my older tricks of phyllo dough as the crust and lots and LOTS of veggies!…

Instant Pot Ribs

January 11, 2021 Amanda Plott

Look, sometimes a girl just needs to eat some BBQ. I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually cooked ribs on my own. I’ve eaten plenty of them. But cooking them? It just sounds scary! Even as a native Texan, the thought of cooking GOOD ribs seems daunting. So when I cam across the idea of cooking them in the pressure cooker? I was sold.

These Instant Pot Ribs are pretty damn good for what they are. No smoking. No marinating. Just rub them down and pop them in the pressure cooker before finishing them off with a quick roast under the broiler. Yep. It’s just that easy…

Black-Eyed Peas & Cornbread Dumplings

January 3, 2021 Amanda Plott

So, the year has already started off a little rough for me, but at least the food is good. This Black-Eyed Peas & Cornbread Dumplings is as comfort food as it gets, and is truly one of the most tasty and delicious ways that I’ve ever gotten to eat black-eyed peas.

I used fresh black-eyed peas here because they cook fast and are perfect for this seasonal dish. That being said, canned ones or home-cooked would work too. I also used a vegetarian sausage because I have one in my house that doesn’t like traditional sausage for reasons. But any kind of sausage, pork, beef, or vegetarian will be just as good here!…

Healthy & Easy Kid-Friendly Spaghetti Sauce

November 30, 2020 Amanda Plott

I'm calling this kid friendly spaghetti sauce because, I generally like to put actual onions and garlic into my spaghetti sauce. However, my little one would turn her nose up at that in a heartbeat, and seeing as how she specifically requests spaghetti every week, I figured that I ought to oblige her with something that would suite her desires!

Besides, who doesn't enjoy eating like a kid again? In my mind, that's one of the perks of being a parent; reliving all the things that you loved when you were growing up!

Though my mom was more of a Hamburger Helper sort of spaghetti maker.

She swears by Hamburger Helper 'Spaghetti' to this very day. Ugh…

Baked Buffalo Tofu Strips

October 13, 2020 Amanda Plott

Who needs chicken? These Baked Buffalo Tofu Strips are a great vegetarian alternative to the long time favorite of buffalo chicken. They’re breaded in panko and baked to perfection. That’s right, no frying needed! It’s truly one of my most favorite ways to eat tofu.

The panko seasoning is the star of the show. Tofu doesn’t have any real flavor so you have to put it with a lot of boldness to get anything out of it. That’s why I seasoned the hell out of the breading mixture. But, feel free to add more to it and adjust accordingly to your tastes. Just keep in mind that this is where the MOST of your flavor is going to come from. It should taste very spicy and very salty!…