Pastitsio

August 20, 2022 Amanda Plott

I’m just going to start this one out by saying that this recipe does take time. While it’s fairly easy to make, there are layering components that each take some time to put together. That being said, this dish is a great one. It tastes like all the time and effort that’s been put into it. So, what is Pastitsio anyway? It’s a Greek style of lasagna basically. The main difference between lasagna and Pastitsio is that Pastitsio is made with a different style of noodle and also with a béchamel sauce rather than ricotta. It’s layered a bit differently than lasagna too.

Now, I’ve never made a béchamel sauce, and even with this being my first time doing so I found it to be pretty easy to do and is very similar to any sort of roux based sauce. The béchamel gave this dish life. There’s so much flavor packed into the sauce that the béchamel is needed to sort of cut through that intense flavor…

Bread Machine Banana Bread

August 17, 2022 Amanda Plott

I love banana bread, but I don’t like fussing around with it. And I really still don’t want to heat my kitchen up more than I have to with it being on the edges of triple digits here still. So! That’s why I decided to finally try out the ‘quick bread’ feature on my bread machine and I made some banana bread in it instead of the oven. What was the end result? Well, you tell me!

This Bread Machine Banana Bread is as easy as can be. Just dump all the ingredients in - no yeast required - and go! The bread machine does all the hard work for you, all the way from mixing to baking. And at the end of it all you have a nice loaf of fresh banana bread that you barely had to do anything for…

Pistou Soup

August 14, 2022 Amanda Plott

I know what you’re thinking… Soup? In the Summer?! Yeah, yeah. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but sometimes you have to lure the cooler weather in by enticing it with appropriate foods. I don’t know, maybe it’s working. It’s at least coming off the triple digits for a few days here. That being said, this Pistou Soup is very light and definitely is more of a Spring or Summer soup because of that.

It starts off with a base of onion, leek, and celery and is then layered with some potato, green beans, peas and more! Like I said, this is soup that’s packed with vegetables while also being meatless. The soup is topped off with a pistou, which is basically a pesto that’s made with basil, garlic, and some cheese too…

Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie

August 11, 2022 Amanda Plott

Once again I find myself wanting something I’m not willing to turn the oven on for, so I decided to try my hand at making cookies in the air fryer. Can it be done? As it turns out - it totally can! But I decided I would make one BIG cookie instead of several little ones. Mostly for ease since I have a perfectly sized push pan that fits into the basket of my air fryer just barely.

This Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie is super easy to make, and let me just say that it’s soooo good too. The air fryer gives it a unique texture that is gooey here and crisp there. And this cookie is LOADED with chocolate chip goodness. And when I say loaded, I mean completely full to the point that if you don’t like a lot of chocolate then you should consider having the chocolate chips…

Healthified Chicken & Mash Bowl

August 8, 2022 Amanda Plott

Okay, so there's this fried chicken chain restaurant that honestly I couldn't tell you the last time I ate at. They have these horribly amazing 'famous bowls' that I used to get back when I was younger and more naive when it came to food.

Fast-forward to today and I don't think that I could stomach sitting in that restaurants parking lot, much less eating anything that came out of it. Never mind that particular 'famous bowl' is nearly a whopping 800 calories and full of who-knows-what.

Even so, I decided to take on the task of re-creating that chicken bowl into one that I could eat and be proud of without feeling guilty...

Jalapeño Cheddar Bread Machine Bread

August 5, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s H.O.T. Hot. It’s the long stretch here at the end of Summer and I can’t wait to get to the other end of it when we hopefully roll into the cooler weather of Fall. With it being the heat of the Summer, I’m still in avoiding-the-oven mode for the most part. But, that being said, I haven’t made any fresh homemade bread in a while and my bread machine was starting to collect dust. We can’t have that!

So I busted my bread machine out and decided to make a savory flavorful bread to have on hand for lunches this week. This Jalapeño Cheddar Bread Machine Bread is super easy to make since the bread machine does literally almost all of the work for you. The mixing, the kneading, the baking - yep… all of it…