Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is so easy and delicious. It's definitely a must for many dinners to come!

We found a simple recipe here, but doubled it and used dried basil instead of fresh leaves. 

Chalkboard Spice Rack

Does the title of this post make any sense? Probably not...but it's about to!

A few weeks ago we picked up a new spice rack. But naturally, it didn't come with all the spices we consistently use. 

In order to switch out some of the less-used spices, we needed to find a way to label the new ones we replaced them with. 

Then it hit us...chalkboard paint! We could take off the printed sticker labels and spray the tops with chalkboard paint we found at our local craft store. 

We sprayed three light coats, with ample drying time in between. After 24 hours, we started labeling with regular chalk.

Not only do we get to use and display our favorite spices, they look so much cuter! 

Easy Seasoning

We used some (extremely) easy seasoning tips to make a few snacks out of things we already had in the kitchen.

These seasoned chick peas are a great salty snack alternative to potato chips! 

How To:

1. Use paper towels to blot dry a 15 oz. can of chick peas. 

2. In a bowl, toss chick peas with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add seasoning salt and garlic powder to taste.

3. Spread onto a baking 

sheet and bake for 

35 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Eat these tangy cucumbers as a refreshing spring snack or as a side to your favorite meal!

How To:  

1. Cut one cucumber

into 1/4 inch slices.

2. Sprinkle with lemon

juice , olive oil, 

seasoning salt and  

chile powder. 
All to taste.

3. Mix together 

and serve cold. 

We love cabbage, especially mixed with other veggies, but after some seasoning, these were delicious on their own!

How To:

1. Brush a baking sheet

with 1 Tbsp. of olive 

oil. 

2. Cut cabbage into 

1-inch thick slices 

and lay them on the 

baking sheet.

4. Brush 2 Tbsp. of 

olive oil onto the 

tops. Sprinkle with 

seasoning salt, 

pepper, and garlic 

powder. 

5. Bake at 400 degrees

F for 40 minutes, or 

until golden and tender. 

Baking Bread

We stumbled upon a "Basic Bread Recipe" and figured...how hard could it be? Well it wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. So make sure you have a few hours to devote to your homemade loaf.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Almond Milk

1 1/2 Tbps. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 Tbps. Butter/Margarine 

1 Package Active Dry Yeast

3/4 Cup Warm Water (105 to 115 degrees F)

2 1/2 to 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Instructions:

Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in a saucepan. 

Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm. 

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer, turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. 

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of the bowl. Kneed on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch. 

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. 

Punch dough down and roll into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to smooth the dough and remove gas bubbles. Starting at a short end, roll the dough tightly and punch to seal the seam (Will look like a long cinnamon roll.) Pinch the ends and turn them under. 

Place the dough, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. 

Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire racks. 

Sweetheart Strawberry Pies

Everyone loves homemade desserts, so why not make some sweets for you and your Valentine?

We used a basic pie crust recipe from here. 

After rolling the dough flat, shape it into four hearts 

then add fresh strawberries and jam onto two. 

Cover with the remaining two hearts, pinch the ends with a fork, 

and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Banana-Berry Muffins

We had some overly ripe bananas lying around and wanted to find something delicious, other than banana bread, to make with them. 

We stumbled upon this recipe and knew we'd found our go-to breakfast snack for the rest of the week!

Instead of using chocolate chips like the recipe calls for, we used lots of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We also added a little extra sweetener!

Favorite Football Appetizers

Need some quick recipes for your Superbowl Sunday get together? We've got you covered! 

These potato skin slices with sour cream and buffalo chicken dip with chips and veggies are two of our favorite football snacks. 

Columbia's Sangria

Since Gasparilla is an event marked by tradition, Gasparilla week would not be complete without a recipe from the Columbia. This red wine Sangria is a Tampa favorite and can be found here on their website.

Southern "Fried" Pickles

Baked pickles...or are they fried? You will hardly notice the difference with this guilt-free alternative. 

Ingredients:

Jar of oval dill pickles

1/4 cup Panko crumbs

1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup Flour

1/8 cup Parsley

1 large Egg

1 large Egg white

Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Dry pickles on a paper towel

2. Mix Panko crumbs, bread crumbs, flour and parsley together in a bowl 

3. Whisk one whole egg and one egg white in a separate bowl

4. Dip pickles in the egg mixture, then cover with dry mixture

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F, then flip and bake for an additional five minutes if needed

6. Serve with (light) ranch

Avocado Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is sure to fit into your New Year’s resolution diet! Take it for lunch in a pita, spread it onto a lettuce leaf or serve with chips. 

Ingredients:

3 cups Chicken (cooked as desired and shredded)

1 medium Avocado

2 Green Onions

2 Celery stalks

1 Tomato

Cilantro to taste

Lime juice to taste

Salt/Pepper to taste

1. Place cooked chicken in a stand mixer, speed 4-6, until shredded.

2. Place avocado, green onions, celery and cilantro in a food processor until finely chopped. 

3. Combine mixture with shredded chicken. Add limejuice, salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Mix together and spread over lettuce leaves or serve with chips. Add chopped tomatoes as desired. 

Football Pizza

 The BCS National Championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame will be under way shortly, so we thought we would share one of our favorite football recipes! 

You can’t go wrong with a classic pepperoni pizza, especially when it's shaped into a football. (Inspiration from here)

We used the recipes below for our crust and sauce, but if you're in a rush just grab some pre made crust and your favorite sauce at the store and Voila! You're ready for the big game. 

Pizza Crust

• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 Packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 Tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Cup water, 105-110 degrees F
• 2 Tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 Cup cornmeal
• 
  
• 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a stand mixer bowl. 
• 2. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, and olive oil. 
• 3. Mix on level 2 about 1 minute.
• 4. Continuing on Speed 2, add 1/2 cup flour as needed until dough clings to dough hook. (About 2 minutes)
• 5. Place dough in greased bowl, covered, in a warm place, until it doubles in size (About an hour)
• 6. Brush a pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. 
• 6. Lightly knead dough and press onto pizza pan. 
• 7. Add toppings as desired and bake at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. 

Pizza Sauce

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
1 (28 oz.) Can tomato sauce
1 Tsp. granulated sugar (plus more to taste)
1 Tsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, Italian seasoning - all to taste

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan until butter is melted.
2. Add garlic and tomato sauce.
3. Stir in sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes. 

4. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

It's time to get out your jerseys, turn on the game and enjoy!