Simple Yet Gourmet

These are my new go-to bread sticks for two reasons - taste and time. They have a wonderful buttery/garlic flavor and the kosher salt adds a delightful savory crunch.  The other thing I love about these is how quickly they come together.  It only takes one hour from start to finish.  One hour!  That's almost unheard of for a yeast bread.  Try these out next time you want some bread with your dinner but are short on time.

What is it about chocolate and peanut butter that makes them go so well together?  I loved the way the flavors complimented each other in these brownies. I made a dark chocolate peanut butter brownie base, then added peanut butter cups to make them even better!  I was really pleased with how they turned out.  They are rich, fudgy, and as Brynlee put it, "Duh-Licious!".  

Have you ever eaten at Zupas?  This is my version of their Vermont Maple Blueberry salad.  Crisp romaine lettuce is tossed with fresh blueberries, tart apples, cinnamon almonds, feta or blue cheese, and drizzled with a sweet maple vinaigrette.

These almonds are addicting!  I made them to use for a salad, which I'll be posting soon, but Brynlee and I couldn't stop snacking on them.  Once baked, the nuts are crunchy and slightly sweet with just a hint of cinnamon.  They would be perfect for snacking on while reading a book or whenever you get the munchies!

About 2 years ago I went on a hunt for the perfect Blueberry Muffin.  These were the clear winner.  The light and fluffy base is loaded with sweet blueberries with a light sprinkling of sugar and nutmeg to top it off.  I go through a lot of recipes so you know if I'm still making these two years later they have got to be good! Blueberry Muffins from marthastewart.com 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups blueberries 1 1/4 cups sugar (divided) 2 large eggs 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup nutmeg Directions: Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 tsp flour mixture to lightly coat ( this will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom ); set aside the flou

I know Pam already posted a recipe for chocolate cupcakes, but I made these for a church function and many have asked for the recipe. This was a super easy recipe and the taste of raspberry really made the cupcake! I always say you can never have to many great cupcake recipes! Also, don't be impressed by my picture, the one I took got deleted so I used the one from the cupcake website. Instead of a raspberry on top, I sprinkled the cupcakes with mini chocolate chips, they were really cute!

This recipe is an old family favorite that I've tweaked a little bit to fit our liking.  While it is tasty and varied in its components, it comes together quickly.  In only the time it takes to cook the pasta you can have a healthy, delicious dinner.  The chicken, broccoli, and tomatoes are simmered in a light white wine sauce, seasoned with basil and a hint of red pepper.  When the broccoli is tender crisp the mixture is tossed together with the pasta,

I always say a great salad will make any meal better.  I am always on the hunt for new and amazing salads to find my little family.  I have a warm spinach one that is amazing and our family favorite that has been passed down from my sister in laws.  This Autumn Chopped Salad I will have to say is up there as one of my favorites.

Happy Valentines Day!  This is one of my favorite Holidays baking wise, because chocolate is a given.  To celebrate I made these decadent cupcakes for Aaron and his co-workers.  From what I heard they were a huge hit!!! I was a little nervous having never tried the cupcakes or the frosting before so I told Aaron not to tell anyone that I was bringing these in, just in case they didn't turn out.  I shouldn't have worried though-they turned out even better than I expected!

With Valentine's Day this week I decided to post a yummy treat you could make your family for this special day. Strawberries are everywhere for the holiday so I decided to make a Strawberry Tart with them!  The strawberries I found were beautiful and super sweet.  The recipe called for a chocolate ganache on the bottom of the tart,

Similar to a Caprese salad, this pasta is simple and light.  The fresh cherry tomatoes and torn basil add a freshness to the dish that is so refreshing.  Combined with fragrant garlic and slightly melted mozzarella cheese, this dinner is perfect for lunch or dinner any day of the week.  Oh, and did I mention it comes together really quickly and is delicious?

These cookies are one of my childhood favorites.  I clearly remember helping my mom bake these and anxiously waiting by the oven waiting for them to finish baking. Basically a chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal and coconut are added in for extra flavor and texture.  I love the taste of the coconut and the chewiness of the cookie!  The original recipe calls for shortening, but I am of the opinion that everything tastes better with butter so I used that instead and it was a good call.  We could not stop eating these!