Simple Yet Gourmet

I don't recall exactly when I jumped on the marinating bandwagon, but I almost never grill meat cuts of meat without marinating it first.  You just can't beat the flavor!  This particular recipe was given to me by my Uncle Brett.  His family likes it so much they have this in the place of a Thanksgiving Turkey!  This marinade is great for turkey breasts, but can also be used on chicken with great results.

With summer just around the corner, I am always on the hunt for some delicious and easy ideas for the grill.  I love to cook rather simple in the summer and use the grill as much as possible to help with the heat!  This recipe is fantastic!  I always hate when I get a recipe out and they say "allow 24 hours to marinate."  This recipe can take that long, but is great with just an hour.  Mike was in love with this dish and has asked for it again and again.  We made a big salad and fresh roll with is meal, but I think next time we need some grilled veggies as well.  This is a keeper and I am sure we will be grilling these again soon!  Enjoy.

These tacos were so easy to make and SO tasty!  I loved the smoky taste of the Kalua Pork mixed with the sweet mango salsa.  Topped with a little sour cream (or Greek Yogurt), and wrapped in a tortilla (flour or corn), this was a great meal with little effort involved.

The name says it all.  This pudding is not only incredibly easy to make, it is also decadent and silky smooth.  The hint of almond extract mixed in with the rich creamy chocolate is both unique and delicious.  You can eat it plain, but topped with almond flavored whipped cream and toasted almonds it was absolutely perfect!

I would have to agree with the title of this post, these are the best ever blueberry muffins! The fresh syrup blueberries swirled into the batter along with the crumb topping, wow is all I can say! Like Pam, I have been on the lookout for a great blueberry muffin recipe. I have one that we have used for years, but these will be replacing that recipe for sure! The recipe is still easy, but you do have a few more steps than an ordinary muffin recipe, but I promise it is worth the time. Mike even told me these are a keeper and his new favorite muffin recipe, so you know they must be good if Mike likes them!

I only recently heard of this pie, and let me tell you, after one bite I was wondering where it had been all my life?!  I love dulce de leche and have been eating it for years as a family tradition for New Years Eve.  The sweet caramel flavor is so delicious and easy to make.  Every layer of this pie is delicious and combines to make an amazing pie.  There are several variations on how to make this, but this is how I did it.  I started out with a Nilla wafer crust then topped it with sliced bananas, dulce de leche, and a creamy cheesecake layer.  Finally I sprinkled cocoa powder on top and decorated it with chocolate curls.

This is one of our very favorite pasta dishes. It was one of the first recipes I posted on this blog, but as time has gone on I've tweaked it here and there to make it even better! It's similar to the Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano. Flavor packed sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and chicken broth help to make a deliciously flavorful cream sauce which perfectly blends the components together to make a very satisfying dinner.

Who wants a cupcake?  I have been thinking about this combination for a while but wanted to find the perfect recipe.  I found the cupcake recipe on Martha Stewart.  Have you ever heard of Sprinkles Cupcakes?  They were kind enough to share their recipe for strawberry cupcakes with us.  The cupcakes are sturdy enough to hold up to frosting, deliciously moist, and just sweet enough.  They recommended topping these with a strawberry buttercream, but I thought a strawberry cream cheese frosting would be awesome, and I was right!  We all loved these!

Who's ready for Spring?  I know I am.  Winter is still sticking around here, but when I was munching on these beauties, I felt like Spring was just around the corner. What a perfect treat to beat the winter blues!  These cookies are packed with orange zest and white chocolate chips, making them quite similar in taste to a creamsicle.  In my opinion, orange and vanilla are a match made in Heaven!  Also, I think that these cookies (and pretty much all cookies) are best warm out of the oven, but they were still delicious the next day.  After that, well I really can't say, because none of ours lasted that long.