Simple Yet Gourmet

Grilling chicken is probably my most favorite way to cook it, and this California Grilled chicken is packed full of flavor and loaded with toppings, making it a staple in my grilling rotation.   To start off with, chicken breasts are quickly marinated in a honey balsamic sauce and then grilled, making them juicy and flavorful.  The leftover marinade is simmered while they grill, reducing the vinegar to make a sweet and tangy sauce, perfect for drizzling.  Layering on thin slices of mozzarella cheese while the chicken is hot allows the cheese to get nice and melty.  Topped off with avocado slices, chopped tomatoes, and sliced basil makes this a hearty and delicious meal! 

These have been a family favorite for many years.  I found this recipe when my daughter we very young.  I cut the sugar in half and used half whole wheat in the recipe.  I found it to be a healthy breakfast for my little ones. It brings back many happy memories each time I make these. When I have a ton of ripe bananas that need to be used up, I make these for breakfast. Today I added chocolate chips and sprinkled a little brown sugar on top for a little crunch to give the recipe a new twist, it was a hit, even with my non banana lovers.  This recipe requires only one bowl, which makes it super easy and quick on those hectic mornings!      

While I love my Scrumptious Sugar Cookie frosting , Royal Icing is the way to go for decorated cookies that harden enough to stack and package. It definitely takes more time and patience, but the end result is so satisfying! You can make such fun cookies without having to worry about the frosting coming off.  Royal Icing can get super hard, and while this is perfect for building Gingerbread Houses, it’s not so great when you want to actually eat the cookie. Not to worry though- adding in a little corn syrup helps the icing dry firm without being overly hard.  I also like to add in my favorite butter vanilla emulsion to make the icing extra yummy, cause at the end of the day it’s not enough to just look pretty!  There are a few different ways to make Royal Icing. My favorite method is using Meringue Powder. If you can’t find this or don’t want to buy it, you can use egg whites instead. Or, if you’re in a pinch you can make some with just powdered sugar and water. You can f...

Easter Egg Cake Balls are such a fun little treat! With a Robin Egg blue coating, they just scream Spring and new beginnings.  Cake balls have been around for awhile now, but in case you're not familiar with them, they are just cake crumbs mixed together with frosting and formed into balls (or in this case eggs), and then dipped into chocolate or candy melts.  I used up some leftover vanilla cake and strawberry buttercream I had in the freezer and they turned out so delicious!  However, any flavor of cake and/or frosting can be used to make these, so don't feel like to have to make the same exact ones I did.  That being said, these Strawberry Vanilla Eggs turned out so yummy! The Vanilla cake crumbs were moist and buttery, and the strawberry frosting is scrumptious so I knew this combo would be a winner.  I loved the color of the Candy Melts I used as well, and the malt flavor was a nice addition to the overall taste.   I'm including instructions both ...