Category Archives: Food

Dec17

Chipotle Taste Alike Recipes

Posted on December 17, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! Taco Bell will always be my A1 ride or die fast food establishment. However, I also have a very soft spot in my heart for Chipotle too. I like to think that my homemade guacamole is very similar to their recipe and I found an awesome cilantro lime rice taste alike recipe on Pinterest that I love to make. I decided to try making the additional fixings for a Chipotle burrito bowl from home this past week and it turned out pretty good! Thanks to Pinterest, I found tons of recipes for black beans, fajita veggies, and steak for Johnny that all claimed to be just like Chipotle’s. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss further:

Recipes Used:

Cilantro Lime Rice: Downshiftology

Black Beans: Dinner Then Dessert

Fajita Veggies: Downshiftology

Steak: Culinary Hill

To make my at home Chipotle burrito bowls, I cooked five different recipes that took about two and a half hours to make in total. None of these recipes were difficult to make and the most time consuming thing was chopping all of the different veggies. To start, I prepared my own personal recipe for guacamole which wouldn’t have taken long at all, but the avocados were really hard. To rectify this, I cut each avocado in half, wrapped them in paper towel, and microwaved them to soften them up. It worked like a charm even though it was a slow going process and I was able to cross it off of my “to cook” list.

Next, I started prepping the fajita veggies and black beans. Overall, I was happy with the fajita veggies but they were missing that extra something. The only seasoning this recipe called for was oregano and salt and pepper to taste. When I make it again, I plan on adding a bit of spice to give the veggies some more kick. The black beans was my biggest bugaboo from this cooking session and is the one recipe I wouldn’t make again. This recipe turned out really saucy and I didn’t care for the amount of onions it called for. I almost think I would be better off cooking the beans in vegetable broth along with the seasoning so I will be winging it the next time I have a taste for Chipotle taste alikes.

The final steps in my cookathon was making the rice and steak. As always, the cilantro lime rice turned out delicious and was easily the best copycat recipe out of all of them. It definitely helped invoke all of the Chipotle vibes and I really think it tastes exactly like theirs. This was my first time ever cooking steak and I can’t say if it was a true Chipotle taste alike or not as a vegetarian, but Johnny loved it and that’s good enough for me! The only thing that I would do differently about the steak is marinate it longer. I let mine sit for over an hour and we both felt that it could benefit from some more time. I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when Johnny gave me his stamp of approval, though, because I had no idea how it would turn out!

The finishing touches on my burrito bowl was adding lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa on top. Even though I wasn’t wowed by the black beans, I was pleased with everything else and it was fun to try and make recipes from one of my favorite eateries from scratch!

What is your favorite copycat recipe? What is your favorite fast food spot? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec9

Linguine With Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Posted on December 9, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Linguine With Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Howdy!! Johnny and I finally went grocery shopping this past week and I could not wait to try out some new recipes. I am planning on doing a Chipotle taste alike meal this weekend and I am most excited for that! During the week days, however, I am always looking for recipes that are easy to make with a limited amount of ingredients. My original plan for a meal this past week was to make sun dried tomato, spinach, and ricotta stuffed shells. Unfortunately, jumbo shells weren’t available at the grocery store, but I bought the ingredients anyways thinking the filling would still be good over linguine.

Later that evening, however, I began to pivot as I was fearful that the filling wouldn’t have enough sauce to coat the noodles with. I decided to start searching for a sun dried tomato sauce that would use some of the ingredients that I already had. After lots of scrolling through Pinterest, I found a recipe for a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce by Midwest Foodie that I thought would work. The end result was, sadly, one that I was not pleased with. Let’s discuss:

The Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce recipe was an incredibly easy one to make. All I needed to do was blend the tomatoes, oil from the jar, and garlic in a food processor. After everything was blended to a pesto like texture, I put it in a pan with more oil from the tomato jar and let it cook for about a minute. Herbs and vegetable stock came next and once that mixture had a chance to simmer, all that was left was to add the cheese and heavy cream. I followed the instructions to the letter and the only things I changed was using dried parsley instead of fresh and grated Parmesan instead of shredded.

This meal took me about thirty minutes to make and I was really excited to try it. I wanted to like it so badly and Johnny and I both agreed that it was good, but not great. The flavors in this sauce were fairly subtle and they didn’t pack as much of a punch as I would have liked. Granted, this might be due to the fact that I didn’t have fresh parsley or shaved Parmesan. This wasn’t a huge deal and could be fixed with some additional seasoning. The biggest issue was the sauce’s consistency. It was very, very thin and runny. Was it because I didn’t use the shaved Parm? Who’s to say? But, I don’t think it would have made that big of a difference.

I expect this sauce to thicken in the fridge and I’ll add more seasoning to it as I heat it up on the stove top for leftovers. I think that will help a lot, but I do not plan on making this Midwest Foodie recipe again. It’s always disappointing when a new recipe doesn’t go accordingly to plan, but it was fun to cook something brand new!

Have you tried any new recipes recently? How did they turn out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov19

veg+ Review

Posted on November 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! My Misnyland weekend was a very eventful one. After hanging out with Tim, Johnny and I visited his parents, then we met up with my sister and her family for dinner. The following day, my mom, Kristen, my nieces, and aunt and uncle hit up a new vegetarian restaurant in my neck of the woods for lunch. The restaurant is called veg+ and it has been open for a few months or so. It’s actually pretty crazy because I just so happen to drive by it almost every day for work and I never noticed it lol. In my defense, the outdoor signage is lacking and I’m more focused on driving than checking out the scenery! Our experience was alright so let’s chat some more:

From the outside, veg+ leaves a lot to be desired but it was quaint and cute in the restaurant itself. We were graciously seated all by our lonesome at a big table in the backroom and that couldn’t have been better. It gave Val and Raya ample room to roam and play while the big people talked and we didn’t have to constantly remind them of their inside voice! Although it was great to have an entire room to ourselves, we were pretty sure that we had been forgotten because it took forever for our order to be placed. Our uncle had to track the waitress down after a solid twenty plus minutes, but she was very sweet as was the other staff.

The menu at veg+ was fairly limited and we all ordered the same thing – either a veggie burger or a hummus wrap. Val got the pretzels and cheese and Raya had some beans and rice. They were also able to make me a mimosa and that was very tasty! When our food arrived we were famished and had to laugh over the ginormous size of the veggie burgers. It would have been impossible to eat them normally so we cut them in half – some being more successful than others lol mine was a hot mess.

The general consensus we all came to was that the food was good. It didn’t blow us away, but it was a nice meal altogether. I liked the sweet potato fries with the aioli sauce the best. The fries were crisp on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside and the dipping sauce was delish. Val’s pretzels were actually the favorite among the table, but the vegan cheese it came with was a very strange texture and we opted for the mustard to dip instead. The veggie burger was just alright. The buns were obviously a bit of an issue and they were a tinge hard. The burger patty itself was also rather dry and there didn’t seem to be any sauce on it. I expected the veggie burger to knock our socks off but, unfortunately, it left everyone less than impressed.

Despite the food not being our favorite, it was so great to be able to get together for lunch at veg+. I wouldn’t be opposed to visiting it again if someone suggested it, but it wouldn’t be my first choice!

What is your favorite type of restaurant to go to? What is your favorite vegetarian dish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

Roasted Corn Queso Fundido

Posted on November 1, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Johnny and I had a fabulous Halloween weekend and I hope that all of you did too! On Friday, we hosted our bestie, Cliff, for dinner and scary movies and we helped pass out candy in my parents’ neighborhood on Saturday. We had a blast and I wish the weekend could have lasted forever! For Friday night’s dinner, I made all of the fixings for tacos including cilantro lime rice and my homemade guacamole. I also wanted to try something new by making a Roasted Corn Queso Fundido dip from closetcooking. The recipe sounded awesome but it was not that great in execution. Check it out:

This Fundido dip required minimal ingredients and simple steps. Literally all I had to do was chop some peppers and onion and let it start to char in the pan. Once the veggies were ready, it was time to add mayo, lime juice, and the cheese and mix it all up. In theory, I thought that this recipe would be really yummy and it was good. However, it wasn’t great and I definitely wouldn’t make it again.

My biggest qualm with this dip was its consistency. It wasn’t ooey gooey like I was hoping for and was essentially just veggies wadded up in melted cheese. With little to no liquid in this recipe, it makes sense and I should have thought to add some cream to it while the cheese was melting. Hindsight is, as always, twenty/twenty and I don’t really like to make tweaks on the spot with a brand new recipe. Even if this dip did have a thinner consistency, it still wouldn’t have blown me away. The flavor of it was okay, but it didn’t pack a punch and would need some doctoring up for sure.

New recipes can’t all be winners and this one from closetcooking was not the best and I don’t recommend it. I would like to try and make a Queso Blanco dip next and will hopefully have more success with that!

What is your favorite snack food? What do you like to cook when you have guests over? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

Cacio E Pepe Baked Gnocchi

Posted on October 27, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooooo! Johnny and I finally went grocery shopping and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon. We had literally nothing to eat at the apartment and there were several Pinterest recipes that I have been dying to try – one of which being a Cacio E Pepe Baked Gnocchi by Simply Delicious. I am pleased to report that it turned out amazing and both myself and my picky eater husband absolutely loved it. This recipe had minimal ingredients, took under an hour to make, and allowed for plenty of leftovers too. Check it out:

When it comes to cooking during the work week, it is a must for the recipes to be easy peasy. While I really enjoy cooking, I really enjoy relaxing after a long day too lol. The Cacio E Pepe recipe by Simply Delicious was extremely straight forward. All I did was cook the gnocchi, prepare the sauce, stick it in the oven for fifteen minutes and dinner was served. There were no crazy techniques or a litany of ingredients involved and that is something I appreciate. Although I am a great cook, I am definitely no Master Chef!

Speaking of ingredients, there were only ten needed to prepare this dish. The beauty of this recipe is that a majority of the ingredients are things that you more than likely already have. The only items I needed to purchase was the milk, cream, and gnocchi. Not only was the recipe completely new to me, but it included an ingredient that is new to me too – cream!

I have never made a recipe that called for cream and even if it did, I probably would have used milk because that’s what my mom would do. However, I decided to go all out for this dish and use the cream and calories be damned lol. I am so glad that I did because I don’t think the end result would be the same without it. My baked gnocchi turned out divine. It was incredibly rich and just one serving filled me up. Despite it being a short lived meal, each bite was heavenly. The sauce was so bold and flavorful, the gnocchi was tender, and it is one of my favorite things that I have ever made.

As per both mine and Johnny’s request, I will one thousand percent be making the Cacio E Pepe Baked Gnocchi again. Huge shout out to Simply Delicious as the mastermind behind this dish!

What is your favorite kind of pasta? What do you normally cook during the work week? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct12

Slow Things Down At Akron’s Farm Table

Posted on October 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past Friday was a hoot because Johnny and I went out to dinner with my boss, Karnchea, and his wife, Pam. Karnchea and I have been working virtually together since January and it was SO nice to be able to meet him in real life! In collaboration with our website, Nightlife 330, we were given the opportunity to meet up with the owners of Akron’s Farm Table, have a meal, and get the scoop on the brand new restaurant. It was such a delight to chat with John, Amber, and their sweet son, Tristan, about the ins and outs of Akron’s Farm Table. It’s an amazing concept run by amazing people! Take a look at some pics and read on for a lifewithlilred exclusive interview:

LR: You recently had your grand opening of Akron’s Farm Table and how do you think things are going so far?

John: Slow. We just aren’t getting the outreach right now. But, we offer a good place to come and have a cheap meal that’s all sourced locally. There’s not many places out there that you can get the same type of ingredients for the same price.

LR: What was your inspiration behind opening the restaurant?

Amber: We wanted to make good food accessible in downtown Akron to provide that feeling of security to everyone. We wanted to show people that this is where we get our food from and you can make the same things at home too.

John: Our customers aren’t just dollar bills to us. We want them to be able to come here and have an escape for as long as they need but have the comfort of feeling at home.

Amber: We want people to come and have a cup of coffee, to enjoy our handmade desserts. We want everyone to feel like they can hang out and have a good conversation because everyone has their own story just like we do.

LR: Wow, perfect segue! Tell me about your story.

Amber: John and I met through Plenty of Fish six years ago in November…

LR: Johnny and I met on Plenty of Facebook ba dum chhhh.

Amber: I picked him up from a three quarter house for sober living, John is a recovering addict. I took him home, we got married a year after we met. I picked him up and just never took him home! We want people to know that change is possible and it’s okay to slow things down to get back to your roots.

LR: Your roots are a common theme on your Facebook posts and your menu is filled with comfort classics. What do you both bring to the table for food prep?

Amber: When we started this big idea, John said “cook what you know” and that’s what I do. I cook most of lunch and dinner and John does most of breakfast. Our son, Tristan, is a huge help too!

LR: Are these dishes things that you grew up eating?

John: Definitely! These are recipes that we have known and loved for a long time.

LR: What is your favorite item on the menu?

John: The meatloaf.

Amber: The meatloaf, for sure. We had a lot of trial and error and found that making it in a bread pan made it too dry and grainy. I didn’t feel good standing behind it because I would never serve anything that I won’t eat myself. So we came up with individual patties, instead. We try to think outside of the box so our food is made fresh and not sitting in a warming tray all day.

LR: Where would you like to see Akron’s Farm Table one year from now?

Amber: Open.

John: I want to bring the people here. I would love to create a space for people to sell their fresh produce and come together. I hope in a year people will be here to have coffee and enjoy local produce without driving to the farms.

LR: What would you like to say to your future patrons?

Amber: Come here if you want to slow things down and get back to your roots. If you want to support a small business, we’re a small business and we would love to see you!

Akron’s Farm Table is bringing locally sourced goodness to downtown Akron and it is a joy to see. We loved our evening at this new spot and are sure that you will too. Support local and check it out!

What is your favorite local restaurant? How about your favorite local artist or musician? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct5

Quick & Easy Pumpkin Milkshake Recipe

Posted on October 5, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! The transition into fall is the perfect time to host guest bloggers on lifewithlilred. It is such fun to be inspired by the autumn traditions and joys of dear friends and readers and it adds that extra touch of (pumpkin) spice to my page. Speaking of pumpkins, today, we will be checking out a pumpkin milkshake recipe by Rachael from And Fierce. I have never tried a pumpkin milkshake before, but with a recipe that sounds this yummy, I think I’ll be giving it a shot! Take a look:

Quick & Easy Pumpkin Milkshake Recipe

Compliments of Rachael from And Fierce

One of our local restaurants we like to hit up at the end of their season will have a pumpkin milkshake. Earlier this month, I kept saying we have to go the last day and get one. We ran out of time and never went. After that, I decided I would make my own at home.

Simple and real ingredients but the result is perfection! So let’s go!!

Ingredients:

15 oz can of pure pumpkin

10-12 oz of vanilla ice cream (if you want more feel free to add more)

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 inch nob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie seasoning

Salted caramel sauce

Real whipped cream

Directions:

Add your pumpkin, vanilla ice cream, peeled and grated ginger, milk, and pumpkin pie seasoning into a blender and mix it up.

Once blended, get a cup and squirt caramel on the sides of the inside of the cup. Squirt or dollop your real whipped cream and add more caramel sauce to the top.

Yeilds: Roughly 32 ounces

As you can see I split mine into three 16 ounce cups to share between myself, Atticus, and Winter.

These really hit the spot and are completely kid approved! I’m sure we will make these again!

Many thanks again to Rachael for sharing her gorgeous Halloween Wreath and Pumpkin Milkshake Recipe here on lifewithlilred. For more from this amazing blogger, check out her page and give her a follow on Instagram @kavebabe !!

What is your favorite fall flavor? Are you team pumpkin spice or apple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug22

New Tor’s Prints Chopping Board

Posted on August 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Today, we are going to check out the last purchase I made at the Punk Rock Flea Market! Then, keep it posted for a brand new Bath Bomb Blitz once I get around to using the super cute bath bomb that Johnny got for me. 🙂 When I shop, I only buy the things that I feel like I have to have as soon as I see it. What’s the point of spending money on something that you don’t absolutely love? This chopping board by Tor’s Prints definitely fell under that category and I think you can all understand why. That is, if you are familiar with the Papa Roach song “Last Resort” lol. Take a look:

The Tor’s Prints booth had all kinds of cool goodies like keychains, stickers, and earrings. I was most enamored, however, by the custom chopping boards. When my eyes locked in on the Papa Roach inspired board and I learned that its price was only ten dollars, it was as good as mine. Johnny and I thought it was the funniest thing and it will also come in very handy because my current chopping board sucks. Then again, it’s such a hoot that I might just keep it on display on a knick knack shelf. 😀

I love everything that I purchased from the Punk Rock Flea Market, but the chopping board is my favorite. It was so neat to shop around because every booth had something completely one of a kind. While TJMaxx will always be my happy place, you will never find anything like the stuff at the market there! This was such an awesome event to attend and Johnny and I have a lot more plans in the works… Stay tuned on lifewithlilred for when your fave Elder Emo couple hits up the county fair lolol.

You can shop Tor’s Prints on Etsy and follow all of the latest and greatest on Facebook too. And, as always, support your local artists!! ❤

Where is your shopping happy place? Have you ever been to a county fair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul23

Cheerio No Go

Posted on July 23, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! My mom has been on a HUGE cereal kick and it has made me crave a big bowl of Cheerios something fierce. I don’t eat cereal too often, but it’s all I can think about when I get a taste for it. When Johnny and I went grocery shopping at Aldi’s a week or so ago, I just had to get a box of their Crispy Oats. We have had so much GREAT SUCCESS since we began shopping at Aldi’s and I figured their version of Cheerios would be just fine. Sadly, I was mistaken…

I have been trying really hard to squeeze in breakfast every day and I thought cereal would be a quick and easy way to go. I prepped myself a bowl of Crispy Oats, sat down at the computer to work, and couldn’t wait to take my first bite. My craving was about to be satisfied and I was really looking forward to it! Unfortunately, I guess I should have waited until I purchased actual Cheerios because the Crispy Oats were just not it.

The first spoonful I had tasted… off. Then I went in for a second and realized that the Crispy Oats tasted exactly what I could imagine pencil shavings would taste like. They were kind of woody and weird and it was definitely not what I pictured my first bowl of cereal in years to be like! Not that Cheerios are the most flavorful cereal on the planet, but I don’t remember them tasting like that lol. I even had a second bowl a few days later to see if I set myself up for disappointment by being too hyped up and my sentiments remained the same. This was a Cheerio No Go, for sure.

With all of the goodies that we have been enjoying from Aldi’s, there were sure to be a few misses. My top three have to be their toilet paper, the Clancy’s tortilla chips, and the Crispy Oats. But, hey, that’s not bad at all. Even with a few duds, you simply can’t beat the prices at Aldi’s and Johnny and I have already saved a bundle. Plus, the Crispy Oats won’t go to waste… Cheerios are our family dog’s favorite treat so hopefully he won’t mind the off brand too much! 😉

Pip pip cheerio to the Crispy Oats because your girl was not a fan. This is one that you can skip if you find yourself at Aldi’s. Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for a date night OOTD tomorrow!

What is your favorite kind of cereal? What do you normally have for breakfast? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul22

Dinner & A Movie Date Night

Posted on July 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Last Friday, Johnny and I had a fabulous date night of dinner and a movie. Applebee’s was running a promo for spend X amount of money and get a free ticket to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and we were so there for it! In fact, we got our Middle Class Fancy on so hard that we ended up with three free tickets lol. It was an absolute blast and was so typically us. Whether we’re all dressed up for Taco Bell or a date night at The Bee’s, we treat everything like a special occasion because it is! Check it out:

Okay, is it just me or did Applebee’s really up their game? Perhaps it was the Margaritas we were enjoying or the thrill of a night out, but our food was so good. We started our meal with Crispy Cheese Bites as an appetizer and they were bomb AF. They were like a mixture of a cheese curd and mozzarella stick and came with Ranch and Firecracker sauce to dip in. If we didn’t have actual dinner ordered too, we easily could have ate the whole plate! Our leftovers were also A1 when we air fried them later that weekend. 😀

For the main course, Johnny got his usual of a bacon cheeseburger and I got the Three-Cheese Chicken Penne minus the chicken. As you can see, Johnny loved his burger and my pasta was awesome. It wasn’t as good as something from Olive Garden, but it was close. My meal also inspired our next Middle Class Fancy outing because I want to hit up the OG. Maybe when I drag Johnny to the Barbie movie with me?!

After we were done eating, we headed to the theater to settle in for the movie. This was the first movie we have seen since we took our niece to see Sing 2 for her third birthday last year! Pre pandemic, Johnny and I used to see movies together pretty frequently and I’m hoping we bring that back. The Regal we went to was so fancy with big reclining chairs that were insanely comfortable. It was the perfect setup to get our Indiana Jones on and I only want to go to that theater from now on. Once you see a movie in a recliner, you can’t go back!

Johnny and I have had a date night two weeks in a row and nothing makes me happier. Even though we are always dead tired by the end of the week, stepping out with my main squeeze is like getting a caffeine IV. I can’t wait for our next date night at the Olive Garden because it’s going to be my turn to pick! ❤

What is your favorite Middle Class Fancy restaurant? What was the last movie you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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