Tag Archives: ingredients

Jun2

Roasted Garlic Butter Parmesan Potatoes

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Roasted Garlic Butter Parmesan Potatoes

Hello!! Memorial Day was the first week day that I have had off since the holiday season and it was wonderful! I caught up on paperwork, did very minimal other work, binge watched Top Shot with Johnny, and cooked up a storm. I cooked a few favorite recipes like mac n cheese and tried out something new by following Eatwell101’s recipe for Roasted Garlic Butter Parmesan Potatoes. While there were parts of this recipe I would change, Johnny freaking loved it so it was a GREAT SUCCESS in that regard! Check it out:

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This potato side dish recipe was insanely easy to make and took less than fifteen minutes of prep time to complete. All I had to do was chop the potatoes and garlic, melt some butter, and mix a few ingredients together for the sauce. Then, all that was left to do was pop it in the oven and wait. Even before I placed the dish in the oven, it smelled SO good and while it was cooking it smelled even better – our hungry selves were very eager to try it out!

As I said, Johnny was most pleased with the outcome of this recipe and asked me right away if I could make it again lol. That always makes me happy, regardless of if I liked it or not! I thought that the base of the recipe was great, but it wasn’t as flavorful as I had imagined it to be; especially considering the amount of garlic used and I even added some onion in for good measure. The next time I make this, I will be opting for fresh herbs (Which I didn’t have) as well as some lemon juice. I love lemon and Parmesan together and I think that it will help bring more of the flavors out that kind of got muddled.

As per Johnny’s request, I will be getting the ingredients for the Roasted Garlic Butter Parmesan Potatoes again for our next curbside order. I will also be getting my modification ingredients and am hoping it will be even better the next time around. This is a recipe worth trying and putting your own spin on too!

What is your favorite side dish? How did you spend Memorial Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Apr2

Super Yummy Jalapeno Popper Bread

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Super Yummy Jalapeno Popper Bread

Hello!!! Things have been crazy and stressful in Lil Red’s world and, thankfully, there appears to be a clearing in the woods. This past Thursday, I was so happy to finally have the time to cook something! Despite loving to cook for Johnny and myself, it is often one of the first things that falls by the wayside when life gets too busy. I have several recipes that I bought groceries for and decided to keep things simple by making some jalapeno popper bread. It was SO easy, cheesy, and delicious and I wanted to share it with all of you for a meal or snack that took barely ten minutes to prepare! Check it out:

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This recipe is compliments of Kami at NoBiggie and can be found on this link!

One of mine and Johnny’s favorite meals is jalapeno popper quesadillas. Naturally, we like any variation of cheese and jalapenos so when I saw the recipe for jalapeno popper bread on Pinterest, I was eager to try it out! When scouring for new food to make on Pinterest, I like to find recipes with minimal ingredients and prep time. The popper bread recipe boasted both of these requirements with only eight ingredients, ten minutes of prep, and about fifteen minutes of baking. I could definitely swing that!

To make my popper bread, I purchased a gorgeous loaf of artisan cheese bread from Giant Eagle’s bakery. I already had several of the ingredients listed, but I was also in need of pickled jalapenos and found a jar of sweet heat ones that were really tasty. To start, I cut the bread in half and brushed it with melted butter and garlic powder and let it bake for five minutes. During that time, I mixed up the mozzarella cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and jalapenos to top it off with. This spread was then applied to the bread and it went back into the oven to bake. Done and done.

While the bread baked, I monitored it pretty closely because our oven has the habit of burning things as soon as your back is turned. It was so satisfying to watch the ooey gooey cheese bubble and brown and it couldn’t bake fast enough; I was starving! I knew that the bread was going to be good, but I didn’t expect it to be freaking mind blowing. The cheese mixture had the consistency and flavor of a white pizza, the jalapenos added some kick, and the bread was crisp without being tough. It was SO yummy and filling too. I was full after a one third size piece!

I would happily make this recipe again and cannot recommend it enough. In fact, I plan on buying another loaf of bread to use up the rest of the ingredients as soon as we are out of leftovers. Thanks again to Kami of NoBiggie for sharing this!

Have you tried any new recipes lately? Do you have a favorite food blogger? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan4

Super Yummy Breakfast Pizza

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Super Yummy Breakfast Pizza

Hello! Due to the crazy circumstances of the past few months, it has been a while since I cooked a big breakfast over the weekend. That was one of my Johnny’s favorite things and our low key New Year’s weekend gave me the opportunity to whip together a new concoction made with the same ingredients as my usual breakfasts. It was basically like the Taco Bell menu of different items using the exact same base ingredients and I was so proud lol. Behold, the vegetarian breakfast pizza:

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of Pillsbury biscuits
  • White gravy for the sauce
  • 5 scrambled eggs
  • 6 MorningStar sausage patties
  • Shredded cheese
  • Hashbrowns if you want!

Instructions:

  • Separate the biscuits in half and fill a cooking tray with them to form the crust. Keep an eye on the biscuits while they’re in the oven since they are half of their normal size.
  • Begin cooking your additional ingredients of eggs, sausage patties, and hashbrowns. Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces once they are cooked.
  • Prepare the white gravy for the sauce (The recipe is in the link under ingredients.). If the gravy gets too thick, add some milk because you should be able to cover the biscuits entirely with just the one pot.
  • Assemble your breakfast pizza and top with shredded cheese. Then, stick it back in the oven for a few minutes so it can melt.
  • Remove from the oven and enjoy!

This breakfast pizza turned out delicious if I do say so myself and Johnny does too! Oh yeah, and so does my mom, dad, and sister because they all tried it as well lol. He spent the entire day complimenting my efforts and it made me feel awesome. Of course, I modestly said it was the same thing I always make but assembled differently and he would hear none of that. He also told me it was so good because I haven’t made breakfast in forever and I thought that that was the sweetest. I know that Johnny loves my cooking (He better, anyways!) but to hear him be so forthright about it made getting up early on a Saturday morning to cook all the more worth it. ❤

My Breakfast Pizza is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and a hearty portion of my family agreed. I guess I better start cooking breakfast again!

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

Sep2

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

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TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Hello!! Last week, I visited TJMaxx strictly to get some more skin care. I was successful in that regard and also wound up leaving with way more than just skin care lol. Funny how that works out! I ended up walking away with some Halloween goodies, Christmas presents for my niece, two adorable sweaters, and all of the following:

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^^^ All of these products are Leaping Bunny certified!

It has been a while since I restocked my cleansers and eye cream so that was the mission I had in mind during my TJs trip. Every morning, I like to wash my face with both a scrub and a cleanser for a deep clean. I was almost completely out of both things and chose a Vitamin C cleanser by Clinical Works and a hyaluronic acid and sugar scrub by SpaScriptions. Each of these products feature two of my favorite ingredients for my skin care as a late twenty something and I can’t wait to try them out!

For my eye cream, I went with a manuka honey cream by Lanoline. And, of course, I had to grab another bottle of the Evoluderm micellar water, which I love. I have only used products with manuka honey in it a handful of times. However, it was a must have ingredient for skin care a year or so ago so I’m more than happy to give it a try in eye cream form. Fingers crossed that it smells as amazing as the Freeman face mask that introduced me to manuka honey. 😀

This Skin Care Haul turned into a major haul in general and it was just what I needed. There’s nothing like a little retail therapy to help soothe the soul!

What ingredients do you look for for your skin care? What are your favorite skin care brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Dec30

*Super Yummy* Vegetarian Chili Recipe

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*Super Yummy* Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Hello! One of my best girlfriends, Danielle, was kind enough to bring Johnny and I some of her amazing homemade vegetarian chili this past holiday week. She is one of my favorite people in the world and concocted this recipe all by herself. It was SO good that I just had to share it with all of you to get warmed up during those chilly (See what I did there!) winter evenings. Let’s get to it:

Ingredients:

  • 6 to 8 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 2 cans of beans (kidney, pinto, or navy)
  • 1 package of vegetarian crumblers
  • 4 to 6 cloves of garlic
  • 3 Tbs chili powder
  • 2 Tbs cumin
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne powder (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 to 5 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/4 C water

Prep (About 10 minutes):

Dice onion and poblano
“top” and halve the tomatoes
Peel and halve the garlic

Cook (Between 45 and 60 minutes):

Heat oil in a sauce pan (4 Qt or larger) and add onions, garlic, and poblano. Cook 5 minutes
or so, then add water followed by the tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat to just above medium,
and let simmer for 5 minutes. Continue to cook, but at this point the tomato skins can be
easily peeled from the tomatoes, so using a pair of tongs remove the skins and squish the
tomatoes as they cook. (Throw away the skins.)

Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes are completely cooked. Using
tongs remove any of the hard cores that might remain. Put the tomato liquid into a blender and add the spices. Blend on low at first, then high until the mixture is a smooth liquid; about 5 minutes.

Return the liquid to the sauce pan, add beans and crumblers. Heat over low heat for 15 to 30
minutes. (This lets the crumblers heat through and allows the spices to really take over.)

Options:

If I want to have some extra heat I’ll dice two or three jalapenos and add them with the
poblano and onions. You can always add more Cayenne pepper too.

Before adding the beans and crumblers the sauce is a good burrito topping. I’ve also used a
cup or two of crumblers to make taco filling.

Of course, you can always add in extra chunky things (onion, peppers, etc) to the sauce if you
like some “crunch.”

* I prefer a can of kidney or pinto and a can of navy beans. I’ve also used chick peas in a
pinch.

** I like Boca crumblers (keeps it vegan) and have used Morningstar Farms and impossible
crumblers all of which work well.

Not only is Danielle one of my A-1s but she is, obviously, a master chef too! I cannot wait to make her recipe and hope that all of you enjoy it as much as I did. ❤

What is your favorite cold weather food? How about warm weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct31

Easy Tips For Improved Cooking Skills 

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Easy Tips For Improved Cooking Skills 

Knowing how to cook is a basic, fundamental skill that we all need to have. The pandemic has been tough on everyone, but many people have gone out of their way to get creative. Some have headed outside and created a garden packed with new flowers and veggies. Others have turned their hand to DIY and revamped their entire houses.

Then, there are those who turned to cooking. With the pandemic ending and lock downs lifting, people are choosing to Google ‘bakery course near me’ to improve their cooking skills that they learned while they were unable to go out and see people. Cooking is an amazing skill to have – it’s science and a little bit of magic all rolled together. Learning to bake a beautiful loaf of bread or cook the perfect roast chicken dinner? It’s all part of the fun.

If you want to improve your cooking skills, you can, and we’ve got some tips for you below to continue building your skill set:

Shop Well:

You can’t cook delicious meals without delicious ingredients, right? Ingredients that are fresh and vibrant in taste and color can help you to make transformative foods. Even the most basic dishes can become five star meals when you choose the right ingredients, and that’s the best place to start.

Get Equipped:

Can you cook the perfect fried egg if your pans are scratched to pieces? Of course not. If you want to make cooking a hobby of yours, then you need to equip yourself with the right tools. The right pans, the best knives, new kitchen scales, and the right cutlery can ensure that your cooking becomes something better than you ever thought it could be. The best quality equipment will help you to bring those recipes out properly.

Prepare Beforehand:

Be prepared. You need to get yourself set up by weighing and measuring all of your ingredients before you even get started. Warm up the oven early, and get into the habit of preparing your ingredients before you do anything else. This will make the whole process easier on you when you want to improve the current skills you have.

And, remember, part of the prep work before making anything involves reading the recipe thoroughly! When you are just beginning to take cooking more seriously inspect the recipe carefully no matter how easy it might seem. From pasta sauce to a diet-friendly edibles recipe, you don’t want to realize you don’t have some necessary ingredients halfway through the process!

Have A Tasting Spoon:

When you cook, you need to taste. You’ll see the best chefs tasting as they go and they do this for a good reason. Tasting will help you to tell whether you have seasoned enough and it can help you to avoid plating up a dish that really doesn’t taste great. Of course, you need to keep this spoon separate from the rest of the cooking utensils you use!

Use the tips above to make the next meal you prepare even better. Happy cooking!

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Aug4

Eating For The Season

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Eating For The Season

As summer is starting to come to an end, so is the harvesting of all our summer vegetables. Finding joy in eating seasonally is something that your family can experience – all it takes is a little creativity at dinner time! As fall begins, explore the following in your meals:

Root vegetables:

Root vegetables are coming into the season, which means an abundance of potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. All the good stodgy veggies that are best stewed or cooked into wholesome foods. There are so many lovely recipes out there for the autumn and winter months that allow you to just sink into and enjoy.

We all live a busy life and finding the time to cook those proper homely meals can seem like an inconvenience after a full day at work. So, what’s a better time than to dust off the old slow cooker and put it to good use.

Pumpkins:

Lots of cuisines use pumpkin because of the sweetness so to add a kick of it to your curries why not add pumpkin? A tasty Japanese alternative is pumpkin Kuroki, which is a pumpkin patty covered in panko breadcrumbs and fried. It’s delicious. However, you can just put pumpkin in your stews, it’s a healthy colorful vegetable that can’t be forgotten about. You can pick pumpkins up everywhere in the autumn and for extremely low prices… so when you are pumpkin picking don’t forget to eat the inside before you carve the outside!

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Butternut Squash:

Butternut squash is such an underrated vegetable. It is packed with vitamins and antioxidants and is a great source of nutrients. This funny-looking vegetable is so versatile. It can be used in the same way as a pumpkin but has become much more popular in soups and curries.

Butternut squash and apple soup is one to try this season, the contrasting flavors of the savory and sweet makes the perfect warming meal. Butternut squash can also be used as a lower carb option for spaghetti in pasta dishes as its form stays solid when spiraling it. It can also be added to stews but is equally as good as the main star of a meal.

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Potatoes:

The king of root vegetables, the potato is one of the worlds’ favorite foods due to its versatility. There are hundreds of ways to cook potatoes that are warming and hearty and just make you feel good. Jacket potatoes with beans and cheese or cold fillings are a quick meal. You can cook a jacket potato in the oven or microwave and you can add whatever toppings you like. This is a staple food for the whole family in the autumn.

Have you ever thought about widening your repertoire of cooking potatoes? What about crispy roast potatoes, where you parboil them and then shake the pan to fluff them up before roasting. Or creating dauphinoise potatoes, which can be achieved very quickly. Hasselback potatoes, with lots of cuts on one side with spices and fillings melted into the slots? There are so many ways to use potatoes through the autumn and winter months to create gorgeous additions to your recipes.

Carrots:

The only real way to eat carrots at this time of year is roasted with honey. They are divine and, of course, that is not the only way to eat carrots, but they certainly should become a household staple. Honey glazed carrots with any meal is a sweet addition to offset any savory flavors. The color adds a pop to what can be an otherwise muted plate of food. During the autumn and winter months, if you are eating seasonally, there isn’t usually a lot of colors to foods so carrots are a great way to brighten your plate.

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There are far too many recipes to list in one simple blog post so it is great to research and find some different recipes to spice up your autumn/winter menus for the family. Bon Appetit!

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Jul29

What’s Cookin?

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What’s Cookin?

Hello! I have always enjoyed cooking and have fond memories of making anything and everything together with my mom. Cooking in the kitchen in my apartment is an entirely different story, though, because it’s so small and I don’t know about you guys, but I like having lots of room to spread out when I’m making food. I also don’t know about you guys, but I fell into a bit of a depression during the most extreme parts of the pandemic and that left me never feeling like even attempting to make home cooked meals.

The stress of working throughout the pandemic as well as a job that I wasn’t entirely thrilled with really contributed to my slump and it made it hard to do just about anything when I would return home from work. However, this past month has been a complete one eighty as I accepted a new position that I am in love with. Every day, I have come home so happy and both Johnny and I can’t remember the last time I would get off work in such an amazing mood.

Because of this, my love of cooking has definitely been reignited and I have been making meals several times a week for me and my husband to enjoy. Below are some of the favorite recipes that I have whipped up so far and it has felt great to have delicious meals to serve every night. Check it out:

This past month, I have made mac n’ cheese, veggie enchiladas, quesadillas, and pizza. I also used a super easy recipe for pepperoni bread for my non vegetarian husband that he is crazy about. When I began cooking again, I wanted to find simple recipes with limited ingredients as I only have one small counter space to work on in my kitchen. It has been a huge success and I feel proud of myself the entire time. In fact, I feel so happy that I normally will be singing or humming to myself as I chop veggies. This is a far cry from sitting on the couch in misery waiting for yet another air fried meal to cook!

Cooking dinner is a love language that I have learned from a young age from both my mom and grandma and I love being able to express that again. I really enjoy getting creative with the dinners I make now and while I’ll follow the basic recipes, I always try to doctor them up to make it even better. Our favorite recipe is, easily, the jalapeno popper quesadillas and it makes me feel wonderful when Johnny will request them every other night lol. 🙂

I am looking forward to all of the yummy meals that I plan on making and Johnny is looking forward to eating them. One of the last times I made dinner this past week, I told him that it feels good to feel like me again and I wake up every day now eager to go to work and come home to engage in one of my favorite hobbies again. Here’s to delicious meals for all! ❤

What are some of your favorite recipes? Who is the best cook in your family? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun23

What To Look For In The Dog Food You Choose

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What To Look For In The Dog Food You Choose

It’s no secret that the food that you give to your dog is incredibly important to their health. Your pet needs a balanced diet, just like you do, to make sure that they are able to maintain a healthy body. There are countless dog food brands on the market, and they all offer something different for your pooch. To help you to make sense of this chaotic market, this article will be exploring some of the most important aspects of dog food to give you an idea of what to choose when you’re looking at the shelves in your local store:

Natural Ingredients:

Many people ignore the ingredients that are on the packs of food they buy for their dogs. While aiming for natural ingredients doesn’t ensure that food is healthy, it is a good way to limit the additives and other harmful ingredients that could be in your dog’s diet. Many companies are moving away from processed foods for their dog food options, giving you the chance to get food for your dog that will be entirely from naturally sourced ingredients.

Grain-Free Recipes:

Grain is often used as a filler ingredient in products like dog food, enabling companies to save money without compromising on tastes that dogs will like. However, grain doesn’t have much in terms of nutrition for your dog, and will only serve to fill them up as they eat. Many dog food companies produce foods that are specifically made without any fillers whatsoever. This can give you a great chance to get your hands on foods that won’t artificially fill your dog.

Get Advice Online:

There are a lot of dog owners around the web who love nothing more than the chance to help other canine lovers. This makes it nice and easy to get advice when you need it, and there are loads of resources that are dedicated to helping owners with their dog’s diet. Websites like dogfoodcare.com have tons of articles and advice pages to consult for your questions.

What The Doctor Ordered:

Many dogs have health issues that directly relate to the food they eat. This can make it extra challenging to find the right diet for your animal, especially when they have a lot of health issues to contend with. You should listen to your vet in this case, ensuring that you are feeding your dog foods that will be good for the health as well as the condition that they are living with. Many vets sell food specifically for this purpose.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of choosing dog food that works for your dog’s health. This can be hard at first, but you will quickly learn what to look for when you’re scouring the shelves for the next meal your dog will enjoy.

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Feb23

Stepping Up Your Pampering At Home

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Stepping Up Your Pampering At Home

Howdy! I don’t know about all of you, but I freaking love pampering myself with beauty treatments at home. From face masks to body scrubs and skin care, I have always enjoyed trying new products, scents, and ingredients to enhance my pampering even more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am sure that many of us have turned to at home beauty treatments to minimize unnecessary exposure. And, due to the pandemic approaching its one year anniversary, you might be running out of ideas for your at home spa nights!

We all deserve to feel relaxed and pampered and if you are feeling blah with your current treatments, step them up by trying the following:

Make Your Own:

If you have exhausted all of the sheet and clay face masks at your local pharmacy or are sick of your bath and body care scents, why not try making your own beauty products? There are countless how to guides and recipes out there for face masks, hair and nail treatments, and lotion and you might just find your new favorite hobby. You will also be amazed at how many products you could make with ingredients that you already have in your own home like avocado, olive oil, sugar, and eggs. You could even have a Zoom spa night with your friends where you can all make and use a spa treatment together while catching up on the latest.

If you aren’t interested in making your own products but would like to try something new, then try supporting a local or small online business that specializes in beauty care. I love testing out products from local creators and often find that their products are even better than store bought brands!

Tend To Neglected Areas:

I recently just realized that I spend so much time with products for my face that I have lightweight neglected several opportunities for pampering. To emphasize that point, at almost twenty-seven years old I just started using hand lotion before bed regularly a month ago. If this sounds like you, spend some time during your next spa night getting acquainted with neglected areas like overgrown cuticles, dry elbows, and rough heels for a complete pampering experience.

Create A Relaxing Space:

There is absolutely nothing relaxing about sitting in your bathroom waiting for your face mask to dry, lol. Enhance your spa night by creating a relaxing space. You could draw a nice hot bath or you could carve out a little space in your home where you can lounge and read as your treatments settle in. Don’t forget that scented candles, oil burners, or incense as well as nature sounds and soothing music will help make your experience even better!

Lil Red Pro Tip:

I am definitely not perfect when it comes to my skin care and my recent bout with a super huge zit can attest to that! I also just got over a case of the literal worst dandruff ever about a month ago and all I can say if you are dealing with dandruff is: Olive oil. There was no Head & Shoulders at my place and after researching online, I learned that an olive oil treatment is really effective. I soaked my scalp with olive oil for about fifteen minutes, washed my hair twice to get it all out, and was blown away to see no more white flakes. See! Awesome beauty treatments can be found right in your own home. 🙂

Give how you pamper yourself a makeover with the tips above to spruce things up during your next spa night!

How do you pamper yourself at home? What is your favorite beauty treatment? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah