I'm not sure about you, but I love a great get together. Two things come with a great together - good friends and good food. When my friends and I get together we normally have a big dinner at someone's house. We all pitch in and bring things so that the host doesn't end up making everything. But sometimes it tough to try and come up with a dish for a potluck dinner. [Trust me, I know!] So I'm sharing up some crowd pleasing potluck dishes! We have appetizers, drinks, main courses and of course desserts. Everything you need to have a perfect potluck! Appetizer Ideas - Appetizers seem to always draw a large crowd. Probably because its easy to dip and chat at the same time! Caramelized Onion Parmesan Dip Skinny Veggie Dip Drink Ideas - The person who brings the drinks is … [Read more...]
Five Tips for Meal Planning with Success
If you want to make one change in your life that will dramatically improve your ability to make homemade food for your family, start planning your meals ahead of time. “Learning how to put your favorite meals together into a schedule is a vital kitchen skill that every adult should master.” - Conquering Your Kitchen, page 49 Why Bother Meal Planning? When I began to move away from processed food in favor of a homemade lifestyle a few years ago, the logistics were overwhelming. Day after day, I labored over decisions about what to eat for the next meal. I found myself heading to the grocery store four or five times a week picking up food for the next couple days. It was a stressful transition. But then I discovered meal planning, and life became so much easier. Meal planning … [Read more...]
Best FREE Recipe and Cooking Apps
One of the best parts of using technology is being able to store and organize information and being able to use it anywhere - the kitchen is no exception - here are my choices for must-have cooking apps: Must-have FREE Cooking Apps Foodily - like pinterest for foodies, Foodily lets you search, share, and organize recipes and even create menu plans. Cookbook Cafe - not only can you create and browse cookbooks and search recipes, the best feature is the four timers PLUS oven timer, conversion charts and substitutions. I would be lost without this app on Thanksgiving! IFood Assistant by Kraft - search recipes, get new ideas, and even get help shopping for ingredients for this handy iphone app. FoodGawker - Gorgeous photography, equally yummy recipes...you can spend a lot of … [Read more...]
Fun {and Free!} Kitchen Printables
Kitchen printables can be used to decorate, or can be functional as well - laminate and hang the conversion table inside a cabinet, place the labels on inexpensive glass canisters on your counter, use the pretty mason jar lids as a hostess gift! I love the menu planner too - I am always looking for ways to organize in the kitchen and this is a great start! I love Lindsay's Menu Planning page - she not only gives you the menu in a lot of pretty colors, she shows you how to bind it in a notebook to keep track of all your past menus as well! I love these little illustrations from The Handmade Home- I could see these being used for ADORABLE note cards! This conversion and measurement chart from I Should be Mopping the Floor is going up inside my cabinet right away - I … [Read more...]
7 Easy Rainbow Snacks for Kids
Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Add a splash of color to your children's snack plate with these fun recipes. Fruit in all of the colors of the rainbow? Wonderful. Fruit in all of the colors of the rainbow on a skewer? Brilliant. Your kids will love this snack after school or anytime. Rice Krispy treats are a tasty treat any day of the year. When you add the colors of the rainbow something magical happens. These Rainbow Gelatin Orange Wedges take a bit of time in preparation. But, the presentation is so much fun! These Chewy Rainbow M&M Cookies are always a hit in my home. Given a choice between a plain old chocolate chip cookie or one with bright and colorful M&M's my kids will always choose the M&M cookie. Always. Wait until you see the … [Read more...]
5 Foods That Boost Your Immune System
We are in the midst of a nasty flu and cold season. The Centers for Disease Control says we still have a few more weeks to endure it. How are you protecting yourself and your family? Of course, daily exercise and drinking plenty of water are great ways to keep healthy. But, I have a few tasty {and easy} recipes for you today that are packed with immune boosting ingredients. Hot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal. This looks yummy enough to eat every morning. If you don't have dry milk in your pantry you can substitute two cups regular milk and reduce the water to two cups. Jeannette's Healthy Living has lots of delicious and healthy recipes. Who doesn't love a good Spinach and Artichoke Dip? Remember, I'm giving you ways to boost your immune system; if you aren't sick you shouldn't … [Read more...]
