Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from all of us at Blog to Taste! We have had such a fun year sharing our recipes with all of you. This blog has brought us great times, great laughter and great friends. We love sharing with you, and we hope you love it back. Our resolution to you in 2015 is to keep creating recipes for you to make and share with your friends and family. We can't wait to see what the new year brings us!

Stick around and remember to add some Blog to Taste! 

Cheers!

2014's Tastiest Achievements

Hello foodie friends! It's time to wrap up our 2014 and get ready for bigger things in 2015. It has been an amazing year, with amazing recipes, and today we're going to share some of our favorites with you!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas foodie friends! As we prepare for the big day tomorrow, we wanted to say thank you for checking us out, reading our recipes and giving your feedback. We truly appreciate it. Today we just wanted to share a piece of our Christmas with you, and we hope you enjoy! 

Warren

My Christmas tree is a lot like me. It's cute, fat, and a little nugget! It can't even stand up straight!! I decided to go simple this year with the decorations, especially because the tree didn't have much real estate. I kept it a simple gold tones tree with white lights. It turned out amazing, and I could decorate my tree like this every year!

WARREN'S INSTAGRAM

Holly

My Christmas tree is a little fake pink tree that my brother bought for me as a gift about 7 years ago. It is pre-lit, so I just have to plug it in and go! This year, though, I decided to add a few accent decorations. I added a hot pink garland, star, and some small globe-shaped ornaments. It's certainly not an impressive tree fit for the Kardashians or the Obamas, but it works for me. 

Rosie

This year's Christmas tree is one of my favorites ever. We are short on space in my living room, so i decided to do a table top tree, on top of a bookshelf in my front window. I picked up a new set of Christmas lights that flicker like fire (I think they are called flamelight), and after putting them on I loved how natural the tree looked, so I topped it off with a star and called it done. 

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Stuffed Baked Apples

Hey everyone, it's Kayla again! It's starting to feel like we're old friends, right? Thanks to the Blog To Taste gang for having me back yet again. This time I'm back with a super special Holiday edition! I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. The crisp air, the cheerful music, shopping excessively without feeling bad about it.

My favorite part though, is getting to spend time with family that I may only see a couple of times a year otherwise, so why not wow them with a dish that is incredibly easy but sure to impress? I've got a dessert for you that's perfect for any holiday meal. It's quick, easy, and offers a big wow! factor with minimal effort! Here's my alternate take on a traditional apple, stuffed baked apples!

Giftable Holiday Cookies

Ho Ho Ho! It's almost Christmas! My kitchen is a mess, I have craft supplies strewn about the house and you know I am streaming a killer Christmas playlist on Spotify. Basically I am saying, all is well! I am one of those people who love Christmas. Not so much the shopping and busyness of the season, but i love the little things: baking cookies, crafting, decorating and most importantly spending time with those I love.

Holly Jolly Hot Chocolate Recipe

Here's the set up: a toasty fire roaring in the background, a comfy chair with a soft blanket, some cheery Christmas music playing at just the right volume, and a cup of piping hot cocoa with a candy cane in it. This is the fantasy I imagined for a cup of Holly Jolly Hot Chocolate. In reality, I sat on a couch while watching Scandal and my dogs were all staring at me because I was drinking the hot cocoa. Not a bad scenario, but it was not the Christmas dream I had imagined.

Christmas Red Velvet Cake Cookies Recipe

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the land people were trying to figure out which treats to serve at their Christmas get together. Okay, so that wasn't as magical as I wanted it to be in my head. Nonetheless, I am so excited about my Red Velvet Cookies, and I am sure that you are going to love them too! 

Best Christmas Movie Ever!

WARNER BROS.

Happy holidays foodie friends! It's the most wonderful time of the year. Tis the season for friends, family and holiday classics. I felt like today it was most appropriate to refresh everyone's memory of the greatest Christmas movie ever, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! I picked out my five favorite scenes that will surely have you howling with friends during a movie night this holiday season. And as an added bonus, this movie turned 25 this year!

10 Perfect Gifts for Foodies

It can be hard to find the right Christmas gift for your loved ones. When asked what they want for Christmas, most people say something crazy like a new car or giant TV, and many just say they don't know or care. I know it can be a pain to shop for other people, but I'll give you some insight into the gifts that people who love to cook and eat will be truly happy to receive.

Rumchata, A Winter Treat

This week's recipe is inspired by the lack of creamy warm winter drinks in my life. When you can't drink milk or cream, I promise you that your holiday drink options will dwindle. But they don't need to! every time i start feeling sorry for my lactose intolerant self, I say "knock it off, and buy a can of coconut cream!" Coconut cream is like hope in a can, it can solve most problems for me. 

Holiday Eggnog Coffee Creamer Recipe

Hello foodie friends! Tis the season for ugly sweater parties and lots of egg nog! When my birthday rolls around at beginning of November, I always know it's time for my favorite beverage. Having some sort of egg nog option at your holiday party is crucial. So here I am to show you how to serve a homemade egg nog coffee creamer that people will be dying to put in their coffee at your next get together. 

Winter White Chocoloate Fudge Recipe

It's that time of the year again! Time to shop and enjoy the delicious variety of holiday foods. At my workplace, we've already had two potlucks in the last month, and I am sure there will be more. This means that I have to be on my A-game for making festive, shareable treats. My most recent creation was a white chocolate fudge with pieces of Pirouette hazelnut-filled cookies. I think it turned out well, and it looked very pretty on the table of all the other desserts.  My fudge making experience was  not completely successful, though. 

At first I planned to make the white chocolate fancy fudge and a batch of traditional Hershey's chocolate fudge using Special Dark cocoa powder. You can find the recipe here HERSHEY'S Rich Cocoa Fudge Recipe. I read the reviews and determined that it would be difficult, but I thought I could pull it off. Unfortunately, the fudge never fully set, and it was just a gloopy, sugary mess that I had to throw away. If you attempt the Hershey's recipe, I advise that you follow the instructions to a T. Also don't make it on a rainy day because the humidity really messes it up.

December Delights

Tasty Achievements: November 2014

Hello foodie friends! It's time to close out another month already. This year is quickly flying by and before you know it we'll be buying Valentine's Day cards at the drug store last minute. :) Before we say goodbye to November, we wanted to share, as always, our favorite posts of November with you!

Cinnamon Apple Cocktail

Hey everyone! The name's Kayla and you may or may (read: probably) not remember me. I'm a 28 year old girl with a passion for food, music, and pop culture! I'd like to thank Warren, Holly, and Rosie for having me back again, especially for a sweet and boozy holiday edition of Blog To Taste!

Thanksgiving Memories

Ahh Thanksgiving! It's a great holiday to get stuffed full of food and laugh with friends and family. Of course, holiday get togethers can be stressful, but it's fun to remember some of our favorite memories of Thanksgivings Past. Take a walk down memory lane, as we share some of our favorite memories.

Famous Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I should preface this recipe by telling you that Thanksgiving is my husband's holiday, and Christmas is mine. But more than that, both holidays for me are all about getting to spend time with our families, who we love. That being said, I am about to tell you some stuff about mine. 

It's true, my mashed potatoes are famous. At least in my family. I have been the potato masher in my family as long as I can remember. My mother's recipe included peeling the potatoes, adding half & half, butter and mashing with an electric mixer. This recipe I am sharing is not my mother's mashed potatoes. It is instead, my own grown up version and the version that is begged for by my husband and his family every Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Casserole Recipe

I've always enjoyed Thanksgiving as a day of cooking, spending time with family, and, most importantly, feasting on a traditional spread of Thanksgiving day foods. Even though the sales are starting earlier and earlier every year, I still like to relax on turkey day with lots of food and family. Of course there is usually a lot of tasty stuff leftover, and it can be used in many ways to make a hearty meal after a long day of shopping on Black Friday.

This year, I was itching for a Thanksgiving casserole bursting with delicious leftovers. I wanted cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, gravy, and veggies layered together to make one perfect bite. Think: your entire Thanksgiving day plate in each bite. Since I'm posting this a week early, I made the ingredients separately and combined them as if they were leftovers. The end result was delicious because it mixes salty, sweet, soft, crunchy, tangy, and creamy in every mouthful. I can't wait to do this after my actual Thanksgiving day feast!

The Definitive Black Friday Shopping Playlist: 2014

Hello foodie friends! Of course with Thanksgiving coming, we have another holiday celebration to get excited over...Black Friday! I absolutely love Black Friday because 1) I'm an Overconsuming American and 2) It gets me beyond excited for the holiday season.

Thanksgiving Apple Cheesecake Recipe

 Happy Friday foodie friends! Thanksgiving is going to be here before you know it (aka 13 days)! It's time to start planning your menu and what you're going to serve to your family and friends this holiday, and boy do I have a must add. Everyone knows that Apple Pie is a great dessert on Thanksgiving, especially if you're not a fan of Pumpkin anything (me), but maybe it's time to change it up and make that Apple Pie into an Apple Cheesecake.

Hearty Italian Sausage Soup Recipe

For fall, there is nothing as satisfying and belly-warming as a homemade soup. I love soups that are full of flavor and offer a little bit of spicy heat to excite the taste buds. One soup that comes to mind for warmth and spiciness is the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden. It has little chunks of spiced sausage, potatoes, and a creamy base. My soup recipe is not a copycat of the Olive Garden soup because I wanted to add a few different veggies to mine, but it is certainly inspire by their delicious bowl of yummy goodness.

I love making soups because the emphasis is on finding a balance of flavor as opposed to precision in amounts, times, and temperatures. Sometimes the best soups are born from mistakes or missteps that lead to a new and interesting flavor. As long as you have an open mind and taste the soup frequently, then you generally can't go wrong. This is my favorite type of cooking!

Thanks Are For The Giving

Wow, time really does fly when you are having fun! The holidays have hit, and it is time to start thinking about your Thanksgiving meal. We have some Thanksgiving recipes to share with you over the next few weeks so be sure to check back in. 

Breakfast Roundup

I can't believe time goes by so quickly. We have been posting here at Blog To Taste for almost a year now- seriously! I knew I wanted to do a breakfast post this week, feeling inspired by both Holly and Warren's beautiful breakfast posts they did this week. So I decided to do a little recap of 12 of our breakfast posts we have done so far.

Warren's Brunch Lasagna Recipe

Hello foodie friends! Sheesh it's been so long since I've written a post, that I almost forgot how to do it. I guess I should first start by thanking everyone for their patience while we worked through some growing pains (it's not as easy to do without Mike Seaver). Make sure that you take a look around at the blog after the post to see some of the new elements. More stuff is being added by the day, so make sure you stick around!

Anyway time for the real reason you're here: Breakfast Pasta. Admittedly, I'm calling this Brunch Lasagna because it just seems more appropriate. "But Warren, breakfast pasta isn't a thing." I KNOW! I was laying in bed thinking about this actual statement and then after spitballing the problem with Holly, we came up with a plan to integrate this amazing creation into society, because PASTA.

Homemade Sausage Breakfast Gravy Recipe

Like many, I don't usually have time to create a full-on, hearty breakfast every morning, but there are many traditional breakfast foods that I love. My favorite breakfasts dishes are chicken fried steak with sausage gravy or biscuits and... you guessed it, sausage gravy! I am a fan of all gravies, but sausage breakfast gravy is a king among them. It is a warm, comforting addition to any breakfast or breakfast-themed meal. We will also show you how to incorporate this simple recipe into other recipes in an upcoming post.

I learned how to make gravy from watching my mother. She always started by making a roux (flour and melted butter or pan drippings from cooked meat) and then adding a liquid. This is such a simple yet important skill to master in cooking because a roux can be used as a base for many types of gravy or thicker soups. Thanks mom!

Summertime Cold Drink Tip

Hey there foodie friends! I am sneaking in one last summertime post before we go full fall next week.

This is a simple trick that comes in handy from time to time. It happens to us all, we are craving a cold beverage, and you go to the kitchen and someone has drank the last cold one and not replaced it. Oh no! But do not despair- this trick will have you drinking a cold, refreshing beverage in just 10 minutes! 

Sausage + Pineapple Coffee Cake Recipe

Hello foodie friends! I will start this post by saying that I know that sausage and pineapple as a combo is definitely a bizarre combination, but hear me out. I first fell in love with this combo when I went to Slappy Cakes here in Portland for the first time and those were the two add-ins I chose. Together they're sweet and savory which is everyone's everything. In a crumbly coffee cake, they are true perfection.

Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Truffles Recipe

Last week I discovered the magic of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. I've been hearing radio commercials about the beloved spread and the new ice cream flavor made with it, and I earned to try it for myself. Once I got my hands on some of it, I knew it was meant to be. I purchased the Cookie and Cocoa Swirl version which reminds me of the heavenly substance called Nutella. I just had to make something delicious with this cookie-in-a-jar magic, but I couldn't decide what.

Well, after a week of contemplating, I decided to make truffles. The recipe I dreamed up consists of only 3 ingredients because, well, they are things that I found in my pantry. Despite the simplicity, though, I think these candies look impressive, and, if I weren't so lazy, I would totally hand them out in a cute little box at Christmastime. They are fancy yet simple, and who doesn't love a truffle? The great thing about Cookie Butter and my recipe is that it can be made dairy free as well, so all are welcome. Enjoy!

Grandma's Salt & Pepper Collection

Hello foodie friends! I'm so excited because it's *finally* starting to cool down out here in Portland. Our weather has been atrociously hot this summer, so having a little bit of cloud coverage and temps in the 70s is awesome! For today's post, I wanted to share with you some of my inherited salt & pepper collection that I got when my grandmother passed away. Yesterday was her birthday, so it felt like a good time to share some of my favorites with you.

BLT Mac Salad

I often try to come up with good cold side dishes to eat in the summer months. As much as I love potato salad, I need to have a few other salads on my radar. This salad was simply inspired by a classic BLT, and in my house we eat those with avocado and egg. 

Tasty Achievements: August 2014

Hello foodie friends! August has closed the door and September is officially here. I don't know about y'all, but we've had a busy Summer here at Blog to Taste. We have a lot of great things coming, but first let's celebrate all the things we did in August.

Warren shared a few crazy posts including eggs inside sausage and a burnt corn dog saga, but our favorite post was definitely the Lemon Basil Butter Pasta with Shrimp. The dish was gorgeous, and honestly homemade butter is THE BEST!

LEMON BASIL BUTTER PASTA WITH SHRIMP

Great posts from Rosie are common, but there was something about her Twin Peaks inspired drink that put a big smile on our face. Now if we could just figure out if the glass was wrapped in plastic or if she made a glass out of plastic.

LAURA PALMER

Speaking of posts that put a smile on our face this month, Holly not only gave us a giggle with her awesome fix for a homegrown facial mask featuring her brother and mother, but she also provided a great Italian Soda recipe that we are using right NOW.

ITALIAN CREAM SODAS

This month was definitely the month of fun on Blog to Taste because we cannot forget Sarah's Shark Week bologna sandwich. If you haven't seen it, you must! But first, check out her Veggie Stir Fry because gurrrl that looked good. 

VEGGIE STIR FRY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

We can't believe that Summer is almost over! Make sure you let us know if you try any of the recipes in the comments below, and make sure you're following us for all the latest and greatest from all of us here at Blog to Taste. 

Ciao!

Lemon Basil Butter Pasta with Shrimp Recipe

Hello foodie friends and happy Labor Day Weekend! Summer may be coming to an end, but there's still time to enjoy all the great things that this time of year has to offer including fresh ingredients. A dinner made with fresh ingredients is one that will certainly leave you satisfied.

Peaches 'n Cream and Huckleberry Italian Sodas

Italy holds special place in my heart. Some day, when I have the money and vacation time, I would love to visit Italy and experience it firsthand. For now, though, I find little ways to appreciate the vibrant Italian culture. For example, I studied the Italian language for 2 years during college, I'm a firm believer in pizza, I can't live without pasta, and Italian sodas are like crack to me. So my brother and I decided to take a trip to Italy without leaving our own backyard. Trust me, sipping an Italian soda on a Wednesday afternoon is the best mid-week therapy.

Inspired Croque Mademoiselle

 A few weeks ago I took a trip to Port Townsend to witness an old friend get married at a castle. Yes you read that right, a castle! My husband was busy at home with out Grandfather, so I elected to take a girlfriend as my date. My last post about Laura Palmer Cocktails was inspired by the Twin Peaks leg of he trip, and this weeks post is inspired by the Port Townsend leg. 

Recipe Fail: Stuffed Brat Corndogs

Hello again foodie friends! Normally, I wouldn't share this kind of post. Normally, I would hide it away in the depths of mind to never speak of it again. However, I'm gonna give a shot at being honest and sharing with you the horror that was my attempt at making corn dogs.

Homemade Calming Lavender Face Masks

This week I wanted to try something different. Instead of making a recipe to eat, I did some research and used food for beauty. I've always wanted to try a homemade face mask because I know there are so many natural ingredients that do great things for our skin without needing to spend $15 on a mask or scrub. The important thing is to know what type of skin you have and how to appease it.

Shark Week Bologna Sandwich

Anyone that knows me knows I love sharks, like a lot.  Shark Week is one my favorite things!  I love that a whole week is dedicated to the most amazing animal I know of.  I used to count down the days.  This year I was less excited.  Last year I was pretty disappointed by Megalodon: The Monster Shark.  You can read about it on my blog.  I heard a few weeks ago that Discovery Channel was at it again.  This year they had done another "documentary" of a big scary shark eating everybody.  There are so many cool sharks in he world why do they need to make them up?  Because the Discovery Channel think we are all idiots?  My blog friends asked why I didnt do a shark week foods post.  The answer is cause I am mad at Shark Week!  Discovery Channel likes to serves us a big pile of Bologna so here is how you can make some at home!

The Laura Palmer Cocktail

 This weeks cocktail was inspired by Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I am OBSESSED. So much so, that I am actually taking a Twin Peaks pilgrimage this weekend to the little sleepy town of Snoqualmie Washington, where the TV show is set, and most of the outdoor shots were filmed. 

If you have never seen Twin Peaks, I recommend canceling your weekend plans and marathon watching the whole thing- it's on Netflix! If you've never heard of Twin Peaks, well honey child, we cannot be friends. 

Veggie Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

I needed something quick and easy this week.  It has been hot and the grilling has been easy (stay tuned for the results).  I wanted to use up some veggies and this was a great way to do it.  To kick it up and make it even yummier I whipped up this sauce.  I have been playing around with this sauce for awhile and I think I finally nailed it.  You could add any meat to give the meal a protein punch but it is also great with out.  

Tasty Achievements: July 2014

Happy Monday food friends! As we say goodbye to July, it's time for us here at Blog to Taste to share with you our favorite posts that we created and shared with you in July. It was a hot, hot month, but our posts were even hotter.

Our first post is sure to keep you cool! Check out Sarah's frozen Banana Ice Cream Treats. The fact that these are also dairy free will help you keep that beach body going well into August! 

BANANA ICE CREAM TREATS

The next post will get your morning started right. Warren served up some delicious looking Cherry Nutella Waffles that will literally blow your mind!

CHERRY NUTELLA WAFFLES

Maybe this month you're looking for a quick and easy salad that will satisfy your every need. Look no further than Rosie's Cucumber salad that is 100 parts gorgeous and 100 parts tasty.

CUCUMBER SALAD

Finally, take a bite out of the heat this summer with the extremely refreshing Frozen Berry Lemonade shots from Holly. These chilling treats are full of color, flavor and magic. 

FROZEN CHERRY BERRY LEMONADE SHOTS

Now we're going to cool down since it's already too hot out. Make sure you check out our other Tasty Achievements as well.