Hickory Smoked Tuna Melt

Hi foodies, it's Holly again! A tuna melt is the perfect meal for a someone who lives or alone or whose family ate dinner while they were at work (rude). It is easy to cook satisfying, and it is not difficult to make only one portion of it. Also, hot tuna is so much tastier than it sounds. Yes, it may leave a bit of an unpleasant odor in your kitchen (for the rude people who ate dinner without you), but it's worth the stench.

Spinach Chicken Pasta in Honey Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe

Hello food friends! If you're like me, you like to eat things that look gourmet, but that don't cost too much. What's that saying, "Champagne taste on a beer budget." I was having one of those nights recently, and I decided to see what I could do with a $5.99 rotisserie chicken from Fred Meyer. I present to you my Spinach Chicken Pasta.

Broccoli Crunch Salad

Oh, em, gee. I have finally done it! I have figured out how to make my own version of Whole Food's Broccoli Crunch Salad, something I have been wanting to do for years! Seriously, my husband and I have been eating this salad and talking about how we should make it at home since we discovered this salad in their counter. And with a hefty price tag of $6.99/lb, it's not hard to understand why. I originally went the lazy way and asked my new cousin in-law (is that even a thing?) who works at Whole Foods to get me the recipe, but she never came through with it (they probably make her sign some sort if secret clause). So I set out into the inter webs to find a recipe. Luckily for me, there are a few other people who had the same idea. This recipe leans on the hard work of others, who did the research and experimentation on their own. I looked over a few recipes, picked and chose my favorite parts and combined them to make my own über-version of the original. 

I have now made this 3 times in the last month, and not a bit has been thrown away. I made it to bring to dinner at a friends house, and even the finicky kids gave it their approval. The other two times were for Nick (the husband) and I's weekday lunches. I have already hinted about how I like to make my weekday meals ahead, and this is another great make ahead dish. As this salad sits through the days, it tastes better and better. And because the broccoli is raw, it retains some crunch and never feels soggy. So I pack this into little 1/2 cup Tupperware, and then pop one in the lunches everyday. I don't know about the man, but I look forward to eating it like it's a treat everyday. And that's saying a lot, because I don't really like sack lunches (but I still eat them).

Impeccable Potato Salad

Hello food friends! As you know, all week Holly and I have been serving you ideas to make the ideal Valentine's Day meal for you and your soulmate/lover/partner/best friend. Holly and I decided that the way to top this week off, and give you a meal worth talking about would be to combine our two spirit foods and have a "coming of bodies" moment...how romantic!

I opted for a traditional potato salad that I have watched my father make for years. The only thing I left out was the onions because onions are awful.

Charming Potion for Valentine's Day

While food is very important for a romantic dinner, you can't forget about the beverage. When you're eating a full meal like the one that Warren and I cooked up, you need to combine it with a drink that is slightly sweet and acidic to cut down the richness of the meal. Most importantly, though, you need a drink that will work magic to charm and attract your sweetheart.

Love Cake

Hello food friends! As part of the Valentine's series, we know you're going to want to have a dessert to feed your sweetheart on this most romantic of holidays. Holly and I whipped up a super easy, yet super tasty dessert that will surely help you land some major points with your loved one this February 14th.

Valentine's Day Gourmet Burgers

Hello foodies, it's Holly again bringing you some more love. If you're like me, you've dreamed of making your own ground meats since you were young. No? Well, for those like me, I'm going to share me recipe for delicious, decadent homemade burgers that will impress even the most indifferent date. If you don't have a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer with FGA, then you should start by getting one, but you could also use a Cuisinart food processor to grind it instead. Anyway, let's get back to the romantic part of this post. Burgers can be customized in a number of ways once you have your patties cooked. You can place them on some fresh, soft bread and top them with your favorite sauces, spreads, and veg.

Perfect Date Parmesan Steak

Hello food friends! With the big red holiday coming, Holly and I thought it would be fun to put together a series of food that would encompass an entire meal. I'm here to give you the first main dish which is the steak.

Steak is on of the quintessential Valentine's meals. I don't know why, and I don't know if that is scientific or more of just a belief in my head. Either way, I'll show you how to quickly make the perfect steak dish.

Celebration Trifle for Lovers and Presidents

Hello, this is Holly again. If you are looking for something sweet and colorful to share with your sweetheart, or if you want to show your patriotism with a red, white, and blue dish for Presidents' day then I recommend this delightful fruit trifle. This is the second dish that I made based on the game Bakery Story (download it for Android and iOS), and there are a few more that I want to try. This game is great to find a little inspiration, especially for dessert dishes.

Beet Red Velvet Gluten Free Cake Cookies

I have never had red velvet cake.  I have never had anything that was red velvet flavored.  It never really got me all the excited.  Maybe Steel Magnolias armadillo cake ruined it for me...  Either way I wanted to make some thing really valentinesy for all of you so I figured I would give it a shot!  I am not really a big desserts/sweets person, unless it is froyo or chocolate sunflower almond butter!  I am also not the best baker ever.  I need freedom when I cook to do whatever I want and baking is fussy.  I make some killer cake cookies so why not make them red velvet?  So what makes red velvet red?  I did a little research and most recipes use red food dye!  Yuck.  Beets are way better for you.  Lets try that!

Breakfast Sammies

Hi guys! This week I am going to share a tip about how I make my busy life a lot easier. When it comes to breakfast, if I do not go into the week with a plan, I will struggle to eat the right thing, or sometimes even eat at all. For years I was not a breakfast person, but that has changed. Now I need to eat to get some energy for my body and brain to start going. But my breakfast must be quick and eatable on the drive to work. I am also cold weather sensitive, so in cold weather I do not want to eat something quick and easy like cereal or yogurt. This has driven me to eat breakfast way more than I would like to admit, at McDonalds. However, that is terrible for you, and quite expensive. And expense that I just cannot justify. So I came up with this plan, and it works quite well for me. I make 5 breakfast sandwiches on Sunday and wrap them up individually. Then every morning when I a mostly done getting ready for work, I throw the sammie in the microwave for about a minute, throw on my shoes, grab a banana (another great "good on the go" food), grab the sammie and am out the door. I do not even unwrap the sammie until I am in the car.

The trick to this recipe for me is to fry the eggs one at a time. That way I can cook each egg perfectly to my liking (medium-well, yeah I'm that picky!) and they stay in a round-ish shape. Normally I like to use a low fat turkey sausage, to keep the Sammie's a little healthier, but this week, all I had was bacon, so that's what I used. I also bump the health factor up by using whole grain English muffins. You see when you make your own breakfast sammies you have more control about what goes into them, the quality of the ingredients, etc. 

So it really is as easy as frying the eggs, cooking the bacon, if that's what your using, browning the sausage patties, toasting the English muffins, assembling the sammies and wrapping them up.