Bulk Buying: Saving Money and The Planet

For this week's Money Saving Monday, it's part two of Bulk Buying Basics where I am going to share a little interview I did in Bulk Buying's honor.

Katie (KT) is one badass mother. She was an engineer before she had an army of kids, and now she hangs with them full time. While being a female engineer is enough to brag about, parenting 3 little monsters children and keeping a household while maintaining relative sanity is enough for me to tip my hat to. On top of all that, Katie is super budget savvy. So I picked her brain for your (and my) benefit. 

Katie Recently took the mommy plunge and bought a mini-van. What else could she haul all them kiddos in? 

Best of Instagram!

Happy hump day foodie friends!! We thought we'd take a little bit of time today to share with you some of our favorite Instagram posts that we've shared on the social networking site. These pictures are yummy, inspiring and will hopefully leave you wanting more!

Easy Gin Cocktail Recipes!

I guess I was having a moment this week, because I could not, for the life of me, decide what I wanted to share on the ol' food blog (as I like to call it). So, what I came up with was not one, not two, but three different easy gin cocktails, worthy of a spring fling. I know, I've been on a bit of a gin kick lately, and have even gone as far as to call it my BFF, I've also placed a lot of faith in the phrase "Gin and bear it", which is pretty much the healthiest mantra I have (OR NOT!). Don't worry, I'm not much of a drinker, but I do enjoy a well deserved cocktail now and again. 

These are three of my go-to cocktail recipes. If my love for gin is turning you off, remember that gin is pretty much just vodka infused with botanicals (in layman's terms, gin lovers don't kill me!), so you can swap out vodka for the gin, and have it your way. 

Monte Cristo Sandwich with Basil Mayo

What is better than brunch on a sunny morning in a beach house with friends? Enjoying monte cristo sandwiches with friends in a beach house. I have fond memories of this cheesy sandwich from when I was a kid. It has always been one of my favorite breakfast items, but it's not a common one to find on restaurant menus. That's OK, though, because homemade is best. You can control the amount of cheese (lots! or none), and you can use your favorite meats. I love recipes like this that can be easily customized to fit different tastes.

5 Fictional Restaurants I Totally Want to Visit

Happy Monday Foodie Friends! I recently discovered a little show on Netflix that has me totally addicted. Maybe you've heard of it? It's called Gilmore Girls. Yeah, yeah, yeah I realize I'm about 15 years too late to this party. Part of this new found love is that I have a longing to have a cup of coffee at Luke's. I mean a strong cup of coffee with an attractive man? Yes please!

This got me thinking about all the other fictional cafes and restaurants that I've wanted to visit in the past. Let me know what places you've always dreamed about going in the comments at the end.

Mac + Cheese with Hot Dog Bites Recipe

Hello foodie friends!! On a recent trip to Las Vegas, we were going to have lunch at the Sugar Factory. As usual, I was perusing the menu looking to see what I might want. Then my friend mentioned she was going to get some sandwich that sounded really tasty, but I didn't see it on the menu I was looking at, and she told me I was looking at the wrong one. On the right menu I found just what I wanted, Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs. Long story short...I was looking at the right menu to begin with, and I didn't get my Mac and Cheese. Today, to make up for that tragedy, I bring you this super simple recipe.

Universal Yums! China Box

Lately, I've been very intrigued by subscription boxes. I started with Ipsy because a few of my friends tried it and liked it. Next, I started Birch Box because I have an obsession with makeup and hair samples. I was perusing mysubscriptionaddiction.com to find other types of subscriptions, and I was zeroing in on food boxes. Many of them were quite expensive at about $30 or $40 per month. I finally chose Universal Yums!, though, because it is only $13 per month for a fun box of snacks from a different country each month. The company is new, so I'm sure things will only get better as time passes. The first month that I got is the China box in March. Click here to subscribe!

Frugal Cooking: Hammy Beans From Scratch Recipe

Well foodie friends, I hope you had a great Easter weekend full of family, food and of course PEEPS! I had a small serving of each, and even got to witness a super crazy day at the grocery store (note to self: good friday is way crazier than black friday, but with none of the deals). Today, I hit the sale shelves and picked up all the Easter candy of my dreams, for a fraction of the price. My grandfather loves chocolate, so I always buy the holiday stuff on closeout. It's the simple things that make me happy.

Speaking of simple things, this recipe is super simple, and a great basic recipe to memorize. Have you ever cooked beans from scratch? Please say YES, please. If you haven't don't worry, you will want to when you find out how simple, good and inexpensive they are. I was afraid of cooking beans for years, I'm speaking literally here. When I made chili, I bought canned beans. When I made anything with beans, I bought canned beans. If you have made chili that way, you know that all those cans of beans can really add up. Trust me when I tell you, take the leap, soak and cook the beans yourself and never look back. 

Peep Show Part Deux: Peep Trifle

Happy Good Friday Foodie Friends! I'm sure you're all gearing up for your Easter Sunday dinners. Make sure that you check out all of our Easter items from last year to make sure you don't miss some extra goodies. You may or may not recall, but I love Peeps. These fluffy little bunnies and chicks are truly one-of-a-kind. Last year I showed you a few ways to use Peeps, and I figured it was only fitting to give you another idea for this year's festivities.

Pineapple Bars Recipe

The other week, I had a strong craving for lemon bars. The problem is that I actually don't like lemon desserts. To me they taste like a bathroom cleaner. Bleh. So, I decided to make a yellow bar dessert with a fruit that had similar color and acidity: pineapple! Not only pineapple, but an actual, fresh pineapple. No canned stuff in this dessert. I think these festive bars would look great on a spring party table or for a refreshing Easter Sunday treat. Of course, they are very easy to make because that's my style, and you only need a few basic ingredients.

What I liked about them is that they were sweet but not unbearably so. The pineapple flavor is light but refreshing, and the color is gorgeous without needing any chemicals or dyes. They disappeared from the plate quickly, and I will definitely make them again .