I’m fortunate that I can grill just about year round. But for others, I know that the snow has melted and the weather has finally warmed up making it perfect weather for grilling! I use to be intimidated by the grill; however, last year, I embraced it and haven’t turned back since! I LOVE grilling, and since I live in Florida and its already in the 90′s I grill almost every night during the summer months in an effort to keep our home as cool as possible.

Do you love Jambalaya? I never did until I made a visit to New Orleans. After that it was love at first sight… I can’t get enough of this starchy-meaty goodness. Yes, those are legit descriptive words in my book. I first visited New Orleans 3 years ago on a business trip. Going to New Orleans changed my taste buds forever. I was never a real fan nor could appreciate creole cooking. I went on a culinary pilgrimage of sorts (of course when I wasn’t working). Soon after returning from NOLA I made a slow cooker version of Jambalaya. It’s a  great recipe, but sometimes I don’t plan ahead for the week and just crave Jambalaya… that’s how this stove top version of Stovetop Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya was born. 

Growing up I was a picky breakfast eater. Well heck, I was a picky eater altogether. I hardly ever ate meat, wouldn’t eat pasta with sauce on it, and preferred a bread and butter sandwich over a grilled cheese sandwich any day of the week. And yes, my mother totally let me eat a thick slathering of butter on white bread. It was delicious; however, I don’t think I could ever eat that now. The one breakfast food I did enjoy, besides cinnamon raisin bread slathered with butter and extra cinnamon sugar (by the way do you see a reoccurring butter theme here. I can assure you that my mother is not Paula Deen.) was french toast. Whether it was in the “stick” form or just a piece of white bread dipped in thick egg wash and fried until golden brown. I loved me some french toast. And let’s also take note that I never dared to eat the “real stuff”. You know thick grade A maple syrup. I thought that was garbage (ask me now and I’ll tell you much different). Instead I poured a hefty amount of the high-fructose corn syrup variety.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocado App for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Avocado & Feta Dip

I’m an avocado lover. If you would have asked me when I was a kid I would have turned my head and frowned at the thought of eating avocados. Although, lets be honest. Avocados weren’t part of my daily diet. Now as an adult I can’t get enough of them! So when Cinco de Mayo comes around I tend to go a bit avocado crazy! I love making Cinco De Mayo recipes all year long but especially for Cinco de Mayo. 

Thanks to Goodies Co. for sponsoring today’s discussion. As always all opinions are 100% my own!

I’m a serial snacker. Do you know what that is–my definition would be someone who snacks all the time. I also like to try new snacks, but what I hate is when I try a new snack and it doesn’t meet my expectations. I was so happy to learn about Taster’s Box from Goodies Co. no more wasting money on a big bag of snacks you might not enjoy! 

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. I swear just yesterday it was the first day of January–where is time going? Growing up, I remember showering my mom with homemade cards, flowers, and food! (Remember, I started cooking at a young age.) Typically, my mom and I would bake a box of brownies or make cupcakes and cookies. If we were really getting crazy we would make mini cheesecake cupcakes. My mom was a Navy wife which meant that my dad was deployed to sea a lot… so she liked to keep things simple since she was very much a single-mother a good 9 months out of the year.

I figured why not reminisce on the “good ol’ days” and spend a special evening with my mom doing what we both like to do best: shop and bake! We had the best (and much needed) mother/daughter date the other weekend. My mom and I typically have opposite work schedules and never get to see each other. Although, we make it a point to try to talk to each other at least once a day. I consider her one of my best friends. Although she may not think it–she gives great advice, honest feedback on recipes, and lots of love!

My mom and I both love World Market–love is putting it lightly… we are both addicted to the place. My mom makes weekly trips to World Market and always calls or text messages me pictures of dinnerware or food that she feels I might just need. I on the other hand don’t have the privilege of visiting as often. I’m glad I have such an amazing mom to constantly think of me. So it was only a natural fit that we both go shopping at World Market. If you follow me on Instagram you saw a few of our shopping photos. We had both planned to stay only 30 minutes which quickly turned into a 2 hour, browse every aisle, kind of shopping trip. Which don’t get me wrong–I am more than happy to get lost in World Market for a few hours (lost in a good way of course). While there I let my mom pick out a few of her own Mother’s Day Gifts. She loved the apron and insisted we try the Fizzies. It was a drink she had as a kid and hadn’t consumed it in quite a long time!

After picking out gifts, baking supplies, and everything in between we decided to check out and get back to my house to do a little baking. The cashier was kind enough to take a photo of my mom and I as we checked out!

You guys should know by now… I love to use my slow cooker for an easy meal. I mean who doesn’t love someone else to cook for them? Today, I’m sharing with you how easy it is to introduce new flavors to your family. Meet my Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Chickpeas. Since my husband doesn’t cook, I know I can depend on my slow cooker to make a delicious tasting slow cooked meal for the two of us while I’m hard at work at my day job!

On a side note about my husband. He is amazing, talented, and can do just about anything. He is one of those people who can seriously pick something up he has never done before and master it in hours if not minutes. I just wanted to put that out there–totally not knocking him–cooking is just not his thing! Plus, he has me so he really doesn’t have a reason to cook! Although, I keep challenging him to complete a week in the kitchen and I’ll document his cooking journey. He has semi-warmed up to this idea thanks to watching last season of Worst Cooks in America! Hopefully by the end of this year I’ll introduce you to him and just maybe he will cook me dinner for once (let alone 5 straight days).

Have you ever made fresh homemade pasta? Making spaghetti at home is actually really easy. It takes a little time and patience, and within a half hour you’ll have a batch of fresh pasta completed that will knock your socks off. Thankfully I also have KitchenAid to thank! They have the most amazing pasta attachments. I will be honest… if it wasn’t for their pasta attachments I would probably not be making pasta. Simple to use and easy to clean–how I like stuff.

I invite you to watch my video and see for yourself just how easy it is to make Spaghetti! 

Easter is this week. To me that’s mind blowing. A quarter of our year is already complete–time is flying by way too fast (in my opinion). Today, I’m sharing with you a super simple slow cooker recipe for Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Ham. Yep, a slow cooker recipe–as in you put the ham in the slow cooker and let it do all the work for you! I also made a handy little five minute video so you can see exactly what I did!

I love when groceries are delivered right to my doorstep. Don’t you? I mean no need to spend extra money and time driving to the store to pick out all the ingredients for 3 dinners… instead have it delivered right to you. You can still exercise your cooking skills, but with less time spent shopping! Oh and even better… no menu planning required!