This is a sponsored post on behalf of Stonyfield Organic. As always all opinions are my own.
Today, I’m sharing a tasty new Strawberry Mango Green Smoothie recipe. Green smoothies have been all the rage for over the past year and I don’t see them going away any time soon. It’s a great way to get your greens in and still have the sweet flavors of a fruit smoothie. I partnered up with Stonyfield Greek Yogurt to make this smoothie. [Read more…]
Make a tasty Irish snack of Sweet Potato Irish Fries using fresh crinkle cut sweet potatoes, corned beef, and cheese in less than 30 minutes!
I’m back with another fry recipe. I would like to say that I feel like this one is a little healthier with fresh sweet potatoes not a frozen pre-packaged fry. Clearly, I think the world can tell what I’m craving. At 36/37 weeks pregnant I’m still all about fries. Over the weekend, I went to the annual Southeast Produce Conference. This has been my goal my whole pregnancy. I just needed to make it past my husbands Birthday (which was last Thursday) and make it to SEPC. After that the baby was free to come (well I really want him to bake a few more weeks, but you get my point). While at SEPC I got to see all sorts of new product out in the market. While visiting the Mann Foods booth I saw crinkle cut sweet potatoes.
Say WHAT!??!? I had to get my hands on them, so a few seconds later they were in my cart and hours later in my fridge. The next day, I was hungry and craving fries like I do often and decided to make an “Irish” like recipe with my crinkle-cut sweet potato fries. Earlier that morning while at the grocery store I stopped by the deli to pick up a few slices of corned beef.
I received a few blocks of Cabot Cheese last week in the mail and decided to shred up a block of the Seriously Sharp Cheddar and use some of it for my sweet potato Irish fries recipe. I seriously love using my Magimix to shred cheese. It’s done in no time. What’s one more thing to clean? Especially if it means I’ll have a block of cheese shredded in like 10 seconds. I kid you not.
So as my husband was busy in the garage working on building the dresser (yes, he is building the baby’s dresser from scratch and it looks amazing–oh and I may have helped a little, too), I figured we needed a “snack”. This past Sunday was all about snacking and not so much about one big lunch per say. I baked up these beauties and had our snack ready in no time. We sat outside since the weather was gorgeous here in Florida (sorry for all those who are knee-deep in snow) and chowed down on these Sweet Potato Irish Fries.
I want to preface and say that I have no clue if people in Ireland snack on sweet potatoes. I’ve never traveled, although its on my list of places to visit. I just know that I loved the crinkle-cut sweet potatoes and I loved loading them up with cheddar cheese, corned beef, and green onions. The sweet and salty played so well together, and I can’t wait to go back to the store and stock up on these pre-cut “fries”!
This recipe serves two hungry adults or four smaller portions.
Yes, they are slightly healthier then traditional french fries because white potatoes have no vitamin A. Sweet potato fries are slightly higher in calories and carbs but pack much more nutrients.
It’s best to boil sweet potatoes. They tend to retain more beta-carotene and makes the nutrients more absorb-able than baking or frying. You could boil the sweet potatoes first, then pat dry, top and broil.
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream gives you all the flavors of a cheesecake topped with blueberry compote all in a single spoonful of ice cream. Fresh blueberries, cream cheese, and heavy cream help make up a decadently rich homemade ice cream.
Are you ready for ice cream today? What about Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream? I love cheesecake and I love ice cream so why not mix the two together to get one amazing ice cream flavor? Blueberries are still inexpensive down south, so while they are at a great price I cook with them… a lot! Think blueberry crostata, prosciuttio and blueberry naan flatbread, and blueberry muffin bread to name a few.
I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen and have recently figured out how to make small batch ice cream that tastes amazing. This Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe makes only one pint! That’s it. It does take a little prep work, but totally worth it in the end.
This Cheddar Cheese Bread recipe is considered a savory quick bread as it does not require any yeast. Best of all you were have a fresh baked loaf of bread in about an hours time.
Before I was confident in the kitchen with baking with yeast I found myself making all sorts of quick yeast-free breads. This Cheddar Cheese Bread is one of those recipes as well as my beer bread recipe. I’ve found that most “breads” that do not require yeast are dense. Yet most of the times they are still moist but a thick bread. How I imagine bread was back in the 1700’s when yeast was not readily available. This bread is perfect to pair with a hearty soup or stew or Sunday roast. For all of you scared of yeast… this is the perfect yeast-free bread recipe for you!
[Read more…]Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies are sure to please anyone who craves chocolate. A twist on a classic chocolate cookie. These cookies are chewy, full of flavor, and filled with chocolate chips and dried cherries. Best of all, they are just 84 calories a cookie!
Today is the big cookie-swap reveal day for the second annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap organized by the amazing Julie of The Little Kitchen and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil! These ladies worked their butts off to ensure that food bloggers all over the world could exchange cookies. A big thank you to them for all the hard work on this much appreciated event!
This year, the ladies added an extra step to the cookie swap. Everyone who participated donated $4 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. According to Julie’s (personal) Facebook page over $2200 was raised this year and my friends at OXO matched it so that means over $4400 in total was raised by the Great Food Blogger Cookie swap!!!
I made these Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies back in August, and then made them again in September, and then when I signed up for the Cookie Swap, I remembered that I had yet to blog about these cookies I instantly knew that these would be the cookies I would send out to my three lucky recipients! Plus these cookies are only 80 calories a cookie–a plus in my book (although you would never know because they are super moist and decadent)!
If you make these Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!
If there is one meal out of the day we love the most in my household its breakfast. Even when we are traveling and on the go we make time to have breakfast. We stayed in Barcelona, Spain for 3 days/nights before our Mediterranean cruise. Thanks to an abundance of Hilton points we were able to stay in Spain for virtually free. The Hilton offered a buffet breakfast at a very steep price, so my husband and I decided to venture out each day for breakfast. Thankfully, there was a local restaurant right next to our hotel (that came highly recommended to us by family who stayed at the same Hilton). Restaurante Piscolabis Diagonal served delicious breakfast at a very reasonable price!
They also had English menus. Heck, everywhere in Barcelona had not only English menus but multiple different languages available for a menu. I noticed though, at most places you got one menu for the table. In all the places we dined we also noticed that their were no salt and pepper shakers on the tables. You had to ask for it and it seemed like each restaurant had a very limited number (like 2 or 3). So they would bring it to you and wait for you to salt and pepper your food and then take the shakers from you. Just a tid bit of information in case you ever travel to Spain!
On our first morning in Barcelona we got up late (for us) and didn’t wander outside of the hotel until close to 11 am. It had been raining and the day before we had been up for over 24 hours so sleeping in was much needed! We started our breakfast with a little cafe (or coffee in English). I ordered my husband a cafe americano which is a shot of espresso followed by a cup of hot water. I ordered a shot of espresso for me. By far, this was one of the best espressos I had on our trip. It was delicious and I could have easily downed 5 shots, but chose not too since I didn’t want to be buzzing around the city!
Everyone that I talked to told us that we had to try the freshly squeezed orange juice while in Spain. Unfortunately, I can’t drink orange juice, but my husband can. So he gave it a try and loved it. Although, he said it was much more tart than American orange juice. But I reminded him that’s because it is freshly squeezed and no additives are put in the beverage. These machines were in virtually every restaurant we went into (even Starbucks)!
My husband ordered the breakfast special which consisted of fried eggs, bacon, and potatoes (not pictured). Thankfully, our server spoke very good English and understood that I wanted the egg and potato omelet but I wanted it with egg whites only. It doesn’t look too appetizing but it was one of my favorite breakfasts abroad! I also learned about tomato bread. It comes with everything in Spain. I instantly fell in love although my husband, Jon, wasn’t digging it as much. Which meant more tomato bread for me! I later learned that all it is–is a baguette with fresh tomato rubbed on it. I thought they poached it or did something special but one waitress told me it is fresh tomato.
We woke up early (for Barcelona terms) on our second morning in the city, and made our way out of the hotel by 9am. We were sad to see that Piscolabis was not open yet, so we decided to give Starbucks a try in Spain. We vowed before the trip that we would not eat at any American chains during our time in Europe but it was early on a Sunday morning and not too much was open. Plus, Starbucks had free wifi!!! We both enjoyed locally made croissants (way better than the typical ones you would get in the states) and my husband stuck with his cafe americano while I enjoyed a caramel machiatto and a half hour of free wifi. My husband was happy to read that we were limited to 30 minutes of free wifi since he practically had to peal me out of the store. At that point it had been 3 days with no internet. I was jonesing (and maybe even twitching) for internet!
Thankfully on our last morning in Barcelona, Piscolabis was open for breakfast. However, none of the servers on staff could speak/understand English making it so incredibly difficult for me to order my egg white potato omelet. Let’s face it… we are creatures of habit. We started our breakfast with a cafe americano and espresso followed by croissants. Then ordered an egg breakfast which I know isn’t normal for Europeans or at least in Barcelona. They are content with coffee and croisant. Us piggy Americans have to have a full breakfast!
I knew I was going to have an issue ordering my egg whites from the moment our waiter approached our table. I even tried saying “juevos blanco” which in my mind translated to “white eggs”, but that wasn’t cutting it. Little did I realize I should have learned how to say “egg whites only please” in Spanish. I tried drawing a picture, but apparently my drawing is just as good as my Spanish! ha! So my husband ordered the fried egg special again and I ordered tomato bread. When all else fails I at least know I like that. And of course had an uber carb filled breakfast. My sweet husband, cut some of his egg whites from his fried egg and gave it to me (pictured above, taken from our iPhone).
I hope you enjoyed my breakfast foodie travels in Barcelona!
Hello, I’m Suzanne of Kokocooks. I am a home cook who lives in Orlando. I’m also a full time teacher and a part time musician. Every Friday I post a photo from one of the fabulous food trucks that rumble around town. I’ve been blogging for almost three years now, and still feel very much like a beginner. I’m about to move to a self-hosted site, which scares the socks off me. But it’s definitely time to take that step, and Katie has been a huge help in encouraging and guiding me through the process.
A few years ago, we planted a lime tree in our front yard. The first year, it had a ton of blossoms but no limes. This past year, we had a ton of blossoms which resulted in 5 limes. Progress! Our home grown limes tasted so much better than the store bought ones. I couldn’t get over the intense color of the pulp. I can’t wait until next year; hopefully we’ll have an even bigger crop.
One of my favorite ways to use lime is in these muffins. The zest becomes a part of the fragrant lime sugar. I love sticking my face over the bowl and inhaling the sweet citrus scent. Their compact size are perfect for sharing. I made them last year for hungry orchestra musicians, and I’ll most likely make them again when the orchestra begins their concerts for the elementary schools in a few weeks.
Adapted from Cuisine At Home, December 2008
I hope you enjoy the muffins! You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+.
Lucky Charms Cereal Bars are a fun and colorful twist on the classic marshmallow and cereal treat. Made with Lucky Charms cereal instead of plain rice krispies, they are sure to delight both kids and adults alike.
Are you looking to add to your families St. Paddy’s Day traditions? These homemade Lucky Charms Cereal Bars are a perfect way to get the kids in the kitchen. I’ll be the first to tell you that you will rarely if ever find a sugary dye-filled cereal in my pantry. But every now and then I’ll be a “fun mom” and let my kids indulge in what kids love to eat… sugar! Since my kids love Rice Krispies Treats I knew they would love to make these festive cereal bar treats with a twist!
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Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious and easy cereal bars.
Here are all the directions you’ll need to make these delicious marshmallow treats at home!
HEAT – Heat a large pot on medium-high heat. Melt butter. Once butter is melted turn off the pot and remove from the heat. Stir in the miniature marshmallows until mostly melted.
MIX – Add in the Lucky Charms cereal. Stir until full incorporated.
POUR – Spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the Lucky Charms mixture into the pan. Patting down with the back of a silicone spatula. Then place the additional marshmallow pieces on top.
TOP – Then place the additional marshmallow pieces on top.
DRIZZLE – Heat the green white chocolate according to package. Drizzle on top of the bars.
ENJOY – Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into 12 equal pieces and enjoy!
Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions when making Lucky Charms cereal bars.
Did you know that you can actually just purchase the marshmallows found in Lucky Charms cereal??? I’ve seen them before at specialty candy shops but you can also find them on Amazon! A big old bag of those crunchy sugar-filled dehydrated marshmallows delivered right to your doorstep!
I’ve made a ton of rice krispie treats over the years. I found the best way to store them is in an airtight container or storage bag in the refrigerator. You can store them in the fridge for up to 5-7 days if they actually last that long in your house! The key is an airtight container so that they don’t get stale!
Unfortunately, these Lucky Charms Cereal Bars are not healthy as they contained processed sugary cereal mixed with butter and additional marshmallows and topped with melted white chocolate.
Unfortunately, Lucky Charms cereal bars are not gluten-free as they contain whole grain oats, which may contain traces of gluten.
Lucky Charms cereal bars contain gelatin, which is an animal-derived ingredient, so they are not suitable for vegetarians/vegans.
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making Lucky Charms cereal bars.
Here are a few of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes for kids.
If you make this Lucky Charms Bars recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!
This Salmon Croquettes recipe is an easy weeknight meal that is done in 30 minutes time. For added protein you’ll find black beans in the filling making this recipe have a touch of Mexican flare to it. Serve it with a homemade avocado salsa with corn and tomato.
If you love fish you’ll love this Salmon Croquettes Recipe. My friend Angie, shared one of her favorite go-to weeknight meals that she’s been enjoying since she was a kid, salmon croquettes. Over the years, she changed her mom’s salmon croquette recipe several times. This recipe is one of her latest re-inventions to make croquettes a little healthier. She adds black beans and lots of flavorful spices to make these have a bit of a Tex-Mex flare. I feel confident that any seafood lover will love this fun twist on a classic recipe.
[Read more…]My Italian Bruschetta Recipe has fresh diced plum tomatoes paired with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper that are mixed together and topped with threads of fresh basil leaves.
We love a good appetizer in my home. My Italian Bruschetta Recipe is an easy appetizer I have been making for well over a decade now. Any time I have a few plum tomatoes I make sure to grab a baguette at the grocery store. I’ll whip up the tomato basil bruschetta before dinner or prep at lunch time for an easy appetizer later on.
Once you try this recipe easy bruschetta recipe. You will never order bruschetta out at a restaurant again. My recipe is just as good as the restaurants, and even better you don’t have to limit yourself to just 1 or 2. Instead, you can eat as much as you want and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg!
Spice up dinner with a simple but flavorful Sheet Pan Chicken and Squash dinner recipe! A delicious and easy meal to make, and very few dishes to be cleaned up after dinner.
Squash season here in Florida has arrived. Years ago, at our old house I had an amazing and very abundant garden. I grew yellow squash and zucchini. If you’ve ever grown squash you know that if you find a good spot you will have more squash then what you know what to do with. That was always my case. We had so much squash we would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for weeks if not months depending on how the weather was.
Here in Florida, our gardening season is much different then the rest of the country. We garden mostly in spring and fall—it’s way too hot to grow anything in summer here. So with squash season in full bloom that’s what helped inspired me for this new sheet pan dinner. This dinner is both dairy and gluten free. Making it the perfect meal to enjoy if you are on a specific diet or deal with food allergies.
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A few weeks ago I posted about the most amazing “pantry” Mexican Rice Salad, I created. With using that rice, I created a tasty wrap that is perfect for lunch or dinner. This wrap is also sort of a “pantry” concoction. I always have black beans on hand and typically buy an avocado or two each week. That day I happened to have 2 leftover grilled chicken breast and wanted to do something with them. I don’t always make wraps. Heck, I rarely make wraps, so this was a nice treat. It wasn’t until after my husband and I had our first few bites that I realized a dipping sauce would go great with this wrap since it was a little on the dry side.
Luckily, I had a batch of Creamy Pepper Dressing on hand. After one dip–I knew that this peppery dressing was a match made in heaven for this wrap. The afternoon I served these wraps for lunch I invited my neighbor over so she could give it a try. She too, agreed that the wrap was best with the creamy dressing. I realize that this wrap causes you to have to make essentially 3 different items, but trust me–its well worth it. Your friends and family will thank me for it later!
Katie Original
Recipe for Mexican Rice Salad
Combine all your favorite Halloween candy into one giant Halloween candy skillet cookie. This giant cookie is best served warm and with a few scoops of your favorite ice cream.
My family loves skillet cookies! When I started brainstorming Halloween themed recipes I knew I had to make a Halloween Candy Skillet Cookie. This is the absolute best way to use up at least 2-3 handfuls of chocolate. I used a similar method to my Halloween Candy Cookies, but in the skillet form and added the oh-so cute Sweets & Treats Sweet Sprinkles Mix: Haunted House mix into my cookie. Because let’s face it–sprinkles make everything so much better.
[Read more…]Creamy homemade Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream has chunks of chopped Reeses peanut butter cups throughout. This small batch sweet ice cream is perfect for a hot summers day.
If you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups you are going to love this Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream recipe. This easy ice cream recipes starts with a base of peanut butter ice cream that have chopped mini peanut butter cups throughout. If you are a peanut butter lover–this might just be your dreams come true. This is an eggless ice cream recipe that you can make right away as long as your ice cream attachment is frozen!
As a kid I wasn’t a fan of fancy ice creams like this one. I loved me some plain old vanilla ice cream. As I began to grow older I started becoming adventurous with my ice cream flavors. And, well now… I make all sorts of concoctions in my kitchen.
I got the idea for this recipe a few months back when I picked up a BOGO of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. They didn’t have my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough, so I opted for a peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter cups. It was amazing but oh-so-sweet. One scoop was a perfect serving size. My adapted version is just the same… a few scoops and it will put you over the top!
Salted Maple Caramel Sauce is made with just five ingredients and in 20 minutes time! It’s perfect to top on your favorite dessert or even on waffles or pancakes for a sweet surprise.
I love making my own caramel sauce at home. This recipe for Salted Maple Caramel Sauce is one of my fall favorite recipes. I love to drizzle this maple caramel sauce on my pumpkin waffles or even on pumpkin buttermilk pancakes!
Caramel sauce is incredibly easy to make at home. If you have butter, sugar, and cream you can make caramel sauce. Some methods even require no cream! I prefer my caramel sauce with cream because who doesn’t love extra calories (I kid)?!?! I wanted to give my caramel sauce a taste of fall, so I decided to get wild and crazy and add in some maple syrup. I also used brown sugar instead of traditional white sugar to give it deeper flavor and color. I didn’t have any on hand but if you happened to have maple extract on hand you could always give it a few drops to really intensify the flavor.
In this post you will learn the following information.
If you love coffee cake and love blueberries you’ll love this blueberry coffee cake. This make ahead breakfast is perfect for slow mornings and served best with a hot cup of coffee.
We love a good breakfast pastry in my home. My Blueberry Coffee Cake also known as a Blueberry Buckle is not only delicious but relatively easy to make. This recipe does require a few steps, but I promise they are totally worth it. It’s similar to my Cinnamon Steusel Yogurt Coffeecake recipe, but the main difference is the plump juicy blueberries that are dotted throughout the cake. Even better you can enjoy blueberry cake for breakfast with coffee or as an after dinner dessert.
Enjoy freshly baked Everything Cheesy Bagel No-Knead Crusty White Bread for dinner tonight or just as a snack with homemade butter.
I’m finally sharing my other recipe for no-knead crusty white bread. This time I’m combining my love for everything bagel seasoning with Hand-Rubbed Everything Bagel Cheddar with soft tangy crusty white bread! I was so excited when my friends at Cabot teamed up with King Arthur Flour and challenged me to make cheesy bread! Last month, I shared my recipe for Chipotle Cheddar & Bacon No-Knead Crusty White Bread. This recipe for no-knead crusty white bread will make 3 loaves. And best of all you can make the dough one day and you don’t have to bake on the same day. You can let your dough rest in the refrigerator for a few days until you have time to bake it.
[Read more…]Ever wonder how to bake pumpkin seeds? I’m sharing my tried and true Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe complete with step-by-step photos, tips, tricks, and my go-to seasoning combos!
I’ve grown to love pumpkin seeds over the years. Something about the whole process, the flavor combos, and the crunch that has me indulging once a year. My Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe has been my go-to method for years, and I hope it will be your go-to recipe, too.
[Read more…]Fajita Seasoning is much easier to make then you might think. It requires just a few basic spices from the spice cabinet. Whip up a large batch in five minutes, and keep on hand to make fajitas any night of the week!
Years ago when I first started Katie’s Cucina, I challenged myself to learn how to make all the store-bought packet seasonings that I had bought at the grocery stores for years. Instead, I found that making these seasonings from scratch eliminated so much of the preservatives, excess sodium, and fillers you find in them. I keep a mason jar of Fajita Seasoning in my pantry at all times. One to three tablespoons is all I need to whip up my favorite skillet fajitas, grilled steak and shrimp fajitas, vegetarian fajitas, Grilled Steak Fajita Quinoa Bowls, or even my sheet pan fajitas for a quick and easy dinner!
I hope you’ll find that making your own homemade fajitas seasoning is just as easy as I’m about to show you. And of course, tastes one hundred times better then the store bought version. I promise, once you make fajita seasoning from scratch–you’ll never want fajitas any other way!
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Yesterday, I woke up to a flood of tweets, Facebook messages, and Instagram tags. I’m use to seeing quite a bit of activity on my phone in the morning, but nothing like what I received yesterday. To my surprise, my nearest and dearest blog friends surprised me with a virtual baby shower! I honestly had no idea it was coming and was beyond taken back by the surprise!
A big thank you to Julie from The Little Kitchen and Christine from Cook the Story for organizing my virtual baby shower. I’m so lucky that we’ve become friends in real life and that I get to see them every few months (and I’ll get to see both of them this weekend)!
The theme of the shower was easy recipes and crafts for new parents. Not only did Julie and Christine ask my food blog friends to participate, but they also organized some of my craft/DIY pals to join in on the fun! My heart was filled with joy and love yesterday. One of the reason’s why I love blogging is the friendships I’ve been able to make over the past four years.
Another big thank you goest out to all my friends who surprised me yesterday. I can’t wait to try all the easy recipes, and download the fun craft/printable items for the baby!
In case you missed this in blog land, here is a list of 27 easy recipes and crafts for new parents. I encourage you to check out all the blog post from my virtual baby shower yesterday. I have lots of new recipes to try that should hopefully get us through our first few months as new parents!
Easy Broccoli & Cheddar Soup from The Little Kitchen
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers from Cook the Story
Individual Tortilla Caprese Pizzas from a farmgirl’s dabbles
Easy Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder from A Little Claireification
Slow Cooker Jambalaya from A Spicy Perspective
Italian Style Stir Fry from Aggie’s Kitchen
Apricot Chicken from Bombshell Bling
Easy Baked Spaghetti from Chocolate & Carrots
Cuban Casserole with Whole Grain Mustard Butter Biscuits from Climbing Grier Mountain
Freezer-Friendly Quinoa Meatballs from Cooking with Books
Baby Boy Subway Art Printable from H2OBungalow
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Cake from Inside BruCrew Life
Asparagus And Leek Quiche from Kokocooks
Roasted Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Red Potatoes from Life After Empty Nest
Yogurt Blueberry and Honey Smoothie from My Sweet Zepol
Pesto Parmesan Chicken Salad from Shaken Together
Printable Baby Whale Themed Cards and Project Life Mini Album from Simply Kelly Designs
Coconut Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies from Simply Southern Baking
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Garden Vegetables from Sweet Remedy
Easy Kofta Kebabs from Tasty Chomps
Crock Pot Fajitas with Chicken and Quinoa from The Dinner-Mom
Overnight Oatmeal from The Hungry Housewife
Honey-Dijon Chicken, Apple & Quinoa Wraps from The Kitchen Prep
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Soup from The Lemon Bowl
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos from The Nifty Foodie
DIY Whale Art from While They Snooze
One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice from Yellow Bliss Road
Tips and tricks I learned back in 2012 on Food Photography and where to start when photographing with artificial light at night.
Ever since I attended Food Blog Forum last April my food photography has improved times 100! People think… what’s so difficult about photographing food? Until you start taking the time to photograph your food that’s when you realize how difficult food photography is. You essentially have to create a scene–a story of sorts. You have to make your photos look as good as they taste. What makes food magazines so enticing are the pictures that are found throughout.
Tools you should always have on hand when food styling (via Helen Dujardin's food styling class):-chopsticks-Q-tips-water spritzer-tweezer-paint brush-straws
I’ve been getting kind comments and emails complementing my food photography over the past few months, and I sincerely appreciate it! It helps motivate me to keep creating amazing food photos. I ultimately wanted to share about my new photography toy; Square Perfect SP500 Platinum Photo Studio, and a few tips and tricks that I’ve found useful over the past year. In no way am I a professional. I am constantly learning new tips and tricks daily! I hope this mini tutorial on food photography will help bring your photos to a new level like it has mine!
Lastly, Food Blog Forum is coming back to Orlando… March 17th. If your live near Central Florida or want a fun Disney/Foodie getaway I highly suggest you attend this conference. This conference is what motivated me to keep on blogging! Plus you get to meet some amazing food bloggers in real life! Oh, and TECHmunch is coming to Tampa, Florida… I plan to attend that conference as well in April!
Disclaimer: I did not receive the Square Perfect SP500 Platinum Photo Studio for free. I received it as a gift and am writing this post solely based on my own opinions.
If you love the shrimp and grits, you’ll love my spin on a classic southern comfort food recipes of Rock Shrimp with Tomato Basil Feta Cheese Grits. This small batch dinner for 2 is made in 30 minutes.
Since living in the south for 15+ years I’ve learned to love shrimp and grits. Really, I’ve embraced all the southern cuisine; fried green tomatoes, boiled peanuts, sweet tea… I love it all! And I’m so glad my husband has done the same. I love that I can make shrimp and grits for dinner and he’s happy! It’s my easy go-to meal!
The other day, while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I saw rock shrimp at the seafood counter. Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with rock shrimp… They come from right here in Florida (specifically Cape Canaveral), and are only available for a few months of the year. Rock shrimp are truly a delicacy.
[Read more…]Delicious Skillet Fajitas are made in under a half hour using fresh chicken, fajita seasoning, bell peppers, and onions. The entire meal is made in one skillet making for the ideal easy clean-up dinner.
Fajitas are on the menu in my house at least once a month if not twice a month! Whether I’m making my easy skillet fajita recipe or my sheet pan citrus rock shrimp fajitas. Whatever it is–I love a meal with low clean up and lots of flavor! I know my husband appreciates meals like these too, since he typically is in charge of dishes most nights.
I love to pair my skillet chicken fajitas with my Mexican Street Corn Salad and Ranchero Beans.
You will be happy to know that cooking chicken fajitas on the stove is actually quite easy. Here are my step-by-step instructions with photos.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Pour the grapeseed oil in the pan. Add the diced chicken and one tablespoon of the fajita seasoning. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes with lid on.
Mix well then add in the quartered onion and cook for an additional 5 minutes until chicken is no longer raw. I love to cook my onions with the chicken because it not only flavors the chicken but ensure that the onions are nice and soft.
Add the bell peppers and the remaining 1 tablespoon of fajita seasoning to the skillet. Mix well, place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 5 minutes until peppers are al dente to soft in texture.
Serve skillet table side, divide mixture evenly among tortillas and top with your favorite fajita toppings.
This fajita recipe can serve 4-6 very hungry adults. If you just serve the fajitas I would be prepared for each adult to consume 2-3 fajitas. If you add the suggested sides I have above then on average 2 fajitas per person.
Typically for fajitas you will want a smaller tortilla with just a few strips of meat and bell peppers in the middle of the tortillas.
Tortillas are all about thin strips. For this recipe, I like to cut my bell peppers into long slices as pictured above. I’ll also quarter an onion and cook that first before cooking the bell peppers.
If you want to wow your friends and family and have them feel like they are in a Mexican restaurant you can preheat a cast iron skillet at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the skillet warm in the oven for 10-15 minutes until piping hot. Then just before you are ready to serve the fajitas table side add all the ingredients into the hot skillet.
Fajitas are actually a Tex-Mex style of a taco. They are served with small strips of meat, onions, and peppers with a small tortilla and toppings like sour cream, cheese, and guacamole.
Yes, you most definitely can have cheese with fajitas.
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making this recipe.
We love Mexican food in my home. Here are a few of my favorite Mexican recipes.
Here are a few more of my favorite fajita recipes.
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!
Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!
Learn how to make this easy dessert recipe for homemade Strawberry Raspberry Nutella Dessert Tacos. Cinnamon Sugar coated flour tortillas are filled with fresh fruit, Nutella, and topped with whipped cream. These dessert tacos are sure to be the hit at your next fiesta!
Get ready for a sinful dessert that your guest will be asking for more. It’s no secret that I love tacos. And a dessert taco… Sign me up for two or three. My Strawberry-Raspberry Nutella Dessert Tacos came about after I wanted to serve a dessert taco for a Cinco de Mayo party.
I feel like I can get away with eating at least one (if not more) because of the fresh strawberries and raspberries. The fresh fruit balances the deep fried cinnamon sugar taco shell and the healthy serving of Nutella and freshly whipped cream! At least that’s how my mind thinks! Lol. In all seriousness, the fresh fruit really does balance out this taco.
My easy recipe for small batch Nutella Ice Cream is sure to be a new family favorite. This no-churn 3 ingredient ice cream recipe is made in minutes. The hardest/longest part is waiting for it to freeze in the freezer.
If you love Nutella, this ice cream is for you. Even if you haven’t tasted Nutella before, but you like chocolate I think you’d like this chocolate hazelnut spread. In case you aren’t familiar; Nutella is a spread made of hazelnuts. It’s rich, decadent and full of so much flavor. When I’m not enjoying Nutella Ice Cream form I like to make my Nutella Berry Croissants for breakfast or my Strawberry-Raspberry Nutella Dessert Tacos for dessert.
[feast_advanced_jump_to] [Read more…]Scared to bake with yeast? Make a loaf of this four ingredient beer bread recipe without yeast needed. Fresh thick homemade bread made in under an hours time with no resting time needed!
This beer bread recipe was the first bread I had ever attempted. I grew up never ever being exposed to homemade bread baking or yeast baking in general. Many years ago when I first attempted this bread, and I used flour in a bag that was unmarked. I can tell you first hand that you can not use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
You absolutely must use self-rising flour for the recipe to work. After a second try with self-rising flour I found this bread to be the perfect starter bread for anyone who has ever wanted to make bread, but scared of the yeast portion!
In this post you will learn the following information.
Here is another dish that I adapted from that same Ladies Home Journal article on “50 Great Budget Dinners” I wrote about on Sunday. I adapted this recipe from the article and added a few more ingredients to spice it up! This turned out to be my best fried rice yet… the trick is using day old white rice!!! This is also a great alternative to ordering out take-out chinese, and healthier for you too!
1. In a hot wok add sesame and peanut oils; followed by broccoli, mushrooms, frozen peas and carrots, and green onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until warm through.
If you love the sweet and spicy brussel sprouts at P.F. Changs you’ll love my take on these Sweet Chili Brussel Sprouts recipe. This recipe is done from start to finish in 20 minutes with just a few ingredients.
Years ago, I created this easy recipe for Sweet Chili Brussels Sprouts. It is similar to PF Changs brussel sprouts recipe, a copycat like recipe for their Kung Pao Brussel sprouts recipe. Although the Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts boast more ingredients like red peppers, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and unsalted peanuts to name a few. My Sweet Chili sprouts only have a few ingredients and make for an easy weeknight side dish.
I have loved the Asian cuisine since the ripe age of 4. I remember bellying up to plates full of Chinese food–mostly egg rolls and egg drop soup. I was obsessed with the cuisine and most mornings when my mom would ask me what I wanted for breakfast my response was Chinese food! Which is not like your typical 4 year old.
Not much has changed since I was first introduced–you can definitely still find me eating Chinese food for breakfast! In fact, my kids love Chinese food just as much as I do. Although we don’t have a P.F. Chang’s near us (a TOGO option coming soon) whenever we are near one it’s typically where we will eat. This is where this quicker P.F. Chang’s Copycat Brussels Sprouts recipe was created.
This Asian London Broil recipe is a delicious make ahead meal made in minutes the night before serving. Marinate the meat with fresh ingredients 12-24 hours before cooking, then grill for 15 minutes. Serve with rice, veggies, and a salad and dinner is complete.
You will find a London Broil on my menu just about every single month. If I’m not making an Asian marinade for steak for this Asian London Broil recipe. Then, I’m making my Pacific Rim Glazed London Broil or my Grilled Balsamic London Broil recipe.
Year’s ago, I bought London Broil for the first time and wasn’t sure what to do with it. I learned real quick that you need to have a great marinade. When I started making this cut of beef it sometimes was our only red meat we would consume for the month. After having kids, I craved beef and so I always have steak on the menu at least a few times a month.
Our local grocery store typically has a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deal once a month on London Broil making it very affordable, and if marinated and cooked correctly this can be delicious cut of meat. If I can’t find it on BOGO then I’ll pick it up at my local wholesale club.
This Asian-style marinade is perfect for entertaining or an everyday meal. Best of all you make the marinade before hand and let the steak start soaking up all the wonderful flavors. This steak dinner takes a little planning but totally worth it!
If you crave light and fluffy Buttermilk Waffles you are going to love my recipe. This easy breakfast recipe comes together in 30 minutes from start to finish, and makes enough for about 6 adults depending on the size of your waffle maker.
I bought my first waffle iron back in 2003. I grew up on frozen waffles, and never knew you could make them at home from scratch until I was in my late teens. I was intrigued. So I spent the $20 on the most basic waffle iron, and started making homemade waffles. I started first with this recipe for Crisp and Golden Waffles. Don’t get me wrong the waffles were good, but on the “crispy” side. Not the light and fluffy side like I dreamed of. So I did some research and recipe testing and came up with the most perfect recipe for Buttermilk Waffles.
I can proudly say, that I have been making this buttermilk waffles recipe for over a decade now, and I’m still not tired of eating them. I love to serve these fluffy waffles with fried breakfast potatoes, bacon, and an ham and egg casserole if I’m serving a crowd. I am going to break down everything you need to know about how to make the most amazing homemade buttermilk waffles below.
Let no food go to waste, as you use a stale baguette and make my homemade french toast recipe in under a half hour. This family-favorite breakfast is sure to be a new favorite.
We love breakfast in our home. Most weekends you will find me making pancakes, waffles, or eggs with a side of breakfast potatoes and bacon! I typically only make french toast if I’m trying to use up stale bread. If I happen to have a stale baguette, then you better bet I am going to make French Toast. It’s the perfect way to use up the bread without wasting food! Of course, you can always turn that stale baguette into fresh bread crumbs or croutons. However, when given the chance–I will always transform it into the must soft on the inside and crispy on the outside french toast.
Mashed Potato Soup is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. This quick cooking soup comes together in 30 minutes with just 6 ingredients. Even better, your family will never know they are eating the leftover mashed potatoes!
So the leftovers are dwindling? You have random bits and pieces of your holiday dinner scattered throughout your refrigerator? Did you make one too many potatoes this year? All you need is 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes to make the most decadent mashed potato soup I’ve ever tasted. I mean this soup is rich, creamy, and full of flavor with only a few ingredients!
My goal after the holidays is to use up and re-purpose all my leftovers. I love to transform leftovers into brand new meals. This ensures that everyone in my house doesn’t get tired of eating a ham dinner for the 15th time in just 3 days. I almost always make over 10 lbs of potatoes for Thanksgiving. Even if it’s only 8 of us! That meant that everyone had to eat over a pound of mashed potatoes and we would still have leftovers.
The day after any holiday (or really whenever I have leftover mashed potatoes) I always make my easy mashed potato cakes. I also have tried my friend Joanne’s recipe for Crispy Mashed Potato Mounds which were out of this world delicious.
But even after that I still had about 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes. That is when the thoughts of baked potato soup crossed my mind. Well, I should say, Mashed Potato Soup. With or without the bacon, this recipe for leftover mashed potato soup is out of this world delicious! Go ahead, give it a try and use up the last of your leftover mashed potatoes.
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In a large stock pot melt butter on medium heat.
Then add in onion. Caramelize until golden brown mixing periodically, for 10 minutes.
Once the onions are golden in color add the all-purpose flour and mix well until the onions have been coated with the flour mixture.
Pour the milk into the pot and stir for one minute.
Then add in the mashed potatoes. Mixing until all the potatoes have broken up. Cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are smooth. Taste the soup and add salt and black pepper if desired.
Ladle into bowls and top with dried parsley, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and cracked black pepper. Enjoy!
Some of my favorite things to pair with potato soup are the following:
-Dinner rolls
-Turkey Sandwich
-Ham Sandwich
–Salads
To thicken the potato soup you’ll simply want to make a roux of butter and flour. The more flour and butter you use the thicker the soup will be. In addition to the roux, you can add part heavy cream and half of the milk!
If you find the potato soup is too watery you’ll want to make a cornstarch slurry. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Begin stirring the soup, and gently pour in the slurry. Within in a minutes time you will notice the soup will begin to thicken. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making this potato soup with mashed potatoes recipe.
If you find yourself with an influx of leftover holiday food you’ll love some of these easy recipes that pair well with my favorite mashed potato soup recipe!
Still looking for more leftover recipes? Check out my 40+ Thanksgiving leftover recipes roundup!
If you make this leftover mashed potatoes soup, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!
Belly-up to a comforting bowl of creamy mouth-watering Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese that is made in under 10 minutes. Perfect weeknight meal that can be paired with a store bought rotisserie chicken!
If you are pressed for time, hopping from sports practice to sports practice my Instant pot mac and cheese recipe is going to be a new staple in your home. I spent months trying different ways to cook macaroni and cheese in the Instant Pot.
I’ve finally found the correct heat setting as well as the perfect combo of cheese and cream. I tested this Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese recipe so many times in a one month time span that my family was only willing to have a few bites toward the end of my testing. I was handing out containers full of macaroni and cheese to neighbors—none complained one bit!
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People think I’m crazy when I tell them you can actually cook macaroni and cheese in the instant pot. You place an entire box of elbow macaroni in the Instant Pot plus the variety of spice combo I’ve created as well as water.
Turn the lid to the locking position and make sure the steam valve is closed. Then set the Instant Pot to “manual” mode for 4 minutes. That’s it! Easy as that!
It will take about 4-5 minutes to come to pressure. Once the Instant Pot beeps, carefully release the pressure. You will have a tiny bit of water in the Instant Pot and that is okay.
Stir the noodles and then stir in the heavy cream and half the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted, and then repeat again until all the cheese has been stirred in and melted. Taste the macaroni and cheese and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Then ladle into bowls and enjoy.
This recipe uses an entire box of elbow macaroni. This means it feeds a lot. You can expect at least 8, one cup servings from this recipe.
During my recipe testing I tried various methods of liquid. From whole milk, heavy cream, and evaporated milk. At the end of the day my family and I preferred the heavy cream. It yielded the creamiest macaroni and cheese. Some will argue that if you don’t use evaporated milk the cheese will clump and coagulate. Yes—that will happen to an extent using the heavy cream; however, we preferred the creaminess. We found with the evaporated milk it left a little bit of a tangy after taste that we didn’t prefer.
When it comes to macaroni and cheese the cheese is the second most important component to the recipe. I tested a variety of cheeses from sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, mozzarella cheese, Fontina, smoked Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan and the list goes on.
At the end of the day I really liked the combo of sharp cheddar paired with a mild mozzarella. I also prefer Cabot cheese of all the cheddar’s. It’s the smoothest and melts the best. I’ve grated my own cheddar from a block as well as used the pre-shredded. I didn’t notice a difference, but every time I tested I used Cabot. So you might yield different results if you use another brand.
Yes, you can freeze mac and cheese; however, you will need to add more cream to the thawed mac and cheese when you reheat it.
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
Here are a few of my favorite main dish entrees that I like to serve with mac and cheese.
If you’re looking to simplify lunch or dinner or maybe looking to entertain and make a mac and cheese bar of your own. I hope you’ll give my Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese recipe a try.
If you make this Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!
Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!
Melt-in-your mouth homemade buttermilk biscuits made in your kitchen in less than 30 minutes time! With just a few ingredients your next breakfast or brunch will be complete.
Let’s take a break and talk about breakfast for a quick minute. We love it in our home. Nothing is better then bacon, eggs, potatoes maybe even a little sausage gravy on a thick and fluffy buttermilk biscuit.
The problem is –most people either don’t know how to make mouthwatering biscuits or they are straight up intimidated by the thought of even making your own. I’ll raise my hand. I was one of those until about four years ago. I tried my hand at so many different biscuit recipes for years always resulting in a dry thin hockey puck.
That was until I went on a media trip with the Florida Beef Council. That’s when I learned the secret to making the best buttermilk biscuits around. So what does beef and biscuits have to do with each other? Well, we had the most amazing home cooked southern breakfast on a cattle ranchers summer home one of the mornings of my trip.
[Read more…]My easy 8-ingredient recipe for Ham Egg and Cheese Puff Pastry Breakfast combines leftover cooked ham, shredded cheddar cheese, and fluffy scrambled eggs all wrapped in a sheet of puff pastry and baked until golden brown. This delicious and easy to make breakfast comes together in 40 minutes tops.
What do you do when you have leftover holiday ham and guest in your house? Make my recipe for Ham Egg and Cheese Puff Pastry Breakfast for everyone to enjoy for breakfast the next day. It feeds up to 6 adults and uses up one cup of leftover ham. I love using puff pastry, but most of the time I forget that you can uses it to make breakfast pastries.
You can fill puff pastry with just about anything–that’s what is so great about it. This versatile ingredient is one that I always keep in their freezer. I like to keep breakfast simple when entertaining guest. I want to spend more time with my guest than in my kitchen. So making this ham, egg, and cheddar cheese breakfast pastry fits the bill. I don’t count the thawing the puff pastry in my prep time for this recipe. Because your not actively prepping the pastry, so just a heads up. By the time your oven preheats you should almost be done filling and folding your breakfast pastry. Don’t forget to make some breakfast potatoes and bacon to go along with it.
This hearty Kielbasa Breakfast Skillet with Eggs recipe is perfect breakfast or brunch food and can feed an army of people if desired. Made in about 30 minutes using frozen potatoes, fresh kielbasa, and produce–this recipe is sure to be a breakfast your friends and family will remember for years to come.
Do you like to host friends and family for gatherings? I do! I absolutely love it and I’m always trying to plan something. Whether I’m hosting family for a holiday, friends for brunch, or simply cooking my family breakfast. I’ve come up with an easy breakfast solution; Kielbasa Breakfast Skillet with Eggs.
As pictured I only cracked 4 eggs but you can easily get another 2 in the skillet! I like that I can have breakfast on the table from start to finish in just 30 minutes. I’ve never been one for frozen potatoes until this past year. Now I always have them on hand. They are so versatile and made to use not just for breakfast.
On the weekends, I always make a nice big breakfast and I feel like breakfast is not complete unless there are potatoes involved; hash browns, breakfast potatoes, air fryer potatoes, even potato pancakes! I think you get my point, I must have potatoes with breakfast or brunch!
My husband loves kielbasa (we’re Polish) so it’s kind of a staple in our home. I always seem to have a ring or two on hand in the fridge. That’s what makes this kielbasa breakfast hash so easy to put together! You can prep the onions and peppers the night before and the skillet will come together that much quicker!
[feast_advanced_jump_to] [Read more…]My Ham, Egg, and Cheese Casserole recipe comes together in under an hour with very little hands-on time needed. Best of all, you can use up the leftover bread and holiday ham! This is a kid and adult tested and approved easy breakfast recipe that is my go-to on the weekends, entertaining for brunch, or even for a holiday.
If you are looking for a quick weekend or even week day breakfast my recipe for Ham Egg and Cheese Casserole is the ticket! I created this recipe back in 2014, before I gave birth to my first child. In preparation for his arrival I cooked a ham in the slow cooker. We had a delicious Sunday dinner with our neighbor, had tasty lunches the next day and the rest of the leftover ham I froze to enjoy when the baby arrived. Boy, was that the best idea ever. I had about 3 packages of ham (about ½lb each) and then one package of diced ham.
A month later my cousin came to visit after my son had arrived, and I knew I wanted to make an easy breakfast casserole. On that Sunday morning, I made my husband and cousin this Ham Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole.
The night before I thawed one cup of the cubed ham that I had previously frozen. The next morning I used the leftover biscuits from the morning prior and diced them up, mixed in some eggs, shredded cheese, and of course the diced ham. In went the casserole into the oven and I went back to tending to my needy newborn.
This hearty breakfast comforted my favorite guys and filled my heart full of love. This Ham Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole made for a tasty reheated breakfast the days following. Perfect for a busy and tired new mom that still wanted to “make” my husband breakfast each morning.
If you love ordering home fries at your favorite breakfast place you’ll find this fried breakfast potatoes recipes to be just as good as the diner, if not better!
I love potatoes of all kind, but one of my favorite versions is the breakfast potato. Nothing better then waking up and enjoying a plate full of Fried Breakfast Potatoes. Growing up, my mother made them almost every weekend, and now I find myself doing the same. It isn’t breakfast unless there are potatoes on the plate. Potatoes are inexpensive and a perfect side dish to compliment bacon, eggs, and even sausage. Although my husband loves this recipe he also often request for my bacon and onion breakfast potatoes or my southern style breakfast potatoes.
I know what you are thinking… bacon in croutons?
Yes… well sort of.
Because I love bacon so much I save the bacon grease to use for other cooking purposes. The other week, I made grilled sausage and pepper subs. I cut out the middles of the sub rolls and saved them to the side. I decided I would make a few croutons out of them instead of wasting the delicious fresh bread. We have been eating a lot of salads in our home. At least one with dinner every night. I had just pulled bacon out of the oven, when I decided to cube the bread and roll it in the leftover bacon grease. For good measure, I sprinkled a little garlic powder on top and popped them in to the oven.
Later that night when we went to eat our salads I topped each salad with a few homemade croutons. This is a luxury item for our salads. I never have croutons on hand. I love them and eat them when they are presented on a salad, but its the last thing I think about buying at the store. I will tell you that it was love at first bite–the homemade garlic bacon croutons were amazing. They do not have an overwhelming bacon flavor to them, but just enough to make you think about what is on these croutons. Even my non-bacon loving husband loved the croutons. I didn’t tell him what they were seasoned with until after he was done with his salad, and then when I told him he wasn’t surprised at all. I think he loathes the fact that I keep a small jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator at all times. No wasting in our house is my motto (especially when it comes to bacon).
This was definitely a happy accident type of recipe. I wasn’t going to blog about it, but after finishing my cup of croutons in less than a day I decided to make more. I finished the two remaining sub rolls and baked them up into beautiful garlic bacon croutons. Every night for the past 2 weeks we have enjoyed them on our salad, and I think once we are done with them I’ll have to invent another new crouton recipe. Croutons are something that you forget is so good until you have them daily.
Katie Original Recipe
