No literally, I am. Mint is a whole new leaf to me. Ok, technically it is an herb. But really, it looks like a pretty green leaf and honestly I do not like to get technical around here anyway. I know that a lot people love mint. I was never one of those people. Until now, of course. Growing up, my Mimi and Papa (Dad’s mom and dad) belonged to this country club, Westwood....

I have a list full of fun summery cocktails to share with you guys, but since I just returned from a trip to Mexico, where margaritas are an everyday kind of thing, this one seemed so fitting. Over the course of the five days I was in Mexico we had strawberry, mango, and pineapple margaritas, but I’ve had these cantaloupe margaritas in my back pocket all summer long. I wasn’t able to make them for the family while in Mexico, but I will welcome them home with them tomorrow!...

Like seven days from today we will all be hanging out around the Christmas tree, opening gifts and feasting on Christmas food! If you don’t celebrate Christmas maybe you’ll just be chillin and enjoying a little time off? Either way, it’s going to be a good, good day. YESSS. I feel like our Christmas morning, or maybe better, our Christmas Eve (personally my favorite day of the year!) should involve these lattes....

Oh my gosh, it’s PIZZA Wednesday. Pumped. ? You guys, we have a few very serious things to chat about today. Ok, well I mean, they aren’t that serious, but I’m excited to talk today. For a Wednesday, my energy level is feeling pretty on point…kombucha + coffee + pizza talk will do that for me! 🙂 First things first, my cousin Abby, who you all formally met on Saturday, posted on our family GroupMe app that she just finished her first half marathon....

I can already hear him, “a gyro without ANY MEAT???? No, no, NO…that is just so wrong”. You see, gyros have to be one of Creighton’s favorite foods, but he LOVES them literally jam-packed with thinly sliced lamb and all the toppings imaginable, but mostly a lot of fries. The fry part I completely understand, but I can totally take or leave the meat. So today we are doing the all veggie filled gyro!...

If there’s hamburger on the menu, I know my family will come running to the table. My kids especially enjoy ground beef stroganoff, hamburger soup, beef noodle casserole and these simple yet satisfying hamburger steaks. Whenever I find myself with a package of ground beef in the fridge and no plans on what to make for dinner, I turn to hamburger steak. This hearty meal can be whipped up in no time at all, and it’s always a hit with both adults and kids alike....

This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes. When it comes to Thanksgiving and creating a meal that my family and friends will love, I prefer to keep the menu traditional, but have some fun with a few of the sides. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but my family looks forward to this meal every November. I know that if I didn’t make my herb butter roasted turkey with white pan gravy or my mashed potatoes, my brothers would be more than a little bummed....

You can never go wrong with potatoes, whether it’s grilled potatoes, potato skins, or this loaded Hasselback version. These are some of the best potatoes I’ve ever had, and your friends and family are sure to agree. Upgrade your regular baked potatoes to these Hasselback potatoes, you won’t regret it! Slice your potatoes thin, roast until crisp, then load them up with toppings. They look fancy, but they’re actually quite simple to make....

I’ve been making these tacos, or a variation, since the early days of creating recipes. Over the years I’ve shared them in the form shrimp and salmon tacos, but now for the original shredded chicken variation. My brothers are obsessed with these. Especially my older brother, Trevor, who is constantly telling me to make more Hawaiian-inspired recipes. We love anything with a spicy, sweet, tangy kick. And any dinner that’s ready in less than an hour is an immediate yes during the summer....

When I need dessert recipes that don’t take much time to prepare, I turn to favorites such as caramel apple dip, cheesecake stuffed strawberries, chocolate crinkle cookies, cake mix cookies and these simple haystack cookies. Every time I make these haystack cookies, I’m taken back to childhood. I can remember eating these at every holiday function and any day mom felt like whipping them up. Best of all, they come together in minutes and don’t require turning on an oven!...

What better way to start Monday off than with an easier, healthier take on a fancy French classic? Especially one that involves cooking with red wine? Yes, this is a good Monday recipe. Coq au vin is a family favorite. Every time I make it, I love it more and more. Coq au Vin is the fancy French way of saying chicken braised in red wine. It’s a truly delicious and hearty recipe that’s perfect when served over mashed potatoes....

This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes. Effortless August dinners are my goal right now. Well effortless, but also fresh, and of course, delicious. Another goal? Use up all the herbs that are overflowing in the garden…and all the cherry tomatoes too. So basically, this pizza is almost 100% brought to you by our overflowing garden. I hope you all are as excited as I am about it. Summer produce is everywhere and I’m really trying to use it all up before switching into cozy fall mode....

Have you ever seen a more warming recipe? This is like a bowl of creamy broccoli cheddar soup, but better. You see it’s topped with flaky, buttery biscuits. Oh it’s so good, and so perfect for this time of year, when all we’re craving is the best comfort food. It’s very obvious by now that I truly adore the combo of broccoli and cheddar. It’s one of my childhood favorites, and a combo that I will forever love and crave during the fall and winter months....

We are still waiting for good mangoes in our part of the world, although it has been scorching hot the last few weeks. Of course, we have been making summer goodies in the meantime – a bunch of pickles, sun dried wafers and the sweet delicious frozen stuff. Last year, I shared a few popsicle recipes like Chocolate Fudge Pops, Lemon Mint Popsicle, Mango Vanilla Popsicle and Fresh Grape Popsicle....

I have a very simple recipe to share today – Homemade Pizza Sauce! I usually make a small batch of tomato based sauce that works great for both homemade pizzas as well as pastas. It requires very little effort to make this pizza sauce from scratch and it is so much better than the store-bought bottled stuff. I follow a few hacks to make my life easier in the kitchen and one of the mantras I follow is – you don’t have to sweat out a lot to make healthy meals at home....

Well, today I am one upping those with real deal chicken wings. I never thought I would actually make real deal chicken wings because to be honest they scare the heck out of me and seem totally intimidating, BUT then I got this amazing new cookbook that I am whole heartedly in love with. Please tell me you guys know all about Stephanie Le of I am food Blog. If you don’t you have got to go check her out, she is totally inspiring and her recipes are so good....

I love to use my Instant Pot for dishes that normally have a long cooking time such as beef stew and chili. This Instant Pot brisket cooks in just a fraction of the time as an oven baked or smoked brisket, but still produces great results. I love to make brisket; it’s a less expensive cut of meat, serves a crowd, and is always a big hit. Instant Pot brisket cooks quickly, yet retains all the flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture that goes along with well prepared brisket....

As we head deeper into spring and inch closer to Easter, I’ve really been trying to up my salad game. I’ve created fresh chopped salads, pasta salads, and yummy chicken salads, too. And we are loving them! This is my Italian chopped salad, but made with pasta to make it that much better. This is so delicious! OK, let me back up a little to my very first Italian salad experience....

If you love jalapeno poppers, you’ll adore this unique take on macaroni and cheese. It’s got all the flavors of the classic appetizer mixed with creamy, cheesy pasta. Mac and cheese is one of those classic comfort foods that people always adore. I love mixing up the traditional dish from time to time by adding bold flavors like in this jalapeno popper mac and cheese. I’ve simply added in some spice and a crispy topping to take things up a notch, while still maintaining all the creamy and cheesy goodness....

After a long long time, I am back with an awesome recipe for the Sunday Biryani series. For me Sunday always means Biryani and with the very thought, I am transported back to beautiful childhood memories. Amma always made her trademark vegetable biryani on Sunday and I used to gorge on it in bulk loads 😀 Last year after posting her vegetable biryani recipe, I thought why not try out different variations of biryani and there came my biryani series....