The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I still remember being a kid and watching the fireworks in Tarpon Springs, FL from my Grandma’s house. To this day I still think those were the best fireworks I have ever seen. Lots of times we would have big family picnics or barbecues to celebrate the 4th of July. I loved all the patriotic dishes that were served.  Over the years I have made many different holiday recipes but I love making these Red, White & Blue Strawberries. They are delicious and it’s the perfect time of year for the strawberries. The dessert is very simple to make and doesn’t…

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my Nana and when we were together we baked. Sometimes we made snickerdoodles or fudge but one of my favorite things to make with her was her Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This recipe is a modified version of the original Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe by Nestle Tollhouse. Sometime over the years my Nana changed it to her liking and to be honest these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten. One time when we were making these easy chocolate chip cookies we couldn’t get the bag of flour open. My Nana kept pulling at it and finally it came open and…

About six months ago I was flipping through a cookbook that used to be my Grandma’s. I have had the cookbook for years and looked through it before, but this time a recipe fell out. It was one of my Grandma’s hand written recipes and this one is for marinated mushrooms.  I don’t ever remember having these as a child but I quickly looked at the recipe and wanted to try it immediately. Since my sister and I were going to be traveling to my parents house in Florida, I decided to wait to make them until we were there.  The recipe is very simple but absolutely delicious. Yes, it has a lot…

Chicken is something that I cook a lot of in my house. I find that I am always searching for a new recipe or technique to try to keep my meals interesting. Years ago I stumbled across a Cooking Light recipe for grilled chicken bruschetta. Since then I have made it many times and adapted it to what I love.  When I serve this chicken bruschetta I almost always make parmesan couscous (from the box mix – so easy). I love to put some of the bruschetta mixture on top of the couscous.  This recipe easily serves four people and if your tomatoes are giant, as mine where this past week, you can…

Lately it has been a real struggle to come up with what to make for dinner. I feel like at least once a year I hit a brick wall and have no idea what I want to eat or make for dinner. When this happens I normally refer to my list of my go to recipes to get some inspiration and start cooking again. It is really helpful to keep a list of things you love to cook and things you want to cook to help you plan your meal. Below are the recipes on my go to recipe list.  BBQ Chicken Wrap I found this recipe in the Body Reset Diet Cookbook.…

Shrimp Scampi by Damn Delicious I love Pinterest and have spent way too much time on it over the years. If I am searching for some holiday inspiration or clothing inspiration I tend to go to Pinterest first. I have tried a lot of recipes that I have found on Pinterest and liked most of them but hands down my favorite is Shrimp Scampi by Damn Delicious. Shrimp Scampi is a favorite dish of mine but I had a hard time finding a great recipe for it until I found this one. The recipe is really easy to follow and I normally have all of the ingredients in the house. I have made…

We all have that one dish that brings back so many childhood memories, for me, it’s mushroom rice. No one knows exactly when my Grandma started making mushroom rice but my family has been making it for at least 50 years! Mushroom rice is my go to side dish with pork chops but it is also great with chicken or steak. It also heats up really well for leftovers the next day. That is if you have any leftover the next day, we normally don’t. At holiday parties the mushroom is a big hit and I have never run into anyone who has had it made this way. Give it a try and…

I love snickerdoodles and I grew up making them with my Nana’s recipe. She liked to put her own spin on recipes. I have not seen another recipe for snickerdoodles that is like this.  The cookies are so soft and flavorful. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I know it would make my Nana happy to see others making them as well.  Snickerdoodles dipped in colored sugar that are a huge hit at the holidays.