Tag: Recipe

Game Day Buffalo Chicken Dip

LeahLeave a comment

With football season in full swing, I’m bringing back this game day favorite! This buffalo chicken dip is always a favorite and so easy to make. I love that I can just throw everything in the crockpot and it’s ready to go.

What You’ll Need

  • 8 ouces of Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley)
  • 1/2 cup Hot Sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
  • 2 cups Shredded Chicken (Rotisserie Chicken is great for this)*
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

*For frozen chicken, put chicken and 1 cup chicken broth and seasonings of choice (I normally use salt, pepper, and garlic powder) in an Instant Pot and cook for 10-12 minutes depending on how large your chicken is. I’ve also used boneless skinless breats and thighs depending on what I have.

In your crockpot, you’ll combine the cream cheese, Ranch dress, hot sauce, and shredded chicken. Top with 1/2 cup of your shredded cheese and cover with the lid. This will cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Once the cream cheese is melted through, mix until everything is well combined. Then top with the reserved 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Cook for 15 more minutes and give dip another stir.

Lower to your crockpot’s warm setting and enjoy! I serve mine with tortilla chips, but have also used celery sticks, carrots, and toasted slices of baguette too.

XOXO,
Leah

Pizza Stuffed Breadsticks

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Snack Sea… I mean Football Season, y’all!

My husband grew up playing and watching football, and it’s something that’s carried over into our family. Kaz loves football days and getting to watch, and while I love getting to watch too, I think I may love the snacks just a little bit more.

These cheesy and pepperoni stuffed breadsticks are so good and a perfect addition to our game day snack line up!

What You’ll Need

  • Pizza Dough (I used homemade, but store bought works just as well)
  • Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
  • Pepperoni (I used normal sized ones, but the minis would be great too)

Because I forget to do this more often than not, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Next you’ll roll your pizza dough out into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. I rolled mine out to about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick. If you’re using a refrigerated sheet of pizza dough, you can skip this step!

On one half of the dough, lay your mozzarella sticks in a row leaving about an inch or so on each side. Add your pepperoni. I just put them on top of the mozzarella sticks, but you could put them underneath them as well!

Fold the other half of your dough over to cover. With a pizza cutter (or knife) cut each breadstick leaving room on the sides. Using a fork, crimp the cut edges to seal.

Place the breadsticks on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush with melted butter. I topped mine with Italian seasoning, but you can skip this if you’re not a fan too!

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Cooking times can vary depending on how thick your dough is. If you used a refrigerated sheet of dough, your cook time will be closer to the 10 minute mark.

Once baked serve warm with your favorite sauce, and enjoy!

XOXO,
Leah

Sushi Bake

LeahLeave a comment

I’ve never been one for long intros when it comes to recipe blogs, so I’m definitely not going to start now!

This sushi bake is a huge hit in our house, and we normally make it at least a few times a month.

What You’ll Need

– 1/2 pound of salmon seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and a little Smokey paprika, shredded

⁃ 1/2 pound of imitation crab, shredded

⁃ 4 oz cream cheese

⁃ 1/4 cup mayo (I use a Japanese brand called Kewpie), but regular mayo works too

⁃ Sriracha to taste

⁃ 2 cups of cooked white rice

⁃ Crushed seaweed

⁃ 9×9 baking dish

⁃ Cooking spray

⁃ Sesame seeds (optional)

Bake your salmon until done. I use the air fryer for about 9 minutes at 400 and season with salt, pepper, garlic, and a little smokey paprika. Remove skin and shred when finished.

Cook your rice according to package directions. I use jasmine rice (but any white rice will work) and cook it in our Instant Pot using the rice function.

Shred your imitation crab while your salmon and rice cook.

Add your shredded salmon, imitation crab, cream cheese, mayo, and sriracha to a bowl. Mix until well combined.

Spread your rice into an even layer in your greased 9×9 dish.

Add your crushed seaweed on top of the rice layer, and top with your salmon and imitation crab mixture.

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 380, and finish under the broiler for about 3 minutes.

Top with more of the mayo and sriracha, and enjoy! We add sesame seeds and sometimes avocado if we have them.

xoxo,

Leah

Easy Biscuits and Gravy

LeahLeave a comment

This breakfast is one of my family’s favorites, especially when the temps start to drop. Not only is it so delicious but also super easy to make!

I’ll spare you the paragraphs of scrolling and jump right into how it’s made:

Ingredients

⁃ Buttermilk Biscuits (I use the frozen Pillsbury ones)

⁃ 1 lb pork sausage

⁃ 1/4 cup of flour

⁃ 2 1/2 cups milk

⁃ Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

⁃ Bake biscuits according to package instructions

⁃ Brown sausage over medium heat until cooked through

⁃ Added flour and stir until well combined

⁃ Added milk a little at a time while stirring

⁃ Bring to a boil

⁃ Reduce the heat and simmer until gravy thickens

Enjoy!

Homemade Baby Food: Butternut Squash

LeahLeave a comment

Baby K has had teeth since he was about three months old! Ever since he started showing signs of teething and showing an interest in food, I’ve been doing all the trial and error runs I can with making his food.

I love the convince of store bought baby food, but at the end of the day, it’s super easy to make and takes me less time than it would to get it from the store!

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What You’ll Need

  • 1 Medium sized Butternut Squash

First things first, wash and peel your butternut squash. Then you’ll dice it into cubes. Don’t worry about how big or small they are, everything is going to be puréed.

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Next, throw all of the cubed squash into a pot and cover with water. For me this came out to be about 3 cups. Bring water to a rolling boil and leave until squash is tender (about 20 minutes).

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Reserving the cooking liquid, strain the squash and put into a food processor or blender. Pulse on high or blend until the squash has a smooth consistency.

Incorporate the reserved liquid into the purée until it reaches your desired thickness.

Depending on the size of your squash and how much of the cooking liquid you add back into your purée will determine how much it makes. For me, I used 3/4 of the cooking liquid and got about 32 oz. of food.

The purée can be kept in the fridge for about 3 days or frozen for up to three months! Use any freezer safe container you’d like. I have these ice pop bags from Amazon and freeze in two oz portions!

And voila! Homemade butternut squash baby food.

XOXO,
Leah

Parmesan and Cheddar Crisps

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all!

After several weeks of computer issues, I think I’ve finally gotten it back up and running (fingers crossed)!

Especially in the summer, I love a good crunchy and salty snack to go with a nice cold drink! Popcorn, chips, pretzels, you name it!

With my love of cheese, my latest addiction has been really any kind of cheese crisp, but buying them can get a little on the pricey side. Enter this recipe I whipped up one night, and boom! An easy and way cheaper version of my most craved snack!

What You’ll Need

• 2 Cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• ½ Cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Parchment Paper

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You’ll want to preheat your oven to 350°.

Next you’re going to line your baking sheet with parchment paper. This will help your crisps not stick and make clean up that much easier!

In a bowl, mix the two shredded cheese s together until well combined.

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Now you’ll drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. They don’t spread out too much when in the oven, so I put four mounds in each row.

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Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper right after you take them out of the oven so the seasoning sticks best!

Let sit until cool to the touch and then you’re all set to enjoy your homemade Parmesan and cheddar crisps!

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While yummy on their own, there are also tons of ways to jazz them up; turkey and avocado, in place of tortilla chips for nachos, with eggs and bacon…

What’s your go to snack right now?

XOXO,
Leah

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Leah3 Comments

I have such a big sweet tooth; candy, cake, ice cream, you name it! My husband on the other hand is a little pickier when it comes to the ones he likes. While I will eat pretty much any kind of sweet, he would much rather have something that’s light and not quite so sugary sweet tasting.

Enter these cookies that he had months ago, and I knew I had to figure out how to make them for myself! After much trial and error to get the texture just right, I have a new go to cookie recipe that we both can enjoy!

What You’ll Need

• 1 Box of Lemon Cake Mix
• 1 Egg
• 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip
• About 1/2 Cup of Powdered Sugar

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Like always, you’ll want to start by preheating your oven to 350°F and having your baking tray ready to go. I lined mine with a silicone baking mat to help prevent sticking, but parchment paper would work too!

Next you’ll combine your cake mix, egg, and Cool Whip in a bowl. Mix all of this together until it’s well combined. The mixture may seem lighter and a little fluffier than normal cookie doughs, but that’s how it’s supposed to be!

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Next you’ll take two spoons and a portion at a time, coat the dough in the powder sugar before placing on your baking tray. Once your tray is full, you’ll put them in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes! Repeat this step until all of your cookie dough has been baked.

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Allow cookies to cool on the tray for a minute or two before moving them to a wire rack to fully cool. Once all of your cookies have been baked, enjoy!

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XOXO,
Leah

Warning: In my experience, it is impossible to eat just one!

Homemade Dog Treats for Ailey

LeahLeave a comment

I’ve shared these on Instagram before, but since I’ve gotten so many messages asking for the recipe I figured I’d write it out for y’all too! This way, your pup can have yummy and homemade treats too!

Note: These are Ailey approved!

What You’ll Need

  • 1/4 Cup of Grated Carrots
  • 1 Tbs of Olive Oil
  • 2/3 Cup of Flaxseed Meal
  • 1 Cup of Mashed Sweet Potato
  • 1 tsp of Salt
  • 3 Tbs of Peanut Butter

If you’re like me, you might forget to preheat your oven from time to time… So, let’s do that first! Preheat your oven to 375°.

Next you’ll want to wash your sweet potato, pat it dry. Rub with butter, and then wrap it in tin foil. I place the wrapped potato directly on the oven rack and cook it for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how large of a potato it is, until fork tender. Once cooked through, mash and let cool.

While it’s cooling I like to get the other ingredients together, measure them out, and get my baking sheet. You can use a non-stick one or just line a regular baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

You’ll mix all of the ingredients listed in a bowl until well combined. Next is the fun part; shapes!

Depending on how much time I have determines what shapes I put the treats in. If I’m short on time, I’ll use my Tbs measuring spoon and pack some of the treat mixture into it so it forms a dome like shape. If I have more time to spare I’ll form them into hearts! It’s really up to you. You could even use a small cookie cutter if you have one on hand.

Once the treats are all shaped and on the baking sheet, I place it in the oven for about fifteen minutes, flipping halfway through! This leaves them with a slight crunch on the outside, but still soft in the center. If you want them more biscuit like, bake until the treats reach the desired texture!

Let cool before giving to your pup, and there you have it; healthy and easy to make treats that won’t break the bank!

If you make these treats for yourself, tag me in your pictures on Instagram! I’d love to see them!

XOXO,
Leah

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The Perfect Apple Cider

LeahLeave a comment

I have been getting SO many requests for my homemade apple cider recipe since I shared it over on Instagram! Ask and you shall receive! Today, I’m giving you all the details to make it yourself all year round without all of the preservatives that the grocery store versions have!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

First you’ll need 8 Honeycrisp apples, about medium to large in size. You can use different kinds of apples if you’d like, but these are the kind my husband I and prefer.

For spices you’ll need 1 tablespoon of ground Allspice (about 45 berries) 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon (about 7 sticks 2 ¾ inches long), ¾ cup of white sugar, and a pinch of salt.

You’ll need a stock pot to combine and boil all of this in and a lid that fits it. The one I used is 6 quarts, but a bigger one works too!

You’re going to need about 12 cups of water.

For the end, you’re going to need a fine mesh strainer and a second bowl.

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What to do:

Slice your apples into quarters and add them to your stock pot, reserving one for later.

Add your cinnamon, Allspice, and sugar to the pot. Then cover it all with about 10 cups of your water. Reserve 2 cups for later on.

Bring it all to a boil and keep it boiling for about 1 hour. You’ll want to leave it uncovered!

Remember that apple and 2 cups of water I had you reserve at the beginning? This is where you add them to you stock pot!

Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let it simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours.

Remove from heat and let the contents of your stock pot cool before this next step. Trust me, I found out the hard way!

Once cooled enough to handle, you’ll strain the apples from your cider in batches. This takes a little time, but is so worth it in the end! I strain it over the second bowl to catch all of the cider.

Once your cider is strained to your liking, return it to the stock pot, add a pinch of salt, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

And there you have it, fresh, homemade apple cider!

Enjoy,
XOXO

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