Bacon-Wrapped Li’l Smokies

Appetizer fun!

We had another little potluck at work, and there always seems to be a mystereious lack of protein and an abundance of carbohydrates at these things (my coworkers are not in favor of a coordinated effort lol) Therefore, I decided to try something a bit different from my usual choice of healthy roasted vegetables.

These little pigs were a bit of a decadent decision, but definitely fun to make!

The sauce was really the highlight; a blend of maple syrup, brown sugar, and dijon mustard. Mmmmmm sugary goodness!

I think wrapping them all in bacon though was a bit uneccesary, and didn't really improve on the recipe as a whole, so def skip that for a simpler tasty version.

This is a great potluck recipe as it can be reheated without any diminution in taste, and is easily transportable.

Oversized Sweaters Fight the Winter Chill

As winter slowly creeps into the bones of the earth each year, vague memories of snuggling in a blanket on the couch, sipping a steaming cup of coffee, and reading a new novel seem to permeate my mind in anticipation of the season to come.

Now that spring is replacing those hours of quiet stillness with joyful bursts of sun, I am shedding a few tears in honor of this past winter's most popular fashion staple, the oversized sweater.

Whether pairing it with skinny jeans, or some neutral tights and a skirt, this was by far my favorite fashion item for the winter. Boots, scarf, and messenger bag required!

Here's to hoping next season sees a recurrence!

     

Spring is in the Air

 

 

 

Last weekend (ok, really the sat before this past weekend) the clouds finally parted and the sun peaked his head out. After a rather dull grey winter, it was such a beautiful day!

I headed out to the park close to my house for some card games, frisbee, and fun. I wanted to bring a little snack of some sort for the group, even though it would only be the afternoon and not meal time, so decided to try out this recipe for Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.

It was such a hit!

I did substitute a bit of cream for some of the cream cheese to make the filling a bit lighter, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. They taste sooo good with a bit of lemonade too!

I can't wait to bring these to a real picnic later in the season...

Who wants to go berry picking?

Rosemary Feta Baked Potatoes

Just another side dish potatoe recipe!

This one just seemed interesting, and really easy (affordable *coughcough*) lol, so I tried it, and it was great!

Potatoes without butter at first totally threw me, but the whole package did taste pretty good. These cheese is the key! Since feta is pretty bitter I usually stay away from it, but this time the bitterness really works in favor.

Definitely a great little potatoe surprise!

Chicken Marsala

This was... AMAZING!

I have never cooked with wine before, but that is so becoming a weekly event lol.

The cooking process itself was a unique experience. I had never tenderized chicken with a meat mallot (shocker, I know) or even fried anything before! I was hesitant at first about the frying, because obviously I do not want to start cooking tons of unhealthy recipes and such, but this specific process wasn't too bad as far as that goes thank goodness. It really just created a very light breaded crust to the chicken.

Instead of button mushrooms, I used cremini mushrooms which were awesome, but I'm pretty sure this would taste great with any mushroom.

I was also really happy with the texture of the chicken! Every time I cook chicken, it always tastes sort of tough. About a year ago though, my mom and I went to this great little restaurant in Fredericksburg, and I had the BEST chicken ever there! It was as tender as tilapia! Crazy! So ever since then, I have been adamant I will be able to cook chicken that tender lol. While this was obviously not exactly perfect, it was definitely much improved from the norm. I will be malloting my meat forever more hehehe.

The whole marsala wine, white wine, cream combo, is freakin fabulous. I think this might be my favorite recipe so far! Very exciting!

This fall I am determined to get at least a few staple recipes down, so this was number one. Let's hope the next is just as yummy!