BLT Pasta Salad

I used spinach leaves, turkey bacon and mini heirloom tomatoes for this recipe. Such a refreshing and wonderful pasta salad to go with whatever you're grilling. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.foodnfocus.com/blt-pasta-salad-and-giveaway/

Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers

I love this time of year and cooking on the grill. There is just something about the taste of grilled food and eating outside on our deck. I love the lemon and green onions on this. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/06/grilled-lemon-chicken-skewers/

Grilled Sweet Potato in a Rosemary Butter Sauce

I quartered mine to put in a grill veggie pan I have and we basted them in the sauce as they cooked. I love sweet potatoes and these didn't disappoint. I used fresh rosemary from my garden for this recipe. Will definitely be making this at our next bbq. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.lifeasaplate.com/2011/08/15/grilled-sweet-potato-medallions-in-a-rosemary-butter-sauce/

Strawberry Bread

Strawberries are looking amazing locally lately so after grabbing some at the market I had to make this recipe. This bread was super moist and was delicious. I think next time I will try to make this as muffins. Here's the link to the recipe
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/04/27/glazed-strawberry-bread/

Brooklyn Smorgasburg

This food event has been on my bucket list for a long time, was amazing, loved everything we had. I didn't get a picture of the wonderful ice cream sandwich I had - had a homemade cookie with salted caramel and coffee ice cream. We also got iced coffee from 2 different vendors, Kyle had stuffed octopus, took home salted caramel peanut butter from another vendor, got a slice of oreo red velvet cake for home. If you're ever in the area you have to check this place out, can't wait to go back.

 Smore bars and bacon maple cupcakes from Butter and Scotch

 Gorgeous view of the city with the perfect weather today

 Scotch egg, haven't had one since London and loved this one, can't wait to try another version they have on our next visit. This was lamb with a yogurt sauce.

 Shrimp teriyaki balls, so good,

 Hibiscus mint soda, so good

 Soup dumplings, have been craving these for so long and so glad I saw a vendor with them.

 Ramen noodle burger, the longest line of the day, but worth it

 Hawaii Poke, one of our favorite foods from Hawaii so glad to find some locally. They fly in the fish from Honolulu

Cinnamon Apple Bagel French Toast

I used mini bagels I picked up from our local bagel shop for this recipe. I was full with just 1 mini bagel. Since we had company this was a perfect quick breakfast that looked a little fancy also. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.nibblesbynic.com/2014/08/30/cinnamon-apple-bagel-french-toast/

Italian Sausage Tortellini

 I used ground sausage for this because the supermarket I went to was out of regular italian sausage. I also added some carrots to my sauce since I had some to use up from another recipe. This was a wonderful dinner and I even had leftovers to take to work the next day for lunch. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/italian-sausage-tortellini.html

Garlic Parm Chicken Stuffed Shells

I love Italian food and this was a great way to use chicken I took out for dinner since the weather got cooler and rainy so wasn't really grilling weather. I picked up some fresh mozzarella for this. The sauce on this was so amazing. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2015/04/19/garlic-parmesan-chicken-stuffed-shells-for-two/?utm_content=buffer22021&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer#comment-167454

Greek Salad

I love that the weather is getting warmer and making different salads to go with dinner that we grill. This was a great salad and I love the dressing that was included. Greek salad is one of my favorite salads and I love olives so had to make this salad as one of the first for grilling season. Here's the link to the recipe
http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/21/greek-salad/

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

I saw these on The Chew which I always record since I work during the day. These only took minutes to put together and are a great snack when you are craving something sweet. I got the chocolate chips at Trader Joe's and I love the use of the oats in these. These are a great mid morning snack while I'm at work and can't really sit down and eat and need something quick to eat while doing my tasks. Here's the link to the recipe
http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/peanut-butter-oatmeal-balls-clinton-kelly

My Scrap Room

I love my scraproom. My comfy chair was a great online find and the shelves I got on sale from Target and Michaels. I also have a closet with shelving to store other items. The birdcage is a decal I got from Pier 1 Imports. Princess usually keeps me company relaxing on the chair while I scrap.

Peanut Butter and Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I love PB&J so when I saw these cookies I had to make them. I used my favorite strawberry jam from a local farm. These were delicious and a great cookie. Here's the link to the recipe
http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2015/04/21/peanut-butter-jam-thumbprint-cookies/

Hasselback Tomato Caprese

We had some friends over for a bbq, unfortunately the weather got cold so we ate inside. I wanted to make it a little fancy so I found this recipe for a different take on caprese on pinterest. To hopefully welcome summer weather soon I served the grilled burgers and the caprese I made with a local brewery Summer Ale. I originally planned on serving my burgers on pretzel buns, but the store was out so I went with the challah rolls and was so good. Here's the link to the caprese
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/hasselback-tomato-caprese/b90c11c8-1d9f-4761-828c-0a31f6943410?src=SH%3Fnicam4%3DSocialMedia&nichn4=Pinterest&niseg4=Tablespoon&nicreatID4=Post&crlt.pid=camp.jPQTqY77sxrV

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

I love these quick no bake dessert recipes, this was really good, think I will make these again and try it with the Trader Joe's Speculoos spread as a substitution for the peanut butter. Here's the link to the recipe
http://lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.sk/2013/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie.html

Stuffing Coated Chicken

I love the idea of instead of using breadcrumbs to blend the stuffing mix. I used cornbread stuffing for my coating. This was delicious, I made it with sweet potatoes, here's the link to the recipe
http://cookiesandcups.com/chicken-stuffing-tenders/

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

I used fresh pasta for this that I picked up at the local Italian Market. This is a quick dinner and is so filling. Here's the link to the recipe
http://juliasalbum.com/2014/10/creamy-shrimp-and-mushroom-pasta/

Skinny Chicken Marsala

I love chicken marsala so when I saw this lightened up version I had to add it to our dinner menu for the week. So amazing, you can't even tell it's a lightened up version of the original because it's so delicious. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2015/03/skinny-chicken-marsala/#comment-139497

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

I love my coffee and once the weather warms up I switch to Iced Coffee. My new addiction is making homemade cold brew coffee so when I saw this recipe on pinterest I had to try it. Will be making this a bunch this summer, including at the house we're renting on the water for a few days. Here's the link to the recipe
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/08/cold-brewed-iced-coffee/

Mixed Berry Whole Wheat Muffins

I added a blackberry on top of these before baking. These were amazing and I love the idea of making a strawberry puree to put in the mixture. I love using fresh berries in muffins and can't wait to make these again once I can pick up more berries at the Farmers Market. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/mixed-berry-whole-wheat-muffins.html?m=0

Scrapbook Pages

Cut this little pup out with my silhouette cameo, Princess loves sleeping and belly rubs

 We visited the big Farmers Market in the city last year and it was awesome seeing all the wonderful selection

Princess is a selfie pro, 

I love smores and anything smore flavor I have to try and we make them a bunch in the summer after we grill dinner

Lemon Risotto with Mascarpone

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 lemons (1 zested and juiced, and 1 peeled)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lg shallots, finely chopped
• 1 lg garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tbsp marscarpone cheese
• 1 up fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• basil leaves

1. In a medium pot, heat the stock and the peel of 1 lemon over medium- low. Cover and keep warm.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, two turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir until coated, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine, stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
3. Add about 2 cups warm stock and cook, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add 2 more cups stock and cook, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated, about another 6 minutes. Add 1 cup stock and the lemon zest, stir until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Taste the rice, if it's tender but still has a bite to it, stir in the lemon juice, mascarpone and 1 cups parm cheese. Season and stir in some of the remaining stock if the risotto isn't saucy enough. Divide among bowls and garnish with basil and more grated cheese.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

I love these lasagna roll up recipes because they are quicker and easier than making a full lasagna. I love the fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/10/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups/

Crispy Lemon Chicken

I made this with some angel hair pasta. The sauce was amazing and this was a great dinner. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/crispy-lemon-chicken-pasta.html

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I used whole wheat flour in these and mini chocolate chips. I always make extra when I make muffins so I have some to freeze so when I'm hungry later they are ready to go. Here's the link to the recipe
http://mmskitchenbites.blogspot.in/2013/08/chocolate-chip-muffinsgetting-my-mojo.html

Morning Glory Muffins

I love muffins and when I saw this recipe that had carrots and apples I had to try it. These were delicious I made extra so I could freeze some for a later time. Here's the link to the recipe
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/04/05/simple-morning-glory-muffins/

Scrapbook Pages

A trip to Brooklyn checking out some places on my must visit list thanks to Food Network

 Princess in her begging mode outside on our deck

Grilling season is on it's way

Summer favorites - grilled pizza, gelato and jello shots

 Documented some of my selfies for my scrapbook

Carrot Cake Pie

This is a different take on regular carrot cake and I loved it with the pie crust. I added homemade whipped cream. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2015/03/carrot-cake-pie/

Carrot Bundt Cake

The icing on this really made the cake, a perfect dessert for any party or get together. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.shugarysweets.com/2015/03/carrot-bundt-cake#_a5y_p=3574369

Easter M&M Cookies

I love the holiday color M&M's they make so these were perfect to make for my employees at work. I let mine chill for a few hours because I made the dough before heading out to do some errands. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.thisgalcooks.com/recipe-easter-mm-cookies/

Double Chocolate Pudding

Nothing beats making pudding from scratch. Of course it takes more work then the boxed stuff, but the taste is amazing. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com/2015/03/double-chocolate-pudding-milanocookies-giveaway.html