Spicy Chipotle & Poblano Spaghetti

May 5, 2015 Amanda Plott

Mother's day is nearly upon us! I'm pretty excited because I've got some fun things planned, for not only me but for other special women in my life. I'm fortunate enough to have four generations in my family right now of ladies that are all perfectly beautiful and amazingly inspiring to me.

The first is my grandmother (we call her Neenaw around here though!) She's a fierce little firecracker bundled up into a cute little blonde that gives some of the most amazing hugs on the plant! Don't let her short stature and usually quiet demeanor fool you though, much as myself, she's a live-wire.

The next is my mother who is a unique, quirky, effervescent and bubbly spirit that I could only do justice by comparing to a fine champagne! She's all about fun. I mean, her favorite color is 'glitter', how fun is that? She's as beautiful as they come, both on the inside and the out; an old soul that just wants everyone around her to be happy!

I'm the third generation. A well blended combination of the other three.

Finally, there's my little girl. Not that I'm bias or anything, but she's pretty amazing! What can I say? She's a girl after my own heart. She knows what she wants and gets it; as hard headed as they come. This one is against the grain, her favorite color is blue and she's the only left-handed person in our family. How's that for standing out?...

Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew & Cheddar Herb Dumplings

March 11, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm an Irish girl, what can I say? If I can find an excuse to cook with bourbon and beer, I'll find it! The idea for this dish actually came from my love of St. Patrick's Day and also my love of these Healthified Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings, which I made a bit over a year ago and many many times since then.

I basically took the same structure of the Chicken & Dumpling recipe and made it into a hearty Irish inspired Beef & Dumpling recipe instead. This stew is packed full of bold flavor and lots and lots of chunky beef and vegetables. I promise, you won't feel like you're eating anything healthified, but you are. It's definitely a meal in a bowl.

Who knew that Beef & Dumplings would just as awesome as Chicken & Dumplings?

I wasn't sure this would work out, but in the end I'm extremely happy that I tempted the fates with this one...

Healthified Home-Corned Beef

February 16, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've always been a bit intrigued with St. Patrick's day. Perhaps it's because I've got some Irish roots. It could also have something to do with some over zealous teachers when I was in elementary school making a big hub-ub about the holiday. I remember that we had a little Leprechaun visit our room, and all though none of us children saw him he managed to leave glitter and rainbows in his wake. As far as I remember he did some rather naughty things too. Turned desks upside down and even turned our milk green. Those mischievous and sneaky little Leprechauns!

When I started making corned beef a few years back, I began doing so with the pre-brined corned beef briskets that you can buy at the store. But, this year I wanted to try and do something a little different. I began to do some research into the matter and found that - YES, you can corn your own beef and that it is really easy to do!...

Healthified Crock Pot Cheeseburger Sliders

February 2, 2015 Amanda Plott

This weekend was more than a little exhausting and for numerous reasons too. So ,I was more than elated that I happened to have this recipe planned ahead for. Somewhere between the weather, family dropping in, and an injury for my four year old... I was in need of something rather hands free to cook up for dinner for more than my usual table setting.

These burgers are super easy to do and rather guilt free (especially if you used the Annie's cheese sauce packs in stead of the alternative.) Now, I'd never made a cheeseburger in a crock pot before, so I was more than little skeptical of what the outcome would be but as it turns out, it was pretty stellar!

Even as I was preparing the meat to go into the crock pot, my mom was asking me 'what is this for' and 'what is that for'... 'are these sloppy joes'. Nope! Well, not exactly. Though the the texture does end up being rather similar to that of a sloppy joe; being as the meat is held together with cheesy goodness rather than a tomato sauce...

Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini Boats

May 24, 2014 Amanda Plott

I can has cheezburger? Without feeling guilty?! Yes, indeed! We all can.

These stuffed zucchini boats are a perfectly clever way to have a bun-less burger that I find to be a lot more filling and easy to eat than wrapping a patty in a mere lettuce leaf. You get all the satisfaction and flavors of a traditional cheeseburger packaged neatly into a zucchini squash.

Trust me when I say - you won't miss the bun at all!...

Steak on a Stick

April 16, 2014 Amanda Plott

A month or two back I was whisked away off to a magical land of mystery and whimsey, otherwise known as the Sherwood Forrest Faire. While there I was enticed to try meat-on-a-stick for lunch. I was somewhat skeptical at first but after the first bit I was enchanted. It was amazing! As a side, the meat-on-a-stick could come with a baked potato loaded with butter, sour cream, pesto and parmesan. Also... To. Die For.

The meat on a stick was a thicker piece of what appeared to be flank steak, grilled with some mystical yellow seasoning that I could only fathom was turmeric. So, I went on a hunt as soon as I got home...