Nordic Lunch Box

March 9, 2019 Amanda Plott

Sometimes simple is the best. This light little lunch is Nordic inspired. It’s easy-peasy with just a few clean ingredients; making it perfect for meal prepping and making ahead for the week! The original ‘boxed lunch’ that I got the inspiration for this lunch box for was made with a smoked salmon. I’m not a seafood eater though, and with St. Patrick’s day just around the corner, I thought deli sliced corned beef would be the next best option!

The fun thing about this lunch is that you can do with it as you please. Pile it all onto the crackers for one delicious mixed bite. Or keep it all separate and enjoy as a finger-food grab-and-go lunch…

Beef & Barley Stew

February 19, 2019 Amanda Plott

It is cold, raining, and yucky here today. So, naturally… that calls for a hearty meal. Stew sounds about right to me! And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, you know I’ve got to be sure there’s some Irish stew going on.

This beef stew is one of my new favorite dinners for cold weather. Which let me just say, isn’t a label that comes lightly. I haven’t worked with barley a whole lot before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But, it was a wonderful addition to stew! There’s big chunks of beef, mushroom, vegetables, and of course that barley in there to help thicken it all up…

French Dip Bites + Au Jus

February 4, 2019 Amanda Plott

Sometimes the family just wants something light and snacky for dinner. These French Dip Bites are perfect for being added to any game day or get-together spread. They’re rather quick and easy to make… and that homemade au jus? Mmm… that may just be the best part! It’s delicious and almost fool proof.

Usually au jus can be complicated and time consuming. This one though? Easy breezy with no drippings required. Plus, being as its homemade, you get to decide how to season it! While the bites themselves are delicious the au jus is really the star of the show here…

Skinny Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

January 13, 2019 Amanda Plott

Gameday, gameday, gameday - oh my! The big gameday is just around the corner and honestly… I can’t wait! Not that I really follow or watch football a whole damn lot. But, I still enjoy THE BIG ONE and all of the fun gameday food that comes along with it. The commercials and halftime performance don’t hurt either.

It’s about this time every year that I start to go through and put together at least a few fun new gameday recipes. And this Skinny Bacon Cheeseburger Dip is topping the charts. Now, I know what you might be thinking… Cheeseburger as a dip? Well, why the hell not?…

Sailor Stew

October 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

I’ve made this stew a couple of times before, and mostly just for testing purposes. Sometimes it takes more than one run to get these things just right. But, I can honestly say that I haven’t minded the process with this one!

The first time I made it, I did so in the Instant Pot. It turned out well enough, but I really wanted this to be a stew that everyone could cook. Not just those with a pressure cooker. I also ended up adding in some potatoes and carrots to make this a more veggie-ful dish. Those veggies, along with the beans in there, really makes this a hearty meal all on it’s own…

Spooky 'Monster' Tacos

September 20, 2018 Amanda Plott

Cooler weather is coming… Halloween is coming! And being as it is my most favorite holiday, I’ve got to have some fun with it. I’ll be honest in saying that these are my standard, average, run-of-the-mill tacos that I make using extra lean ground beef and just a few other notable swaps along the way.

This time of year though? I like to make them a little spooky! With a few dollops of Greek yogurt, plain Jane tacos turn into MONSTER tacos! Mauahahaha. I’m so in love with Halloween that I made these tacos whilst in the middle of a horrible back spasm. Tacos are awesome as they are. But, cute tacos always win.