Greek Lemon & Chicken Soup

September 28, 2018 Amanda Plott

I really really really didn’t intend to have two soup recipes in a row, but that’s just how it turned out! Initially I made this Greek Lemon & Chicken Soup a week or two back as a test recipe, and it was so good that I just couldn’t help but make it again sooner than later. Especially as we’re rolling on into cooler weather and soup season.

For being a soup, this one is on the lighter and brighter side of the spoon with lemon and feta in it. Which can be a good thing as we travel on into winter and start in with those dreaded winter blues. Eh… who am I kidding? We don’t generally have time in winter to get the winter blues here in Texas, but I know there are some of you that do!…

Southwest Couscous Salad

September 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love couscous. I love it in traditional form and I love it Israeli style too. What's the difference though? Traditional couscous is smaller grained and the Israeli one is more of a 'pearl' couscous. Small little beads of 'pasta' that are extremely versatile and can be amazingly delicious!

The lunchtime struggle is real, and I know it is. I've found that if I don't have something prepared ahead of time for lunch, that I'll often go without or end up eating a less than stellar choice. With couscous being one of my favorite things, and pasta salad on the mind, I thought it would be a great time to make a couscous 'pasta' salad!…

Minestrone (Instant Pot)

August 16, 2018 Amanda Plott

Yeah, so... I might be on vacation, but that doesn't stop this work engine from running. I really wanted to get at least one recipe out during the week of my being gone. So whilst in the midst of packing and sorting and getting ready, I was also busy in the kitchen. Okay. Not really busy. This Minestrone soup is delicious, simple, tradtional, and couldn't be any more quick or easy to make.

One of my favorite things about this soup, is that it's a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge or pantry. Any of the vegetables or noodles or beans can be swapped out for nearly any alternative that you might have on hand…

Summer Squash & Ricotta Pasta

July 6, 2018 Amanda Plott

Oyi, oyi, oyi! We are in the THICK of summer right now. It is H. O. T. - HOT! But, one thing I'm not mad about is the plethora of summer veggies and fruits that comes along with the heat. The summer squash and tomatoes are in season here right now and I am eating it up. Pun totally intended.

Summer squash is one of my favorite veggies, that's because they are so versatile. And while there's a lot of things that you can do with them, I've been craving pasta - so that's where they went today. Not just any pasta though. Whole wheat pasta that's kept light and yet creamy still with some ricotta cheese…

Magical Color Changing Unicorn Noodles

June 26, 2018 Amanda Plott

I feel as though I should explain here that my daughter and I are pretty much obsessed with mermaids, unicorns, rainbows and glitter. So when 'science' week started, I just knew that we were going to have to make ourselves some magical color changing noodles!

Unlike most 'colored' noodles out there, we're coloring these naturally by way of a purple cabbage. This gives those rice noodles a beautiful all natural light purple color.

I should also explain here that this is a simple recipe. It's not 'gourmet' by any means. I mean... let's face it, they're basically garlic buttered noodles, but the magic of the color changing and the fun with these noodles are what make them stand out!…

Seashell Pasta Salad

June 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

We're a few days into our week long theme of the ocean over here and we're really having a fun time of it! Since we're not big on seafood in this house, coming up with clever non-fishy ocean themed recipes has proved to be... well... a little challenging. It's also been so very worth it too though!

The inspiration behind this pasta salad actually came from one of my daughter's cook books. I had to do a lot of tweaking to the original though to suit our tastes. So much so, that by the time I was done with it... it's basically a whole new recipe…