Cranberry Apple Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

July 13, 2018 Amanda Plott

Product was provided to me on behalf of Cape Cod Cranberries to review, use, and write about. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

It's hot. It's hot. It's really really hot here in Texas right now and all I want to do is avoid using my stove or oven! So, today for lunch, I decided to go with a super quick and easy cold and crunchy salad. And when I say easy, I mean almost ridiculously easy. It's so easy that it only takes a whopping 5-10 minutes from start to finish with preparing it.

The best part? There is absolutely NO cooking or heating required! How do you do that? Well, cranberries! Cranberries are a favorite of mine and I love finding clever ways to use them up all year round. They are so versatile that they can be used in just about any meal or in any type of drink. Trust me, I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve when it comes to these tart bright red little gems. Never mind all their health benefits…

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…

Firecracker Cookies (With Popping Candies!)

July 4, 2018 Amanda Plott

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today I have something very special to share. Many many years ago, before The Skinny Fork was even a shadow of a thought, I had stumbled upon this recipe for July 4th Pop Rocks cookies and they were a HUGE hit with the family. They are bright, colorful, fun, and they pop in your mouth!

It's been a while since I've made those cookies, so I decided it was high time for me not only to make them, but to make a healthified version of them to share. These cookies are a lightly flavored sugar cookie base that's made with some popping candy in the dough. They are then topped off with a lightened up cream cheese frosting and then a bunch more popping candies and festive sprinkles too…

Red White & Blueberry Salad (With Champagne Vinaigrette!)

July 2, 2018 Amanda Plott

This year for the 4th of July we've got some visitors in town for a few days. Amidst the usual chaos of the holiday, I thought it was high time to make a fun, easy, little patriotic salad that could be easily tossed together and enjoyed as a festive side or even as lunch!

I basically started this salad off with one of the most easy and tasty vinaigrettes I've ever had. It's simple and so easy to make with just three basic ingredients; plus some salt and pepper! What goes better with celebrating Independence Day other than with some champagne, anyway? Even if it is in the form of a vinaigrette…

Spinach & Artichoke Mediterranean Burgers (Lettuce Wrapped)

June 28, 2018 Amanda Plott

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reese Specialty Foods. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

Just about everyone enjoys a good burger. Especially during the summertime when grilling season is in full swing! I don't know about you, but I always like to play around with burger flavors. I guess that started some years back now when I was in high school and my parents started buying these 'fully loaded' burgers from a local grocery chain. They were always delicious but super expensive! I knew even then how easy they would be to make ourselves at home, and how much cheaper and better they would be too!

Now, I'll be honest in saying that, originally, I was just going to shoot for a spinach and artichoke burger. But I figured, why stop there? We're going way outside the box here! So, I ended up making these Spinach & Artichoke Mediterranean Burgers which really couldn't be any more fully loaded…

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!…