Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

December 1, 2022 Amanda Plott

After the rush that was last week, I've kept it pretty simple this week. And nothing is more simple than a grilled cheese. This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese takes it a step further, leaving you making the famous American sandwich hands free in the air fryer. The best part is that you get a perfectly crisp toast on the outside and an ooey-gooey melted cheese on the inside. You truly can’t go wrong here.

There isn’t a whole lot here to healthify or make better-for-you while also keeping with the classic. I started this sandwich off with Texas toast, because there’s no other way to have the sandwich if you’re aiming for traditional. But, you could definitely swap the bread out for something whole wheat or sprouted grain. Today though? I want CLASSIC…

Giant Instant Pot Pancake

November 18, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s been… a week. And I couldn’t be more stoked that it’s Friday. Normally Friday doesn’t mean a whole lot to me since I’m technically ‘always working’, but today means that my kiddo will be out for school for the next week and I can’t wait for the bit of a rest! To celebrate, I decided to try and make something epic. Something BIG.

That’s where this Giant Instant Pot Pancake comes in! This big boy is about an inch and a half tall and nearly takes up an entire dinner plate. That’s how big it is! It’s definitely not meant for just one person, unless you’re spreading it out over a couple of days. And it’s for sure a fork and knife sort of situation here…

Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake

November 9, 2022 Amanda Plott

Dinner is SERVED. This Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake is super simple to make, it’s meatless vegetarian, and it only has a few ingredients. It starts off with a whole wheat pasta. I used some odds and ends of small pasta that I had on hand; some elbow and some shells that I put together to make a full 10 ounces of noodle. Of course, it’s lightened up with reduced fat cheeses, both with the mozzarella and with the ricotta which goes along with a full 16 ounces of spinach!

I did decide to use a jarred pasta sauce to keep it extra simple. But if I had any leftover sauce stored in the freezer, I would have used that instead. So feel free to use your favorite tomato based spaghetti sauce or marinara here. And you’ll want to reach each part individually so that you really get the flavor through it all that you want…

Spinach Pie

October 22, 2022 Amanda Plott

I like spinach and I like pie, so here we are. This Spinach Pie sort of reminds me of a quiche but it doesn’t have any egg in it. I could still see it being a good pie to have for just about any time of the day, be it breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner. It’s completely meatless and vegetarian. Another good thing about this recipe is that it’s super easy to make and is pretty tasty when you take the time to season each layer to your liking.

Can I say how much I enjoy using puff pastry as a crust for pies? I love the flaky crispy brown bits that you get and the bread crumb on the bottom layer adds a bit more texture and serves to soak up any of the leftover moisture from the spinach…

No Bake Zombie Brain Cheesecake

October 13, 2022 Amanda Plott

Halloween dessert at it’s finest. This No Bake Zombie Brain Cheesecake will… take the cake! I used a plastic brain mold to make this no bake cheesecake extra spooky! With a little bit of green food coloring and some time chilling out, this dessert is perfect for Halloween vibes. I based this no bake cheesecake off of one that I made a while back, I just discarded the crust and formed it into a brain.

All in all this gooey green zombie brain is a great way to spook the kiddos and also get in good on the dessert! You can use cookies or sweet pita crisps to scoop up this cheesecake to enjoy. I also used some graham cracker crumbs around the dish to really get that cheesecake feel in there…

Crock Pot Japanese Onion Soup

October 1, 2022 Amanda Plott

We all know that soup that they serve at the hibachi style steak houses and how good it is for being something so simple. It’s one of the main things that my kiddo happens to look forward to when we go, so a lot of years back - way back in 2013, I decided to try my hand at making the soup at home and it was a success!

Not only that, but I also made it in the crock pot, which meant that I didn’t have to have almost any hands on time. It’s definitely one of those ‘set it and forget it’ sort of things which makes it perfect for serving up as a part of an asian themed dinner…