Crock Pot Pumpkin & Turkey Chili

November 10, 2016 Amanda Plott

As a Stubb's Insider, all ideas, recipes, & opinions are entirely my own. Sauces, marinades and seasonings are provided to me on behalf of Stubb's Bar-B-Q.

Occasionally, for one reason or another, I have started going through to rework certain older recipes. Some of them needed photography updates, others were outdated in other areas, this one though... it needed a total overhaul. My way of cooking and my thoughts towards food have changed immensely over the years as I've grown and started to come into myself as a home cook and health nut.

I never did like the original pictures that I shot to pair with this recipe, and while the recipe tasted amazing... I knew looking back at it that I could do much better by my standards today. Since we're still in the midst of pumpkin season, I thought it would be the perfect time to blow the dust of this oldie but goodie...

Skinny Broccoli Cheese Soup

December 17, 2014 Amanda Plott

I gotta say, I'm a sucker for cheese! And I'm not cheese picky either, oh no-no. I will eat just about any kind of cheese that is out there. Blue, pink, soft, hard, sweet, sharp... You name it, I'll probably try it if I haven't already!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I'm weak for cheese. So what's a girl to do about this known weakness? Certainly not cut cheese out of my life. I mean... that's just cruel and unusual punishment.

Nope! This girl needs her cheese fix. So, instead I'll opt to pack as much veggies in with my cheese as I can and do a little Jedi mind trickery on myself.

This is -not- the cheese that you want... but, this is!...

Skinny Holiday Confetti Cake Mix Cookies

December 3, 2014 Amanda Plott

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I'm getting into the holiday spirit with some festive, fun, and healthier takes on some of our favorite Christmas treats. Since we had a birthday this week, I thought it would be fitting to bake up some confetti cake mix cookies, but with holiday colors, of course!

And by birthday... I mean for my kitty-fur-baby-boy, Orion.

My four year old was pretty adamant on doing something for our kitty's first birthday. So, confetti cookies for all! Well, except for the cat, obviously. He got some new toys to play with while my daughter and I baked these cookies up...

Holiday Cheer White Sangria

November 28, 2014 Amanda Plott

This past weekend we had a little pre-holiday family get together with my dad's side of the family. After our recent loss of my grandfather to liver cancer a couple months ago, my mother and I thought it would be a great idea to get all of my cousins and our children together for a fun family sleep over to try and keep my families' spirits up this season.

While there, and amidst all the chaos of screaming kids, one of my aunts pulled me aside and gave me an unexpected gift; these wonderful wine-friendly drink coasters! What can I say? She knows me well! I was told that they better be seen being used in some of my photographs, so here you go Aunt Donna!...

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

January 2, 2014 Amanda Plott

Every year when I was growing up, my mother force fed us black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. What can I say? We're southern and it's a tradition thing. It's supposed to bring you good luck for the upcoming year. But, what eating 'dirt peas' has anything to do with a new year or good luck... escapes me entirely.

The peas were often straight from a can and without any seasoning of any kind. Usually served on the side of some sort of ham. While my mother enjoyed the out dated and rather odd tradition... the rest of us could barely stomach the one spoonful a year which we struggled down just to put a smile on my mom's pretty face. Love you, mom!