Savory Holiday Monkey Bread

December 10, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love monkey bread. I love that it’s a quick, easy, and delicious way to pack a lot more flavor into any traditional biscuit dough. Usually monkey bread is sweet and is made as more of a breakfast or even as a dessert. Such as my cherry pie version, or my pumpkin spice one! But, not much can beat the strawberries and cream monkey bread.

Today though, I was craving tomato soup and some crunchy bread. It’s chilly out and that traditional meal sounded very comforting. But then! I thought better of myself. Why make a boring plain old grilled cheese when I could make something drinkable, dipable, and fun instead?!…

Mediterranean Snack Box

November 9, 2018 Amanda Plott

I am completely under the weather today. I’m still not completely sure if it’s the weather, allergies, or if I just flat out have a cold. Nothing much is going to keep me from doing my thing though, so on with the show! Whilst my throat, face, and most of my body hurts… I’ve opted to keep the meals this week simple.

This Mediterranean Snack Box isn’t really a recipe, but more so a meal prep option for lunch! Plus, I have a few hummus recipes that would go perfectly in this box. The 5 Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is one of my favorites. But that Roasted Beat Hummus has got to be the most pretty!…

Rustica Salad

October 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

Well, I guess I spoke too soon about the weather cooling off. It’s been cooler, yes… but we’ve still gotten well up into the 80’s for a couple of days this week. It’s been nice for the most part, crips mornings, warm days, and cool evenings to follow. And while I’m completely set on Fall and Winter meals now, I still needed to toss in a light salad into the mix this week.

I’m calling this the ‘rustica salad’ because that’s the name of the salad that I got the idea for this one from. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it with a homemade dressing and plenty of toppings. The homemade Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorites. I make a double or triple batch of it up at a time and keep it on hand in the fridge quite often…

Skinny Stuffed Mushrooms

October 24, 2018 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyCalphalonKitchen #CollectiveBias

With the oncoming holidays, comes entertaining. And with entertaining, comes appetizers! And I for one, love appetizers. I could make a meal alone out of small appetizers, both hot and cold. One of my favorites though, has to be stuffed mushrooms. My love of stuffed mushrooms goes back several years where I think my first try was at a little Italian restaurant.

I immediately, and without being much of a cook at the time, taught myself how to make them. Skip forward to today and I like to make them with a few minor changes to the original easy recipe that included cream cheese, bacon, and just a touch of Italian cheese. I mean, who doesn’t just love the combination of cheese, mushrooms, and bacon? You’d be crazy not to!…

Farmers' Market Cornbread

October 20, 2018 Amanda Plott

While it’s chilly here in Texas, you better believe that I’m taking FULL advantage of it. Which is why tonight I’m making a special sort of soup tonight and this awesome Farmers’ Market Cornbread to go along with it!

I based this cornbread off of my Baked Hush Puppies, which made use of a very clever and quick hack for making cornbread things. It’s basically mixing a self-rising cornmeal, creamed corn, and just few other things together to make a one bowl easy-peasy cornbread…

Roasted Tomato Soup

October 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

There is one thing for sure, no one is ever too old to enjoy tomato soup! One of my best memories growing up, had to have been the simple and easy dinner my mom would make on cold Fall or winter days… and that was a grilled cheese and tomato soup. Of course, even though you won’t grow out of tomato soup, your tastes do change. So today, I’ve elevated the classic and my favorite.

I’ve made plenty of tomato soup in the past, but I saw a rather ingenious hack not so long ago about making it by easily and with fresh tomatoes! No other cooking is involved other than that! Roasting the tomatoes also gives a smoky depth of flavor, that you otherwise wouldn’t have too…