The Weekend re-Treat {#2} Link Party

A HUGE thank you to those that linked up at my very first link party last week!  It was so much fun for me to go through all of the links and check out all of your fun and cute blogs!  I don't know why I was so nervous... it ended up having a great turn out and I can't wait to see the cute and yummy things that get linked up this week too! 

Each week I will be choosing 5 of my favorite links (this was not an easy task let me tell you) from the previous link party and featuring them for everyone to see :) 

Featured Links from last weeks party:

(1) Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Valentines from {Couponing & Cooking}

(2) DIY Insulated Snow Pants from {Sew Can Do}

(3) Orange Creamsicle Eclair Cake from {Jam Hands}

(4) Tigger Tails from {Chatting Over Chocolate}

(5) Conversation Heart Banner from {Sumo's Sweet Stuff}

If you were featured this week you can grab a button here!

Also, did you notice the new and updated Link Parties Tab at the top of the page?  All bloggers that host weekly link parties are welcome to link their party button for everyone to see!  

How fun and easy is that? 

 I can't wait to see what everyone links up this week so let's get this party started!

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Check out our updated "Link Parties" Tab

All bloggers who host link parties are invited to add their button to our updated Link Party Page! 

This has been quite a process today.  I've been working non-stop trying to figure out the best way to get all of your buttons on my link party page and I've finally figured out a GREAT way to do it.  

I've only been working on this since 7am this morning.... but who's keeping track?  

If you are a blog owner and host a link party we invite you to use the easy link system on our party page to upload your photo and URL so that everyone can easily find your link party.  

I've already converted my Monday list from straight text to buttons and I'll be working on the rest of my list over the next few days.  I'd love to hear what you guys think of the new link up system in the comments, hint hint ;) 

I look forward to checking out some new really great and awesome link parties in the very near future!

Thanks in advance for hosting your great parties!  I love to link up :) 
 
   

 

Banana Muffins

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I can think of a few good reasons to go into your kitchen right now and make these delicious little treats....

1) You have a pile of sad looking bananas sitting on your counter and you don't want to throw them away, do you?  

2) It's insanely cold outside and you want to make something warm and delicious to pass the time while you're stuck inside?

3) You want your husband to come home from work and think you baked him a special treat just because you love him (just don't forget to hide the wrappers of the muffins you already ate before he gets home)!


Personally I like #3 the best!

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Easy Instant Oatmeal Cookies

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So a while back the hubby and I were out running errands and the baby fell asleep in his car seat.  I don't know about you guys but if my little guy falls asleep I usually go out of my way to let him nap, even if it means that we have to get a little creative while out and about.  Usually we just end up taking turns running into stores and doing whatever it is that we need to do.  

So when our little guy fell asleep I didn't think twice about having my husband run into Whole Foods to get a few things that we needed.  It wasn't until he came out of the store and started loading the paper bags into the car that I realized that maybe I should have taken this turn shopping.  

Folks, he came out with 6 boxes of Earths Best Organic Yummy Tummy Instant Oatmeal?!?  It was all for the baby he said.  Let's do the math shall we...  6 boxes x 10 pouches per box = 60 servings of oatmeal.  I'm sitting there thinking the baby is never gonna eat all of that oatmeal.  

Yeah, turns out he doesn't even like big boy oatmeal.... lol!  

Everyday I go into my pantry and see these boxes and wonder what the heck I'm going to do with them and yesterday it clicked.  I decided to make Instant Oatmeal Cookies.  

Glad I did, because they turned out pretty delicious if I do say so myself!

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Tofu & Broccoli Scramble

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When I say Tofu does the thought of hippies and tasteless bland food come to mind?  Well, it did to me.  I am one of those people who automatically assumed that I didn't like (hated) Tofu and it wasn't even worth a try... ever!  

I don't know why that is.  Guess somewhere along the line someone must have said how disgusting it must have been and it just stuck with me, like most other people that I know.  

Then I came across a recipe for Tofu Taco's and I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be pretty darn good! 

I wonder how many other things there are in this world that I "don't like" that I haven't even tried yet. 

Oh I thought of one... Greek Yogurt. 

I'm pretty sure I don't like greek yogurt since I heard from someone that it's yuckie...  [mental note:  add greek yogurt to my shopping list this week and see if I actually like it or if I'm just really a dork and that much of a follower].

So anyways, I am so surprised at how much I am in love with Tofu!  Especially what I made today.

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The Weekend re-Treat! {#1}

Oh my heck... I feel like I'm back in grade school waiting to get picked for the kickball team and worried that I'll be the last one remaining?

Anyone else ever have that feeling when they set out to do something new?

I'm just going to assume that you are nodding right now and that you know how I feel :)

Tonight I'm launching my very first link party... The Weekend re-Treat!  Yay! 
It officially opens at 1 am MST :)

I'm so excited and so nervous at the same time.  What happens if nobody show's up?  What if it's a complete and total dud?  I'm a big worry-wart when it comes to "what if's".

Ok, I'll stop now and just cross my fingers (and toes) and just get excited to see what everyone posts this weekend!

Here are the link details....

And don't forget to grab a button here!

Chicken Mexican Casserole

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What's better than a mexican casserole for dinner?  Nothing!  

You know what's even more exciting for me than a yummy mexican casserole? It's the fact that this is a family recipe that my mom sent to me.  I knew she had been making it for years but just hadn't gotten around to trying it since we live thousands of miles apart.  

Ok, I'm a dork.  

In the middle of my post I had to Google it and our cities are actually 833 miles apart.  It really does seem like thousands since I don't get to see her as often as I would like.  

Thank you mom, and thank you family for making this dish!  It is a definite keeper and will be oun our mexican food rotation for sure!

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Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork

You can imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe.  I couldn't believe it... Asian Pulled Pork made in my crock pot?  Don't mind if I do :)

I've really had to start getting creative when it comes to different types of foods. Why you ask?  Well, my daughter has a really terrible peanut/tree nut allergy so we have to be super careful where we eat when we dine out.  So that pretty much crosses off Pei Wei, PF Changs, Panda Express and every other place that is super yummy and delicious.  

Mommy has to go without....

And mommy doesn't like it (sometimes)!

Some days I just wanna get my Pei Wei on if you know what I mean?

That's why I've started cooking more of my favorite Asian Dishes at home.   And the best part is my family has been really enjoying them as much as I have been too!  That always makes me happy :)

Yes, we loved this new Asian Pulled Pork Recipe.  I kind of figured we would after I took a peek at the ingredients and saw how easy it was to make.

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Bagel Burgers

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Who doesn't like a good hamburger?  Lately they are kind of hard to come by.  It seems like the same old thing everywhere I go.  Sure, I could change up the topping but same old, same old.

Bun, burger, cheese, tomato, pickle, mayo, ketchup, mustard and sometimes even bacon.

But still just a hamburger.

That's why we change it up a bit and make our hamburgers on bagels.  Yes, that's right... soft, delicious, buttery bagels!

Now I'm not talking about your run of the mill toasted in the toaster bagel.  Nope, that wouldn't do.
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Tuna Pasta (Cold)

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This is one of those dishes I can't make very often because I find myself eating it for breakfast, lunch & dinner for days!

It's funny that this simple dish gets such "rave" reviews.  I've made this and taken it to work and had people actually ask me to make it again, and again!  I've taken it to holiday dinners (my hubby has 7 siblings + their families) and everyone gobbles it right up!  We've served it to our dinner group friends.  We've served it at a baby shower.  We take this dish anywhere we can it seems like.

Need me to bring a dish to an event... sign me up!

And the best part?  It's an inexpensive dish to make. Gotta love that ;)
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Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Taco's

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What's better than an overstuffed taco filled to the brim with delicious slow cooked shredded beef?  Nothing!  That's right.  It doesn't get much better than this!

My house smelled SO delicious all day while this was cooking.  I'm going to share a little secret with you.  I broke the rules.  I did the one thing you shouldn't do while cooking in your slow cooker... I lifted the lid.  I admit it.  I did it on more than one occasion while this baby was cooking to perfection.  I couldn't help myself.  This darn beef smelled so good I couldn't hardly stay away.

Don't tell anyone, ok ;-)
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GUEST POST: Neapolitan Bonbon Cupcakes

 

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I am on a total cupcake kick lately and trust me when I tell you.... there are about a million ways to make a cupcake.  

I had no idea.  

It almost feels like there is a secret society of women making yummy delicious cupcake treats and sharing that information within their little secret cupcake circles and I finally figured out how to become part of their secret society... thank you Pinterest!  

I found this awesome food blog {Sprinkle Bakes} earlier in the week and I have to say I Love It!  

Heather, the blog owner has been a busy girl creating some fabolous treats and taking truly amazing pictures in the process.  

I came across these Neapolitan Bonbon Cupcakes and instantly thought of making them for Valentines Day this year.  My family will be so impressed!  

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Bourbon Chicken

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I love Bourbon Chicken, I have for quite some time now.  It started a long, long time ago when I worked retail management and would eat in the food court more often that I should have been.  I would always walk past the Japanese place that gave out free samples of their bourbon chicken regardless if that's what I was going to eat that day.  I just really love the stuff and it's definitely been way too long since I've had it.  That's why I was so exited when I came across a great looking recipe for it over at Jamie Cooks It Up. 

Usually Teryaki Chicken is the dish of request here in our house... until last night when I made Bourbon Chicken for the first time.  Saying that my family loved it would be an understatement.  I'm pretty sure that my daughter has asked me 3 times in the last 24 hours when I can make it again.  And she even had left overs for breakfast, lol!

This was actually a super easy dish to make, and I like it when things are easy to cook up!
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Pizzetti [Pizza & Spaghetti Casserole]

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It's pizza....  It's spaghetti....  It's Pizzetti!

A couple of years ago we were making one of our favorites, spaghetti when we realized that we didn't have any hamburger to put in it.  We're kind of weird and didn't just want to just eat noodles, sauce and cheese so my husband thought it would be fun to put pepperoni in it.

Glad he had that idea because Pizetti is so good!  

It's so much fun when you try new things and they turn out to be so good

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Recipe Fail: Hershey Kiss Thumbprint Cookies

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Today's fun recipe turned into a complete and total failure.  Well, I guess I did get some regular sugar cookies out of it, but overall it was a disaster from start to finish.

I'm really not kidding when I say that something went wrong at every point in the process.

Let me tell you about it....

I was really pressed for time tonight.  I mean, I was running out of daylight and we all know that food photo's turn out better when they are photographed in the natural light.  So, off I went and got out all of the ingredients I needed to make sugar cookies.

Then the thought suddenly crossed my mind that maybe I needed to jump on the computer to grab a thumbprint recipe that I had saved earlier in the week... but being the awesome chef that I am I decided to just wing it because I was in such a hurry.

So... I started putting the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, SUGAR.  No, no, no.  The sugar doesn't go in with the dry ingredients.  I seriously just stood there and didn't know what to do.  I was supposed to put the sugar in with the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.  OK... we'll just see how this turns out.

Moving on.
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GUEST POST: Swedish Meatballs and Parmesan Butternut Squash

This morning we have a Guest Post from the cute food blog {Cupookies}.

Kjersti's been busy creating some goodness over at her blog and I'm excited to have partnered with her to bring you this awesome Swedish Meatball and Parmesan Butternut Squash recipe! 

So who loves meatballs?  Me!  I love meatballs!  My husband doesn't quite understand why I love meatballs so much.  We have this ongoing debate in our marriage.... 

You see, he doesn't like meatballs, but he likes hamburgers.  He doesn't like meatballs but he likes ground beef in spaghetti.  He doesn't like meatballs but he likes ground beef in taco's.  So what's his major malfunction with the meatball?

I don't really know.  He's weird like that.  But it doesn't really bother me anymore because I figured  out that since he only eats a few meatballs when I make them that it leaves all the rest for me!  Think about it... This yummy, delicious Swedish Meatball recipe would be great for me because I could hog most of them to myself and enjoy them in all their Swedish saucy goodness ;)  Life is good!
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Texas Style Chili

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A winter storm moved through this week and we got hit hard with snow and freezing temperatures.   I think the final snow total was about 23 inches over a 3 day period in our city, which was way more than they forecasted.  Why are weather people so wrong all the time?  I mean, how hard can it be?  It's like they're trying to predict the future or something ;)

Anyways, I was so excited to go out and shovel the driveway before my hubby got home from work and got about 2 rows done of our huge, long driveway and gave up.  That's about the time I called him and told him to stop and get a snow blower on the way home.  It was too cold and there was way more snow than I thought.

Since it was about 15° outside I thought it would be nice to make Texas Chili for dinner, which is one of our favorites.  I'm gonna be honest with you... this is really good (and addicting) chili! 

Now let me just put a disclaimer in here real quick: This is a hot and spicy dish if you make it with the amount of seasoning I have on the recipe.  We like it hot so you might want to put a little less to start and add more seasoning after you've tasted it.
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Hawaiian Haystacks

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After my family ate their Hawaiian Haystacks tonight I asked them to rate it on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best.  My husband who won't rate anything higher than a 4 gave it an immediate 5!  My daughter rated it at a 27.5, a little out of the rating scale and a friend of ours gave it a 5!

This is one of my top 10 favorite meals and I would eat it once a week if my family would let me.  I know it sounds simple.... Hawaiian Haystacks, but I bet you'll love it too if you try it!
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Magic Turtle Bars

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You know what?  I have EVERYTHING I need to run into the kitchen and make these right now!  Only one problem... my family is home today :(

Snow day at school so the kids are home and the hubby is out shoveling as we speak.  That means I would have to share these little magic treats.  And I don't really want to.

Don't judge.  You know how it is.  We all have those days!
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Cilantro Thai Chicken

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I was on Pinterest a couple of days ago searching for new recipes to try and came across a "Cilantro Thai Chicken" recipe that looked interesting.  I knew my family would like it but there was just one problem.... I HATE cilantro.  I had to put that in caps because that's how strongly I dislike the stuff.  It smells terrible, then it gets on my hands after I handle it... gag!
But, being the great wife and mother that I am I decided to try this recipe anyways, even if it meant I would end up making something different for myself if I didn't like it.

Let me tell you, not many thing surprise me anymore but this recipe definitely did! I tweaked it a little bit from the original recipe and it turned out to be SO DELICIOUS!
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Healthy Zucchini & Tuna!

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Since I've been losing weight over the past couple of months I have really enjoyed making healthy lunches for myself during the day.  I've tried to break out of my norm and find healthier alternatives to the things I usually love to eat.

Today I thought tuna sounded good.  On a normal day I would put it in a bowl with tons of mayonnaise, lemon and onion.  Then I'd toast a bagel and put butter on that. I hate to admit but I'd probably have chips with it too.

Yeah, not the healthiest lunch in the world.... but super tasty!

So, in my weight loss journey I've been learning new and healthier ways to cook.  Mostly for myself since my skinny family can eat whatever they want and get away with it.
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Authentic Mexican Rice

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To say that Mexican food is greatly loved in our house would be an understatement.  I think if given the choice, my family would opt for some sort of mexican dish on a daily basis if they could.  Sometimes I think that the only reason that they eat other types of food is because I cook all of the meals and they don't really have a choice :-)

With that said...  have I mentioned how "rice challenged" I am yet?  No joke.  Every time I make rice, without fail something always seems to go wrong.  You won't see many rice recipes on this blog because my rice usually turns out to be ugly.  Humm, maybe I could have a recipe category called "Ugly Rice".  What do you think?  Would you go and check that one out, lol! 
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Panko Breaded Onion Rings

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I decided to take inventory of our fridge, which can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.  Let's see... leftovers, veggies galore, drinks, and Homemade Ranch Dressing.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I made that.  

I could have made a salad for my family to go with their Turkey Sub Sandwiches for dinner but I didn't feel like listening to them complain about a salad (yeah, that's how they are - both skinny and can eat anything they want - darn those two).  Fries, tator tots or chips?  Maybe...  but I have a billion onions that need to be used so why not make onion rings?  

My usual onion ring consists of a flour, egg wash & seasoning mixture but I wanted to do something different.  I'm all about trying something new, right?  
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