Cucumbers Stuffed with Humus - By Ty

My daughter is very creative, whether it be the way she dresses, fixes her hair, draws or cooks!  Actually, I can say that about both of my daughters!  My son is creative too, he just likes to keep that fact under wraps. :-))

My daughter came up with these beauties.  I wish you could taste them right through your screen!! She hollowed out the cucumbers, squeezed some lemon juice in them and scooped some humus in them.  To - die - for!!!!

She took a pretty good pic of them too!! 

Ice Cream - Ben & Jerry's

Tell me who doesn't love ice cream?? I don't know anyone personally that doesn't!

I wanted to share this pic just because!!  Stare at it, go on...lol ;-))

Breakfast - Diamond Cafe

I apologize now, because you are going to see a million pics of breakfast!! ;-)) Like I've said many times before, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, no matter when I eat it!

This time, I actually ate it at breakfast time!! I know, what a shock!! haha Anyway, I had a veggie breakfast scramble, with whole wheat toast and some pineapples and strawberries. It was so yummy!!!

UPDATE: Italian Sausage Tortellini Bake

OMG!!!! This is one of the best dishes that I've made/tasted in a long time!! I will include the link to the recipe at the bottom.  

It was easy to make, and it is super delicious!!! This is a keeper!!

Step 1: Italian sausage, orange bell pepper (unless you like green), onions sauteing 

Step 2: Simmering with Marinara sauce, Italian style diced tomatoes and garlic powder

Step 3: Cooking the tortellini (I couldn't find the frozen kind, so I used the fresh ones)

Step 4: Meat sauce and tortellini simmering together

Step 5: Everything goes in a baking dish with mozzarella cheese on top

Step 6: Remove from the oven (just look how beautiful it came out)

ENJOY!!!!

Here is the link: Copy and paste to your browser

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/italian-sausage-tortellini-bake/

ALERT: New Dish

Hey everyone!! I'm attempting to cook a new dish for dinner.  It is an Italian Sausage Tortellini Bake. Hopefully it will come out "pretty" enough for me to share the pics with you.

If it tastes good, I'll share the recipe as well.  I wanted to do a cassoulet, but chickened out at the last minute and decided on another type of comfort dish.

Wish me luck!!!

Pumpkins and a Gourd

While in the store, I saw a bin filled with pumpkins and gourds.  This particular gourd caught my eye, because I've never seen one that looked like this before.  

Not only does it have an interesting shape, but the color was pretty fascinating as well.

I just wanted to share it with you guys!

Chex Mix - Cheddar - Arnold Palmer Half & Half - Iced Tea Lemonade

I don't snack a lot, so when I do, i want it to count!! lol  In this pic is a few of my favorite things...hey wait, that line is from a movie!! 

Chex Mix makes a variety of snack mixes, but the cheddar mix is my favorite. The Arnold Palmer Half & Half Iced Tea Lemonade (Zero) is delicious and refreshing!! I haven't had the regular kind yet, but I'm sure it's just as good!!

Good snacks!! :-))

Flame Grilled Beef Patty - Ball Park

If you're like me, you didn't know that Ball Park made a beef patty!! I thought Ball Park was all about the hot dogs!!!

My son kept telling me about this product, so I thought i would give it a try.  It sounded promising on the packaging, plus my son gave it such rave reviews. haha

My take on it is, it's a HIT!!!! They were everything my son said they were. They have the grilled taste that everyone loves, and they are juicy and ready to eat in minutes.

The patties are quite large and go edge to edge in a large bun, as I've tried to show below.  if these are in your local grocery store or super market, you should definitely give them a try!!

California Rolls - Yo Sushi

California rolls are so delicious!! They are filled with avocado, cucumber and crab meat, all rolled up in rice.

It was love at first bite!! I've had other kinds of sushi, and even sashimi, but these right here are my all time favs!

You want to eat them right now, don't you?? C'mon, tell the truth!! haha ;-))

Red Velvet Cupcake - By Afiya

My niece is an aspiring chef, but I feel that she is already an outstanding cook!! She made these DELICIOUS red velvet cupcakes a while back, but I just found the pic to share with you.

Moist, delicious, sweet goodness!!! These were simply awesome!!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops - By Ty

My daughter Ty can come up with some awesome creations, and this is one of them.  Scallops are delicious and even more delicious wrapped in bacon!!

This was an awesome treat!! My daughter has this thing she does where she creates a dish, and we only get it once!! I'm going to try to get her to make her special dishes more than one time!! :-))

Fruit

I don't know about you guys, but I am a huge fan of fresh fruit.  Here are a few of my favorites!!

It's hard to say I like one fruit over the next, because I like them all!! Snack time!! :-))

Chocolate Covered Strawberry - Shari's Berries

Strawberries are the BEST!!! They are even better when covered in delicious chocolate.  Shari's Berries has some of the best, freshest tasting strawberries that they cover in their wonderful chocolate.

I've had other chocolate covered strawberries, but none come close to these. They are HUGE, juicy and sweet, even without the chocolate on them.  The good thing is that you can even order them on line.

Scrumptious!!!

Tomatoes - By Janice

These little beauties came from my sister's garden!! She has had an impressive garden this year, and I got to enjoy these wonderful tomatoes!! Even though the stems aren't green in this photo (because they've been on my counter for a while), they were still delicious!!!

It's good to know someone with a garden!!!

Turkey Tacos

Lately, if I make tacos at home, I usually use ground turkey.  It makes me feel like I'm eating healthier than when I cook with ground beef.  I'm not knocking ground beef, just that I prefer to use ground turkey.

Yes, there is actual meat underneath all the veggies.  I layer my tacos with the meat at the bottom, the cheese right on top of the meat so that it can melt a little bit.  If I have sour cream, I put it on top of the cheese, then the lettuce tomatoes and hot sauce.

They are so good, I'd dare anybody to eat just one!! ;-))  

Pigs in a Blanket

I've been making pigs in a blanket as far back as I can remember, however, these were store bought. They are much cuter than the ones I make.  Usually, I'm in a hurry because I'm making them as appetizers and I'm fighting against the clock.  No time for cuteness!! ;-))

They used what appears to be little smokies, and wrapped them in puff pastry. Very good indeed!!!

I took a pic, because...well, that's just what I do!! :-))

Grits

I can't eat my grits any other way!! My parents were from the South, so they introduced me to grits at a young age.

I've always loved them, but I'm really particular about how I eat them.  I usually mix my eggs and sausage in.  If I have some fresh salsa, I'll even put a little on top.  Sometimes I'll eat them with boiled eggs, other times with scrambled eggs.

From time to time, I'll even add cheese.  They might look at bit messy, but believe me, they are delicious like this!!  

When I say I'm particular about my grits, I really mean that.  I can't have any lumps in them. They have to be creamy and smooth, and not to stiff.  To me, grits that are too stiff, and with lumps in them are the worst!!!

Spreadable Cheese Wedges - Laughing Cow

This Garlic & Herb spread is SO good!!! Plus it doesn't hurt that it's a light spread.  In fact, that's one of the things I love about it!!

Light and creamy, AND less fat??  You can't get any better than that!! 

If you haven't tried this spread, give it a try, you may actually love it!!! :-))

Sugar Snap Peas - By Janice

Here is another pic of the sugar snap peas from my sister's garden.  She tells me that they are so good, sometimes she doesn't even cook them, she just eats the raw.

I'm going to have to get over to her house ASAP, and get some of these!!!

Veggies from the Garden - By Janice

Here is a pic of some fresh veggies from my sister Janice's garden.  She has lots of veggies in her garden, including tomatoes, but in this pic are some crooked neck yellow squash and some sugar snap peas.

FRESH rules!!!! :-))

Farm Fresh Eggs

If you are an egg lover like I am, you can appreciate farm fresh eggs!  There is nothing like fresh, no matter what it is you are talking about in regards to food.

My neighbor goes to a farm with her granddaughter, and they bring me these beautiful farm fresh eggs.  It's good to have neighbors who are wonderful people!! :-))

Pumpkin Spice Cookies - Toll House

My daughter saw these in the store and wanted to try them out.  I'm not usually a fan of "instant" cookies, meaning all you have to do is bake the dough, BUT, in this case the cookies were freakin' good!!!

I loved them!!! I'm glad she decided to pick them up.  I could have eaten the whole batch by myself, but I decided to show some restraint!! lol

Taco Bowl - Buttercup Pantry

Here is a wonderful taco bowl that my sister sent a pic of.  I love sharing food pics from my family and friends!!

I think they all know this by now, and love to see their pics on my blog as much as I do!!

My sister is going to make me go check out the Buttercup Pantry at this rate!! The food looks AWESOME!!!

French Toast - Diamond Cafe

I've been wanting French Toast ever since my sister sent me a pic of hers!! Well, I did it!!! I had French Toast for breakfast, and boy was it yummy!!

Here is the pic of my breakfast, with sausage and egg whites on the side!!

Soooooooooooooooooo delicious!!!!

Crab Louie - Diamond Cafe

I bought a rather interesting Crab Louie today! That little fuzzy looking ball on the left is the crab meat stuffed inside of an avocado!

I have eaten a lot of Crab Louie's, but never one quite like this!! I'm still not sure what to make of it, because it didn't have the "traditional" Crab Louie taste to it.

It was okay, but not great.  Hopefully they stick the the traditional kind next time. I think the chef was getting creative, which is cool, I guess. lol

Chicken and Waffles - By Ty

My daughter made this one time treat for the family and it was delicious!!! She, like my sister and my youngest daughter, definitely have the cooking gene!! ;-))

Just look at this beautiful dish!! Doesn't it make you hungry??? 

French Toast - Buttercup Pantry

In this pic is a delicious plate of french toast from the Buttercup Pantry, shared by my sister Janice.

I've yet to go to the Buttercup Pantry, but it is on my list of restaurants to visit soon!!  I hear they have quite the menu selection.

I can't wait!!! :-))

Macho Nachos - Del Taco

I was out and about yesterday, and decided to drive through the local Del Taco. There were a lot of items to choose from, but I settled on their nachos.

I don't live in the same city, so saying the "local Del Taco" may not be accurate, because it's not that close.  I'm saying all of this to explain the messy appearance of the nachos.

I was really hungry, so I guess they got tossed about a bit in the car on the way home. lol

Are they as good as my homemade version, I wouldn't go that far, but they are a decent second.  I enjoyed them to the last bite!! :-))

Beer Battered Fish & Chips

Doesn't this pic make you want to either get up and make some beer battered fish, or run out and buy some as soon as possible??

I don't know about you, but that's the way it makes me feel.  I wish I was eating this right now!!

There is a very hearty serving of the fish, and just the right amount of fries on this plate.

Compliments of my sister!!

Homemade Ice Cream

You see the ice cream in the pic below?? A chef, whom my niece knows, made this ice cream specially for my sisters.

On the left is a homemade blueberry ice cream, and on the right is his homemade vanilla ice cream.

My sister said this is the best ice cream that she has had in her life!!  Seeing these frozen treats makes me wish I had gone with them to Alaska!!

Salmon Salad

This is a pic of the salad that my niece had during my sisters' visit to Alaska.  I don't know about you, but where I'm from, it would be really hard to find a salad that has that much salmon on it!!

Beautiful salad indeed!!

Alaskan King Crab Bake

This is a pic was sent to me by my sister.  My sisters just came back from a trip to Alaska to visit my niece, and she was sweet enough to share her food pics with me to put on my blog.

She said this plate of food was very tasty!! Who knows, maybe I'll go with them next time!! :-))

In the meantime, I'll enjoy the food from afar!!

Chile Relleno - El Aguila Mexican Cuisine

Here is another pic with a different angle of that wonderful Chile Relleno! It was so beautiful, I had to take two pics of it!!! :-))

Veggie Sticks

I don't know why I keep calling these veggie chips, when they are veggie sticks!! This is what is in the bag in the background of my mimosa pic.

I just love these things, but I have to have some kind of self control with them. They are yummy!! I somehow feel less guilty eating these than when I eat potato chips...go figure!! haha

Potato, tomato and spinach flavored.

Two Tacos - El Aguila Mexican Cuisine

Here is another pic from El Aguila.  I love that they make all their tortillas fresh. You can taste the difference with the first bite!!

On the left is the tiger prawn taco, and on the right is the chicken taco.  I absolutely love this place!! I've only been there during the lunch hour, but I will definitely be checking out their dinner menu in the near future.

Sooooooooo good!!!!!!

Brown Rice Confetti - Turkey Meatballs - Sugar Snap Peas - By Janice

One of my biggest inspirations for cooking is my big sister Janice.  I wish I could have tasted the food in the pic below.

She is one of those cooks that just turns everything she cooks into the best meal you have ever tasted.  I've always been amazed by the way she can cook something for the very first time, and you just KNOW she'd been cooking the dish for years!!

She definitely has the Midas touch with her cooking!! :-))

Pretty plate too!!!

Shredded BBQ Beef

I had some beef and didn't know what to do with it, so I threw it in the slow cooker with lots of seasons so that it would be pull-apart tender.  After 9 hours, I took it out, shredded it, covered it with BBQ sauce and place it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I paired it with some rice, and some fresh broccoli.  The idea here was to create a BBQ beef bowl.  I told you that I like the idea of a one stop shop kind of meal!!

The meat was SO tender and full of flavor!! If you've never used a slow cooker, you must try it!! You just can't get this kind of tenderness any other way.  Well, maybe you can if you are really creative! ;-))

Creamy Potato Soup

After the mimosa came this idea!! haha  I decided to make a potato soup with a creamy tomato base, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, half & half, bacon, and roasted garlic.

I used a little "Slap Yo Mamma" seasoning to spice it up a bit.  I didn't overdo the spiciness, but I definitely wanted it to have a kick.  I also used garlic powder, freshly ground pepper medley, kosher salt, a smoked ham hock for a little smoky flavor, Natures Season salt (because it has everything in it), and some butter.

The richness, along with the savory spicy taste was on point!! Hey, I think I've created a new recipe that will definitely be made again!!  Loved it!!!

Mimosa

While I was sitting around deciding if I would make something new, this happened. This and those veggie chips in the background!! :-))

Chocolate Eclair - By Wynn

Life as I know it will never be the same again.  This my friends is a homemade chocolate eclair!! I've apparently been living in the dark, because I have NEVER in my life had such a fresh and tasty eclair like this one!!

My daughter's friend Wynn made this completely from scratch.  Nothing boxed or store bought here, except the ingredients.

It was melt in your mouth deliciousness!!! :-))

Chicken Taco Salad - Chicken Express

Yes, people, I LOVE sauce on my food!!! haha  This is what I chose to do for dinner, because I decided I didn't want to cook.  I know, I know, but it does happen (often!!) lol

Underneath all the cheese and sauce is an actual chicken taco salad! I love that they put the chips on the side so that they don't get soggy.

I absolutely love this salad.  I think I'll try to re-create it at home one day.  It might be a fun little kitchen project for me! :-))

Breakfast Bowl

This is my version of a breakfast bowl.  Basically, I throw everything I like in a breakfast into a bowl and cover it with cheese, and a fried egg.

I kind of like the idea of a one stop shop, much like a burrito is.  This breakfast bowl was scrumptious!!

Fried Plantains - Mariquitas - Sol Food

I've had plantains before, but I wasn't sure if I liked them or not.  They were more like a potato to me than anything else, and made in a savory dish.  

This is the first time that I've had them fried, and let me tell you, I couldn't stop eating them!!  Next up, plantains in a dessert form.  I'm pretty sure I'd like that too!!

These plantains are green plantains sliced thin and fried crispy.  They serve them with a tangy dipping sauce.

YUMMY!!!!!

Pollo Rostizado - Sol Food

Here is the second pic, which shows the plate at a different angle.  It looks absolutely delicious, and since she brought some home, I know it is!!!

My compliments to the chef!!