Salmon Burgers - By Michael

Seeing these salmon burgers makes me smile!!! Salmon burgers were one of my mom's favorite things to make, but she only made them on special occasions.  That made me want them even more!!

They are a nice change from beef burgers, and if you love seafood, you'll love salmon burgers!!  They are literally bursting with flavor in every bite!!

YUMMY!!!! :-))

Kielbasa with Brown Sugar & Onions - By Michael

I'm learning new things on a daily with this food blog.  I never thought of putting brown sugar and onions in my Kielbasa, but now I know!! :-))

It sounds absolutely delish!! I think this is something I'm going to put on my "to cook" list!!

Just stare at that pic below, and I'm sure you'll want to try it too!! ;-))

Seven Up Pound Cake - By Michael

I've had Seven Up pound cake before, and let me tell you...if you haven't tried one before, do yourself a favor and try it immediately!! ;-))

It's pound cake with twice the flavor of a regular pound cake, sooo yummy!!

This delicious looking pound cake was made by Michael.

Bruschetta - By Leomar

Just look at the beautiful homemade Bruschetta that Leomar made!! I can practically taste them now!! Looking at this pic is making me hungry!! I want some!!! :-))

This is one of those foods that was love at first bite for me!! Mmm, mmm good!!

Super Nachos - Adalbertos

When Adalbertos says SUPER nachos, they aren't playing around.  Here is their super nachos, which has steak (very tender), tomatoes, cheese, cilantro, guacamole, onions and sour cream.

They literally give you a POUND of steak on these nachos!  The nachos hold up to the weight that is placed on top of them.  They stay crunchy, but not tough until the last bite...assuming you can actually finish this!! They are REALLY good!!

I'll eat maybe a quarter of this, and I'm done!! So, if you have an Adalbertos near you, and you haven't tried these, give them a try soon.  You might want to share these with a friend!!  Sharing is caring!! ;-))

They have truly mastered the super nachos!!!

Roasted Cornish Game Hen - By Janice

Here is a beautiful pic of a roasted Cornish game hen, paired with fresh broccoli and seasoned rice, made by my sister.

It looks awesome and tasty!!

I love looking at food pics, even if I can't taste the dish!! 

I'm very fortunate that my friends and family are allowing me to share their tasty dishes on my blog!! :-))

Key Lime Cilantro Shrimp Skillet - By Michael

Here is a pic of a wonderful, and I'm sure tasty dish made by Michael!

It sounds delicious!!! I really like key-lime, and shrimp...so adding cilantro to the mix makes perfection! He paired the skillet dish with quinoa and black beans.

Thanks for sharing Leomar & Michael!!

Chicken & Sea Bass - Scott's Seafood Restaurant

People, people, people!!!! This was so "off the chain!!" lol

Again, I was hungry and didn't ask all the right questions.  I can tell you that the chicken was encrusted, but I don't remember with what..haha

There are garlic mashed potatoes, a veggie medley and sea bass in a sun dried tomato sauce!!  That sauce though!! There are no words to describe how good it was!!

Everything, and I mean everything was amazing!!! :-))

Cranberry Upside Down Cake - Scott's Seafood

I just wasn't doing my job while taste testing!! lol  I didn't ask what type of sauce this was.

I just dug in without a second thought!! This dessert is the bomb!!!! It was served warm, and had a nice crunchy outside crust.

OMG!!!!! LOVED every bit of this!!!

Sweet Potato Pie - By Joann

This was the first time that my sister made a sweet potato pie in the traditional Southern way, like my Aunt.

She was very excited about making them, and she even brought one whole pie to my house late in the evening!!

She did an outstanding job on it!! It was sooooooooooo good!!!!! 

Fruit Snacks - Black Forest

I bought these simply because they were on sale! I couldn't pass them up!! haha

I was very pleasantly surprised by them.  Turns out my sister already knew about them, and so did one of my daughters!  Best kept secret of all times!!

They have a nice juicy center, and they have great flavors!! I will definitely buy these again!!

Chicken & Veggie Pot Stickers

To me, no matter how they are cooked, I absolutely love pot stickers.

In this pic are some chicken & veggie pot stickers that I cooked at home.  I boiled them first, then drained them and sauteed them in a pan using a little peanut oil and soy sauce.

Yummy goodness!!!

Hot Pastrami Sandwich - Subway

I'll be the first to admit, it wasn't a very HOT pastrami sandwich after I pilled all the greens on it!! lol

I usually tell them to just put everything on it, an if it's something I don't like, I'll pick it out.  Well, I didn't pick anything out of this awesome sandwich!!

I love lots of flavor in my food, and this sandwich did not disappoint!! :-))

Salad - Scott's Seafood Restaurant

This is the salad that will be served at the Holiday party for my job.  I was chosen as one of the food tasters!!  Lucky me, right?? :-))

I forgot the name of this salad, but from the very first bite, it was scrumptious!! I know that it had candied cashews, pomegranates and blue cheese vinaigrette and lots of other flavors happening.

I loved it!!! I think everyone else will love it as well!!

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Here is a pic of my spaghetti with meatballs and hot links.  I kind of cheated with this one, because I was just being lazy.

I bought Italian style frozen meatballs, instead of making them myself!! I'm sure you all understand that. I used Ragu spaghetti sauce, but then again, I use that the majority of the time.  One of these days, I'm actually going to make sauce from scratch! It can't be that hard....right??

I work a full time job, and sometimes at the end of the day, I just want to cook dinner quickly.

I have to admit, these meatballs were pretty good!! I added ground parsley on top and dinner was ready to eat!! :-))

Churros Cheesecake - By Leomar

Oh man, she's killing me over here with these delicious looking pics!!

Check out her version of a Churros Cheesecake!!!

Awesomeness!!!

Saucy Roast Beef Sliders - By Leomar

These sound SO good!! It's one of the many things cooked by Leomar that I wish I could taste!!

These look super awesome and sound even tastier!!!

Thanks for sharing the pic Leomar!!

Veggie Burrito - Diamond Cafe

This veggie burrito was delicious!!! Simple and delicious!!!

I asked for a spinach tortilla, beans, rice, a veggie medley made up of zucchini and mushrooms, sour cream and salsa.

They didn't have any jalapenos by the burrito station (can you even believe that!!), so I scored some over by the salad bar!! ;-))

Ramen Egg - By Ty

The first time my daughter mentioned ramen egg to me, all I could do is scratch my head.  I had never heard of such a thing, so she promised to make it for me. The very first time I tasted it, I fell in love with it!!

Think in terms of an omelet, because that's kind of how it comes out.  An omelet with noodles!! haha

In this version, she added some soy Chorizo, taco seasoning, and the ramen seasoning pack.

I put Sriracha on mine, and added the salami.  :-))

Spinach Salad

It's nice to be able to eat a salad with such tasty green leafy veggies, such as spinach or kale.  

I made this salad using spinach, blue cheese vinaigrette, apples, cucumbers, tomatoes and boiled eggs.

The spinach was so tender, and the apples just worked.  Honestly, I put the apples on top for photo purposes, but then I just decided to eat the salad with the apples.

OMG!! Talk about a flavor burst!!! You all should give this a try sometime!! Yummy!!!!

Pound Cake - By Aunt Clota

My Aunt Clota does a LOT of things well. This is just one of the many things she does to perfection!

I've always considered it a treat to be able to eat some of her pound cake.  I don't know anyone that has mastered it the way she has.  I think even if she gave me the recipe, it would NOT taste anywhere near as good as hers.

The inside is soft and melt in your mouth, and the outside has a nice crunchy crust that is not burned, not dry, but pure AWESOMENESS!!

On a scale of 1 - 5 stars: 5+ STARS!!!!!

Crispy Chicken Strips with Cajun Fries - Popeyes

Fried chicken!!! What more can I say, it's just delicious when it's done right. Meaning, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside!!  Now that's done RIGHT!!

Popeyes is really good at that.  Outside of my own fried chicken, I like them the best!!

The crispy chicken strips are paired with their outstanding Cajun fries!! You can see all of the seasonings in this pic.

VERY tasty fries, not boring at all!!

Grits & Bagel

I have a DEEP love for grits.  It reminds me of Sunday mornings as a child, because that was the only time my mom would cook them.  She would cook creamy grits with bacon, sausage and eggs. 

Just thinking about those times puts a smile on my face!!

In this pic are some creamy grits with butter, boiled eggs and turkey bacon.  On the side I have one bagel, but I couldn't decide which cream cheese to use, so I used the salmon cream cheese on one side and the jalapeno cream cheese on the other side.

One delicious breakfast for sure!!! :-))

Breakfast Sandwich - Diamond Cafe

This people, is my "go to sandwich" as you probably know by now.

I woke up, went in to work and waited for the cafeteria to open.  The whole time, I was thinking that I really wanted to eat oatmeal.  Somehow, I wound up ordering my favorite breakfast sandwich.

I got the usual things in it, ham, provolone and eggs.  I asked for egg whites, but the short order cook must have had his mind elsewhere, because he gave me regular eggs.  

Oh well, anything in a crescent is good to me!! It was delicious as usual!!

Pesto Mac-n-Cheese with Chicken - Diamond Cafe

Hi all!!! LOTS has been going on in my world.  I was super busy and didn't get around to posting a lot of things.

I've posted them on my IG, but not on my blog.

I like to give more in depth explanations about the pics on here, and unfortunately didn't have time to do that. :-(

This is one of those dishes that I spotted, and wasn't too sure about.  I decided to give it a try, and I'm SO happy that I did!!!! 

This was dish had so much flavor, it was unreal.  I could have eaten two of them, but I didn't want to be greedy!! 

The dish is topped with fried leeks, which added a very nice crunch to the dish.  I actually went back to tell the Chef what I thought of the dish.  He just gave me the biggest smile!  He made my day, and I made his!!!

Deluxe California Roll - Yo Sushi

Yo Sushi strikes again!! lol

In this pic is a deluxe California Roll!!  I guess I haven't been living, because I didn't know there was such a thing as a deluxe California Roll!!

They make the traditional California Roll, and top it with extra crab meat and panko bread crumbs.

It was SO delicious!! The extra crunch from the bread crumbs added a little extra delight to an already delightful dish!! 

LOVED it!!!!!

Spinach & Kale Salad - By Janice

Here is a beautiful spinach & kale salad made by my big sis Janice!! She brought this salad over to my house, along with the muffins.

I'm telling you, I have great sisters!!! They both cook, and they both like to share!!

I ate some of this last night with some blue cheese vinaigrette, and it was one of the BEST salads that I have tasted in a long time!!

I didn't ask her, but I'm pretty sure she used some garlic powder in it. YUM!!

Chimichanga Cheesecake - By Leomar

I'm happy for a good reason about these...Leomar said that she would make them again, and share them with me!!!  I'm so excited!!

These chimichanga cheesecakes are rolled in cinnamon and sugar!!  I KNOW they are as awesome as they look in this pic!!

Feast your eyes on these!! ;-))

I tried to get the pic to rotate...FAIL!!! LOL

Coconut Blueberry Muffins (Gluten free) - By Janice

These wonderful homemade coconut blueberry, gluten free muffins were made by my big sister Janice.  I believe she followed a basic recipe, but added some things on her own, like flax seed!

She brought them over to my house last night, and I couldn't wait to give them a try.  They are SO good!  If I had to give her stars on these, this is what I would rate them on a scale of 1-10:

STARS: 10!!!!!!!!!!! :-))

Crab Artichoke Dip - By Leomar

Here is another great combo, crab and artichoke!! In this pic, Leomar has paired the two together for a great dip!!

Leomar, if you are reading this, you're going to have to share this recipe with me!! It looks delicious!!

Yummy!!!!

Jambalaya Garnish - By Leomar

Just look at this beautiful pic!! This is a Jambalaya garnish that she made with green onions!!

Man, I wish I were eating this right now!! I love Jambalaya, and I love green onions.  The two together is pure genius!!!

Look awesome Leomar!!

Cranberry Walnut Salad - Nugget Market

You see that pic down there, yeah, that one!!

Doesn't it make you want to run out and get the ingredients to make one yourself, come on, I know it does!! ;-))

This beautiful piece of art came from the Nugget Market, compliments of my sister again! It has all the stuff that I love in it..walnuts, feta cheese, cranberries, and raspberry vinaigrette!!

This salad was as awesome as it looks!!! 

Light Breakfast

Sometimes, you just want something light...other times, not so much!! haha

This was one of those times.  I woke up, and couldn't decide what I wanted for breakfast.  It was my day off yesterday, so I could have cooked anything I wanted.

This is what I came up with!! Some fresh avocado, a boiled egg, and some low fat cottage cheese. This breakfast hit the spot, and was so yummy!!!

OH, so you noticed the bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce in the background! If you didn't know that I LOVE spicy stuff, you'd better ask somebody!! lol

Veggie Tostadas - By Ty

My oldest daughter is forever the health conscious one in the family.  She told me that she would like to try and make some veggie tostadas.

I couldn't picture what that would taste like! lol

These in a word were DELECTABLE!!!!  :-))

On these tostadas is:  re-fried beans, veggie sausage, cheese, lettuce, black olives, avocado, low fat sour cream, and Frank's Red Hot sauce.

White Cake with Strawberry Filling and Whipped Cream Frosting - Nugget Market

This is another wonderful dessert that my sister picked up from the Nugget Market.  It had a light, melt in your mouth consistency.  The whipped cream frosting was off the hook awesome!! The strawberry filling was fresh and delicious!!

This cake was simply delicious!! I don't eat a lot of desserts, but if I didn't bake it myself, the Nugget Market would be my first choice to go and purchase a dessert!!

Smoked Salmon Dip - Safeway

My first thought about anything fish related that is packaged, is not a good one! I was SO wrong on this one.  Not only did it taste fresh, but it was so good, I had to control myself with how much I ate!!

My oldest daughter picked this up when she was shopping in Safeway.  She came home and said, you have to try this, it's good.  I was skeptical, but willing to give it a try.

I ate it with with some pita chips, and boy oh boy was it GOOD!!! It has a little bit of spiciness to it, which I love.

If you have a Safeway near you, you MUST give it a try!!

Tuna Casserole - By Joann

My sister is so sweet!  She made this tuna casserole for me and my family, AFTER she got off from a long day at work!!

It was a new recipe that she was trying out, and she asked if we would like it.  I said yes, we would.  She went out, bought the ingredients, baked it and brought it over. She lives about 30 minutes by Freeway away from me!!  Very impressive!!

Even though you can't see them in the pic, this dish had potato chips as a topping!!  It was SO yummy!!! She did an outstanding job on this first time dish. :-))

Chocolate Brownie - Nugget Market

If you love rich, smooth chocolaty brownies, this is the treat for you!!  My sister brought this brownie to my house the other day, and just one look told me what to expect.

This brownie was super moist, decadent and completely forbidden to anyone on a diet!! No need to ask how many calories in this one.  If your asking, don't bother to buy it or eat it. ;-))

This was one for the books!! It was so large, that I split it with my son and their was still some left.  I literally cut it in four pieces, and each piece was large!!

DE-licious!!!! 

Broccoli Cornbread

This was the first time that I've ever made broccoli cornbread.  My sister Joann is the Queen of broccoli cornbread, so I was a little bit timid about trying to make it.

I found a recipe and gave it a try.  The stuff was SO good, I couldn't stop eating it!! It's rare for me to say I love my own dish, but I have to say, I LOVED this dish. I'm not saying my dishes aren't good, it's just that I'm very critical of the food I make! ;-))

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-cornbread-with-cheese/

You will have to copy and paste the link to your browser.

This is a MUST try recipe!!! DELICIOUS!!!

Seasoned French Fries

In this pic are some seasoned french fries.  I can't think of too many people that don't love good french fries!!

These are seasoned with season salt and garlic powder.  The combination is exploding with flavor.  I think the first time I had garlic fries was at a baseball game.  They are so good!!

If you haven't tried garlic on your fries, and you are a garlic lover, please give it a try.  You won't regret it!! :-))

Hot Cocoa with Whipped Cream

This time of year really makes you want to either get out and have fun in snow, or stay in and snuggle up near a fire place with a cup of hot cocoa!

I don't live in a snow climate, so I'll have to snuggle up with the hot cocoa!! It's one of the things that I really love about this time of year.

This time I topped it off with whipped cream.  Looks yummy, doesn't it??

Lemon Bars - By Rashida

There is nothing better than homemade food!! I came home to a nice surprise, because my youngest daughter had made some lemon bars, and they were cooking in the oven when I walked in.

I would love to take the credit for making these beautiful lemon bars, but I can't! I'll just take the photo credit, because I couldn't get her to take the pic.  lol

Bottom line, they came out fantastic!! I had to use lots of self control, so I only ate one.  She did a fantastic job!!!

It's so funny to me, because when my kids were growing up, I was always the one baking things like this for them.  I guess the tables have turned!!  She learned well!!

Veggie Tempura - Yo Sushi

Here is the other part of her lunch!!! I LOOOOOOOVE veggie tempura!!  In fact, I wish I was eating some right now!! haha

She's a good daughter, so she actually saved some for me to taste.  I'm usually eating something like that right away, so I wasn't sure how to warm it up without ruining it!

I popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes on low heat, and it worked perfectly!! 

Chicken Udon Soup - Yo Sushi

Sooooooooo, while I was enjoying that sandwich in the other pic, my daughter was living large!!

This was part of her lunch today.  I haven't had a bad meal at Yo Sushi, so I know it was good!!! 

It looks all kinds of tasty!!! Mmmmm!!!!

Ultimate Sandwich

I apologize now for all the non-mustard lovers out there (like my son!!), but I just love the stuff as you can see in the pic below!!

I'll admit, I got a bit carried away, but it worked for me!!

I couldn't decide what to put in my sandwich at lunch time, so I just put a little bit of everything in it.

I used multi-grain bread, mustard, chipotle mayo, pickles, chicken, turkey, roast beef, tomatoes, provolone cheese, and spinach.

It was what I call my ultimate sandwich!! :-)) TASTY!!!

Comfort Food

Sometimes you get home from work, and really don't know what to feed the family.  I'll admit, it happens to me A LOT!!

I have some very picky eaters around the house, so it can be a chore to come up with something that everyone will like.

As I'm sure I've said before, I love making "one stop shop" style dishes!! A dish where you get your carbs, veggies and meat all in one!

This dish was formed with that idea in mind.  I used the most basic items, like half & half, chicken broth, broccoli, garlic powder, season salt, cheddar cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, pasta, little smokies, and bread crumbs for the topping. I realized a bit late that I should have added egg as a binding agent, BUT it somehow worked anyway!!

Here is the finished product. It was really yummy, and everyone loved it!! :-))

Smoked Salmon and Other Goodies!

Yes, this was as awesome as it looks!!! lol

In this pic is a light snack of smoked salmon, hummus, cucumbers, avocados and cottage cheese.  So yummy!!! :-))

French Onion Soup - By Ty

Here is my daughter's version of French Onion soup! This girl can seriously cook! I haven't tasted anything that she's made that wasn't good.

I didn't taste the french onion soup at the Hilton, but I did get to taste this one!! It was AWESOME!!

She topped it with focaccia bread, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella!!