Favorite Picnic Recipes!!!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

I'm back today for another Friday Link Up!

And again, I'm linking up with THREE different groups.

Make sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post!

Now that it's Spring and the weather is getting warmer,
I bet a lot of you will be spending much more time outside.
So today I though it'd be a great time to share
FIVE FAVORITE PICNIC RECIPES!!!

I have made every recipe below at least once.
They can be enjoyed both in the comfort of your own home,
but also on a fun outdoor picnic with family or friends!

1. Quinoa Broccoli Cheddar Bites

These are great either hot or cold.

And can even be made a few days in advance!

2. Chopped Italian Salad

If you won't be eating this right away,

I'd suggest keeping the dressing and salad separate,

and tossing right before you're ready to dig in!

3. Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken - 3 Ways!

Another recipe that can be eaten hot or cold!!

I'll be honest and I actually prefer the chicken cold.

And with three different options - you can please multiple palates.

4. Quinoa Apple Salad

This is just one of the many quinoa salads I make on a regular basis.

They're so easy to make, super filling and incredibly tasty!!

You can see a few more here, here and here.

5. Homemade Hummus and Pita Chips

While store bought hummus and pita chips are good,

there's just something about homemade that makes them better!!!

And as a bonus, I'm giving you a SIXTH recipe,
which is a mighty tasty and fun little dessert!

6. Strawberry Shortcake Push-Up Pops

Now for more Friday Link Up Fun, check out the blogs below!

Andrea and Erika's blogs from Friday Favorites.

April and Christina's blogs from 5 on Friday.

Karli and Amy's blogs from oh hey friday!

Organic VS. Not!

A few months back, one of my friends mentioned on Facebook
that she was going to start buying more organic goods.

Before reading her post, I was already buying organic.
Especially when it came to produce, dairy and meat (when possible).
When shopping, I pay close attention to the Dirty Dozen,
but even if it isn't on the list and I can get organic, I tend to.

After reading her post, I got inspired for this post!
I decided it'd be fun to track what I buy on a weekly basis,
and see how much is organic vs. how much is not!

So without further rambling from myself, take a look below
at a few examples of my weekly grocery trips over the last weeks!

10 Organic VS. 5 Not

14 Organic VS. 11 Not

13 Organic VS. 17 Not

13 Organic VS. 12 Not

12 Organic VS. 9 Not

So as you can see from those above examples, 

I almost always buy more organic than not.

I know it costs a little bit more, 

but I feel better about consuming organic foods vs. not.

Why you may ask?

Simple - GMO's, pesticides, antibiotics, etc. 

If you want to know more,

I found this site is very helpful and informative! 

Christmas in Santa Barbara

I had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year!
One of the best Christmas I've had in a long time actually.
I hope you all a great Christmas too!!

My parents flew in a few days before and we drove up to Santa Barbara on Christmas Eve.
We had a delicious dinner and then attended 9PM Christmas Eve Mass.

Some pictures with the tree outside the church.

After that, it was time to get ready for bed so Santa could come!

And don't think I forgot to set out cookies and milk...
I was hoping for something good in my stocking and under the tree!!

After just a few hours of sleep, it was up bright and early.
It was time to open presents, drink lattes and eat warm homemade cinnamon rolls!!

My aunt and uncle's beautiful 13 foot tree!!

Presents time!!!

I was a good girl and Santa brought me a Sock Monkey Onesie! 

After presents and breakfast, I got myself ready and then went to town prepping and cooking!
After all...I was making the Christmas FEAST for 13 people!!!

So what was on the menu you ask?

Let me tell you...
(Because sadly not everything got photographed. I was BUSY...)

Roasted Pork Crown Roast with Apple, Bacon Cranberry Stuffing.
Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Onion.
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic.
Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Lemon.
Garlic Herb Monkey Bread Muffins
and an Arugula, Cranberry and Parmesan Salad.

Oh yeah, and Homemade Applesauce too.
But sadly I was so busy that I COMPLETELY forgot to serve that.

Pictured Top Row: Arugula Salad, Cinnamon Rolls, Pork with Stuffing.

Pictured Bottom Row: Finished Crown Roast with Homemade "Hats", ALL the produce, Roasted Cauliflower

I was proud!

Can you tell???

I had some GREAT helpers that made the day quite tasty!!!

And these folks had a great time relaxing in the beautiful California weather!

Most of us were in short sleeves!!!

The Christmas Feast is served! 

Like I said before, I had a wonderful Christmas and LOVED cooking the whole meal. 

I think it was a success and look forward to making many more holiday meals in the future.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I had a Butternut Squash that I needed to use, and I didn't want to just roast it like I usually do so I did a little searching online. After looking at a few recipes, I found one that sounded amazing from my ol' favorite, The Pioneer Woman. It looked great and I couldn't wait to a make it, so last Saturday I tried making risotto for the very first time! To be honest - I was a little nervous, but I haven't screwed up a recipe too bad in quite a long time so I got busy cooking and hoped for the best! Take a look at the whole process below.

The Good:

Butternut Squash

Arborio Rice

Chicken (or Vegetable) Broth

Olive Oil

Butter

Onion

Chili Powder 

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Parsley

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, peel, bag half the squash, and dice the other half.

Melt butter, add the squash, season with salt, pepper and chili powder. 

Cook until tenter, but not falling apart. Set aside until rice is cooked.

Melt remaining butter and saute onions until tender and translucent.

Add the rice and stir, cooking about a minute.

Add the broth to the rice one cup at a time. 

Simmer and let absorb, adding more broth until rice is tender but still has a little bite. 

Add freshly shave parmesan and the cooked butternut squash.

Fold into the cooked rice and season if needed. Top with freshly chopped parsley. 

The finished product with a yummy green salad!

Was my first time making risotto a disaster? Absolutely not! In fact, every time I think about this recipe, tell someone about this meal, look at the pictures I took while cooking - I can taste the deliciousness! I actually ended up omitting the turmeric and cream, but wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I cannot wait to make this again and share it with someone else who will appreciate how great it tastes!

Labor Day Food!

Since I just got back from Kansas City, I just wanted to stay in LA and have a fun and relaxing weekend at home. And what long holiday weekend would be complete without some delicious homemade food? Not one that I'm part of, that's for sure! 

Last night, I had a few friends over for an assortment of tasty appetizers. It was a great time with lots of amazing food. I knew it was a success because we were ALL stuffed by the end of the evening.

Deviled Eggs, Caprese Skewers, Bacon Wrapped Bleu Cheese Stuffed Dates and Fresh Melon!

But wait...there's more!!!

Homemade Soft Pretzels, Sriracha Fried Pickles, French Macaroons and M&M Cookies!

Hope you all had an amazing long holiday weekend! Back to work tomorrow for me, but check back soon for other tasty treats!!

Regrowing Green Onions

On multiple blogs, I had seen posts about regrowing green onions, and at first I didn't think anything of it. But after seeing it time and time again, I thought to myself - Why don't YOU do that Robyn? I mean, what did I really have to lose? Nothing! That's what. 

So, shortly after deciding to give it a try, I bought some green onions. I used the green parts in a recipe or two and put the rest in a glass with the roots in the water. I hoped for the best, but didn't really think much of it.

Until I noticed that they were already regrowing THE NEXT DAY! 

I couldn't believe how fast I was seeing progress and couldn't wait to see what was next.

Unless I have to use the white parts for a something, 

I plan to keep regrowing my green onions and NOT have to buy them for quite some time!

Celebrating Halloween In Kansas City

My brother, his wife and my two adorable nephews moved to the Kansas City Area earlier this year. I hadn't been to visit and see their new home, so I figured that Halloween would be the PERFECT time to go! The weather would be great - okay maybe a little cold, but more importantly I'd get to dress up and go Trick-or-Treating with my nephew Gavin!

I spent most of the day getting the house and food ready with my Sister-In-Law, Becky. The whole family was coming over for dinner before we went Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood. Becky and I made some great Halloween themed food that was served on a very life-like cobweb covered table. The many flickering candles were a great finishing touch!

While Becky and I made some goodies,

Logan, the Black Cat, supervised! 

The finished table! 

Now that you've seen all the goodies, take a look at the rest of the fun we had that night!!!

My adorable nephew, Gavin as Waldo!

Two of the cutest Waldo's I've EVER seen!

It was very hard to tell which one was Gavin 

and which one was Ethan!

Oh look - two more Waldos!

Finishing touches for my brother, Randy 

and nephew, Logan. 

Waldo Family!

And Waldo Siblings. 

I love my brother!!!

The WHOLE Waldo Bunch!

Not complete without Captain Rex and Pocahontas too. 

The littlest AND cutest Waldo of the bunch!

Trick-or-Treating!!!

And more Trick-or-Treating! 

All the kids ended up with a TON of candy. Their bags were overflowing that's how much they had! The adults got to benefit too because we could dig through and pick out our favorites. YUM!!!