Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’ve enjoyed my Christmas break so much. I’ve slept in, gone for walks and bike rides, watched movies, read several books, and cooked some of our favorite foods. I’ve also eaten Christmas cookies with lattes almost every night – hence my craving for all the vegetables at this point.

What we’re EATING: It’s been another tasty week over here without a single new blog post to show for it. (And I’m still not sad about that.)

I made a big pot of Lasagna Soup a night or two ago, along with a tray of this Garlic Herb Bread and we’re already down to the last couple of servings. Every time I serve that soup that someone new, they ask for a link to the recipe. We love it. 

I took a pan of these easy-as-can-be Chicken Enchiladas over to friends last night. (I made a big pan for my family at the same time – it’s the easiest recipe ever to double.) My boys will likely polish that off for lunch today. With a pile of tortilla chips on the side for dipping, it’s one of their favorite meals.

I made another Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole this week and once again, I ate a ridiculous portion both for breakfast and the next day for lunch. 

I made a big cheeseboard after the Christmas Eve service this past week and the boys asked if we could do an even bigger snack spread for New Year’s Eve. Looks like I need to head to Trader Joe’s today to pick up more of our favorite snacks, meats, and cheeses.

We cooked our favorite Balsamic Dijon Glazed Ham on Christmas day and there have been plenty of Ham Sandwiches and quesadillas made with the leftovers this week.

I also made another gigantic pot of my grandmother’s Creamy Vegetable Soup that I photographed a while back. We can’t get enough of this one and I’m excited to finally share it with you in a week or two. Thanks for re-introducing me to it, Aunt Judy!

Last, but not least, I’ve been craving vegetables like mad, so I made a giant skillet of this taco meat and have been enjoying it in salads for my lunches. 

What I’m CRAVING: these Red Chile Chicken Burritos! I couldn’t stop thinking of them as I was making the enchiladas this week, so these burritos are on the meal plan for the coming week. 

My FAVORITE THING this week is Read more

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels [+ Video]

Cinnamon sugar pretzels are one of our all time favorite snacks or treats. Adults and kids cannot stay out of the bowl. Trust me!

Such a simple snack yet so hard to keep your hands out of. These cinnamon sugar pretzels with white chocolate drizzle are great for watching a movie or if Mom really needs a darn treat and they are a perfect snack for parties or for holiday food gifts!

Heaven knows you need at least one simple thing for a party so that you aren’t standing in the kitchen all day and night and during the party. This cinnamon pretzel recipe is your answer for a totally irresistible sweet and salty snack!

What Do I Need to Make Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels?

Have you all tried Dots pretzels? The original Dots are incredible, but I just tried the cinnamon sugar Dots recently and they are heavenly! In fact, they reminded me of this pretzel dessert recipe! You only need 4 ingredients to make this simple, yet irresistible treat…

• Canola Oil: helps the cinnamon sugar stick to the pretzels without changing any flavor
• Cinnamon Sugar: see section below for making your own
• Mini Pretzels: grab a bag of store bought small pretzel twists
• White Chocolate: melting wafers work great or white chocolate chips are fine too

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Recommended Equipment

• Microwave Safe Mixing Bowl
• Rubber Spatula
• Baking Sheet
• Glass Measuring Cup

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

This is an odd recipe as it’s oil that you’re going to stir into the pretzels and not melted butter and then use the microwave (no oven needed!!) to bake it all in there. It works. I promise, but it is a little weird to pour oil all over something you want to eat. Here is how it will go…

1. Combine the pretzels, canola oil and cinnamon sugar in a large glass bowl and toss until the cinnamon sugar coats all the pretzels.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds.
3. Pour the pretzels out onto a sheet pan and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar mixture.
   • PRO TIP: We like to add this little extra cinnamon sugar right before we drizzle the white chocolate, but don’t stress if you forget. They are wonderful either way.
4. Let the pretzels cool and air dry completely and then drizzle with melted white chocolate.
5. Let them air dry again and eat!

These instructions are all available in the recipe card down below. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Watch How These Pretzels are Made…

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Weekly Menu Plan – Jan. 1 to Jan. 7

Happy New Year everyone! Here is your weekly menu plan to kick off the new year…

Monday: Honey Turmeric Chicken

Tuesday: Grilled Avocado Tacos

Wednesday: Sesame Steak Stir Fry

Thursday: Beef Barley Soup (goes live on the blog on Jan. 2!!)

Friday: Protein Waffles

Saturday: Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Sunday: Garlic Butter Salmon

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Jan. 1 to Jan. 7

Italian Sauteed Mushrooms Recipe

Delicious & The BEST Italian Sauteed Mushrooms Recipe in the world – this is one of my favorite side dishes my mama makes.

I remember having huge family gatherings at my mom’s house on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and these Italian Sauteed Mushrooms were always there.  My mom would cook a huge turkey and few side dishes, while everyone else would bring desserts and appetizers.

Reasons I Love This Recipe

Crowd Pleaser: Everyone loves my mom’s sautéed mushrooms! I don’t remember a single time that at least one person hasn’t wanted the recipe.

Easy: You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make this mushroom recipe. All you will need is 5 ingredients and one SECRET SAUCE.

Quick: Cooking this easy holiday side dish will only take about 15 minutes.

Make Ahead: It tastes even better after 48 hours, because the mushrooms will marinate in the Secret Sauce and will make the mushrooms taste extra yummy. Such a win because that means you can prep ahead which is what I need when it comes to big holiday meals!

What are you waiting for? Scroll down to see how to make The Best Italian Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe.

Ingredients You Need to Make the Best Sauteed Mushrooms:

• Baby Bella Mushrooms: also called cremini mushrooms, they have a deep earthy flavor and beautiful color
• Italian Dressing: You can make your own homemade Italian dressing or buy your favorite brand from the store. This is the secret sauce combined with the flavor of the bell peppers and onions…so dreamy!
• Onion: just a yellow onion works great
• Red Bell Pepper: you could also use orange or yellow
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
• Parsley: used for garnish

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Substitutions and Variations

If you can’t find baby bella mushrooms, white button mushrooms will work fine. They just will lack a little depth of flavor. Portobello mushrooms can also be used. You’ll just want to cut them into bite size pieces. Porcini, chanterelle or shiitake mushrooms are also options but they tend to be quite expensive. You can also do a combination of any of these.

Fresh parsley can be swapped for any variety of fresh herbs…thyme, oregano, or rosemary will all taste great.

If you want to add a little heat, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

How to Clean Mushrooms

Mushrooms can sometimes have dirt on them when they are packaged. Be sure to wipe mushrooms with a dry paper towel to clean them. Don’t wash them in water or use a damp paper towel. Mushrooms are like sponges and will soak up water. You don’t want to add any extra moisture, and you want the mushrooms to soak up the Italian dressing flavors.

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20 Minute Cheesy Caprese Pesto Tarts

I don’t know about you, but I adore appetizers, especially around the holidays. We make these 20 minute cheesy caprese pesto tarts all the time!

It’s easy to make a savory appetizer with puff pastry for gatherings and using a few key ingredients will make it taste like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. Which is my favorite thing, make people think I’ve worked harder than I did.

We’ve done a whole post on pesto, how to make pesto, how to store pesto, how to freeze pesto, how to keep pesto green, how long pesto keeps, and we have plenty of recipes that use pesto which we will link up to at the bottom of the post. So, refer back to that post if you need to read up on pesto.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Fisher Nuts, however all opinions remain our own.

What Do I Need to Make Pesto Tarts?

Here is a quick rundown of all the ingredients you’ll need. The measurements for everything can be found by scrolling down to the recipe card below.

For the Pesto

• Basil: you can make your own fresh pesto (highly recommend!) or go with store-bought pesto to save time
• Garlic: fresh whole cloves
• Fisher Walnuts: We use walnuts instead of pine nuts to really push that more nutty flavor in this pesto.
• Olive Oil: make sure it is extra virgin for the best flavor
• Parmesan Cheese: adds flavor
• Lemon Zest and Juice: adds a bright pop of freshness and helps keep the basil green
• Salt: enhances all the flavors

For the Tarts

• Puff Pastry: We use store bought puff pastry because hello, who has time to make that from scratch?
• Grape Tomatoes: You can half them or leave them whole depending on the size.
• Mozzarella Cheese: grab a block of good quality cheese and cube it, it melts so perfectly!
• Black Pepper: adds flavor

Tips About Walnuts

Just as with our classic pesto, the secret to really great flavor is in toasting the nuts and garlic. Walnuts, when fresh are not bitter like you may believe. Instead they have a sweetness to them and with that robust garlic it really makes for a great pesto.

The pesto we will make today is a little different as it uses Fisher Nuts Walnuts. We did a random sampling and Fisher Nuts were preservative free, tasted the most fresh and not bitter since they weren’t past their date of freshness.

Did you know that? That good fresh walnuts taste juicy, nutty and sweet? To store walnuts, I keep mine in the blue bag we buy them in as the dark colored bag actually is best to keep them fresh, then we place them in the kitchen cupboard as light degrades the oils.

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