Seashell Pasta Salad

June 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

We're a few days into our week long theme of the ocean over here and we're really having a fun time of it! Since we're not big on seafood in this house, coming up with clever non-fishy ocean themed recipes has proved to be... well... a little challenging. It's also been so very worth it too though!

The inspiration behind this pasta salad actually came from one of my daughter's cook books. I had to do a lot of tweaking to the original though to suit our tastes. So much so, that by the time I was done with it... it's basically a whole new recipe…

Baked Beet Chips

March 1, 2018 Amanda Plott

Last week I had some beets leftover that needed to be used and decided to use them up in one of my favorite ways - as chips! Beets are really the perfect root vegetable to make chips with. They turn out crisp and crunchy while not having a completely overwhelming flavor. In fact, if you closed your eyes and ate one, you might not even know it was a beet at all!

Beets are truly one of my favorite vegetables, mostly because of their beautiful colors and versatility. I really don't think I've ever met a beet that I didn't like, but these chips are quick, easy, and simple; with just 2 ingredients needed...

Tomato, Mozzarella & Avocado Salad (Sponsored)

August 22, 2017 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BaronessPatches #CollectiveBias

We made it! I finally got back from our end of the summer spur of the moment vacation road trip across two states with just myself, my mom, and my little girl. It was a blast! The girl trip that we've always wanted with three of our four current generations of ladies among my family. That being said, we literally got home with one day between us and back-to-school! Talk about flying in hot.

What else does back-to-school mean? Meal time chaos at it's finest. Add in a touch of being exhausted from the trip and you've got the perfect mix for bringing in my favorite wing mom. The Baroness...

Skinny (2 Ingredient) Cream Cheese Rangoon

December 13, 2016 Amanda Plott

This year, we'll be doing things a little different for Christmas. Instead of our usual mass of cooking, we'll be heading out to enjoy some Asian cuisine on Christmas day. Of course, you know I'm always inspired by the goings-on around me and today is no different. With Asian food on my mind I decided that it was high time for some Cream Cheese Rangoon.

I know, I know... Generally you'll find some sort of meat inside of a rangoon, however... I'm not too big on seafood. So, I always make mine with tofu cream cheese. Sounds interesting, right? Tofu. Cream cheese. Trust me, this stuff is amazing. It looks, tastes, and feels just like traditional cream cheese (but with a lot less calories and obviously dairy free!) so I'm often using it in place of standard cream cheese. Especially if it's involving anything with an Asian flare...

Skinny 'Day Before' Mashed Potatoes

November 3, 2016 Amanda Plott

Once upon a time my mom and dad were in charge of Thanksgiving (along with all other Holiday meals) and my mom always ended up pretty stressed out, just like every other mother out there. Then along came my adult self. Together with my mom, we found the perfect end-all to the stresses of the Holiday cooking.

I had basically stumbled onto a perfectly planned out and super delicious make ahead menu plan that was complete with days, times, oven temperatures, etc. You name it, it was there. I like to consider it my Holiday Feast Code Book. Or Holiday Cooking Bible. It has been a life saver ever since it came into our lives, and I'm so happy that I've never had quite the traumatic holiday feast that some do. Oh, the horror stories I've heard...

Italian 'Sub' Salad

June 15, 2016 Amanda Plott

One of my favorite 'sub' sandwiches is an Italian or a 'Grinder'. It's usually loaded with Italian meats such as salami and pepperoni, provolone cheese, and plenty of vegetables including tomatoes, olives, pepper rings and lettuce. Yum! It's a powerhouse of bold flavors with lots of zest and zing! Flavor, flavor, flavor.

So, today I decided to turn that favorite sandwich of mine into a salad. Why? Mostly because we're getting into the high end of the heat index here in Texas now and I don't even feel like toasting bread for fear of adding heat to the house. Yes, I'm absolutely serious about that...