Vegetarian Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

Mexican is always one of my favorites and this is one of the best stuffed pepper recipes I have tried.  It has a great blend of spices, making it super flavorful and hearty enough with the rice and beans to be filling.  I loved the slight crisp of the onion and sweetness from the pepper.  And, if you have rice leftovers from dinner a previous night, it makes the cook time much quicker. 

Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

Maybe it’s because I am been feeling a bit run down recently, but I have been listening to a lot of country music, trying to feel connected back to my roots.  With this it got me researching a lot of southern comfort food recipes.  We all know the classic shrimp and grits (which I LOVE), but I came across this beef and grits recipe and was so intrigued by the combination of tastes that I knew I needed to make it.  With a long Memorial Day weekend ahead, I knew it was the perfect time to relax, disconnect and do some good home cookin’.

Now, I will say that you need to be a lover of spice because this is definitely spicy!  But the balance of the creamy cheddar grits and the spicy beef is pretty great! Enjoy!

Rosemary and Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips

This week’s recipe was inspired by the fact that I had one sweet potato in the fridge and I needed to use it before it went bad.  Additionally I didn’t really have much else in ways of ingredients, so I had to be crafty.  Thankfully I stumbled across this recipe that turned out pretty awesome!  Such a great way to satisfy a craving. Enjoy!

Cuban Sliders

Whenever I see Cuban sandwiches, I think of my sister.  She loves Cuban sandwiches!  A few weeks ago my Dad was in town and we found a great Cuban restaurant as we were driving around the city.  I got a little inspired and started looking up recipes.  I know this isn’t a traditional Cuban, but any sandwich in the form of a slider makes everything a little better.  This recipe is definitely a keeper and so easy.

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

62 degrees and sunny…Chicagoans have their fingers and toes crossed that spring is here to stay!  After a long walk this morning (who am I kidding…probably another one this afternoon because it's so nice) I got an itch to make something I have been waiting for warmer weather to make…for some reason blueberries aren’t very ‘wintery’ to me. This is super easy to whip up…a GREAT idea for an Easter brunch or baby/bridal shower! 

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Southern girl, southern biscuits…do I need to say more?  I set out to try and master the art of making classic southern biscuits and this was my first try.  I think they turned out pretty darn good, but I definitely need to keep practicing.  I have learned the key is in how cold you keep the butter and dough (along with the fact that I really need a rolling pin as I don’t have one – crazy!) as well as how many layers you make (this creates the flakeyness).  I paired these up with two things…honey butter (put a little elbow grease in and mix some butter and honey – so good!) and blackberry jam.  I think I could eat biscuits everyday…did I say I was from the south?!?

Creamy Vodka Pasta Sauce

 One of my fond memories from college was serving on my sorority’s executive board.  Despite being a while ago this blog recipe was inspired by a memory from that time.  While on the Exec Board we would occasionally invite fraternity exec boards over to discuss upcoming events and we would cook dinner.  One of those times we made a vodka pasta sauce that I absolutely loved.  Unfortunately I never got ahold of that recipe, but I decided to  try my hand at making it this weekend.  It was super easy and turned out just the way I like it!  The alcohol in the vodka burns off and it leave the sauce with a great little zing to it.  Enjoy!