Meal Review Monday #13: Banana Bread Pancakes

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

Up this week: Banana Bread Pancakes from Chef-in-Training.

Image from Chef-in-Training. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

I love banana bread, and I love pancakes, so I just had to try this recipe! I mean, what could be better than two breakfast treats in one?

Meal Review Monday #12: Gratineed Pineapple

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

On the menu today: Gratineed Pineapple by Wives with Knives. (I just love that blog name! Hilarious.)

Image from Wives with Knives. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Phew! This weekend has been a blur, to say the least! A family wedding on Saturday and moving into our new home (yay!) on Sunday has left this momma worn out!
The wedding was lovely, though, and it is indescribably nice to be in a house again with my little family after spending the last two years in a shoebox-sized apartment. We have space to stretch, and breathe, and create, and cook!
You know by now that I love cooking, and things like weddings inspire me to cook fancier things. I would say this dish qualifies as fancy.

Two-Minute Tuesday #9: Cookie Dough S'mores

Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas!

So it has officially been summer now for a few days! I love summer! Playing outside, going to the pool, having cookouts--it's all wonderful.

Meal Review Monday #11: Bacon & Egg Stuffed Avocados

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.
Up this week: Bacon & Egg Stuffed Avocados from Recipe by Photo.

Image from Recipe by Photo. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Two-Minute Tuesday #8: Butter vs. Margarine

Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas.
This is also the 4th installment in my on-going series on Cooking 101.
Today, I want to talk to you a little about baking with butter versus margarine.

Meal Review Monday #10: Knock You Naked Brownies

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

I can't believe this is the 10th week of Meal Review Monday! In honor of this small milestone, and the fact that the recipe I reviewed last week was a dud, I wanted to share a truly great recipe with you today.

Pioneer Woman's Knock You Naked Brownies from Cooking with Boys.

Image from Cooking with Boys. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Easy Patriotic Kids' Snack

Can you believe the 4th of July is just around the corner! Where is this year going?

There are so many fun patriotic food ideas floating around Pinterest and the blogosphere right now, so of course I had to make my contribution to that. :) But unlike a lot of the ideas out there that require a lot of time and work, this one is easy enough for kids to make for themselves!

Aren't these just the cutest things?

Meal Review Monday #9: Crockpot Pizza Casserole

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.
Up this week: Crockpot Pizza Casserole.

Image from Stockpiling Moms. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Meal Review Monday #8: Chocolate Tres Leches

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

On the menu today: Chocolate Tres Leches from Food.com.

Image from Food.com. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

German Chocolate Tres Leches

My husband's birthday was last week, so I was asking him what kind of cake or cheesecake he wanted. Last year I made him a chocolate tres leches cake I had found on Pinterest, so I asked if he would like that again. He replied that he wanted a German chocolate tres leches.

Two-Minute Tuesday #5: How to Work with Dough

Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas.
This is also the third installment of Cooking 101; today I want to share a quick tip for working with dough.

Meal Review Monday #7: Stuffed Mini Peppers

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all get some time today to relax with your family and friends and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

The recipe I'm reviewing today would be quick to add to your picnic menu this afternoon: Stuffed Mini Peppers. They're so simple and tasty.

Two-Minute Tuesday #4: How to Measure Ingredients for Cooking

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Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas.

In today's second installment of Cooking 101, I'm going to give you a quick rundown on how to measure ingredients in the kitchen.

Meal Review Monday #6: Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

I hope you all had a great weekend! We're busy packing and getting ready to move two states away, so it's been chaotic around here. We will be back in our hometown, though, with all of our immediate family and most of our extended family, which we are super excited about, especially with having a kid now.

In the midst of all this craziness, however, I am still (somehow) finding time to cook.
This week's Pinterest recipe: Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans by Rachel Schultz.

 Image from Rachel Schultz. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

I like brussels sprouts, but I don't have them often, because they're usually kind of boring. I had never tried them in a recipe like this.

Now, if you're not a fan of brussels sprouts, you won't like this recipe, but if you are, you should give it a try. This dish really fancies-up boring old brussels sprouts, and makes an impressive-looking side.

I would recommend using fresh sprouts, though. I used frozen (because the recipe doesn't specify) and mine didn't look nearly as pretty as hers. The taste wasn't affected, though! The combination really worked well: the tart cranberries, the tangy cheese, and the crunchy pecans all complemented the brussels sprouts perfectly.

It didn't take too terribly long to prepare, either. The longest part was prepping the sprouts, but it wasn't too tedious.

All in all, my final rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Give it a try the next time you want a fancy side dish!

Have you tried this recipe? Do you agree with my rating?

Need a tasty main dish to go with this recipe? Try my Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Meatballs.

Two-Minute Tuesday #3: Cooking Abbreviations and Measurement Conversions

Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas.

I had put out some "feelers" a while back to see if there was any interest in a series on cooking for the beginner. I received positive feedback, so I've decided to present some quick cooking tips through Two-Minute Tuesdays. I'm calling the series Cooking 101, and today is the first installment.

Meal Review Monday #5: Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Welcome to to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

On the menu today: Bacon Cinnamon Rolls by Gimme Some Oven

Image from Tablespoon. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Bacon rolled up inside cinnamon rolls = the most genius breakfast idea ever!

Meal Review Monday #4: Peanut Butter and Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

The first three Meal Review Mondays have featured some not-so-healthy recipes. While I love a good splurge recipe as much as more than the next person, I also love finding healthy foods that also taste good, which is why this week I'm reviewing a healthy fruit dip recipe.

Mexi-Sketti Pie

This is another one of my weird throw-a-bunch-of-stuff-together-because-I-don't-feel-like-going-to-the-store recipes. We had some leftover taco meat but no more tortillas, and spaghetti but no spaghetti sauce, so it was time to get creative!

Thankfully, this was one of those creative recipes that turned out. My husband ate one bite and said, "You have to put this on the blog!" Win. He's even requested that it be added to our rotation of dinners. Double win.

Two-Minute Tuesday #1: Hazelnut Coffee

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links).

So, it often happens that I have just a little tip or tidbit or very short tutorial I want to share with you that doesn't seem "worthy" of a whole post--I know, I know, you're thinking, "There's no way Amber can write a short tutorial!" but I assure you I can! Sometimes.

My awesome husband actually came up with this idea, and with his encouragement, I've decided to add yet another weekly feature to the blog: Two-Minute Tuesday. So on Tuesdays I'll be sharing some of those quick tips and ideas in short little posts.

Today I'm sharing how to make hazelnut coffee with actual hazelnuts--none of that flavoring stuff with artificial ingredients.

Meal Review Monday #3: Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Welcome to the third installment of Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

On the menu today: Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting.

Image from Life's Simple Measures. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

I had some overripe bananas the other day, and decided I wanted to branch out from my usual banana bread. I perused Pinterest, and decided these tasty bars seemed like just the right thing. That brown butter frosting was calling my name.