Independence Day Festivities

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I know, I say that about almost every holiday.  But, really, what's not to love about barbecues, fireworks, and Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA?  Here in Lincoln, we have an all-day celebration that has recently been dubbed the Uncle Sam Jam.  Held at a public park/lake, there are all sorts of fun activities all day for families to take part in.  Personally, I have never joined in the public celebration, but I love to watch the fireworks show they put on at the end of the night.

For the second year in a row, Matt and I hosted a get-together for our friends and family at our teeny tiny apartment.  Since our place is only about a mile from where the Uncle Sam Jam is held, it makes sense for everyone to gather here.  Indoor space is an issue with our apartment, which is why the 4th of July is the perfect chance for us to have a shindig - most everyone can spend their time outdoors.  There is a big field with a couple cottonwood trees right outside our front door.  We used the big outdoor space for grilling, for the kids to play, to hang out, and light a few fireworks. When the fireworks show was about to start, we all picked up our lawn chairs and blankets and walked to a big parking lot across the street (behind another apartment complex) where we had a perfect view of the show.  It was a perfect evening with no clouds and it wasn't too hot.  I couldn't have asked for a better night for a fireworks show.

I made so much yummy food for our barbecue.  As usual, I will share photos for my favorite creations!  All of these recipes were taken from a Betty Crocker cookbook I picked up at the grocery store called Backyard Parties & Picnics.  It had a red, white, and blue cupcake on the cover and I was sold (I'm such a sucker for patriotic looking things around this time of year - I bought Bomb Pops on the same grocery store trip).

BLT Macaroni Salad

Click the title for the recipe!

Just like it sounds, this dish gets its flavor from the same place as the sandwich: bacon, lettuce, and tomato.  Rounded out with mayo, a hint of lemon juice, and some green onions, this dish was a huge hit with everyone at the party - so much so that I plan on making it for the wedding too!

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

Click the title for the recipe!

I didn't know this to begin with, but I had to hand-make whipped cream for this dish.  Perhaps if I thought it out a bit more beforehand, I may have just gone with store-bought whipped cream to save me some time, but the stuff from scratch was incredible.  This dessert is made from layers of cake cubes and cream cheese whipped cream frosting.  Topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, this was a perfect holiday treat!

Cherry Cola Brownies

Click the title for the recipe!

These brownies were so rich and chocolatey!  The cherry cola flavor was just enough - not too much, but just a hint.  The kids all seemed to love them and the pan was completely empty by the end of the night.  I would definitely make these again - especially because the frosting was not as hard to make as I had thought it was going to be.

Happy Independence Day!

-C

Wedding on a Budget: The Beginning!

Maybe you know, maybe you don't, but Matt and I will be getting married this coming fall.  This is one of the main reasons that I haven't been posting anything in a while: I've just been so busy.  Planning a wedding (in under 6 months might I add) plus trying to finish up my degree (I'll graduate one week before the wedding) and working my awesome internship have left me with very little time to spare.  But, my crazy life can be your inspiration! I'm going to be presenting a wedding planning series called Wedding on a Budget (super catchy title, huh?).  I'll be sharing with you how I put together a fabulous wedding on a tight budget.

The first thought that came to my mind when we decided that we were finally going to plan a wedding for this year was: "where do I start?"  I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of decisions I had to make.  Thus, being the nerdy girl I am, I took to Google and searched high and low for something that would help keep me on track and remind me of what needed to be done and when.  That's when I found The Knot.  This site has been a lifesaver to me.  It includes several planning tools such as a budgeter, guest list manager, and a checklist, all of which are accessible for free just for signing up on the site.  The checklist has been the best tool I have encountered for it's purpose.  It provides a timeline of "to do" items for planning a wedding so you won't forget a thing.  It's even customizable - you can delete tasks that you don't need and add custom tasks that aren't already included.  It has really kept me on track and on budget.

Speaking of budget - ours is small.  We've been cutting costs by doing a lot of things ourselves or with the help of our amazing and generous friends and family.  Most of the decorations are DIY projects that I'm working on myself, with the help of lots of other crafty ladies that love me!  The food is going to be home-made, cutting out the expense for catering.  The reception and ceremony will be held at the same place, eliminating the costs of bridal party transportation and a second rental fee on another venue.  We've had to come up with plenty of creative ways to conserve cash while planning this wedding, but I firmly believe that my wedding isn't going to be any less fabulous than even the most extravagant or big-budget weddings - I've just had to think out-of-the-box.

I'm so excited to share my journey with all of you.  I'll be posting about all sorts of topics throughout my planning process - including tutorials for some of my crafty decoration projects and recipes that I'm using - as well as posting more often.

-C

Olive Garden Imitation Meal

I love the Olive Garden.

Really, it could be considered an obsession.  But honestly, how can you not love it.  The unending supply of buttery bread sticks, the yummy scent of garlic in the air, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.... delicious! 

There is only one part of my Olive Garden meal that I truly dislike - the bill!  I worked as a hostess at my local Olive Garden a few years back when I had just graduated from high school.  The only thing I liked as much as the food was the discount I received on my meals while I was employed there!  These days, I get to pay full price for my trips to the OG.  While I do love splurging on a nice meal every now and then, it's just not financially possible to eat there as much as I'd like (which could possibly be every day)!

By Saturday, Matt and I were both so tired of eating Thanksgiving leftovers.  Don't get me wrong, the foodie in me loves the holiday.  But turkey and mashed potatoes for three days gets a little boring!  In the midst of my craving for an amazing Italian meal, I came to an incredible realization - I could make this myself.

Olive Garden Seafood Alfredo is my all-time favorite.  A simple Google search for "Olive Garden seafood alfredo recipe" took me to a really nice blog called Mrs. Happy Homemaker.  I followed this recipe to make the sauce for my pasta.  I left the scallops out of my recipe, being as neither Matt nor I like them (and when I order it from the restaurant, I usually pick them all out anyway) which also helped save a buck or two at the grocery store when getting all the ingredients for this meal.  And of course, what good would an Olive Garden imitation meal be without bread sticks?  Following a Good Morning America recipe exactly (as this was my first time making bread from scratch) I made what I'd like to think are a pretty good replica of the Italian chain's bread sticks.

In total, I spent about $30 at the grocery store for this meal.  This may sound pricey, but there are some important factors to think about when shopping for your ingredients.  Firstly, I had to purchase some items that many people have on hand in their kitchens already (such as bread flour, olive oil, and active dry yeast). Secondly, some things shouldn't be skimped on.  Buying fresh (not frozen) shrimp was a bit more expensive, but I prefer working with fresh seafood and I feel that it really makes a difference in the flavor.  If you prefer to tighten your budget, frozen seafood would do just fine.  Finally, These recipes make a lot of food.  I'd say you'd be safe making this meal for a family of four at least.  We had tons of leftover pasta and sauce, which you can also use to dip your bread sticks into (which I highly recommend doing).

All in all, this meal was a HUGE success.  This was my first time making anything from scratch, and I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.  The bread sticks tasted just like the ones from the restaurant, mine were just slightly fatter!  And the pasta sauce was incredible.  Not exactly like what you would get from the restaurant, but to be completely honest, I may have liked this better.  After all, the recipe does say "Better than Olive Garden seafood alfredo."  I'll definitely be saving these recipes and making them again.

What restaurant recipe would you copy if you could?

I'd like to try my hand at making an imitation of Raising Cane's dipping sauce.

xoxo,

C

Soup's On!

Last Saturday was the first day of fall.

Fall colors are one of my favorite things about this season!

The weather forecasters called for freezing temperatures overnight Saturday through early Sunday morning here in the Midwest.  I am not ready for that kind of cold - it feels like it was just 90 degrees and the swimming pool was sounding like a great idea!

But, because the Fall feeling was taking over, what better way to "celebrate" the end of summer and the beginning of  autumn than a warm bowl of creamy soup made in the Crock-Pot?  As I was feeling not-so-great with my seasonal allergies taking their toll, this soup idea sounded like a dream come true.

Soup in first phase of cooking

I have never made soup from scratch before.  I have wanted to for some time now, and with the cold temps being forecasted, I thought this was a great time to do it!  For inspiration, I consulted Pintrest (of course) and browsed through dozens of slow cooker recipes before deciding on making cheese and potato soup.  After reading through a few different recipes, I created my own recipe for the soup, using the others as measurement guides.

Let me tell you, this ended up being the best soup I have ever had.  Better than any store bought brand, better than any I've had at a restaurant.  I'm so glad that Matt enjoys being my cooking experiment guinea pig - he rated this soup as one of the "top 5" things that I have ever made (He's been eating it up all weekend since I made it!).  All of the vegetables and the cheddar used in this recipe came from (you guessed it) my favorite farmers market, so most of this recipe is using locally grown and made ingredients!  It's important to support local growers!  Keep scrolling down for my recipe!

Final product - garnished with shredded cheddar and fresh parsley
(straight from my patio "garden")

Cody's Cheese & Potato Soup

• 2 pounds potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 1/2 large green pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 large head of broccoli (chopped) - I didn't measure the exact amount, I just added until I thought it "looked right."  You could probably substitute a small package of frozen broccoli here.
• 1 1/2 cups Velveeta (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (a bit more if you'd like to garnish)
• 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups water

1. Add water, cream of chicken, potatoes, green pepper, and broccoli to slow cooker and stir until mixed well.  Cook on low for about 6 hours or until potatoes are cooked to your liking.
2. After vegetable mix is cooked, add Velveeta, cheddar, milk, and flour and stir until flour is well blended.  Replace lid and cook for another hour on low, or 30 minutes on high.  Be sure to stir the soup a few times during this cooking phase.

I have gotten about 5 servings from this recipe.  It can be altered for larger groups or put into containers and frozen.

Hope you enjoy!  Let me know if you tried the recipe and what you thought!

xo,

- C

Perfect For Summertime

I don't want to have to be the one to break the news to you but...

Summer is almost over.

I know, I know - I don't want it to be either.  But fall is coming, which means Pumpkin Spice Lattes, sweaters, football, and gorgeous fall leaves.

To celebrate summer and send it on its way, what better than to make  a dinner filled with the best that summer has to offer?  Nothing like BLTs and sweet corn to bring out the flavors of summer.

The tomato was fresh from my patio "garden" and of course, the corn, cheese, and bacon came from my favorite farmers market.  Absolutely delicious.

The farmers market here runs until October.  This means I only have a couple weeks left to get all this amazing fresh produce and fun crafty stuff.   What will I do when the market closes for the fall and winter?!?!

Happy Autumn!

xo,

- C

Finally a "Cornhusker"

For my whole life, I have never liked corn.  As I said before, I am not a veggie fan, but I probably liked corn the least of all.  Something about the texture and the flavor was just not right to me, and I have never been one to eat it.  Living in Nebraska, aka The Cornhusker State, one can see how this situation gave my family members room to make hilarious comments like, "how can you be a Cornhusker if you don't like corn?"  (As if I have never heard THAT one before...) but I'll get back to this later...

As many of you know, I have made a mission of this summer to start trying new things in the kitchen.  Once again, after a trip to the Saturday morning Haymarket Farmers Market, I came home with a bag full of locally grown and made goodies for a new cooking adventure.

This cheese is what began the idea.  The lady who was running the cheese stand this weekend said to me, "This flavor is great in macaroni and cheese," which got my attention immediately (as everyone knows my love of mac & cheese).  It has small bits and pieces of red bell pepper inside, giving it the most amazing flavor.  So, being the creative genius that I sometimes claim to be, I came up with a hybrid recipe that combined two of my favorites, the Kraft Homestyle baked mac & cheese and my own recipe of homemade mac and cheese.

Instead of using regular Velveeta, I used the Queso Blanco variety and left out the black pepper.  After pouring the mac and cheese into a baking dish, I shredded the Havarti Bell cheese and sprinkled it on top and baked at 425 for about 8 minutes.

I know I say this every time I try a new experiment, but this really was the best mac and cheese ever.  The flavor was perfect, and the bits of bell pepper really added that "something" that kicked this up from bland to awesome.

Now, as I said before, I have never enjoyed corn.  That morning at the farmers market, Matt wanted to get some sweet corn, and my parents showed us the right place to find the best quality.  I have no idea how to cook sweet corn (as I found out, it's probably one of the easiest things to cook I have ever seen), so I enlisted the help of my "lovely assistants."

Matt and his brother got the sweet corn ready, and I decided to try it, in the name of my vow to try more veggies.

I came to this conclusion:
Congrats, family members.  I can finally be a "Cornhusker."

xo
-C

Farmers Market Finds

I have never had a taste for veggies.  Call me crazy, but I have just never liked the taste of most of them.  What's even more silly is that the vegetables I do eat are almost always canned.  I always say fresh or frozen veggies taste like grass to me.  I have made it my goal over the summer to eat more fruit and vegetables.  The fruit part isn't a problem - I love all kinds of fruits (bananas and strawberries are my favorites)!

On a trip to the farmers' market (I really love going to these!) I got some fresh carrots, baby potatoes, and green beans in an attempt to make myself eat more healthily.  I used these in a veggie medley with herbs that I have been growing on my patio "garden" and served them along with pan-seared steaks and garlic bread.

Garlic bread, pan-seared steak, and veggie medley

My patio herb "garden"

The herbs really gave the veggies a big kick of flavor, and all ingredients used in the medley were locally grown!  As I said, the vegetables were bought from the farmers' market and came from various local growers, and the herbs were grown on my patio!  It was also a very healthy side dish - I cooked the veggies in water only (no butter).  After they were done, I seared the steak in the same pan the veggies were cooked in so they had a hint of flavor from the herbs as well.  Lastly, I popped the steaks in the oven to finish cooking through.  This meal is one of my favorite recipes I have made in a long time!

**NOTE**

Some of you are used to me posting my recipes and culinary adventures on my other blog, Cody's Cooking. I will no longer be using that blog for two reasons.

1. The name/theme of the blog is too single-minded.  I have many other things I want to blog about besides cooking.
2. More than one blog is just too much for me to work on right now.  After all my course work (and being less than a year away from graduation) I barely have enough time to cook, let alone keep up a blog JUST about cooking.  By combining, I can post fairly regularly again without having to cook an awesome meal every single day.

I hope that everyone will start following me here.  I'll be posting all sorts of random things.

xoxo

-C