Laura Tucker

My Top Thanksgiving Hostess Gift Pick: Precious Moments Bountiful Blessings Collection

November 11, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

I received product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. Affiliate links may be included throughout this post at no cost to you.

Growing up, my mother used to frequent a store in my hometown that sold a hodgepodge of collectibles and gifts. It was one of my very favorite stores to get to go to, as they had a section specifically for children at the back of the store filled with the most wonderful books, stuffed animals and toys that I could look at while my mother shopped around. Sometimes I would venture towards the front of the store where they had beautiful display cases filled with porcelain figurines that I loved to admire. Specifically, I had my eyes set on their collection of Precious Moments characters, and I always loved to scope out which piece of their iconic birthday train I’d be receiving next.

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Cajun Dirty Rice Egg Rolls with Creole Dipping Sauce

November 8, 2018 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

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

As we’re quickly approaching the end of the year, I’ve already begun to map out a few of my personal goals to carry with me into the new year that encourage new culinary endeavors that have previously been a little bit foreign to me. It’s no secret that southern-style cooking is something that I love and am very familiar with, but it’s always fun to mix things up a bit and bring a new cultural element into my cooking. Particularly, I want to create more dishes that are not only inspired by other cultures, but fuse multiple cultures together to create really, really awesome food.

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Southern Made Simple Turns 3

November 4, 2018 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

I’d love to tell you my life as a blogger is rainbows and butterflies, but it isn’t.

I’d love to tell you that documenting my life and sharing it with the world is effortless and easy for me, but it isn’t. I’d love to tell you that turning this piece of the Internet into something that works for me and not the other way around has been crazy easy, but it hasn’t. I’d love to tell you that every second of the time I’ve poured into creating Southern Made Simple has paid me in dividends, but I can’t. I’d also love to tell you that I keep a batch of homemade cookies on hand at all times, and that I receive an endless supply of cuddles from my babies all day long as a “stay at home mom,” but I don’t.

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17 Halloween Freakshakes You Need in your Life

October 24, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

They’re all super freaks, super freaks, they’re super freaky!

If you didn’t read that intro to the tune of Rick James’s “Super Freak” – go back and try that again. Now you’re going to have that song stuck in your head all day long. Might as well head to the store and pick up some creepy candy, a pint of ice cream and a bottle of chocolate syrup so you can enjoy one of these ah-mazing Halloween freakshakes while you channel your inner super freak, right? 😉

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Stack your Snacks and Collect to Win! + Sweepstakes

October 19, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by NABISCO as part of an Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Stocking up on our favorite snacks is the name of the game in our household. With two little ones in tow, I try to make as few trips to the grocery store as possible, so making sure I have enough snacks to get us by for a while is always my strategy!

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Spicy BLT Pizza with Sargento Shreds

October 18, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sargento® for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.

As far as food goes, there are few things more comforting to me than a fresh, homemade pizza loaded with your favorite toppings. When my husband and I were in college, we both worked together at a pizza chain to help pay for our engagement rings and wedding expenses. I didn’t work there long enough to move on to the “make line” where we actually got to assemble the pizzas for customers, but I did learn a few techniques about what goes into making a pizza really great. My husband, on the other hand, stayed until he graduated from college. He became an assistant manager and was a boss at making the best pizza and calzones I do believe I’ve ever tasted. Aside from the heart that goes into making a pizza from scratch, the one ingredient that ties it all together and makes it so comforting is definitely the cheese – no doubt about it!

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20 Healthy Halloween Snacks for Kids

October 5, 2018 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

These 20 Healthy Halloween Snacks for Kids are a fun way to add a bite of nutrition to your Halloween season!

Yesterday I shared an alarming statistic in my Healthy Halloween Smoothie Roundup about the amount of candy Americans buy each year for Halloween. Even though Halloween is a celebration of all things scary, the commercial side is all about the sweets! Now I’m not going to act like I’m not of fan of sugary confections, but I do try my best to ensure that there is a healthy balance of sweet foods as well as health-conscious options in my family’s diet – especially during this time of year.
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Healthy Halloween Smoothie Recipes

October 3, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

These Healthy Halloween Smoothie Recipes are the perfect way to step away from the candy and give your tummy some frighteningly fabulous fuel to kick start the day!

I recently read an article stating that Americans purchase nearly 600 million lbs of candy a year for Halloween alone. Halloween certainly had a lock on being the holiday that generates the most candy sales, but Easter and Christmas really aren’t too terribly far behind! Don’t get me wrong, though. I LOVE a Reese’s Pumpkin as much as the next girl, and I’m all about baking spooky treats during this time of year (you may have seen these cute little mummy madeleines I posted yesterday,) but because it’s so easy to overindulge in the sweet side of Halloween, I try to make sure I’m fueling my body with good-for-me things, too.

Smoothies are such a great way to pack in a ton of goodness into your diet, and I’m absolutely smitten with these Healthy Halloween Smoothie recipes all put together by some pretty creative and talented bloggers. I’m sharing a few of my favorites below to help get you into the Halloween spirit in a healthy way!

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Mummy Madeleines

October 2, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Affiliate links may be included throughout this post, meaning purchases made through these links may result in a small commission earned on my end at absolutely no cost to you.

Hello, all you boo-tiful people! It’s time to cue up Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and break out the candy corn…because October has finally made it’s glorious debut! I had a little bit of time yesterday to sort through my Halloween decorations and put a few out, but I couldn’t fully get into the decorating mood until I had some spooky-sweet snacks to munch on while I decked the halls with boughs of polyester cobwebs! 😉

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Bucatini Carbonara Stuffed Garlic Bread Bowls

September 17, 2018 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Let’s talk comfort food for a bit, shall we? Everyone has their go-to meals that find their way into the dinnertime rotation on a pretty regular basis, simply because they hit the spot when your tummy starts to rumble that no other food can really compare to. A few years back, my sister shared her favorite comfort food (spaghetti carbonara) with me, and since then it’s become myself and my husband’s go-to comfort food that we LOVE to share together!

Bucatini Carbonara Stuffed Garlic Crusted Bread Bowls

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