Home Cookin'

The Ultimate Summer Charcuterie Board + Sweepstakes!

July 16, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by Blue Diamond® as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Have you ever made a charcuterie board before? I’ve officially declared this summer as the summer of charcuterie lunches in our house. They’re incredibly easy to make, they don’t require you to heat up your oven, and there’s always a little something for everyone to nibble on. Charcuterie boards are simply a serving tray that is typically filled with meats, fruit, nuts, cheeses and crackers. I love them because they’re very low-key, but also beautifully inviting and filled with lots of yummy snacks that I can’t keep my hands off of!

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Sheet Pan Quinoa Nachos

July 15, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

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

Does your summer schedule seem to be filling up a tab bit faster than you’d care for it to? As I sit here overlooking my daily schedule and to-do list, I can’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed at all of the activities I’ve managed to get my family involved in. Truth be told, most of them are really fun and exciting things that we get to participate in, but I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how in the world we’re going to fit in the cooking, eating, cleaning, sleeping, breathing, etc.!

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Sugar Roasted Pecans

July 5, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Sugar roasted pecans are just like candy, only way better. Hold on to this recipe. It’s a keeper!

Because we live roughly 3 hours from the gulf coast, we make fairly frequent trips down to the beach for quick little getaway vacations. My oldest daughter loves to go because of the waves, my husband loves to go because of the pier, but my favorite part of going to the beach? Well, you’ll probably get a kick out of this one. The sun, surf and sand are all well and good, but when it comes to heading down to the beach, I’ve got my eyes on one prize and one prize only:

Buc-ee’s Sugar Roasted Pecans

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Patriotic Marshmallow Pops

July 1, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

These Patriotic Marshmallow Pops are a quick and easy treat to make and eat to celebrate the Fourth of July or Memorial Day!

With the 4th of July quickly approaching, my daughter has been noticing lots of red, white and blue decor on display at local businesses and has been asking me quite a few questions about why they’re there, what our flag means and why we fly it. I love that she’s beginning to take notice of things like this, and it’s been great seeing the wheels turn in her head when I share tidbits of our beautiful nation’s history with her. Since she’s gradually beginning to understand what freedom is and why we celebrate it, I thought it would be fun to make a quick and easy dessert to kick off our weekend heading into the 4th of July week!
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Guilt Free Peanut Butter Balls

July 1, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

I received these products at no cost to facilitate my review. However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

These Guilt Free Peanut Butter Balls are a great and healthier snack option that the whole family will love!

I was born and raised right next door to the peanut capitol of the world. My grandfather was a peanut farmer, and the southeastern corner of the beautiful state of Alabama has a very rich culture that thrived from peanut production. My hometown has a plant that produces peanuts near the downtown area, and a drive down main street at the right time of day will bring you a smell so rich, you’ll think someone opened up a jar of peanut butter right in your own car. Peanuts have a way of speaking to me like no other crop can, and it’s no surprise that I absolutely love to whip up recipes that call for the creamy golden goodness of peanut butter!

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Spicy Marinated Tomatoes

June 24, 2019 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

Spicy Marinated Tomatoes are a perfect summer side dish to share with friends and family!

This past weekend I woke up before the rest of the household and made my way to our local (it’s 25 minutes away, but we’ll call it local) farmers market to stock up on some fresh produce for the week. Back when we had just one little Tucker tot running around, we had a garden in our back yard that was small and easy to manage. We grew tomatoes, squash, fresh herbs and things of the like. Now that we have two children, I’m more than happy to let someone else do the work and I’ll support their business by buying from them. I have a hard enough time managing two girls, never mind adding a garden into the mix!
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Summer Grilling: Fresh Veggie & Brat Kabobs

June 15, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Summer Grilling at Publix. The opinions and text are all mine.

Aside from being able to take trips down to the beach or finding a pool to splash in, sometimes I think there aren’t too many redeeming qualities to the heat and humidity we experience here in south Alabama. The hot, sticky air that hits you in the face when you open the door to step outside often feels like it sucks the wind right out of you, and it’s the perfect kind of weather for mosquitoes to come out and play. Just when I start to turn into a grump about the heat, I smell the aroma of the grill that my husband just fired up and I’m quickly reminded of one of the biggest reasons that I really do love the summertime!

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Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

June 14, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This recipe for Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa is a light and refreshing dish that comes together in minutes!

Don’t you love it when a recipe comes together and it never once requires you to heat up your hot oven or stove? Now that we’re in the middle of June, that’s certainly something I can appreciate. During these dog days of summer my preference is to have light and refreshing options during the day for lunch, and firing up the grill outside for anything else that needs cooking. My kitchen is my work space, and I always prefer to keep it a sweat-free zone if I can!

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Our Ultimate Backyard BBQ Picnic

June 3, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

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

Last month my husband built an amazing back porch bed swing as a gift for me for Mother’s Day. It’s not very often that I know what to ask for for Mother’s Day, but this year I knew I wanted a special designated place for me to sit and watch my babies play in the backyard together and enjoy the warm summer air. Now that we have a place to sit, our porch swing has become the center of many family stay-cations as we venture “out back” to fire up the grill and have our weekly barbecues and picnics!

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Cajun Seared Scallops

May 22, 2019 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

If you had told me a year ago that I’d be sharing a recipe for Cajun Seared Scallops, I would’ve thought you had absolutely lost your mind. To tell you the truth, I’ve never been a seafood lover. Getting over the smell of fresh seafood has been a lifelong struggle for me. (Every time I catch a whiff I think someone just opened a can of cat food.) But with a little bit of gentle encouragement from my husband, I’ve turned things around just a tad.

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