Home Cookin'

Pineapple Salsa

May 3, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This simple recipe for pineapple salsa brings a perfect element of freshness to your taste buds as we inch closer to the sweet summertime!

The beaches in Alabama opened up to the public for the first time since quarantine began on Thursday of this past week. Seeing all of the live footage of the shore has really been tempting me to get my family out of the house and take them all on a much needed retreat, but brain has been telling me that now is really not the time. This season of “rest” isn’t one that I ever wanted, but I do believe that it’s needed in order to keep my family as safe and healthy as possible. We’ll miss the beach this month for sure, but can hopefully embrace it with open arms (and 6 feet away from others) sometime this summer!

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DIY Triple Chocolate Easter Bunny Dessert

April 1, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This DIY Triple Chocolate Easter Bunny Dessert is the perfect treat to celebrate the spring season with. Just grab a spoon and bottoms up!

We’re hopping right along into the spring season, and my heart has been thumping over all of the beautiful new green foliage, gorgeous pastel colored flowers and the brisk cool morning air. Spring has always felt so refreshing to me, and seeing what has withered away regain new life and come into bloom is such a testament of the beauty of the season.

We built our home in a very wooded area, and each morning our yard comes to life with beautiful creatures and critters coming out to play in the blanket of morning dew on our lawn. My two girls have grown particularly fond of the wild rabbits we have that wrinkle their noses as they munch on the Bahia grass. We are big fans of the Easter bunny, and my daughters giggle with delight each time they see the store shelves flooded with those cuddly stuffed bunny rabbits and giant packs of pastel colored eggs.

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Chocolate Mint Brownies

March 22, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Looking for something sweet to brighten up your day? These Chocolate Mint Brownies are the perfect thing to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Whew, what a week the world has had. Knowing we’re all currently getting our fill of the negative things happening across the globe, I’m trying my hardest to cling to things that are good. Keeping my mind occupied and busy on the things I enjoy most has helped me cope with this weird seismic shift, and having a little chocolate in my system certainly helps me keep my mood more positive.

My life needed something sweet, and these Chocolate Mint Brownies that my sister once made had been on the brain for quite some time.

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Celebrating Spring Over Tea + Charcuterie Board Ideas

March 16, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

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

I’m ready for a little change around here. In my own personal life, it feels like this year has had more rocky moments than smooth ones. While I know strength is formed when you walk through rough patches, I also know that no matter what road you’re on, change will come. That’s why I love the spring season so much. Spring offers us such a beautiful visual reminder that a brand new season of growth and renewal is upon us. The warming temperatures and the budding flowers remind me of the beauty of life all around me, and if you don’t take the time to pause and reflect on these things, you just might miss them.

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How to Make Irish Soda Bread

March 13, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This simple recipe for how to make Irish Soda Bread is hot on the blog just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Earlier this year I took a peek at my ancestry online. Honestly, I could’ve spent hours looking at all of the details, but I was particularly curious about how deep my roots travel back to the country of Ireland. I knew I had the connection, seeing as how my maternal grandmother’s maiden name was McGillick. Upon reviewing the results, I am 44% Irish, and my bloodline can be traced back to the Ulster province in the northern region. While the remaining percentage is a blend of multiple countries, Ireland is the one country that is a strong definite, and knowing that my heritage is so strongly pointing to Ireland makes me so excited to dig a little bit deeper into studying the culture!

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Trolls Marshmallow Pops

March 1, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

These Trolls Marshmallow Pops are a hair-tastic way to celebrate all things Trolls with your little ones!

Have you heard about the brand new Trolls movie coming to theaters April 17th, 2020? It’s called Trolls World Tour, and it’s going to be a block buster event of hair-tastic proportions! My 4 year old daughter has been a Trolls fanatic since she was 2 years old, so we’ll definitely be making a stop at our local theater opening weekend to sing, dance, hug and do ALL the Troll things on opening weekend!

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How to Make Your Own Mexican Spice Blend

February 21, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Do you know how to make your own Mexican Spice Blend? It’s easy, inexpensive and much healthier than those packets of taco seasoning hanging out in your pantry!

One of my personal goals that I made at the beginning of the new year was to try to find ways to avoid keeping overly processed and preservative filled items in my pantry. We all know that’s easier said than done, but in many cases it’s actually extremely easy (and cheaper) to cut out the fillers and make your own version of your pantry favorites that are even tastier than what you find on the grocery store shelves!

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Mardi Gras King Poke Cake

February 14, 2020 by Laura Tucker 6 Comments

This recipe for Mardi Gras King Poke Cake is a fun twist on the classic dessert, and the cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting make this a cake truly fit for a king himself!

Laissez les bon temps rouler! Fat Tuesday is drawing near, and it’s been a true Mardi Gras party in my head as I’ve been brainstorming how I can incorporate my second favorite cake in the entire world – King Cake – into as many fun new recipes as I can. Making a true from-scratch King Cake is a labor of love. It requires a little bit of TLC and elbow grease, and when a King Cake craving hits me in the middle of the day, it isn’t exactly feasible to just whip one up on a whim.

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Street Tacos

February 13, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

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

The month of February tends to get swallowed up by that one particular holiday focused on the lovey-dovey stuff. I’m a pretty big fan of love myself, but I’m setting aside the pink and red heart shaped confections to talk about a dish that I’m really loving this week! Did you know that February is also Heart Health Month? I’ve been putting an emphasis on wellness lately in the kitchen, and after my husband came home from his physical with slightly elevated cholesterol, I knew I wanted to make sure our meals were more heart-healthy. As it turns out, accomplishing that is as easy as adding a little Mazola® Corn Oil in the mix! A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, visit Mazola.com

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Home Cookin'

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

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