Food

Now that I have a baby, easy dinners are where its at! I never understood the need for moms to have easy dinners to make until these last few weeks with my newborn. Tasty but easy dishes are a gold mine for moms. This chicken meuniere is an easy and tasty dish that is perfect for a weeknight. There are not a lot of steps to this meal and the dish was very tasty and light. Chicken Meuniere is lightweight yet tasty and the sauce added a fresh aspect to the dish.

I will say that I had to make a couple changes to the recipe just based on how the cooking was going. The recipe didn’t say to drain any remaining liquid from the pan before making the sauce but there was too much so I omitted the extra olive oil. I very well could have done something wrong, but that was my experience. The blend of flavors in this Chicken Meuniere was excellent and really made the dish stand out.

Overall Review: 4.8/5

If you are busy and looking for a meal you can prep ahead of time this would be the one. I don’t think you would have any issues making the sauce ahead of time and refrigerating it until you cook the chicken. That would cut your cooking time in the evening down significantly as all you would have to do is cook the chicken and heat the sauce up. I highly suggest you try making this for your next family meal! Pair it with some cooked veggies or mashed potatoes for a more filling meal! If you try this Chicken Meuniere, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

For more recipe reviews: CLICK HERE. xoxo-Kayla

Seriously, these beef and mushroom skewers are PHENOMENAL. It’s 100% the marinade and the butter you place on top. They just take the flavor profile to the next level. My husband and I loved them and devoured almost the entire thing, this recipe is one that I will definitely add to our rotation. These skewers are super easy to make and would be perfect for a weeknight where you want something tasty and easy. I personally paired these with some grilled corn on the cob and it was the perfect meal.

There is a caveat I want to make about the soy and scallion butter. For one, I cannot find scallions anywhere! Pandemic issue or is everyone buying scallions?! I ended up substituting for chives since I couldn’t find any scallions. Additionally, I felt like the butter didn’t mix well and I couldn’t get it smooth enough. What I did instead was so heat up the mixture and use it more as a marinade/spread to use after the kabobs had been cooked. I was still able to get a great amount of flavor and it was far easier to spread. The recipe originally calls for you to dip the kabobs into the butter mixture but that just wasn’t going to work when I made them.

Overall Review: 5/5

I highly recommend you try this recipe, it was easy to make and the taste was amazing. Beef and mushroom skewers can be paired with any number of sides and would be a crowd pleaser if you have guests over. Be aware that when meat is cut small like this it gets cold fast, you will want to serve and eat these pretty quickly so you get the full effect. If you decide to cook these, please let me know what you think in the comments below!

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These peanut butter cookies with blackberry jam was one of the first recipes I wanted to try when I got Giada’s cookbook. It was such an interesting concept adding the blackberry jam and I was curious to see what it would taste like. Let me preface this entire review by saying that I am 30 almost 31 weeks pregnant and my taste buds have been hit and miss at times. I will definitely make these again once the baby is here and my taste buds are a bit more normalized. But for now, here is my initial assessment of these cookies.

These are really easy cookies to make but they are BIG cookies. These are not small chocolate chip cookies, they are 1/4 cup cookies that flatten as you bake them. To give you a visual, one cookie will fit a small plate. My biggest issue with these was keeping the blackberry jam in the center. As they baked the jelly spread quite a bit. Additionally, the area where the jelly was got real thin and hard since from the liquid of the jelly. I double checked the recipe and it said that the jelly went in before baking, not sure if the cookie would turn out the same if you added the jelly at the end or even after baking. But this was one of the first issues I found. The other issue that I found was that the level of cocoa powder made that taste come through more than the peanut butter. So be prepared for quite a bit of cocoa powder taste when you make these cookies.

Overall Review: 3/5

When it comes to the taste of these peanut butter cookies with blackberry jam, they are honestly not my favorite. It’s not that they are necessary bad, they just aren’t great. I’m wondering if it would be better to do chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder? But overall they are good if you are looking for this specific taste. Later this year, I will try them again to update you and see if they taste better once my taste buds are back to normal. If you decide to try them let me know in the comments below.

For more recipe reviews head to our page here: Cultivate Confidence Reviews

It took me years to learn to cook, let alone enjoy doing it. Cooking used to be a huge struggle because it took time, preparation, extra cleaning and some skill (of which I had little). To take an hour or more after work to sit down, prep and cook a meal sounded absolutely exhausting and many days it was. And It was harder and harder because I made it that way. I choose to see it as a burden instead of a blessing. What do I mean by blessing?

I would argue there are five reasons why I love to cook and you should too. Let’s start with the first reason.

1.) Cooking From Home is Ultimately Healthier

Ultimately cooking and eating at your own home is healthier than going out to eat even at a restaurant with healthier alternatives. Why is that? That is because you are able to control the ingredients you put in. You control the amount of oils, fats and other items that go into your food and the quantities. Cooking from home allows you to substitute unhealthy items for healthier alternatives making your food lighter in calories, salt and carbs. You can still make equally unhealthy foods at home should you choose too, but in general since you are putting the ingredients together, you will choose the healthier option.

2.) Cooking From Home Is Cheaper

Cooking from home ultimately ends up being cheaper because you control your budget, you are able to set how much you want to spend and any leftovers can be used for another meal! Leftovers are probably my biggest money saver. Make just a bit more of something than you know you will eat that evening and you can package the leftovers for lunch the next day. For those on a budget, this is the best way to start saving money.

3.) Cooking from Home Develops New Skill Sets

The best thing that I have found from cooking and baking is that I am developing new skill sets. I’m not perfect or a chef my any stretch but I am better than I was. And each day I get a little bit better. These skills make cooking feel less like a chore and makes it more enjoyable for me to do. I have also found the areas of cooking I’m not as fond of so I avoid those or find alternatives to make cooking fun.

4.) Cooking from Home Can Help with Weight and Health

Being able to cook, especially a relatively healthy meal for you and your family is a blessing. It doesn’t make the time element or the expense element go away. But it keeps you and your family healthier, it keeps your finances in a better spot as eating out adds up quickly, and it lets you enhance your cooking skills.

5.) Cooking From Home is Fun and Family Friendly

Cooking from home is fun and family friendly! You can involve your kids or spouse in the dinner process which allows you time to hang out and bond together. Plus cooking can be as fun as you make it! You can pick and choose your spices, try new ingredients, try new meals and more! You can make cooking enjoyable and a blast!

Why do you love cooking? If you don’t love cooking, why is that? Let me know in the comments below?

There is always that one college staple that lasts with you for the rest of your life, for me it was the discovery of grilled PB&J. I have had more peanut butter and jelly in my life than I care to count. It’s just one of those foods that never goes out of style and is always a go to on a rough day or a day you are busy. Well there was this small little ‘dining’ area below where I lived in the dorms and one of the things they offered was a grilled PB&J. One day I finally got around to ordering it and it was LIFE CHANGING. Literally the melted flavors of peanut butter and jelly combined with the rich toast taste of the bread was just phenomenal. It’s hard to explain how amazing this was to a young college kid, but it was definitely a highlight for me!

Overall Review: 5/5

Once I discovered the grilled PB&J it became a routine part of my meals/snack regimen. There are several ways to make this, you can make a normal PB&J and then butter the outer sides of the bread and set on a warm griddle. The other option is closer to how you make a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter the bread slices and let those start to toast on the griddle and then add your peanut butter and jelly to the slices. Once the jelly and peanut butter are warm you pull them off the grill, combine and enjoy!

If you do decide to make this grilled PB&J, know that its an easy way to spice up a classic recipe. You can adjust any portions of this recipe to adjust to your taste and what you have in the fridge. Overall, this is a simple classic recipe that will be a fun staple to add to your lunch rotations. For those who decide to try this recipe, leave a comment below so I can see how it went!

For more recipe reviews head to our page here: Recipe Reviews.

Chicken drumsticks are a staple in my home so when this baked chicken drumstick recipe popped up I knew I had to try it. Let me start off with the first thing I loved about this recipe and that it is that it was baked. I am not saying baked drumsticks are better than deep fried, but they definitely are healthier and easy to make. Plus being able to throw dinner and the oven and get other things done while they cook is a huge help on busy evenings!

There’s not a whole lot to say on the process for making these drumsticks, they are seriously so easy to prep and get ready for cooking. The flavors are good, nothing crazy and not overpowering; definitely designed to be paired with your favorite sauce. The biggest thing with this recipe is that they need to be broiled at the end to give them that outer crispiness that they are lacking. Baked chicken drumsticks are a healthier alternative to deep fried drumsticks, but without broiling them they lack that crispiness. I will try to boil them for a few minutes the next time to see what a difference they make. For those who have texture issues, I would highly recommend you consider broiling them at the end for a few minutes to get that crispy texture otherwise the baked texture is a bit harder to get down.

Overall Review: 3.5/5

Overall, the baked chicken drumsticks are good! Pair them with ranch or BBQ sauce, some veggies and fruit and you have yourself a good dinner. The best thing about these were the pure simplicity of them. There was nothing challenging about making them and it’s perfect for anyone who needs an easy dinner idea. If you do choose to make these baked chicken drumsticks, let me know in the comments below! Do you think they need to be broiled or do you like them as is?

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I love pasta, especially Fettuccine Alfredo pasta. There is just something about pasta that is comforting, homely and always hits the spot! I was looking at different pasta recipes the other night and came across an article about ‘real and traditional’ fettuccine alfredo. The biggest thing in the article is that there is NO CREAM. The original way to make this pasta does not include heavy cream or milk of any kind. Am I the only one late to the game on this knowledge?!

Regardless, I felt like my mind was blown so I wanted to try it out. Let me preface this by saying, I do not have authentic ingredients. I will make this recipe again with authentic ingredients, but this was the best I could find at my local grocery store. Hopefully in the next week or two I can try my hand at making fettuccine pasta myself and find authentic parmesano reggiano cheese. So forgive me in advance, but I think this fettuccine alfredo turned out great even with the standard ingredients from the store!

Overall Review: 4.8/5

Most of the reasons people, especially those who grew up in the states, will not like this recipe is because they are used to our super creamy pasta sauces. This type of alfredo is not near as creamy and that’s because it does not have the heavy cream/milk texture in it. But what it does have is a stronger cheese and butter flavor, which I personally love. You could absolutely add some grilled chicken or shrimp to add some protein, but it tastes amazing and light on its own. That lack of heavy cream/milk makes this pasta light and I didn’t get that heaviness feeling I normally get after eating pasta. I’d highly recommend trying this Fettuccine Alfredo recipe for your next dinner, and if you do let me know in the comments below!

For more recipe reviews head to our page here: Recipe Reviews

I haven’t had a ton of pregnancy cravings, but these Starbucks Blueberry Muffins sounded AMAZING so I had to make them. These are moist, flavorful, full of blueberries and have a nice crunch with the extra topping. The only downfall to these is I followed the topping recipe. It didn’t feel like there was enough butter to make the crumbles correctly. I added some more butter to make it work, but the proportions seemed a bit off. Once there was another 2-3 tbsp of butter I was able to get a thicker crumble that I was looking for. The end result and taste was great though, so you may have to play with the butter proportions depending on how you like your crumble.

The base of the blueberry muffin is phenomenal though! I really think its the sour cream add in that makes this muffin so moist and yummy. That cup of sour cream getting folded in and then gently folding in the flour is whats key. As long as you don’t overwork the mixture you should be good to go. As far as cooking time goes, I have a 1 year old stove and it took about 20-23 minutes to get these muffins to a golden brown top/edge and a fully cooked center. Personally, I like to start at 15 minutes, check the muffins and then add by 3-5 minutes until completed. This eliminates the chance that I will accidentally burn the muffins, which would suck after all the work you put in.

Overall Review: 4.5/5

I think if the crumble proportions were a bit better this would be a 5/5 recipe. Since things have to be adjusted a bit I did knock a few points off the review. But the overall flavor and taste of these Starbucks Blueberry Muffins is phenomenal! You should absolutely make these the next time you get that muffin craving. If you are interested in more recipe reviews head over to our review page here: Cultivate Confidence Reviews.

One breakfast item that I have grown to LOVE is Eggs Benedict. Since making individual egg benedict for everyone was going to be a large feat, this casserole was the perfect compromise. The base of the casserole (the first two photos) is the absolute easiest part. Takes very little time and basically no prep. My biggest suggestion for the base of the casserole is this: whisk the eggs before adding any cream or milk. I made that mistake and it was incredibly difficult to make sure you got all the egg yolks mixed together properly. Take my advice: eggs first, milk and cream second.

Once you have the base done, let it cook the first 30 minutes and just clean up and relax. After the first 30 minute bake is when things get interesting. You have to make the hollandaise sauce in the final 30 minute baking session. Now if you have never made hollandaise sauce, let me preface this, it can be intimidating. There are a couple key steps and all have to be executed correctly for it not to turn into scrambled eggs. My suggestion is to have someone assist you with this part, especially if you are new to cooking or making this sauce. I had my sister (thanks Mads!), take care of pouring the butter in while I whisked.

It was absolutely necessary for me because my arm was killing me from whisking and we had to switch positions! I also highly suggest that you turn down the heat a bit once you have boiling water and start whisking the eggs. I found that turning down the heat helped them not get too hot and I was able to make a sauce and not scrambled eggs. My other recommendation is to make sure that you have extra eggs in case you do need to try this sauce again. Regardless, this casserole can’t be classified as eggs benedict without this sauce.

I will say that once you do get the hollandaise sauce correct, it really makes this eggs benedict casserole shine. It’s got a very rich flavor that compliments the Canadian ham and egg mixture. I paired this with the Orange-Walnut Sweet Rolls for my gender reveal brunch and it was a perfect combination!

Overall Review: 5/5

Overall, I would say that this is a great bunch casserole. It makes a ton of food so I would definitely leave this recipe for an event where you are trying to feed 10-12 people. But it’s got an excellent flavor, feeds a crowd and looks like you put a lot of work into it. It’s definitely a favorite of mine and I’m so glad I took the time to make it!

If you choose to try this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments below.

These orange-walnut sweet rolls are phenomenal! Seriously one of my favorite Magnolia Table recipes to date. I made these for our gender reveal brunch with our family and it was a huge hit. They do require quite a bit of orange zest so be prepared with several oranges to get enough zest. I would say it took about four full oranges to get enough for the filling and the glaze.

The hardest part is getting the mixture for the center of the rolls mixed together correctly. You definitely need to make sure the butter is soft and room temperature, I had a small mishap with the butter that morning and it made softening it a challenge. But if at all possible, soften the butter first and the rest of the mixture should mix nicely. There is a decent orange taste to these orange-walnut sweet rolls, but its not overpowering. Don’t be afraid to make this recipe because of the orange flavoring! I also made these orange-walnut sweet rolls ahead early that morning and let them sit until I was ready for them to bake. That eliminated a lot of the prep work and made the morning go that much smoother.

Overall Review: 5/5

Overall, I loved these orange-walnut sweet rolls. They hit the spot, didn’t require making the dough ahead of time and the filling was fantastic. I would highly recommend these for any brunch or breakfast you have coming up. These also store for a day or two so you can have them for an entire weekend!

For more recipe reviews head to our site here: Recipe Reviews. If you decide to try these sweet rolls let me know in the comments below. I’d love to know what your thoughts are and if they were a hit with your family!