An easy finger-lickin kid-friendly breakfast idea that can be made on-the-go or on a lazy weekend morning.  These are perfect to have your little helper in the kitchen patting the hashbrowns inside the muffin tin, plus when they see there hard work after they are baked they will be so proud of their breakfast achievement.  The fun thing about this recipe is that your not limited to what you can add in the nests, we added sausage, egg, cheese and a little bell peppers, but you can add your own favorites.

Let me know how yours egg nests turns out!
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I’m always looking for different ways to cook broccoli in my house. Veggies is a requirement at dinner, whether it’s carrots, squash, broccoli or whatever I have on hand. Having such active kids I try to make sure they eat healthy and balanced meals. That’s why it is so important to find different ways to cook the same ol things. For my son in particular this is required, since he is such a picky eater when it comes to eating veggies.  This simple recipe is my go to broccoli recipe when I need fast and easy broccoli on demand.
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Two years ago I was welcomed with open arms into a family… a blogosphere family that is.  This family consists of numerous food bloggers from around the world who have the same insane passion for cooking, baking and photographing all things yummy like I do.  We are stay at home mothers, engineers, ranchers, doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, the list actually can go on and on, but the one thing in common we all have is food blogging.  Now you may be wondering the point I am trying to make but its quite simple really, food blogging has become my extended family.  Friendships have been formed and nurtured through blogging worldwide.  It’s an amazing thing to see how many people will bind together for those in need.

A perfect example how friends worldwide have come together to help a fellow blogger in need, Jennifer Perillo from In Jennie’s Kitchen, lost her husband unexpectedly two weeks ago due to a heart attack.  Just out of the blue he was there and then gone the next.  I cannot even fathom the feeling of loss Jennie and her two precious girls 3 and 8 are going through.  Two fridays ago Jennie asked for all fellow foodies to make a Peanut Butter Pie in memory of Mikey, #apieformikey.

“As I spend Friday reflecting on the love and life that was gone in an instant, I’d like to invite all of you to celebrate his life too. Mikey loved peanut butter cream pie. I haven’t made it in a while, and I’ve had it on my to-do list for a while now.

I kept telling myself I would make it for him tomorrow. Time has suddenly stood still, though, and I’m waiting to wake up and learn to live a new kind of normal. For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.”

It was pretty amazing to see so many Peanut Butter Pies on fellow food blogs, Twitter, Facebook, The FoodNetwork, and CNN.  So many people wanted to show Jennie that eventhough they may not know her personally her story touched us all and we were there for her especially to provide love and support through such a hard time.  For some this wasn’t enough and decided to start a Fund for Jennie.

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Back to school time is here! Can you believe it already… Summer is over!  I still am trying to wrap my head around it because time has literally flown by.  If you’re anything like me you are probably having mixed emotions, a little sad because summer is over and full on excited because school is here and that means new teachers, new friends, and for some even new schools.  Some kids feel nervous especially beacuse of all the “new” that is going on.  The great thing about the first week of school is that all of those scary nervous feelings go away and then the fun begins.

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I have a word I want you all to say with me… Tzatziki.  Come on try again, but this time sound it out, tsah-ZEE-kee.  You see that wasn’t so bad. 🙂

Have you ever tried Tzatziki sauce?  It’s a classic Greek yogurt sauce made with fresh garlic, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic salt, and black pepper. It is sooooo yummy.  Everytime I would go to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami, my parents and I would always get a Gyro and tztziki sauce would be inside.  It was absolutely delicious.  In the restaurant, at Crêpe Royale, I knew I wanted to create a new sauce to have for our savory crepes.  When we tested this sauce we knew we found a winner.

I hope you guys feel the same way with this recipe, especially when you pour it on top of this delicious steak gyro.

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Just wanted to give you guys a short and sweet note from my family to all of yours… HAPPY 4th of July!!!!!!  Hope you all have the opportunity to celebrate it with your friends and family far and near.

Chicken Tikka Masala is my absolute favorite Indian dish.  I think it has to do with the creamy tomato spiciness that just is wonderful.  Did you know that the word Tikka means pieces, chucks or bits?  Chicken Tikka Masala is a classic Indian dish of pre-marinated chicken in yogurt and spices then served in a tomato cream sauce then grilled and served with white rice and naan bread.

If any of you know me know that there aren’t many recipes I fear tackling… but Indian has always been one of them.  I don’t know if because I love it so much I am afraid of not doing it justice, but I decided to make the BIG jump and go for it.  Let’s just say that I am pretty happy that I did because it tasted absolutely delicious and would make it again.

So if you too are afraid to make Chicken Tikka Masala don’t be, just try this easy recipe and let me know what you think.

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Do you want to know something that you may not know about me already… I LOVE to bake.  I do!  I absolutely love coming up with a design for a cake and seeing it first on paper and then making it come to life.  I had the greatest honor to make a birthday cake for a sweet little boy from my church, Genesis Church, here in Orlando.  When his mom came to me and said “Natasha can you make a birthday cake and cupcakes for Pace’s 5th Birthday?”  I jumped and said “Yes! Yes! Yes!

First of all you have to understand that Heather and her family are truly one of the sweetest and dearest and have grown their children up with such love and compassion I just knew I had to make it for them.  That’s when I went to the drawing board…

I knew Pace liked Cars the movie, well which 5 year old boy doesn’t like cars and I knew I wanted to do something special for him.  I decided to make a two layer vanilla buttermilk cake with my special buttercream frosting.  I then piped black and white stars around the cakes sides.  I made a black fondant road in the shape of a “5” since that was the birthday boy’s age.  Then just decorated it with other little things to make the cake come to life.  I especially loved the little smoke coming out of the car… 🙂

As for the cupcakes we went with vanilla buttermilk with buttercream frosting again piped red and blue around the sides with the sugar car in the center.

They were adorable and delicious too! 😀

Happy Birthday Pace!!!!!

Tuna Noodle Casserole is “the” comfort food in so many homes… with its hearty, easy, inexpensive ingredients it’s a sure way to make any family dinner enjoyable.  Although most may say that the memory of tuna casseroles brings you to school cafeteria lunches, some may say it transports them back to early childhood when mom threw dinner together quickly after coming home from work.  To me I like to think of this recipe as taking a school cafeteria nightmare and spinning it into a gourmet dinner.  An amazing thing about this recipe is that it is not limited to just tuna fish but can also substitute with salmon, chicken, and turkey.  It’s also a great way for me to throw veggies in for the kiddies… You already know Momma’s gotta get em in where I can. 🙂

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This recipe is long overdue.  I made these for Valentine’s Day to bring to church and they were gone instantly.  Super simple, easy, and the best part is that you can make them as a family.  All you need are lollipop sticks (which you can get at any craft stores like Joann Fabrics or Michaels, also can be found at your local cake shop), Jumbo Marshmallows (you can find these at Target or Walmart), your favorite chocolate coating, and sprinkles.  It doesn’t matter the occasion you can make these for any.

You see how easy that is, now it’s your turn… 🙂

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