hi guys! This recipe was so much fun to work on. I was challenged to create a fusion dish with flavors inspired by Latin and Italian cuisine so I decided to make a slightly spicy penne pasta tossed with chorizo and Alfredo sauce topped with fresh Parmesan, diced tomatoes and cilantro. Chorizo meat as well as cilantro are both ingredients that get a lot of love in traditional Latin dishes while Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, and roma tomatoes are often found in Italian dishes. The flavor combination here is SO good y'all. Just make sure you give this dish a try when you're planning on having a cheat meal, ha!  I mean we all deserve to splurge a little (or a lot) right?! Oh, and did I mention that this whole dish is prepared using  one pan? Little dishes with lots of flavor is a winner in my household! I hope y'all enjoy this dish as much as we did! 

hey there! I apologize for the couple week hiatus in posting new recipes for y'all, but considering the reason is I was on a much needed vacation I am not that sorry ;) I spent the last week on a road trip exploring some great national parks, breweries, and coastal towns through Oregon & northern California. It was beyond beautiful and relaxing and I would highly recommend. Feel free to E-mail me for any recs, as much as I love talking food all the time I am also a total travel bug! Now I'm back to reality...unpacking, laundry, work, and the realization that it's time to work off all the great vacation meals. It would be nice if we could just go on vacation without having to worry about all that aftermath, am I right?! With all that fun stuff going on this week a nice and easy crockpot meal was necessary. These light turkey tacos were not only super easy but also got a "you should make our tacos like this every time you make tacos" from Jas.... easy, light, delicious, and a meal we can both enjoy?! WIN, WIN!  Oh and then there's the beer, that was for the hundreds of work E-mails I had waiting for me post vacation, plus, what's a taco Tuesday without a good margarita or Mexican beer pairing?! After all our Oregon brew tastings we were inspired to try something new this week. I proudly partnered up with Estrella Jalisco to bring this taco Tuesday to life! 

hey there! This is one of my favorite posts to date so I'm so glad you are here checking it out! This month I've partnered up withLa Victoria Brand to celebrate their 100th anniversary, that's right, 100 years! How cool is that?! To celebrate they are doing pop-up dinners with tacos unique to that cities style, so be sure to check out the link above to see if they are coming to a city near you! These duck tacos were the special 100 year San Francisco edition and now that they have hosted their bay area dinner it's time to share the west coast style recipe off. You know the saying if you've got it, flaunt it? Well these tacos got it, and at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, they deserve to flaunt it. You go, La Victoria. I mean just look at that salsa!  I'm so excited to share the recipe with you because not only were they outstanding and like really pretty, but they were super easy to make and will help you impress whoever you're cooking for. I mean, I was even proud of myself on these ones, like looked at them after and thought to myself "wow, I made those?!" Damn right I did. ​Now it's your turn, yes you... have fun and enjoy!

I present to you yet another recipe that was the result of "how can I use up what I have in the fridge for dinner tonight?" I'm telling you that is seriously how I come up with some of my favorite recipes, forced creativity! I made this and loved it so much i made it again two nights later so I could photograph and share it with you, ha. It takes less than 15 minutes to have on the table, is all cooked in one pan, is packed with veggies and lean protein, and is absolutely delicious. Anyone else reading that saying "win, win"? Seriously give me something easy, healthy AND tasty and I am a happy camper. This is a perfect easy weeknight meal, and makes taste test and approved leftovers. I brought a bowl for lunch the next day and really enjoyed it, although I probably wouldn't heat up after more than a day or two as the cabbage will get a little soggy. This recipe will feed 2-3 as a meal. Enjoy! 

How cute is this witches brew dip, y'all?! If you have followed any of my previous posts you can probably tell I love festive holiday cooking, I have so much fun with it! I love looking at everyones cute ideas on Pinterest and feel like one of the big trends the last couple years has been the pumpkin throwing up guacamole...I wanted to find a way to switch it up and put a fun twist on it! As much as I love that idea we've got to get a little original sometimes! With queso being my favorite dip, and green being a great Halloween color, I figured a creamy queso guacamole would be the perfect solution. It was SO good y'all! I mean what's not to love about a healthy dose of cheese & avocado, right? Not only did it taste great but I loved the way it came out specifically for Halloween. You can call it witches brew, monster slim, etc... whatever fits your dishes or theme! Best part is it only takes a few minutes to make and larger batches would be super easy to create. If you're having a Halloween party you'll be able to get a fun festive appetizer out on the table quickly so you can spend more time on other recipes, with your guests, or sipping on a cocktail. Happy Halloween, I hope y'all enjoy! 

Hi y'all! It has been far too long since I have posted a new recipe! I've been so busy lately between friends events and weddings and a promotion at work (YAY)! As fun as that has all been I hate when I don't have time to get creative in the kitchen and share with you guys so I was so excited yesterday when my boyfriend dropped me an E-mail from work saying he got all the ingredients I'd need for this salsa so we could have a mexican food and blogging night! I had so much fun making this and it turned out amazing .... and hot hot hot, just like I like it. Don't worry though, if ultra spicy isn't your thing I'll give you tips on how to tone it down and still get a great salsa! I decided to go with roasted salsa because I love the flavor you get my roasting and browning the tomatos vs. just boiling them in water! This recipe will take no longer than half hour from beginning to end and is super easy, so with that being said, let's get to it!

These pepper nachos are definitely going to become another healthy alternative staple in my kitchen. They're like a mix between stuffed peppers and nachos... both of which I love very much! Plus what's not to love about a recipe that let's you eat some of what you love but cuts out lots of carbs and calories?! Next time I'll try going extra healthy with turkey meat and low fat cheese, which you could totally substitute for here too. Even though the ground beef and cheese recipe isn't the lowest calorie dinner you could make, it's tasty, packed with protein and gets in a serving of veggies. I can't wait to try out other versions of these and share them with y'all! 

Queso is everything. It's what I miss most about Texas... well, besides the people, southern hospitality, but you get the picture, it's really high up there on the list. If there's any other displaced and homesick Texans out there I hope you love this! And anyone else of course... if I had it my way, queso dip would be a staple everywhere and to everyone. My biggest queso pet peeve though? Velveeta based dips. Not trying to hate on Velveeta, it just doesn't have that homemade, fresh, real taste I look for in my dips. i'm all about the fresh from the deli cheeses when it comes to my queso! Once you measure out all the ingredients it is so easy to toss in a slow cooker for about an hour and just let it cook while you prep other things. I don't want to bore you with my obsession here though, so let's get to it!

These flour tortilla chips are so good and so easy! Although we're not making the tortilla from scratch on this recipe, just baking up the chips yourself is so rewarding and delish compared to a bagged grocery store brand sometimes! The key here is to find fresh tortillas that are as small in diameter as the store offers so your chips are a good size. The rest is easy peasy! 

Confession time: this was my first time every making my own guacamole recipe from scratch, considering how much I love it that was surprising even to myself. But ready for confession #2? It was one of my favorite guacamoles I'd ever tried ... like whole bowl gone in a few minutes, everyone loved it, why didn't I make like 3X the amount kind of good. While that's how me and my friends felt, I am also well aware that guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, and quesos are such a matter of personal preference. So before I talk it up too much... I'll let you get to making it so you can form your own opinion and be on your way to fine tuning your perfect guac... while secretly I hope you just love this one! It's such a great recipe to have up your sleeve because it's so quick to make and always a great addition to any party, BBQ, game day, etc...!