BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

I must confess, I do not like cold pasta under normal circumstances. I guess you could say I'm making an exception here. I love bacon, so bacon + pasta = yummy, right? How about this...


bacon + lettuce + tomato + ranch + pasta = ???


Um, yum! Let's hop to it. You'll need some pasta (I chose the spiral kind), ranch, fat free mayo, cherry or grape tomatoes (sliced in half), lettuce (chopped up), and bacon bits (don't use the imitation kind).


Boil the pasta and drain it in cold water. Make sure you run the cold water over it for a while, so the pasta actually gets chilled. Put it back into the pan and add ranch and mayo to your liking. I didn't measure (I rarely do), and I know everyone's tastebuds are different. I added about 5 tablespoons of mayo, and then drizzled ranch in just for flavoring.


Add the tomatoes, bacon bits, and diced up lettuce. Toss until coated. Add some shredded cheese on top if you'd like. Enjoy!

Suggestion Box: Quinoa Recipes

I received a request for some quinoa recipes in my suggestion box last week. I have never even tasted quinoa, much less cooked with it, so I wanted to pass on a few I found on Pinterest! After reading up on this strangely named food a bit, I might try it some time. 


Often referred to as a “wonder food,” quinoa is a versatile and healthy addition to your table. It’s most often treated like a grain (in fact, it’s a seed), but, unlike grains or rice, it’s a complete protein, making it a smart choice for any meal.


21 Recipes From Whole Living



Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers 



Quinoa Spinach Bake



Italian-Style Stuffed Quinoa


Lemony Quinoa


Top 20 Quinoa Recipes - Allrecipes.com

Suggestions? Submit them via the SUGGESTIONS tab above! :)

Breakfast Cupcakes

**MYSTERY GIVEAWAY COMING UP ON JULY 2ND! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!*

Oh my goodness! You could do these so many ways, it makes my head spin! You could make them with spinach, just with eggs, or you could add sausage and diced tomatoes, I mean it's just crazy! So, I'm going to share my simple recipe with you and then you can add your own flavor and share your recipe with me. Deal? Deal.

You will need: biscuits (I used the small, cheap kind), turkey bacon (or real bacon if you must.. poor piggies), and then eggs and shredded cheese.

Preheat the oven according to the directions on the biscuit package. Cook your turkey bacon until it is almost done.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, add a biscuit (I like to flatten mine a bit first), and then 1/2 slice of bacon. Add an egg, and then shredded cheese on top.

Bake for about 20 minutes (depending on how done you like your eggs) and serve with ketchup (or not.. but yum!).

I guess you could technically cut the biscuit in half, then put half on bottom, and half on top. That'd be like a sandwich. Hmm. Maybe I'll try that next.

So, let me know what variations you come up with. I'm really excited to see them! You know I'm all about the easy cheesy recipes!

No-Bake Reese's Cups Copy Cat Recipe: Guest Post

This is an easy no-bake recipe that my daughter wants to share with everyone.

You will need;

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

chocolate chips

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

muffin tin

cupcake wrappers

Take 2 cups chocolate chips and melt in the microwave 30 seconds at a time.

Pour a little chocolate into the cupcake wrappers. Set in refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and the graham cracker crumbs.

Take chocolate out of the refrigerator and drop a spoonful of the peanut butter mixture on top.

You may have to re-melt the chocolate. Drizzle it over the top, being sure to cover the peanut butter.

Put them in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. They melt fast so keep them in a container if you are not eating them right away.

This is what they look like when they are done.

These are even better than the Reese's Cups!

4th of July Crafts

With the 4th of July coming up so soon, I wanted to share a few of the crafts my family will be doing this week. :) You can click on the picture to visit the tutorial.

4th of July centerpiece (made with sand, so easy!)



4th of July Planter


How to fold an American Flag



A penny pendant (at one of my favorite sites: Enchantedlearning.com)


A confetti launcher, how fun!


Fireworks pens (or you could make red white and blue duct tape pens!)


If you have a huge ribbon stash like I do, this flag is for you!


Can stilts!


If you're a homeschooler, or just looking for boredom busters, check these worksheets out.


A star spangled welcome!


How stinkin cute is this centerpiece?


Now this takes talent...


And last but not least... some chocolate (and lots of other recipes)


Okay, so I might not get around to all of them this week, but they're awesome and I had to share! Leave a link in the comments if you are posting patriotic crafts so I can check them out!

Copy Cat Red Velvet Hostess (Filled) Cupcakes

I have to warn you ahead of time that I did this on a whim at 10:30 at night and the picture quality is not that great. However, the cupcakes are divine! You have to try this. It's super easy, and will impress your family. Promise.

You will just need a skewer, a box cake mix,  a ziploc bag, and some icing.


Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease cupcake/muffin pan. Fill each half full with the cake mix. Bake as directed on package (20 minutes for mine). Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes.

Put your icing in a ziploc baggie and cut a very small hole in the bottom corner. (This part can get a little messy.) Use a skewer to poke a hole in the top of each cupcake. Fill the middle with icing, then ice the top of the cupcake as you normally would. You can use a little filling (like I did) or a lot, like the Hostess folks do.

 The possibilities here are endless!! I'm thinking peanut butter filled double chocolate cupcakes next... what about you?