The holidays can be chaotic. Add in school, parties, sports and more and well...this leaves little time for moments alone together. I hope this gives you a simple and easy snack that fills your home with laughter and smiles. Another favorite using Goldfish crackers can be found HERE!

As a little girl I had the privilege of standing beside one of the most incredible woman I have ever met. Her name was Lucia and she was the first generation of her family to arrive in America from Italy. One thing I learned from her is the importance of making a meal. You use only the best ingredients as you prepare it with love. Gathering around and filling the room with laughter as you dig in spending time with one another.

All this was made easy because of Simply Potatoes®. I was able to stick to Lucia's advice on the best ingredients as they are simply made with always fresh, never frozen potatoes that go from farm, to fridge, to fork. Let me start by saying...these made my life a heck of a lot easier when it came to food prep and I was greatly surprised by how good they REALLY were!


This recipe is a favorite of ours. We paired it with marinara and fried eggs, one of Lucia's specialties brought over from Italy.

Preheat your oven to 450. I used a 13x9 pan ungreased.

You will need:

• 1 bag Simply Potatoes® Diced Potatoes
• Olive Oil 
• Mini portabella mushrooms
• Asparagus 
• Red onion
• Kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 

I start with the Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes, dumping them into a large bowl. You will then quarter the mushrooms and  toss them in as well.


Set the cheese aside till the very end. Dice up a slice or two of red onion into small bite sized piece. Break apart your asparagus, I always throw away the bottom part of the stalk (so I break into 3...keeping 2, tossing the bottom). Toss into your bowl.

We have this running joke in my household. You see my husband leaves for work SUPER early in the morning, which is actually an incredible thing as he is home late afternoon. Because of this he is always ravenously hungry and tells me how he dreams of me having dinner on the table by 4:00. Just ONE day! I laugh at him. Roll my eyes and say "eat an apple", we are NOT hungry by then!

My husband is also 1/2 Italian. Being he is 1/2 Italian I SWEAR they are just automatically born with the genetics of knowing what GOOD food tastes like. I know, we all can taste good food. But I mean, like, authentic. REAL. Home cooked goodness. Enter Sapori di Casa.

Sapori di Casa is a locally owned authentically Italian company. Husband is from Italy. Wife meets husband in Italy. They move to America. Start a gorgeous family. Teach classes on how to make amazing food and then BAM open up shop to share their taste of Italy with the world. I was RAISED on authentic Italian food. I was sang to sleep by the most incredible woman named Lucia who would draw a face on her thumb, wrap a hanky around it and sing me Thumbelina in Italian to fall asleep. I learned how to curse using hand gestures by the ripe ol' age of 8! And I remember the sitting around the Piccolo's table and it being covered with food that was prepared and cooked all day long with love. That is just what Duccio and Jennifer make. Jars of love.

Here are a few EASY recipes I love to make using my Sapori di Casa sauces.

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I have to be honest with y'all...I am obsessed with s'mores and I am obsessed with chocolate! I just so happened to be grocery shopping and came across Chocolate Cake Twinkies. Let's just say they ended up in my cart! I was texting with my friend who is in India with his team and he was telling me how he actually packed a suitcase full of Twinkies to take to his team from the U.S.! I told him that I had envisioned cutting a Chocolate Covered Twinkie in half and roasting marshmallows to make a s'more! He laughed at me and didn't think it would work...so...I made up my own S'more Trifle recipe!! HA! Take that!


The best part of this recipe is you can layer however you like. We used crushed graham crackers, mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows for the top. If you don't have a brulee torch, no worries! I didn't either! Instead I used a lighter and toasted the tops!

Cooking is my comfort. It is my place to just be. Sing, dance and make a mess. I love that my kids watch my every move while I am in the kitchen. They love to join in and help. We make up our own dance moves. And this is why I take the moment to BE an example. Cooking them meals filled with love and listening to music that makes your soul dance.


Our current CD of choice is a brand new one from Laura Story called Open Hands. She is a mama that sings from the heart. Her vocals are fresh and she brings me back to my youth. I kid you not a few of her songs remind me of Amy Grant. My daughter has been playing her songs on repeat. It is literally one your whole family will love.

• 1 can white beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted!)
• 1 packet dry ranch seasoning
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can beef broth
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1 small onion chopped finely
• 1 lb ground turkey

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Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255: " Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising") Many thanks to Propeller Consulting LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post

OH my goodness! We made the best pie the other day. My son wanted to help me in the kitchen and we used ingredients we already had in the fridge and cupboard. Here is what you will need to bake your apple pie:

1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (set the frosting aside)
1 can apple pie filling
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 375. Open your cinnamon roll tin and press the cinnamon rolls out into a pie plate to make a "crust". I started with the center roll, flattened it out then added around the edges till I formed one big shell. Bake 10 minutes.

Remove the "crust" and immediately spread on the apple pie filling. Using a pastry blender, mix cold butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in a separate bowl then sprinkle over the top. Take aluminum foil and wrap the edges of the pan and cinnamon roll then place back into oven for 20-25 minutes.

Place frosting from cinnamon rolls into a microwavable dish and melt for 5 seconds. Pour onto hot cinnamon roll apple pie once removed from oven. Let cool 10-15 minutes, slice and serve.

Trust me...it is SO ridiculously good!!

My sweet big unfortunately is lactose intolerant. You would be surprised how many things she cannot eat. How many things she misses out on and how sad it makes her mama. I have made it my mission to alter recipes or come up with our own so she can partake on noshing numminess at its best! One staple in our home is pancakes!

Each Christmas I make homemade snowman pancakes and we devour them. I decided to make almond "buttermilk" pancakes this go around! I can't wait to hear what you think!

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups lactose free milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp melted margarine
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
6 tsp baking powder

I start by mixing the lemon juice and lactose free milk together. Combining these two ingredients makes "sour milk" which in turn is more like buttermilk. You can let it sit a bit once you have whisked it well and it will start to thicken. I then mix in the eggs, and go on down the list. REMEMBER when mixing in the melted margarine you do not want to scramble the eggs in your mixture! So pour in slowly and be sure to beat continuously with the whisk! I add in the the baking powder last.

Make your pancakes. Serve and enjoy!

If I could name one thing I am most thankful for when it comes to growing up on a farm, it would have to be the fact I learned how to not only grow my own food but also to make my own from scratch. There is nothing better than homemade. Especially when it comes to jam. I have vivid memories of my mom's strawberry freezer jam (which you can find in a past blog post!) she laughs when we talk about it as she said she only remembers it turning out to be strawberry syrup! Well, I dunno cause I have it down pat!

This recipe you are about to see is NOT freezer jam! This is homecooked yumminess that you will want to can. I use a steam canner. Just like this one HERE. The reason I use this canner is it is MUCH easier for me to use! I mean I am fun sized and a big ol' pot of water is just not conducive for me and the fact I want my wee ones underfoot! They need to learn at some time!


Start with finding a great picking field! This recipe will work for most berries. I use it for raspberry, marionberry, blackberry and boysenberry. SOMETIMES I use it for strawberry too, but my husband prefers strawberry freezer jam. When you can strawberry jam, unless you add in lemon (which I do not) it will turn brown on the top layer...about 1 inch. It grosses him out and he wastes that portion. Therefore I don't can it and just freeze it! Not an issue with our outdoor freezer!


When your jam comes to a continuous boil, the kind that cannot be stirred away. Dump in the remaining sugar. Mix till fully combined. Continue stirring and when comes to a roaring boil again...set a timer for 1 minute. DO NOT stop stirring or you will burn your jam! There is nothing more gross than burnt jam! Remove from heat and get ready for the fun part!

This time of year we are always on the search for something fast and easy. With sports 5 out of 7 days of the week our time is limited, but our bellies cannot wait! We are all about eating dinner as a family. Let's face it...easy recipes are hard to come by!

This is a tried and true recipe I made up back in college! Bertolli® Riserva has given it a homemade taste. I grew up on TRUE Italian food. Family dinners were filled with laugher, jokes, stories and food as far as the eye could see. I really don't know how they did it!

The thing I love about Bertolli®...is it has been 150 years since Francesco Bertolli began selling olive oil in the small town of Lucca, Italy! Family history is the best! Although, they are not apart of MY family...in a way they are! We have been using Bertolli® for as long as I can remember. In celebration of 150 years, for each photo shared via social media using #MyTuscanTable throughout October, Bertolli® will make a $1 donation to help end childhood hunger in America through a partnership with No Kid Hungry. With each dollar, No Kid Hungry will provide 10 healthy meals to kids in need, up to a half a million meals. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring kids have the healthy food they need, every day. The Bertolli® brand is proud to lend its passion for uniting people over food to help connect kids struggling with hunger to the nutritious meals they need to grow and thrive.

Here is how I feed my family...

1 box penne rigate pasta
1 jar Bertolli® Riserva Pasta Sauce
Swiss Cheese
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs


Using my grill pan (a regular skillet will work too!) I cook 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs on medium heat. Flavored with crazy mixed up salt, pepper, garlic seasoning salt. I love using chicken thighs as they are juicer and hold more flavor than chicken breast.


Now comes the hard part...deciding which flavor sauce to use! I am a sucker for the jars! Aren't they pretty! When chicken is cooked through, no pink. Dice in pan using your spatula. Turn to low and pour in 1 jar of Bertolli® Riserva sauce. I do not drain the chicken, I let all the juices simmer together into the sauce.

While the sauce is simmering cook your penne rigate noodles till al dente. <---- cooked just right! Preheat oven to 350.


Pour into a baking dish and top with layers of swiss cheese. YES, swiss! Just trust me! Stick in oven. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted completely.


Want to find some more easy recipes?! Just go HERE and pin to your hearts content...for real yo! You are going to be hungry just perusing!