Sometimes you just want to have something hearty for dinner, and my favorite super easy but hearty meal is Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder. Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder is a perfect meal for Fall, Winter, Spring, and even Summer because the Instant Pot doesn't heat up the entire house! You may want...
I've mentioned before that experimenting with my Instant Pot is at the top of my goal list. Recently, I came up with Instant Pot Lemon Butter Chicken. In a nutshell, it's buttery, lemony, chicken bliss! Take a look: Looks amazing, right? Here's the Instant Pot Lemon Butter Chicken recipe! Ingredients: 4 Boneless Skinless chicken breasts halved 32...
Back where I used to live there is an Italian restaurant called Hubies. The Italian food wasn’t my favorite, but this place had the best Creamy Dreamy Blue Cheese Salad Dressing and Dip Recipe on the face of the Earth. We’d go there at least once a week and buy a pizza, wings, and “extra...
One of the things we eat the most in our house in the summer months is potato salad. I’m not a huge fan of hot food in the summer, so for the most part, we eat salads and food from the grill. I’ve tried several different recipes, but over the years, I’ve come up with...
We’re going to do some fancy French cooking today! Kidding. Sort of. This recipe originates in France, but it’s definitely not fancy. If you’ve ever watched a cooking show, you’ve probably heard of Mirepoix. Mirepoix Flavor Base is also known as the holy trinity of French cooking. The flavor base sounds super fancy, but all...
Slow cooker shredded chicken is a staple in our house. I usually make it in huge batches and freeze it for later use. I used to buy rotisserie chicken and shred that myself, but one day I made a mistake while cooking and ended up with shredded chicken. I never bought rotisserie chicken to shred...
It's my mission in life to eat less carbs. I have tried keto but honestly can't stick with it. So, for the most part, I just try to eat more veggies and less bread and pasta. Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, and roasted cauliflower "steaks" are my go-to when I'm pretty hungry. If...
Whenever we gather with friends and family, we make Easy Cheesy Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip. It's one of my favorite things to make because it's so simple to put together and it tastes so very good! The few times I've entertained without adding this hot dip to the menu, someone always asks why I didn't...
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VeggiesWithMcCain #CollectiveBias I can't believe the holiday season is almost here already! My favorite part of the season is - you guessed it - the food. I love all the baking and snacking and holiday parties...I'm super excited!...
This post - Super Easy Bookmark Craft - uses affiliate links. While they cost nothing to you, I am compensated if you use them. You can view my disclosure policy here. When I was little, my mom taught me to dog ear pages of books I was reading. When I got older, the school librarian...
This post - Patriotic Rice Krispie Treat Recipe - contains affiliate links. They cost you nothing to use, but the small compensation I get keeps me buying marshmallows. View my disclosure policy here. If you've been invited to a Fourth of July picnic or backyard barbecue, this is the post for you! I've got a...
This post - Books to Read With Your Kids This Summer - contains affiliate links. While they cost you nothing extra to use, they do help me to keep this blog running! You can view my privacy policy here. Thank you in advance for your support! Have you heard of the summer slide? In a...
Have you ever had a loaded iceberg wedge salad? Growing up, the only lettuce I'd eat was iceberg. As I got older and tried to make better choices, I started going for more nutritious lettuces, like Romaine. Iceberg was still my favorite flavor though. Then there was all that drama about Romaine lettuce killing people....
We're back with more bows! In my opinion, nothing looks more adorable than a korker bow in a little girl’s hair, and at this time of year - the beginning of summer – themed korker bows are a perfect way to add a little patriotic flare! DIY Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Korker Hair Bows...
If you've got a little girl, you know that tutus are a necessary part of life. Even if the child doesn't do ballet. Because tutus are awesome! They're also super easy to make, even if you don't sew! If you can make a knot, you can make one. Here's how to make a super full,...
For the most part, I try to live a low carb lifestyle. I once lost close to 100 lbs on the Atkins diet, and then gained it back when I went back to eating bread and pasta. So now I just try to limit my carbs. I'll have a burger with no bun, zoodles instead...
I've been trying to stick to a relatively low-carb diet. This doesn't mean that I'm doing keto for sure, but pasta and sugary snack foods are definitely out. If you're a carb addict like me, this type of dietary change leaves you pretty hungry! One of the ways that I stay full is with avocados....
Since we moved away from "home", we find ourselves with overnight guests on a pretty regular basis. I really enjoy the company, but I don't love trying to make food and keep the house in some sort of order with everyone around. There's just not enough room for everyone and everything! In those cases, I...
I recently got the 8 quart Instant Pot, and I'll admit that it's been a bit of a challenge learning how to use it. Sometimes I want to just throw it out the window. I have gotten very good at making a few simple things, however - hard boiled eggs, veggie broth, and mashed potatoes....
This post uses affiliate links. While they do not cost you any extra, they help keep this blog running, so thank you for using them! This post is sponsored in part by BzzAgent. I'm so excited for Super Bowl Sunday! There's going to be cheeseburger potato skins and buffalo chicken and meatballs and dip...and I...
Today was crazy hair day at school! It's one of our favorite days of the year. My little has some pretty long and thick hair, so we have more options than some parents. (I'm sorry, boy moms! I feel like you're getting ripped off!) Anyway, here are some of our favorite crazy hair day ideas...
Baby, it's cold outside. Not just cold. Super cold for this time of year. It didn't even hit 20 degrees here today. We considered going to the town's Christmas celebration, but decided that staying home sounded like a much warmer idea. The little one was sad about missing out on all the Christmas goodies, though,...
Disclosure: I received a box of Sun Basket meals for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. If you're looking for a gourmet meal, stop by my house! And then I'll give you directions to the restaurant down the street! Growing up, my dad was allergic to eggs, seafood, and nuts/nut products. So...
Calm down bottle, sensory bottle, call them what you want. They're just plain awesome. My daughter and I came across these super cool bottles a few months ago and have been dying to make a galaxy sensory bottle ever since. In case you're not familiar with sensory bottles, here's the rundown. Basically, a sensory bottle...
There is definitely a chill in the air here in upstate NY! I'm not complaining - I love it! I also love soup. To me, nothing says comfort food better than a great big bowl of hearty soup. I eat so much soup in the winter I'm surprised I don't float, honestly. I really enjoy...
I love apples. We are reaching the end of the season here in Upstate NY, but I really don't think there is a bad time for applesauce, apple pie, apple cobbler, or apple crisp. This year, I had some extra apples and decided to make slow cooker strawberry applesauce with the kiddo. I was really...
We're all about celebrating Halloween with treats around here! This week, we made these quick and easy Jack O'Lantern Oreos. Aren't they cute? I try to keep Halloween kid-friendly and not scary at all, so all of the treats we made are easy for kids to help with, too. Here's how to make this simple...
I have a confession to make: I hate Halloween. Always have. The only thing that makes it semi-bearable is the treats. I don't want to spoil the fun for my daughter, so I overcompensate by making lots of treats for her. Whether it's spider hot dogs, zombie pumpkin patch cookies, or deviled eyeball eggs, I...
It's been kind of a rough week around here, and I wanted to make something fun but simple to surprise my daughter with. So I went with an old standby - cookie pizza. I love cookie pizzas, and thanks to the few years I spent as a Pampered Chef Consultant, I've got a little bit...
Fang Cookies I'm all about the easy life, aren't you? Bonus if easy activities make me look like mom of the year. Like these Fang cookies. A package of store bought cookies, a little bit of chocolate, and some gel frosting makes for a super cute idea. If you have a steady hand and...
We're in the middle of a heat wave here, and I'm one of those people who doesn't want to eat when it's hot out. Which is pretty much all summer. Unfortunately, the rest of my family still thinks that eating is a good idea! So, I compromise, and we eat salads for meals. In order...
Upcycle A Photo Collage Frame I really love photo collage frames, but this one was just looking...outdated. The kids in those pictures are now in their 20s. I kept telling myself I'd take out the pictures and put them in another frame, but I never got around to it. (Story of my life.) Finally, when...
Tips for Safely Cooking Chicken When I was three years old, I got salmonella poisoning. My mom took me to the doctor and he asked her if she had chickens running in the house. (She said she was very insulted…) I’m guessing the pediatrician put me on antibiotics, because obviously, I survived. However, while I...
*This post contains affiliate links. While they don't cost you a penny extra to use, I am compensated for them. Thank you in advance for your support!* A few weeks ago, my daughter came home super excited because they'd eaten cake during library time at school. She went on and on about how some little...
Remember my post about Galaxy Sensory Bottles? Well while we were at it, we made some Silver Snow Sensory bottles, too! The ingredients are slightly different, but the process is the same. Galaxy Sensory Bottle Supplies: Voss Bottles (Our local store had a sale so I bought a bunch of them!)Silver large glitterSilver fine glitterSilver...
One of my favorite things about blue (bleu) cheese is that you can use it to fancy up a meal or to cool down spicy pub fare. Not many foods can be both classy and elegant and cool and comforting. Bacon, Bleu, and Mushroom Sliders is the perfect example. Bacon, Bleu, and Mushroom Sliders This...
White Bean Dip Game Day Recipe If you asked me if I was into bean dip, I'd tell you I definitely wasn't. Until now. Turns out white bean dip is a great addition to a game day menu. It is quick and easy to make – and your guests are sure to love the variety...
Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? This gluten free, whole grain food is a fabulous addition to your diet. Eating oatmeal regularly is known to help with weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce heart disease. So far, so good, right? The only problem is that if you're anything like I...
If you've ever been to my house in weather below 70 degrees, there's soup in the Instant Pot, in the Crock Pot, on the stove, or all 3. There's always soup at my house. It's everyone's favorite! This Instant Pot Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup recipe is absolutely delicious and souper easy to put...
Remember a few weeks ago when we had a sort of french fry buffet? Well here's the other half! After the little one swiped my chili cheese fries, I decided to make some loaded pepperoni pizza fries instead! (She doesn't like pepperoni!) The process was super easy. Half of my family is Italian, so we...