I'm Back! Portland's Foodie Scene!

Hey Guys!! So sorry I have been sporadically posting lately. My last week of grad school was last week  and I had three finals in one week! I also traveled to Portland,ME for an amazing wedding of my friend's Ashley & Blake. I always love checking out foodie scenes in other states so take a look at what I found and let me know if there are any other foodie stops of note in Portland.

Married to a Food Blogger: How the Other Half Lives

Hi Everyone! I am currently in one of my last semesters of grad schools and am completely consumed with all of the finals I have this week. I thought it would be fun to get the prospective of my other half, my husband Toby and have him write a post about being married to a food blogger. Now this should be interesting....

Birthday Funfetti Pancakes

What better time to eat cake than in the morning for breakfast! Saturday was my husband Toby's 30th Birthday and he requested these delicious pancakes. The trick to these is to add cake mix so they come out super thick and fluffy. The best part of these is the syrup. No need for maple syrup. The syrup for these little babies is basically icing and sprinkles. Heck yes!

Banana Bread Muffins

I love banana bread. I love muffins. I love muffins that I can throw together in five minutes. Like all this too? Try these muffins! The other aspect of why I love these muffins are that they are super healthy! All you need is yogurt,eggs, oatmeal, and very ( very) ripe bananas. I added some chia seeds for some more health benefits so feel free to add whatever else you would like. I actually wanted to top the muffins with walnuts, but we didn't have any. Come to think of it, chocolate chips would be a delicious also.

Chickpea & Cherry Tomato Salad

This salad emits summer. Cherry tomatoes are in season in New England and they are so sweet! They are perfect in salads, or even oven roasted in a pasta dish. I am always looking for new summer salads that I can try and this one was super simple, but had bold flavor so it fit the bill! Might I add, chickpeas are super healthy and full of protein. Since I am running from work to class twice a week I like packing simple salads with me so I can at least eat a yummy dinner while I fill my brain of business knowledge.

Chicken Marsala Ravioli with Asiago Chicken Meatballs

I would have never  thought to put chicken marsala in ravioli form, but after trying them I have clearly been missing out! This recipe is another signature recipe for Buitoni's chicken marsala ravioli. And what a recipe it is! I decided that clearly this ravioli did not need much doctoring since everything you need for chicken marsala is inside these little pillows of love. I was especially excited by the asiago and portabello mushrooms that were in the filling. I wanted to play off of those flavors to make asiago chicken meatballs to go with this meal.

Jalapeno Popper Mac & Cheese

Loyal readers, I have finally outdone myself. Well, technically Rachael Ray did. I just made her recipe. Wow. All I have to say is I have a new favorite mac and cheese. I have a love affair with jalapeno poppers. At a market near us they have a ton of prepared foods, which of course include jalapeno poppers. Every time I go grocery shopping I get one lonely jalapeno to eat on my way home. Is this bizarre? I never realized it might be until I just typed it out. Crap. Please try not to judge me.

Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Sausage & Kale

Looking for a fresh, new idea this summer that takes less than twenty minutes to make?  Look no further ladies and gents! Buitoni has asked me to come up with some recipes for their new line of pasta which includes the oh-so-decadent Butternut Squash Agnolotti. This pasta's filling is really delicious and was a perfect match for some spicy sausage and crispy kale.

Chocolate Espresso Muffins

Could breakfast get any better? You get your caffeine fix and your chocolate fix all at the same time! Score. After eating my fare share of these, they could also realistically be cupcakes also. These actually share a close resemblance to Hostess Cupcakes. I may remake these and attempt to fill them with that luscious cream filling that everyone remembers from our childhood. Is it bad we will be eating a muffin that resembles a Hostess cupcake for breakfast.. maybe? Oh well.

Best Summer Side: Mexican Street Corn

Want to transport yourselves to the streets of Mexico, Does Equis in one hand ear of corn in the other?  The season for sweet corn is approaching and it is my favorite time of year. Rhode Island has a ton of local sweet corn that is super sweet and buttery. Sometimes making corn on the cob gets a bit... boring? How many ways can you possible make corn on the cob? Well, here is one more!

Red,White,& Green? Grilled Kale Salad

Happy Independence Day America! Although, I did think about it today... wouldn't we sound great walking around with British accents? Saying cheerio instead of goodbye and such. Yeah... probably not, but still it would be cool. I digress. England is great. America is great. Now let's eat some hot dogs and celebrate being American!

Faux Fried Grilled Chicken

Huh? So is this fried chicken or grilled chicken? Both! I saw this recipe on the Food Network and I was intrigued.The Gist: You marinate bone in-skin on chicken overnight and then stick breadcrumbs on it then grill it. You with me? Basically the fat on the chicken melts and makes the bread crumbs crispy, but you still get a yummy smokey flavor from the grill. Best of both worlds? Heck yes!