Coffee and Cannolis

I previously posted about how every year I try to take better advantage of time, store sales, etc. to prepare some meals in advance to either stock the freezer or make the rest of the week easier, however why stop with the perishables?!  One of my favorite pantry staples is definitely taco seasoning, and I finally got rid of all the prepackaged taco seasoning in our pantry and made my own.  It takes less than 5 minutes to make up a big batch of homemade taco seasoning so I don't know why it took me so long, but now that I have I'll never buy another packet again! Sometimes I'm a little nervous to try something homemade when it's always delicious from a box, packet, etc. because the flavor just isn't the same, however there was no need to be nervous about this!  Not only is it not full of preservatives, it's still full of flavor!  Seriously, make a batch of this and you won't regret it!  Keep it in the pantry and you'll be one step closer to having a

At the start of every year I resolve to start utilizing my weekends to prepare foods for the week, or to stock the freezer, and this year is no exception, especially with baby on board.  However, this year I have more realistic expectations for myself - I know I won't spend 1 day a weekend, or even every weekend doing this, so why set myself up to break my resolution in 2 weeks?!  Basically I just want to be less lazy on the weekends and actually think ahead and prep when I get home from the store, take advantage of crappy weather to make a few freezer meals, etc. When menu planning for the week I had to think of where to start with my resolution.  Well, I am sick of leftovers for lunch and have been wanting Chicken Noodle Soup so why not start there?  I like the recipe I've used in the past, but it's just been missing something.  When searching on foodgawker I saw a fantastic looking picture from Smells Like Home that turned out to be a Barefoot Contessa recipe so I knew I

I know, I know - I've been slacking!  But, I assure you, it's for a very good cause.   Rob and I are having a baby!  Our first child is due June 27, 2011 and we couldn't be more excited!  I've been feeling great, in relation to how I expected to feel, however I've just been exhausted .  I haven't stopped cooking and baking, though admittedly I have slowed down a bit.  However, the lack of blogging lately is just due to pure laziness.  As I mentioned, I've been exhausted, so I either didn't feel like taking pictures of my food, or if I did take pictures they still need to be loaded and/or edited before I can post. Though we don't know the sex yet, this baby definitely takes after daddy, or is all girl, because I've been having some major chocolate cravings.  Chocolate has never been my go-to flavor choice, though I don't dislike it, but the last few months I've been wanting it all.the.time.  However, not just any chocolate - I want soft an

In my opinion, holiday baking is not complete without some sugar cookies.  However, in the past, one of my least favorite cookies was the sugar cookie - that is, until I tried this cookie!  I've made some sugar cookies that I've liked, but never one that completely wowed me.  This year along with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law we made Sugar Cookie Place Cards for Christmas dinner and so I wanted a recipe that would bring the W-O-W factor, plus the decorations that would produce the cute factor!  Not needing to look far, I decided to try Annie's favorite sugar cookie recipe.  She has a few variations, but considering it was Christmas I decided to go with the original almond flavoring. With the exception of trying out the other flavor variations, I intend on this recipe being my standby sugar cookie recipe.  I love the flavor the powdered sugar provided and the hint of almond was fantastic!  Not to mention the fact the my husband kept raving about them, insisting I eat