Coffee and Cannolis

So, for today's post you can actually find my recipe over on one of my food blog/What's Cooking Board friends' site - Christine's Kitchen Chronicles .  While Christine is traveling a lot she graciously allowed me to guest post for her.  Go check out the recipe for these Mini Frittatas.  A great meal for a small crowd if you don't have a lot of time, or as I like to make them - for busy moms who's toddlers are pretty picky but will eat eggs!  Freeze them, pop them in the fridge the night before and heat for a bit in the morning.  Breakfast is ready! While you're over at Christine's blog, check out some of her posts as well.  I have quite a few things I want to try, such as this S'Mores Pizza , some Cheesy Chili Mac , and since it's technically Fall now - some good ol' comfort food like this Parmesan Chicken Meatloaf that will still allow me to do well on my work "Biggest Loser" challenge!

There is something to be said about quicker versions of classic comfort foods.  I love the appeal of some long roasting, braising, baking, simmering dishes, but sometimes I just don't have the time or patience for them.  Lasagna is a prime example!  Don't get me wrong, when I have the time and a napping (or settled) toddler, I love to immerse myself in making a lasagna.  So much so that I usually make two - one to bake, one to freeze for later.  That being said, rarely is Ty perfectly content to just chill with me while I'm assembling lasagna.  I long for the days of being able to have a kitchen helper, but we're definitely not there yet. Then, I stumbled across this recipe for skillet lasagna on Pinterest, only to find out that it came from one of my favorite bloggers (Josie of Pink Parsley).  I've heard of skillet lasagna before, and though the idea's always intrigued me, I've never really given more than 2 thoughts to it because the recipes never

Raise your hand if you loved Spaghetti-O's growing up!  {Raising both hands and waving them over here}.  Seriously, I loved Spaghetti-O's.  And to be perfectly honest, I still kind of do!  That being said, I'm not going to open up a can of Spaghetti-O's knowing just how much processed junk is in them.  And the sodium?!  No thank you. Still, I sometimes get a craving.  This homemade version certainly hits the spot!  A little more time consuming than opening a can and microwaving in a bowl for 3 minutes, but I feel so much better about myself afterwards.  Plus, as my son gets older and wants fun foods - this will be a great staple to have in my pocket.    They taste so much like the original, and because I know exactly what's in the recipe I don't feel remotely bad about serving it to my family. You could use any small shaped pasta, but thankfully I have access to a fantastic Italian market near work and my parents that has Anelletti pasta.  If I wasn&

I have a love-hate relationship with BBQ Sauce.  Growing up, I was never a fan of BBQ because I didn't really like sauce.  I've never been a huge fan of condiments to begin with, so I just couldn't bring myself to appreciate BBQ sauce.  However, as I've gotten older I've developed a fondness of BBQ Sauce.  Possibly due to my love of Pulled Pork Sandwiches, which just aren't the same without some sauce! One thing that will never change though is that I do not like vinegar.  Never have and never will!  Thankfully it's not hard to find a somewhat sweet BBQ sauce being so close to Kansas City.  With that being said, I still want a little kick and bite to my BBQ Sauce, and it's hard to find that right balance from a bottle.  Enter this basic recipe for BBQ Sauce.  What I like about the idea of making your own sauce is that you can make it what you want.  Don't want it quite so sweet, limit the amount of honey.  Want it a little more spicy - add a lit