Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Dutch Bros Coffee Comes to Webster, Texas! #dutchbros #coffeelover #weekendgourmetdinesout
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Best of The Weekend Gourmet: No-Bake Easter Egg Mini Cakes #easterdessert #nobakedessert #kidfriendlybaking #easterfun
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Perfect for Lenten Friday: Zesty Tex-Mex Shrimp Cocktail #lentenfridaymeals #gulfshrimp #seafood #spicyfood
Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Zesty Tex-Mex Shrimp Cocktail. It's super simple to whip up a batch of this appetizer or light lunch/dinner in no time. That makes it perfect for serving on Lenten Fridays! Because it's served chilled, all you need is 20 minutes to prep everything...then you can store in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead, until you're ready to serve. If you've never tasted Mexican-style shrimp cocktail (aka coctel del camarones), it's a bit different from the American-style shrimp cocktail you may be used to. This Zesty Tex-Mex Shrimp Cocktail is my personal spin on a dish that has a zillion variations. Everyone who tastes this appetizer goes crazy for it!
Monday, February 26, 2024
Perfect for Lenten Friday Dinner: Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon #lentenfridaymeals #grilledseafood #salmon #omega3
During the Lenten season, I'm always looking for healthy and delicious ideas for our Friday seafood dinner. If you love salmon, you'll go crazy for the Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon I'm sharing today! It features bright lemon and garden-fresh basil in both the simple marinade and the flavor-packed spice rub. The end result is fish that's bursting with flavor...and a healthy dose of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Super Bowl Game Day Apps...Featuring Roasted Tomatillo Salsa #gamedayfood #superbowlfood #homemadesalsa #chipsandsalsa
The Super Bowl is coming up in a couple of weeks...and that means I'm serving up some yummy game day snacks! I always serve chips and salsa...salty, crunchy, and spicy in one delicious bite. However, I rarely make salsa from scratch for some reason. Luckily, the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa recipe I'm sharing today is incredibly easy to make at home. It features tangy tomatillos and is ready to serve in minutes. If you're like me and don't typically make your own salsa? I promise this one is super easy to make...and economical too. I paid about $3 for the four simple ingredients needed to make this spicy-tangy green salsa! Best of all? It can be made a couple of days ahead of the big game and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Friday, December 29, 2023
Easy Elegance for New Year's Eve...Featuring Lobster Salad in Puff Pastry Cups #newyearsevefood #puffpastry #easyappetizers #seafood #holidayfood
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Healthy Holiday Sipping: Zero Sugar Peppermint Mocha Steamer...Featuring Peet's Coffee and Jordan's Skinny Syrups #zerosugarcoffee #athomebarista #lowcarbcoffee #skinnypeppermintmocha
Friday, December 15, 2023
A Festive Holiday Mocktail...Featuring First Watch's Citrus Hibiscus Punch #firstwatchrestaurant #holidaymocktail #citrus #hibiscus #holidaycheers
- 1 3/4 cup Cold-Brewed Cinnamon Hibiscus Tea
- 3/4 cup Simple Syrup
- 1 cup Cranberry Juice
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- 2 TBS ginger juice
- 2 quarts Cold Filtered Water
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 cup Dried Hibiscus Flowers
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers, Part 2 #holidaygiftguide2023 #giftsforfoodies #kitchenandfoodgifts #holidaygifts
It's time for Part 2 of my 2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers. This installment includes a pair of gift suggestions for the entertainers and party hosts on your gift list...as well as a fantastic family-friendly gift idea. This year, I'm also including a bonus holiday thank-you gift suggestion that's perfect for teachers, mail carriers...and other people who help make your life easier throughout the year. It's also a great stocking stuffer. Let's get started!
- DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- DeLallo Sesame Breadsticks
- Italian Pitted Olive Medley
- DeLallo Roasted Red Pepper Strips
- DeLallo Imported Italian Tomato Bruschetta
- DeLallo Fig Spread
- Sweet Casalingo Dry Cured Sausage
- DeLallo Mini Genoa Salami
- DeLallo Imported Italian Granino Cheese Wedge
- Merlot VellaVitano Wedge
Saturday, December 2, 2023
2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers Part 1 #holidaygiftguide2023 #foodlovergifts #holidayfoodgifts #giftsforfoodies
Because these items can be purchased individually, you can easily utilize them to create affordable personalized holiday gifts. For example, the Peppermint Hot Chocolate ($13.95) pairs great with a colorful mug and homemade holiday cookies. It's a thoughtful DIY gift that can be enjoyed during the holidays...and into the new year! You can also select several items from the collection, then arrange them in a basket lined with their festive Peppermint Kitchen Towel ($10.95). Be sure to visit Stonewall Kitchen's handy online store to check out these great peppermint items...and their entire holiday line!
- Sugar Cookie
- Peppermint Bark
- White Chocolate Peppermint
- Eggnog
- Chestnut Praline
- Spiced Cranberry
- Gingerbread Latte
- Naturally Sweetened Peppermint Mocha -- sweetened with stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol
Be sure to come back Monday for Part 2 of this year's Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers! I'll be sharing a trio of gifts that are family friendly...or perfect for the entertainers on your holiday shopping list.
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Celebrating the Arrival of Soup Weather...with Yucatan Chicken-Lime Soup aka Sopa de Lima #chickensoup #soupweather #comfortfood
First, I use skinless bone-in chicken breasts to give my broth a deeper chicken flavor. Per a chef we met in Merida, I add lime juice AND simmer lime halves in the broth for 15 minutes before serving. This allows the lime's citrus oil to infuse a deeper lime flavor into the soup. Finally, I add a bit of grated Cotija cheese to the top of each bowl before serving -- because a little cheese is never a bad thing!
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Checking Out the Seasonal Fall Menu at First Watch #firstwatch #fallflavors #breakfastandbrunch
We also tried a fruit-forward Pomegranate Sunrise -- which combined Camarena Tequila, tart pomegranate juice and fresh lime, and sweet agave nectar. The presentation of this cocktail was really fun too...cheers!
For our duo of entrees, we picked one savory...and one with a bit of sweetness. The Barbacoa Quesadilla Benedict was spicy goodness! It features two beef barbacoa quesadillas prepared quesa birria style. The cheesy quesadillas are topped with two cage-free eggs, Vera Cruz hollandaise sauce, spicy ranchero sauce, and sliced scallions. The dish is accompanied by seasoned black beans topped with house-made pico de gallo. This dish hearty and savory...perfect for sharing!
Our second entree was a Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast. The centerpiece of this plate was a large, fluffy spiced pumpkin pancake -- a quintessential taste of Fall. The spiced pumpkin pancake was paired with two sunny-side-up eggs and a savory Jones Dairy Farm chicken sausage patty.
This is a traditional breakfast combo that offers the perfect amount of seasonal Fall flavor. If you enjoy sweet and savory flavors together on one plate, this Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast is a perfect way to start your day!
Disclosure: First Watch hosted The Weekend Gourmet team for a complimentary tasting of their seasonal Fall menu. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
My Experience Trying the Sunbasket Meal Delivery Service #sunbasket #mealdelivery #healthyandeasy
I recently had the opportunity to try Sunbasket's meal delivery service, and I have to say I am very impressed! I especially loved that Sunbasket provides two different meal options available for ordering: (1) Meal Kit recipes AND (2) Fresh & Easy ready-to-eat meals. That flexibility allowed me cook when I had time to spend in the kitchen...and simply reheat a delicious meal in the oven or microwave on my most hectic days.
Sunbasket's tagline, "Your Kind of Healthy," immediately caught my eye. To that end, Sunbasket offers customers a customized meal selection process. Each week's menu selections can be filtered for eight popular nutrition plans -- including Diabetes-Friendly, Carb-Conscious, and Vegetarian. Menus can be further filtered to focus on...or avoid...specific kinds of foods.
I loved seeing just the menu items that matched my personal eating habits...such a time saver! I follow a Carb-Conscious eating plan these days, so filtered for that. I also eat mostly chicken and seafood...and I've reduced my consumption of beef and other red meat. Based on this individualized input, Sunbasket recommended several delicious options for my four-meal (two servings each) box. I selected two easy, healthy recipes:
- Migas with Crisp Tortilla Strips, Chorizo, Eggs, and Salsa Verde
- Mediterranean Honey-Harissa Salmon with Apple-Cabbage Slaw
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Fall Sipping with Pumpkin Pie Hot White Chocolate #pumpkinseason #hotwhitechocolate #fewercarbs #lesssugar #athomebarista
It's officially Fall, which means it's finally pumpkin spice latte season. But...what if you don't drink coffee? No problem...I've got you covered! Here's an easy recipe for a warm and creamy seasonal white chocolate cocoa. It's a perfect sip as the days turn cooler. My Pumpkin Pie Hot White Chocolate is like sipping a piece of pumpkin pie. It smells absolutely amazing as it simmers on the stove, and it's ready to enjoy in minutes! As an added bonus, I'm also providing easy ingredient substitutions to enjoy this decadent drink with less sugar and fewer carbs. These tweaks allow me to enjoy pumpkin spice flavors...in a healthier way!
Saturday, September 30, 2023
MOD Pizza: Creating Delicious Custom Pizzas...and Salads!! #WeekendGourmetDinesOut #MODPizza #makeityourown #pizza #salad
The Weekend Gourmet team recently visited a MOD Pizza location here in San Antonio to create a signature individual artisan-style pizza...and a delicious entree salad. If you're not familiar with MOD Pizza, they offer more than 40 creative pizza and salad toppings. Even better? You pick as many toppings as you want for one set price! That means there are endless options to create whatever flavor profile you're craving every time you visit! It's really fun to go through the line and assemble your individual pizza or salad. Whether you prefer traditional toppings...or you crave more over-the-top creative options...you can assemble your personal masterpiece!
The Weekend Gourmet's custom pizza started with a thin 11" crust, creamy white sauce, mozzarella, salami, mild sausage, spicy chicken sausage, spinach, artichoke hearts, fresh garlic, and black olives (on half).
Once your pizza is topped, it heads to a screaming hot 800℉ stone pizza oven ... where it bakes to perfection in 3-4 minutes. Once your pizza creation come out of the oven, it can be drizzled with one of eight finishing sauces. We opted for pesto and spicy sri-rancha cups on the side for dipping instead.