BBQ Grilled Steak Burgers

One thing I love, I think it's because of my mom, is hamburgers!  I can make a mean hamburger - Zachary likes my hamburgers too :)

So I found this recipe as well from Kraft's "Food and Family" magazine/Kraft website.  It's BBQ Grilled Steak Burgers!  Super easy and super yummy!  We didn't have any red peppers in the house, so I used yellow and green peppers instead :)

Click HERE for the recipe!

Did you notice the salad???  It's the arugula one I posted a few days ago! 

What do you think?  What do you love most on hamburgers?  Are you a simple burger fan or are you a cheeseburger fan or are you a fan of the guilty pleasure of Culver's Butterburgers?  I want to know - WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BURGER?

Yeah for Burgers!
xoxo Sarah

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Happy Friday ya'll!

I thought I would end the week on a yummy dessert!  Zachary LOVES cheesecake!  So the other night, I thought I would make a fun spin on a cheesecake for him.  I LOVE blueberries - so I found a recipe to mix the two!

Side note:  This recipe I found in a "Food and Family" magazine from Kraft.  My mom has all of these "Food and Family" magazines at her house!  She used to get them all the time, and I would rummage through them the moment they came in the mail!  I love this magazine and I hope to one day own a subscription to it myself!  If you want to check it out - go to Kraft Recipes HERE.  I know Zachary is a self-taught chef, but this website and these recipes really help when I want to cook dinner - American style with some twists sometimes :)  It's an easy way to learn how to cook and then be able to spread your wings and try some new stuff on your own!  I have also made their Bruschetta Chicken Bake and Zachary loved it!  I forgot to take pics of it but you can search for it on the website!

Ok back to my dessert!  Click HERE for the recipe - it is super delicious and I used a lot more blueberry puree than required because I love blueberries so much!  Also - you don't have to use Kraft products!  This is just a base for it - so I used generic cream cheese rather than Philadelphia!  Take a look below at this fun dessert!  Plus - a little sprig of our mint from our slowly drying up garden because of the drought! YIKES!

YUMMY!!!!!!!

Happy Cheesecake Making!

xoxo Sarah

Skinny Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Monday, I made a new dinner!  I have been trying out some new recipes I am really excited about!

I was able to make this in a crock pot, and I got the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs - Skinny Taste Blog.

Take a look at the recipe HERE.  I made some changes below:
1) I used fresh crushed tomatoes instead of canned/
2) I used fettuccine corn pasta and put some butter on the pasta in the pot and covered the pasta in chopped parsley.
3) Use more salt than you think.
4) I topped with Parmesan and basil!

Take a look at how it turned out - so easy!  Just leave it in the crock pot and go!  Wonderful wonderful invention a crock pot is you know?  What are some of your favorite crock pot recipes?

Happy Crock Pot Cooking!!
xoxo Sarah

Summer Salads!

There is nothing more that I like in summer than salads!  Fresh tomato salads, shrimp salads, steak salads, Caesar salads, grilled chicken salads - I just love love love salads.

The question is - how or what do you make a salad with!  There are so many options!  You can use romaine lettuce, head lettuce, Boston lettuce, frisee, arugula, basil - there are so many options!  And once you decide the base or greens, then what do you add?  More veggies - a protein -maybe even fruit???!!! It's up to you!  And then to top it all off - what type of dressing do you want - do you want to add some ranch, some oil and vinegar or nothing at all!

Well take a look at this beautiful salad below that Zachary made the other night for dinner!  Some fresh arugula, some yellow cherry tomatoes, some Gorgonzola cheese, and a homemade white balsamic vinaigrette!  Simple - crisp - and fresh!  Exactly how we love our salads!

What is your favorite type of salad?  I would love to know!  

Happy Salad Making!

xoxo Sarah

PS:  Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!!!!

Wait...They don't love you like I love you...

The title of this blog is a lyric from the song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs called "Maps."  This song, Zachary and I both love, but was also the last requested song by the bride and groom this past weekend at the wedding we went to for our best friends, Conor and Morgan.

Take a look below at all the fun beautiful festivities - the location was goregous and so unique!  It was fun to not only have friends there but family too!  Congrats to both Conor and Morgan - we love you both and we are so happy for the both of you!

At the Rehearsal...some of the pics are a little blurry because they were walking!

At the Rehearsal Dinner - The bridal party is in the middle, and friends along the sides!  

The Ceremony - look at that lighting!

Friends and Family at the Reception/Cocktail Hour

Speeches at dinner!  

Dancing and Photo Booth!

Salud!
xoxo Sarah

So Kate Middleton....

Yes - Yes - Yes!

It's true.  This past weekend, I wore an awesome fascinator to some of our best friends' wedding and it was a hit!   And yes - yes - yes - Someone told me, "That is SO Kate Middleton of you."  OMG - it made my year!  As I have a love for the British Culture and Royalty in that country, I was so excited to wear this fascinator!

More posts to come on the wedding this week - because it was beautiful and I want to make a special post about Conor and Morgan's wedding weekend!

But I thought I would share my look with the hat - I posted earlier in May about the fascinator when we were celebrating my sister-in-law's 7th birthday and Kentucky Derby - here is that post!

If you don't have a fascinator - I say go get one!  You have to have the confidence to wear it!  And just strut - your-stuff!  Have fun with it!  I think it is a GREAT fashion statement and any hat/hair piece is bold and makes you look like a fashionista!

So take a look below!  I know - pictures of myself yeah yeah yeah - but it's not about me remember - IT'S ABOUT THE FASCINATOR!!!!!!!!!!

LOOK AT THE FASCINATOR!!!!!  AHH!

Happy Fascinator Wearing!

xoxo Sarah

Open Faced Caprese Melts

So I made lunch for Zachary and I this past weekend!  I made up my own little recipe!!!  I thought it would be a fun little delicious summer lunch.   So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
Half of a French Baguette sliced into two pieces
1-2 Tbsps of Butter
2 cloves of garlic crushed
Two tomatoes off the vine sliced
Handful of fresh basil leaves
6 slices of fresh Mozzarella
Salt and pepper to season
A little EVOO
A little Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Slice the baguette half into two pieces the long way.  Then, melt the butter and add crushed garlic to the butter.  Brush the garlic butter onto the baguettes.  Then top the bread with sliced tomatoes.  Then add a little salt and pepper to season the tomatoes.  Top the tomatoes with some fresh basil leaves and place the sliced mozzarella pieces on top of the basil.  Add a little salt and pepper on top of the cheese and place the bread on the lined baking sheet.  Place in over for about 12-15 minutes as long as the cheese gets melted.

After you take out of the oven, place bread on serving plate and drizzle a little EVOO and a little balsamic vinegar on top!  Then Enjoy!!

Yeah!  My first homemade recipe :)  I am very proud of myself!!!

I drizzled WHITE balsamic Vinegar on them so you can't really see it!  Another tip I think, is if you place it under the broiler the cheese might become more golden and melt more so!  

Happy Recipe Making!
xoxo Sarah