food blogger

French Fries 2 Ways! Oven Fries and Brick-O-Fries

February 17, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Today I want to share two VERY different, but both very delicious and easy french fry recipes with you. My good friend and fellow YouTuber, Alyssa, from the channels BabyMakingStation and AlyssaAllDay has an incredible oven fry recipe that I use a lot! I change it up to make it my own, but her recipe is my starting point and inspiration. The second recipe, the Brick-O-Fries was created by my husband, Stephan, and inspired by an appetizer we had while out on a date.

Oven Fries:

Ingredients:

Potatoes (we like using golden or yellow potatoes)

Parchment Paper and/or Cooking Spray

Spices (I used Lawry’s, Garlic Salt, and Paprika)

Directions:

Set oven to 425 degrees. Wash, scrub, and slice potatoes. I like thinner fries, but wedges are fine too. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and either cook them with no oil or spray with cooking spray. Place your fries on the baking sheet and then spice to your liking. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove to stir before baking for another 10 minutes. Check the fries often, though, because the cooking times can vary. Enjoy with some ketchup!

Brick-O-Fries:

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend! Definitely let me know if you try either of these out!!

Summer Snack & Drink Ideas with Recipes!!

June 10, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Thank you for reading! I am SUPER excited to share a very easy drink recipe and one of my favorite healthy snacks with you today! I am also uploading a video on my YouTube channel soon showing me making these, so be sure to check that out. I will link it here when it’s live!

This post and video are in collaboration with my sweet friend Stephanie who is an adorable Alabama girl with tons of charm and amazing ideas. I seriously can’t get enough of her and think that she comes up with the cutest stuff : ) You can find her blog HERE! She will be uploading a blog post and video as well so STAY TUNED!

Strawberry Lemonade:

Ingredients:

8 large strawberries with stems and leaves removed

1 cup sparkling mineral water that has been chilled

2 heaping tablespoons of honey

4 large fresh mint leaves

Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

Directions:

Pureé in a blender on a low speed for 15 seconds and then high speed for 1 minute. Serve over ice.

Kale Chips:

I have posted my favorite kale chip recipe before, but wanted to share it again since it’s been over a year since I shared this recipe. I remember the first time I made these I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like them, or certainly wouldn’t love them, but they’re REALLY REALLY GOOD! So, even if you’re unsure give these a shot because they’re super easy and only have a couple of ingredients, so even if you like them it wasn’t a big waste of time! BUT, I bet you’ll like them!!

If you make either of these recipes be sure to share them with me on social media using the hashtag #LeahTacklesSummerSnacks because I want to see what you create! Also, be sure to talk to me in the commens about other recipes or food ideas you would like to see either here or in a video.

I am SO excited that it is almost (kind of) the weekend! It is “hump” day at least! This weekend is jam packed but so many fun things coming up that I cannot wait to share with you all. What are you up to this weekend? Let me know in the comments!! Thank you for being here : )

Easy Saint Patrick’s Day Beer Bread!

March 16, 2015 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Thank you for being here! I hope that you had a fantastic weekend! I had a great birthday weekend starting on my birthday when Hailey and my mom made me my favorite cake, Rainbow Chip, and my mother in-law helped Hailey pick out a balloon and flowers for me. Hailey’s sweet excitement made my birthday so much fun : ) Stephan made sure to have sweet little surprises up his sleeve, and we had our first date since having Logan!

I love St. Patrick’s Day and even though I don’t celebrate *quite* as enthusiastically as I did in college, I still like to do a little something to celebrate my Irish roots! I have made a couple different variations of this beer bread recipe, but this is my favorite simply because the ONLY ingredient I had to buy was the Guiness, everything else most people have on hand. You also need a bread pan, but can pick one up for a few dollars at Target or most grocery stores.

Irish Beer Bread:

Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 egg

11.5 oz of Guinness beer (one bottle or measure out if using a larger can like I did)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix all of the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Next, mix the egg and beer in using a large spoon. I mixed this by hand, it is a thick dough, so use your muscles ; ) Spray a 9×5 bread pan with cooking spray and pour in your dough. Bake your bread for 40-50 minutes until the top of your loaf is brown. Remember to keep in mind that you are using a dark beer, so the bread will be darker also. This bread is awesome and surprisingly a tad sweet.

As always, thank you so much for reading!! XO

Easy DIY Halloween Treats! Part 1 of 2

October 6, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

With only a few weeks left until Halloween I wanted to share some easy, festive, and tasty treats with you today! I really like all of these because you don’t have to do any baking…you’re just piecing together the ingredients to make a fun fall treat. These recipes are great for little ones, and my 3 year old LOVED helping me make these!! If you make any of these, please share pictures with me! All of my social media links are below : ) And I would love if you “pinned” them on your Pinterest as well!

#1 Spider Crackers

What You’ll Need:

Ritz crackers or similar circle cracker

Small pretzel sticks

Rasins (chocolate chips are fine for those who don’t like rasins)

Peanut butter (or cream cheese or frosting if you have nut allergies or dislike peanut butter like my 3 year old…crazy I know!!)

Directions:

Spread a small amount of the peanut butter onto a cracker and place 4 pretzels on each side to create your spiders legs. Then put a little bit more peanut butter ontop of the “legs” and cover with another cracker. Use the peanut butter to attach the spiders eyes. My 3 year old insisted that one of our spiders also needed a mouth : ) These are a yummy and fairly healthy treat.

#2 Frankenstein Pudding Cups

What You’ll Need:

Vanilla pudding

Green food coloring

Oreo cookies

Black permanent Marker

Clear small plastic cups

Directions:

Dye your pudding until it’s a green of your liking. Crush your oreos (I just place mine in a plastic baggie and smash! But a food processor also works well). Draw your best frankenstein faces onto the cups with your marker…be sure to have fun with it! Scoop the green pudding into your cup and then top with the crushed oreos. Stick these in the fridge if you don’t plan to eat them right away : )

#3 Jack-O-Lantern Orange Cups

What You’ll Need:

Orange fruit cups (peaches or mixed fruit cocktail will also work, but oranges are the most pumpkin-y)

Black permanent marker

Directions:

Draw a jack-o-lantern face onto the tops of the fruit cups and pack into school lunches or have as a fun surprise for lunches at home!!

That’s it! Pretty easy and a lot of fun : ) Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss next weeks post where I share more fun fall treats!! Happy Fall Ya’ll!