A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Summer Porridge aka Yogurt Oats

 

When I first saw this recipe, called "summer porridge", "yogurt oats", or "overnight oatmeal", I honestly thought it sounded gross but so many people were enthusiastic on Pinterest and other places on the web that I knew I had to give it a chance. It's not like I'm not an adventurous eater anyway, and with these ingredients I knew that at the very least it would be very good for me. (I just needed to check it out to see if it was "good" in the concept of "good & good for you".)

Guess what? It's my favorite way to make oatmeal now.  Hot oatmeal in the winter is filling and somehow defines cold weather for me, but the summer? Not so much.  Now I have a summer oatmeal to enjoy and start off the day with a nice healthy meal that keeps me going.  And more than just breakfast, it's now included in my lunchbox almost every time I go to work as my go-to healthy mid-night snack that keeps me going until 0700.

This healthy habit plays off another of my new favorite healthy habits:  Sangria Water, where I fill a pitcher with filtered water and fruit of all kinds and let it soak overnight, giving me great fruit-tasting water to drink all day and then the fruit to put on my oatmeal for the next day. So the Sangria Water  I made yesterday, with peaches and blueberries, became the peaches and blueberries that topped my yogurt oats this morning for breakfast. It's a win-win, for sure.

 

Get Your 8 Glasses with Taste: Sangria Water

Every time I go to a restaurant and am served water with lemon wedges I always think to myself "Why do I not do this at home?"  It's a lemon wedge: uncomplicated, easy, and takes 15 seconds to cut, but the difference in taste is amazing. We're lucky, here in the Ozarks, to have great tasting water but that tiny extra makes a lot of difference in how much water I drink, so now I do cut lemon wedges at home for our water.... and limes...and grapes, blueberries, peaches, apples, and so on.

I love the Dannon water commercial that says something like "...at some point it occurs to you to replace one can of sugary soda a day with water..."  I always think "How about all or all but one...that would be even better!"

That's what I do now.  Every evening before I go to bed, I put together a quick a pitcher or two of Sangria Water for the next day by combining whatever fruit I have that sounds good to me at the time.  It only takes a few minutes, sitting in the fridge overnight intensifies the flavors, and we wake to a great tasting drink that doesn't have the sugar of juice or soda. At night, after the water has been downed, the fruit is left to munch on as an after dinner snack.

In the pitcher shown, I used a combination of blueberries and peach slices from the freezer, quartered fresh green seedless grapes, and a lime that I halved, reamed, and then dropped the peels in as well.

 

Cauliflower Salad with Grapes

If you like the broccoli raisin salad, you'll like this, it's very similar.  I created it out of desperation. With only two of us in house, it's hard to make batches of things I can't eat by myself if the hubs doesn't care for it.  Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying he's super picky or that he won't try new things, he just doesn't like broccoli.  But. What I have found is that when I substitute cauliflower in some of my favorite broccoli recipes, he loves it as much as I do.

For me, I love both broccoli and cauliflower so this is another great salad with that sweet, sour, creamy, bacon smoky flavor combination I crave.

 

 

Whole Roasted Cabbage with Bacon for the Oven OR Grill

 Whole Roasted Cabbage on the grill is impressive when cooking out for friends or just as tasty when roasted in the oven inside.  It's quick and easy, can be prepped ahead with just a few ingredients from the pantry, and makes for a tasty side for any meal.

Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

My niece, Holli, found this recipe on Pinterest and made them the other night. They were a huge hit so I had to make them too.  This is her lovely pic (such a pretty plate, Holli)--a plateful of yummy goodness without having to get dressed up and go to Red Lobster to get them.  Is it just me and Holli or is the best thing about Red Lobster these biscuits?  I mean, no offense to Red Lobster, but these cheddar biscuits are my favorite part of going there.

Thanks, Holli!

Pretty Olive & Cream Cheese Penguins All in a Row

 

Doesn't fun food make holidays and parties feel more celebratory? I think so too. Auntie Miranda made these for a family party and the little guys were the hit of the evening.  They're almost too cute to eat.  Almost.  Delicious!

The best part?  They'd be great for ANY holiday or party so we can make them all the time without having to wait for just one season or holiday!

So without a lot of chitchat, here's how to make the little fellas: