It’s the last day of school around here! And I love that we are now in a neighborhood where the majority of the kids go to the same school. So this evening there is an end of the year school celebration. The kids will be celebrating and the parents sipping cocktails plotting how we will make it through the summer. I suspect one of the answers will be more cocktails....

If waiting 8 hours for a roast turkey to cook isn’t your thing, ditch the bird and make these Thanksgiving meatballs instead! If they don’t sound enticing enough, how does herb butter mixed into the meatballs sound? Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs and Gravy This dish is inspired by my Herb Butter Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy and all you need is my delicious and easy Quick Cranberry Orange Sauce and my seriously good Mashed Potatoes....

Inspired by Ayam Goreng (Indonesian and Malaysian fried chicken), there is a 2-stage cooking process involved in this easy turmeric chicken recipe. This is the perfect fried chicken for those who don’t like batter or breading. The bonus of this is that the marinade is able to flavor both the chicken skin and the flesh, resulting in amazingly crispy chicken. Delicious marinade It’s not often done, but the chicken is first cooked in a very tasty blended marinade of shallot, garlic, ground coriander, ground turmeric (fresh turmeric can also be used), garam masala, fresh ginger, and brown sugar....

Then you, my friend, are in the right place! Let me guide you through this! What does an Instant Pot do? Instant Pot is a Multi cooker where you can pressure cook, slow cook, saute, steam food in a very precise and safe manner. This device is a ONE in ALL sort of a device.It can replace your stove top pressure cooker and your pan. In fact, you can make almost anything from popcorn to curries to rice to Cheesecake in it....

My sister Laura helps me manage my Pinterest account and even helps me make new pins sometimes. (hi Laura!!) Just a few weeks ago, she created a pin with a link to my cookie page, where you can see all the cookie recipes I have on my blog. The pin said something like “50+ Cookie Recipes to Love!” I was like wait Laura, hold up, I definitely do not have 50 cookie recipes on my site, probably not even 30!...

I’ve never done a “travelogue” type post before (I pretty much always stick to recipes.) But this was such a unique location, and I had so many of you say that you wanted to learn more, that I decided to share some photos and details. It’s long, and mostly for myself and my family to enjoy. So my dad asked them, okay, what are the coolest places you’ve been that don’t make the top tourist lists?...

Who would have thought a nice, fluffy Yorkshire pudding (more on this below) could be the vessel for a full meal? I have seen roasted meats and vegetables served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding, but this is to a new level. It’s not completely wrapped because the Yorkshire pudding is thicker than a tortilla, but that is what they called it. This street food has now evolved into Yorkshire burrito restaurants all around London with their first being in Camden Market....

Originally published August 9, 2016 You should see me try to explain food blogging to my neighbors. Last year we bought a house in a court, which I didn’t realize would be so different from living on a street. But it so is. It’s kind of like living in a fishbowl all the time. You know how you sneak out of your house in your pajamas sometimes to get the mail or whatever, and hope nobody notices?...

(I was compensated by PARTNERS, A Tasteful Choice Company, for my time in creating this post. All opinions are my own, of course!) So my brother Nathan is in med school and just started his ER rotation. Today he saw a patient who had had a stroke, and he was trying to determine if she was all there. “What’s today’s date?” I don’t know. “What day of the week is it?...

In this post, I have you covered with some noteworthy recipes from colorful cocktails, delicious hot dogs and you can’t forget the patriotic themed desserts. Break out that checkered tablecloth and fire up the grill for a fun and festive fourth. Red White & Blue Cheese Burger Patriotic Firework Cupcakes Patriotic red, white and blue cupcakes are red velvet cupcakes topped with patriotic frosting to emulate a bursting firework. Slow Cooker Beer Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions Slow cooker beer bratwurst with onions and peppers are the perfect, easy cookout meal for a crowd....

3-Ingredient Mango Mousse Mango is my favorite fruit, and I came up with the simplest dessert (ever) that you can make using mangoes. Whether you have frozen or fresh mangoes available, you can make this. It’s so easy, quick, and the result is always great! The Ingredients Here’s what you need to make this mango mousse: Mango – either fresh or frozen. The sweeter your mango is, the better this mango mousse will taste....

Every Monday we have family night, with a lesson and activity, and last night we taught Charlotte about healthy food habits. (This may or may not have been a direct result of her refusing to eat everything but the top layer of crust on her Chicken Pot Pie.) Eric found this strange/hilarious food pyramid video to show her. (highlight: “My friend John is fat because he keeps eating and he does not play” (picture of Fat John)....

Our kids absolutely love hamburgers for dinner. I’m pretty sure it is because I have a recipe for amazing hamburger seasoning that makes burgers anything but boring. We eat burgers about once a week during our busy summers. But now we (and you!) can have delicious burgers anytime with this great recipe for burgers in the air fryer. Mixing up the burgers takes just about five minutes, and with only five minutes of cook time, you have a fast easy dinner that can’t be beat!...

Looking for the perfect cocktail? Look no further than my Alabama Slammer recipe! Made with ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, you are going to want to sip this for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Other Refreshing Cocktails Long Island Iced TeaWhiskey Sour RecipeMojito RecipeCitrus Sangria Did you try this recipe or any of my others? Leave a review and let me know what you think!...

One of the most popular cocktails on Simple Joy is my Amaretto Sour. I’m sure it’s because it brings back memories of being 21 and not having a care in the world. Or maybe it is because it is made with my homemade Sweet and Sour Mix – the secret ingredient to so many great cocktails. The Amaretto Stone Sour is an easy twist on that great popular cocktail. In this drink, we are swapping the lemon lime soda for some orange juice....

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram She asked Dieter, a friend who was over playing, (he’s 4) whether he would like to A) Visit 100 years in the past or B) Visit 100 years in the future? Dieter: Past. Charlotte: But Dieter. The future hasn’t happened yet! Dieter: I want past. Charlotte: But the past already happened. The future is what WILL happen. In the future! Dieter: So wait, what happened in the future?...

Cuisine : South IndianTASTE: Slightly Sweet, yeasty & SavoryTEXTURE: Crispy sides and soft pillowy middleEASE: MediumPROS: The BEST possible appam made at home!CONS: The Soaking & Fermenting take time. I don’t know whether I was inducted into the Malabar cuisine because i love it or because I married into it. Whatever the case, I have been making these hoppers since about 10 years now. Before I stumbled into this recipe, I tried several versions which failed quite colossally....

Remember the easy sun-dried tomato pesto I made last week? This is just 1 of 2 recipes where the pesto was utilized, the other being a delicious grilled vegetable sun-dried pesto pasta. These puff pastry bites taste like a mini bite of sun-dried tomato pizza! Make sure you make plenty because they’ll all be gone in no time because it’s hard to stop once you start eating them. They’re so easy to make and take just minutes to bake....

I love a good tuna salad sandwich, but today I’m going to give you the most delicious spin on the classic. This creamy Avocado Tuna Salad takes out some of the mayonnaise in the dressing and replaces it with delicious avocado. The avocado perfectly combines with the dressing ingredients and makes this a salad that you will fall in love with. While this makes a great nutritious lunch recipe, it is also perfect as a side dish for get togethers, picnics, and BBQs....