Homemade Granola

This recipe brings up so many fantastic memories for me. My dad took over the job of making fresh granola, and even now makes a new batch every couple of weeks. The thing I love about granola is that you only need a little amount to make you feel full! This is one thing I definitely miss about living at home. For some reason it just tastes better knowing that my dad made it, not that it doesn't taste exactly the same it just had that extra bit of love in it I guess.
I love having homemade granola around. Number one because you can really throw anything you like in it and it will usually taste pretty good and two because it makes a great addition to plain old yogurt  in the morning.

Baked Asian Chicken Wings

This recipe was a great find. The sauce in this recipe is absolutely divine! I even got my husband to like the sauce and that is a big deal because the sauce has blackberry jam in it...my husband does not eat any form of cooked fruit so it really surprised me when he talked about how good the sauce was. *Secrets in the sauce right?! ;) *
This recipe was ridiculously easy and took no prep at all which is my kind of recipe.

Pickled Red Onions

Yep. You read it right. Pickled, Red, Onions. I got this recipe from my sister who said I have to give it a try on our Gage Dogs, which I did and wow...these are fantastic! Where have they been all my life. I usually slather up my dogs in just the raw red onion or sauerkraut, but these take them to a whole other level. I really can't even describe them other then to say, JUST TRY THEM! They would be great on any hot dog, hamburger, whatever.

The Gage Dog

Ohhhhh the hot dog. Everybody's favorite thing they hate to love. I personally am not a huge fan of the cheap (I don't know whats really in them) dogs from the grocery store, but, this recipe I will eat...everytime! The GAGE dog.
We were having a bbq at my sisters house a few years ago and my brother in law said that we had to try this version of a hot dog. It was fantastic. How can a hot dog with bacon not be good. Anyway, I believe it was his creation, or maybe it was something that he had seen before, BUT my husband loved it (as I recall he may have snarfed down one or two extra hot dogs that day.) Since they are brothers and they both love them, it is now called the GAGE dog in our household.

*I forgot to snap a picture of our dogs this time, so I tried to find the closest

thing on the web I could to what it looks like. I will update a new picture

when we make them again! But this is a great picture for if you forget to wrap the bacon around the dog, like I sometimes do :)*

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

I have really been enjoying creating new smoothie mixtures every day. Today I found myself feeling in the mood for an Island getaway so I broke out the mangos!
The fusion of mango, pineapple, and banana create a great blend of a tropical paradise in your mouth! I like to whip these up for a quick boost to a breakfast, or I even use them as a great dessert alternative. You could even throw the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze them for a hot summer day.
The thing I like best about making smoothies is that you can create something different every day. So really how can you get bored of drinking them? Oh and...they are incredibly healthy. I never add any additional sugar or sweetener to mine. This is great because it helps you get in quite a bit of your daily fruit intake needs, which I don't know about you, but I struggle with! So I say, throw it all in the blender and drink it up!
Okay that sounded like an infomercial! I apologize for that! I wrote it at like 6 in the morning a couple of days ago when I had a bunch of time to kill before my little one woke up.

Fruit Bruschetta

This is by far my favorite appetizer to make whenever I am asked to bring one. The fresh fruit on top of cinnamon bread with this amazingly fantastic orange-honey creamy sauce on top....makes my mouth water! I love this recipe because it is a great fresh and healthier appetizer.
Not only does it taste fantastic but it is very appealing to the eye, so they will disappear within minutes! The sauce is what makes this recipe different then just a regular old fruit salsa with cinnamon chips recipe (although also a great appetizer).
Whether its a classy party or just a small get together with close friends and family, this appetizer will be a hit.

Dad's Texas BBQ

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm. I love BBQ season! And now that I live in the great state of Arizona, its ALWAYS BBQ season! This makes my tummy very happy :)
This BBQ sauce recipe is one that I grew up on. It's one that my dad always used whenever he would do up some ribs. In my opinion I think it would be good on any kind of meat, but you can never go wrong with it when its on some fantastic ribs...
(Yes I did just have to wipe a little drool off my chin...)
If you don't use all of the sauce it can save in the fridge for at least a week, depending on how you store it.
For me, this recipe just brings back fond memories of dad at the grill, mom making some macaroni salad, and me bringing the dishes outside to eat with the family on the deck!