How to Make a Boxed Cake Mix Taste Better Than Bakery

Magically transform a store bought cake mix into a moist, crowd-pleasing layer cake with my "secret" hack for How to Make a Boxed Cake Mix Taste Better Than Bakery...

I don't mean to brag or anything (okay, maybe I do just *a little* bit ;) ), but I have become known over the past few years for my "homemade" two-layer cakes. They are often requested by my family & friends for birthdays, special occasions, and holidays. And I do have to say that I find it a tad bit amusing since I have never really considered myself much of a cake baker.

But a few years back, I discovered a little hack to doctoring up a boxed cake mix. (Shhhhh.... I do not make my layer cakes from scratch!) The "secret" is extra eggs, extra oil, and sour cream. The addition of these three things can magically transform a regular ole store bought cake mix into a super moist and decadent cake that will leave all of your party guests raving and begging you the recipe.

Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash

This Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series in the summer of 2017, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing my last recipe post of the outdoor market season- this juicy and flavorful Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash. This roasted chicken recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season. 

I am going to share a little secret with you all that I just recently learned myself- if you roast a chicken upside down, you will end up with the most moist & juiciest chicken breast that you have ever tasted. I know it seems weird to roast a chicken with the breast side down, but do trust me on this one, folks. Give it a try with this recipe. I guarantee that you won't regret it. 

4 Time-Saving & Nutritious Choices for Stocking Your Freezer

Not only can you feel good about serving these nutritious spins on some of your family's favorites, but you can also save yourself a little time with these easy & convenient choices...

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Conagra Brands

It is no big secret in the blogging world that the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for most of us food bloggers. Even if you are not a food blogger, I think everyone feels the time crunch around this time of the year. The kids are full-on into the whole back to school thing with after school practices and homework. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are just around the corner. And it seems our daily to-do lists gets a little longer the closer that we get to each holiday. Am I right?

Some evenings I find myself hard pressed for time, but I still want to provide smarter choices for myself & my daughter for dinner time. For nights when I just don't have it in me to whip up a nutritious dinner from scratch, I keep our freezer stocked with a few of our favorites from Gardein, Healthy Choice, & Birds Eye. 

Not only can I feel good about serving these nutritious spins on some of our favorites to my family, but I can also save myself a little time with these convenient choices...

Spicy Tuna Roll Quinoa Salad

Inspired by one of my favorite sushi rolls, this Spicy Tuna Roll Quinoa Salad makes the perfect quick & easy lunch idea...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.®.  

With my youngest back at school 5 days a week now & the busiest time of the year for most of us food bloggers just around the corner, I am ready to get re-focused on some of my own personal goals that I want to accomplish before the end of the year. One of my biggest goals for this past year has been to work towards getting myself to a better & more healthier place physically. 

I have come a long way in the past few months- making my gym time & yoga practice a priority and making better choices when it comes to my daily diet- but I don't want to lose any of that progress as we head into the upcoming holiday season.

In addition to having a vitamin-packed green smoothie for breakfast most mornings of the week, I have also been focusing on creating healthier quick & easy lunch ideas. One of my go-to's for lunch at home or on the go is a filling quinoa salad. I usually make a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of each week so I can conveniently have it hand in the refrigerator. Sometimes I toss it with tuna, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, & a light dressing, and sometimes I saute veggies to add to it & serve it warm.

But perhaps one of my new favorite ways to enjoy a quick & flavorful quinoa salad for lunch is with this super easy recipe I am sharing with you all today for my Spicy Tuna Roll Quinoa Salad...

The Best Places to Eat & Drink in Delaware County, Ohio

From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in Delaware County, Ohio...

This post was created in partnership with Destination Delaware County Ohio. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

If someone would have asked me at the beginning of May what my recommendation would be for a good travel destination in Ohio for foodies, Delaware probably would have not been the first Ohio city that would have come to mind for me. Having lived in the Columbus area for over 8 years, I was familiar with the Delaware area but didn't venture that way much when I was resident of Franklin County. I knew Alum Creek State Park was up that way, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Delaware County.

That all changed when the kiddos & I visited the Delaware, Ohio area at the end of May earlier this summer. Over the past 10 years, the historic downtown area of Delaware has grown by leaps & bounds. And with this growth has also come the birth of a vibrant local restaurant & brewery scene. 

While we definitely didn't get to experience all of the deliciousness that Delaware County has to offer during our stay, we did get a good enough taste of the area. From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in the county... 

Caprese Tomato Bread Pudding

This creamy & savory Caprese Tomato Bread Pudding is a delicious & easy way to enjoy the fresh flavors of the summer season...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series in the summer of 2017, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

Both of my kiddos are back in school now & the summer is winding down, but the heirloom tomato game is still going strong at my local farmers market each weekend. Sweet & juicy garden fresh tomatoes really are one of the best things about the end of the summer growing season. Usually I am drawn to big, fat heirloom tomatoes that are bigger than the size of my palm, but I spied some gorgeous heirloom cherry tomatoes a couple of weeks ago at the market & I just knew that I had to use them in a recipe.

Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie

This Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie is a thick & creamy blend of tofu, sweet strawberries, fresh papaya, frozen mango, & banana- a perfect quick & easy after school snack!

Thank you House Foods for sponsoring this post.

My daughter is enjoying her last few days of summer break, and I am thinking ahead to next week when school starts back up for the year. Even though we do not know quite yet what her second grade year will bring, one thing is for certain- she will come through the door just about every afternoon after school proclaiming how hungry she is. So I am making a mental list now of fun & easy snacks that she can help me make when her after school munchies hit.

Inspired by her recent reading of The Tales of Tofu from House Foods ebook, my daughter asked if we could try one of the recipes from the ebook. My daughter loves any & all smoothies, so she of course requested that we whip up the Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie in preparation for all that upcoming back to school snacking.