Cards of Cheer

With all that’s going on in the world right now, I thought today I’d share some fun craftable card ideas that you can create at home by yourself or with your kids and send off to brighten someone else’s day.

Cheerful Greetings:

“Hi” pastel block card

Sequined “hello” card

“Happy” card with coffee cups

“Have a Happy Day” card

“Be Happy” rainbow of ribbon card

“Hello” card with butterfly and burlap

“Hello” daisy card

“Just Smile” ombre card

‘Have a Sweet Day’ card

Fun and games:

Cheerful rainbow and unicorn card

“MOM” tattoo card

‘Sail away’ sailing ship card

Hearts and string love card

Ice cream cone card

Unicorn pin card

Nature cards:

Blue and orange 3-d flower card

Sea monster pop-up card

‘Thinking of You’ card with butterflies in flight

Llama card

Elephant with confetti card

Spring seed packet cards

Vellum blooms and butterflies card

How are you spreading cheer to the world?

Go for Grits

Today we’re going to take a look at a classic: grits.  You may be surprised how many options are out there to try.  Not familiar with grits? They’re boiled cornmeal and typically served as a breakfast item, although those who love them are happy to eat them all day long.

Cajun spiced cheesy grits

Baked garlic and cheese grits

Jalapeno cheese grits

Cheese grits

Buttered grits

Shrimp and sausage grits

Shrimp and grits bake 

Shrimp and cheese grits

Chipotle shrimp and cheddar grits

Cajun snapper and shrimp over bacon cheddar cheese grits with red pepper coulis

Lemon garlic shrimp and grits

Crawfish and grits with poached eggs

Pan seared Chilean sea bass with wild mushroom grits and fresh spinach

Sausage and cheese grits casserole

Sausage and grits casserole with baked eggs

Bacon cheddar grits

Carolina brunch style grits

Smoked Gouda grits and egg bake

Grits with broiled tomatoes

Baked grits and collards casserole

How do you enjoy eating grits?

Working on Waffles

Keeping in mind all that’s going on in our world right now, today I thought we’d take a look at some tasty, filling and customizable waffle recipes.  Waffles, like pancakes or breads, are great because you can start with the same base for everyone, and then everyone can choose their toppings.  Breakfast foods, including waffles are also one of those foods I think of as comfort foods, like soups, and can be made in both large and small batches.

Gluten free 

Whole wheat vegan 

Sourdough waffles

High fiber sourdough

Yogurt waffles

Belgian style yeast

Whole wheat

Sprouted wheat

Buckwheat sour cream

Buttermilk oat

Oat waffles

Crunchy cornmeal

Gingerbread waffles

Sugar waffles

Banana nut

Banana waffles

Blueberry whole grain

Apple cinnamon with cider syrup

Orange waffles

Lemon almond 

Savory cheddar Parmesan

Hash brown waffles

Brownie batter

Cinnamon bun

Golden harvest

Waffles Florentine

Maple brown butter

What are your waffle or topping suggestions?

Beautiful Butterflies

As we get closer to spring and think about all things with a little magic for St. Patrick’s Day, today I thought I would share DIY decorations and crafts featuring butterflies!

Metallic paper butterflies

Woven craft stick butterfly

Butterfly garden stakes

Butterfly window card

Knit a butterfly blanket

Paper lanterns covered in butterflies

Butterfly and white grape vine wreath

Felt finger butterflies

Butterfly quilt and pillow

Heart of butterflies canvas

Detailed butterflies and flowers greeting card

“Big Dreams” butterfly window

Paper butterfly mobile

Butterfly decorated candle holder

Metallic soda can butterfly pin

Nature inspired butterfly (finger puppet)

Crochet butterflies

Quilled butterflies

Tulle and clothespin butterflies

Butterfly bouquet

Butterfly pretzels

What fun butterfly craft and decoration project ideas do you have?

Savory Spinach

Today we’re going to think healthy and look at some creative and tasty ways to use spinach.

Breakfast:

Cheesy spinach artichoke egg bake

Spinach and tomato frittata

Green spinach smoothie

Spinach and bacon quiche

Spinach frittata

Spinach, mushroom and cheese breakfast casserole

Spinach and feta rugelach

Soup and Salad:

Italian wedding soup

Ranch spinach pasta salad

Spinach and strawberry salad

Spinach tortellini soup

Warm bean and spinach salad

Green minestrone soup

Pizza, Calzones and Quiches:

Spinach ricotta calzone

Thin crust spinach and feta pizza

Paleo sausage and spinach quiche

Spinach and mushroom quiche

Dinner:

Spinach manicotti

Spinach stuffed chicken breasts

Spinach pesto

Baked spinach artichoke dip

Spinach and barley risotto

Garlic sauteed spinach

Sauteed spinach with mushrooms

Cheesy spinach baked penne

Spinach and cheddar souffle

Spinach and goat cheese tartlets

What’s your favorite way to enjoy spinach?

Popover Plans

Today I’ve got some fun and flavorful popover recipes!  They’re a lot easier to make and add some diversity to your bread category.

Basic Popovers:

Simple popovers

Sourdough popovers

Gluten free popovers

Passover popovers

Savory Popovers:

Herb popovers

Popovers with brie

Blue cheese pecan popovers

Garlicky popovers

Lemon dill popovers

Chive popovers

Gruyere popovers

Bacon and black pepper popovers

Yorkshire pudding popovers

Parmesan popovers

Thyme popovers

Chicken pot popovers

Breakfast popovers with Italian sausage

Sweet Popovers: 

Popovers with cranberry butter

Apple cinnamon popovers with brown sugar butter

Orange popovers

Cinnamon sugar popovers

Dark chocolate popovers

Cinnamon popovers with cream cheese glaze

Popovers with mixed berry sauce

Cinnamon roll popovers

Raspberry popovers

Do you enjoy a special popover?

Mardi Gras Menu

Today in preparation for Mardi Gras beginning on Tuesday, we’re taking a look at some authentic Louisiana and Mardi Gras recipes.

Jambalaya:

Vegetable jambalaya

Baked jambalaya

Grilled seafood jambalaya foil packets

Firehouse jambalaya

Surf and turf penne pasta jambalaya 

Chicken and shrimp jambalaya with couscous

Black jambalaya

Jambalaya with shrimp and ham

Gulf shrimp jambalaya 

Po Boys:

Fried oyster po boys

Fish po boys

Spicy Vietnamese po boys

Bay scallop po boy with spicy mayo

Blackened catfish po boy with light tartar sauce

Fried pickle po boys

Cajun shrimp po boys

Grilled shrimp po boys

Fried chicken po boys

Crawfish po boys

Gumbo:

Slow cooker chicken and sausage gumbo

Slow cooker chicken and rice gumbo soup

Autumn gumbo

Shrimp and crab gumbo

Chicken gumbo

Vegetairan gumbo

Shrimp gumbo

Savannah seafood gumbo

Shrimp and oyster gumbo with okra

Crawfish:

Hot crawfish dip

Spicy crawfish spread

Crawfish etouffee

Swedish crawfish boil

Crawfish and andouille sausage pizza

Cajun crawfish fried rice

Crawfish boil

Mini crawfish pies

Crawfish fettuccini

Crawfish bread

Creole/Cajun seasoned:

Cajun shrimp and rice

Cajun cabbage skillet

Cajun chicken alfredo

Cajun chicken

Peppery Cajun pork pasta

Cajun sausage and peppers foil pack

Creole chicken fricassee

Creole spiced fried chicken

Shrimp creole

Andouille sausage creole

Creole mussels with rice

Creole shrimp and lobster bisque

Creole potato salad

King cake:

King cake

King cake cupcakes

King cake ice cream

King cake cheesecake

King cake cocktail

How are you planning to celebrate Mardi Gras?