Sausage Tomato Cauliflower Soup - Buffy Blogs

Macey sent me this recipe to share - I love that she's created her own blog category called 'Buffys Blog' (side note: Buffy is my nickname for her, as a child she looked like Buffy from Family Affair haha). 

She doesn't list ingredient amounts but this seems like a 'wing-it' kind of recipe - which you know I enjoy - so just add as much of everything as you want!

Thanks for sharing Buffy!! 

5.10.23: Chinese green beans

5.10.22: TT yellow stripey things 

5.10.21: cheese tulips

5.10.20: 🔥week 19

5.10.19: door headboard

5.10.18: smoked paprika shrimp

5.10.17: vanilla berry muffins

Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn

This is my lazy girl invention (actually I don't know if I 'invented' it, but I didn't Google for recipes and just winged this up!) of chocolate drizzled popcorn. I literally popped corn, drizzled it with Hershey's chocolate syrup and lightly stirred it all together. Bake at 300' for just a few minutes for the chocolate to set up a bit (you might not need or want to bake it, it just seemed a little wet to me). Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and toss in some M&M's. Turned out so good, everyone loved it!

5.9.23: TT: don't put down the garbage disposal

5.9.22: baked brussel sprouts by Brooke

5.9.21: 🔥 week 19

5.9.20: email chain recipes

5.9.19: sneaky sculptor

5.9.18: how to clean shrimp

5.9.17: scrambling eggs

 

Branch Bouquet

I watched a series called 'Home Work' a while back and for one of the projects they hot glued fake blossoms and leaves onto tall sticks for a different centerpiece or decoration. Then I came across this same idea at BHG - seeing it twice grabbed my attention and it's been in my files for a long time now, I haven't made it yet but I have some flowers in my craft room (and a big floor vase full of sticks!) and will make a few very soon! I'm sharing the idea ahead of time so you can still enjoy this springtime project.

I guess you can enjoy this project any time of year hahah, it just screams spring to me :) 

5.8.23: explosion box pt. 1 base and lid

5.8.22: 🔥 week 19 

5.8.21: eggplant lasagna

5.8.20: making soap

5.8.19: Jen's beef enchiladas

5.8.18: watch battery tip

5.8.17: fridge organizing - salad dressing

Tip-sy Tuesday: Asian Beef Noodle Bowl

I saw a recipe for 'Asian Beef Noodle Bowl' that looked and sounded good, but then when it came time to make it I decided it seemed similar to Jiji's beef and broccoli recipe with noodles added - which I know I love - so that's what I made instead hahahah. And it was great! 

Today's tip for 'tip-sy tuesday' is that it's fine to be inspired by a recipe, but then do what you want with it! 

I based another recipe for beef and mushrooms off of Jiji's recipe that has a couple easy changes. 

The actual recipe for asian beef noodle bowl can be found here at eating well  

5.7.23: 🔥 week 19

5.7.22: baked mac and cheese by Brooke

5.7.21: pineapple whip

5.7.20: Janis's risotto with vegetables

5.7.19: tt: vanilla

5.7.18: adorable hedgehug cards

5.7.17: coconut curry sauce

5.7.16: road trip - Kingman to Albuquerque

Crock Pot Apricot Chicken

This recipe is perfect to put together and walk away until dinnertime - not many ingredients and no chopping or browning anything beforehand. #winning. 

• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1 cup Russian or French dressing (Catalina also works) 
• 1 package dry onion soup mix
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (more or less as desired, if you add a lot more chicken I would up the amount of the ingredients so you have enough sauce)

Spray the bowl of the crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix together the jam, dressing, and onion soup mix in the crockpot, add the chicken and stir to coat. Cook on low 6-8 hours. 

Note: I will sometimes add frozen peas to the sauce about an hour before serving. Also, if your sauce seems too thin you can add a cornstarch water slurry about an hour before serving to help thicken it up. Just mix together a couple tablespoons of cornstarch with enough water to thin it just enough to make it pourable, stir it into the sauce and continue cooking. 

my pictures do not do this dish justice - good thing food photography isn't how I make my living 😂

3/2026 here's an updated prettier picture:

5.6.23: words

5.6.21: flower box

5.6.20: layered brownie and cookie bars by Brooke  (Brookie's brookies!)

5.6.19: tiny macrame plant hangers

5.6.18: polenta parmesan with spinach and white beans

5.6.17: Mickey finds an unusual zucchini planter

5.6.16: RV camping food tips

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 18)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

4/28: 🔥 week 17

4/29: baked broccoli cheese balls 

4/30: TT cutting product tubes

5/1: crispy baked chicken

5/2: baked (or pan-fried) polenta rounds

5/3: flower (daisy) fruit tray

5/4: words

What's Cooking ~

• sheet pan pork tenderloin and vegetables
• hasselback chicken, greek spinach bake
• baked walleye, coleslaw
• pizza stuffed baked potato, caesar salad

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

5.5.23: MSTI air fryer caramelized bananas
5.5.22: MSIH air fryer pizza roll ups

5.5.21: chocolate cluster cookies

5.5.20: TT: germinating seeds

5.5.19: 🔥

5.5.18: 21st birthday 'cake'

5.5.16: squeaky hinges

   

5/4 ~ Words

5.4.23: Macey's salisbury steak with mushrooms and onions

5.4.22: graduation survival kit

5.4.21: cinco de mayo recipes

5.4.20: Miss Lori's gossamer tree
5.4.19: college survival kit
5.4.18: 40 minute workout by Mickey
5.4.16: raspberry and cream filled cake

Daisy Fruit Tray

Our book for book club this month was "Daisy Jones and the Six" - everyone brought a snack to pass; my first thought was to make something "70's -ish" like Ritz crackers and squirty cheese haha so I was googling ideas when my sis sent me an inspiration pic of veggies in flower shapes with dip as their centers. I loved this idea of a flower themed food (because of the name of the book!) instead of a 70's theme! Someone already called a veggie tray so I made mine with the flowers made out of sticks of melon and pineapple for the petals, and kiwi for a few leaves. It's super cute!!

I still want to make the vegetable version, but chances are it won't be for a book-theme event - perfect for a summer party tho! I'll share that after I make it. For now here is my fruit tray:

I cut honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple into skinny sticks a couple inches long

Because the fruit is so juicy I built my flowers on top of coffee filters trying to soak up some of the liquid. Set a small cup in place where you want the center of the flowers, then place the fruit sticks around in a flower shape. Add thin slices of kiwi here and there representing the leaves. 

I made my usual fruit dip and spooned it into the cups. Using a hand-held mixer, combine 1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, 1 small jar (7 oz.) marshmallow fluff, and a couple teaspoons of orange juice until smooth. 

5.3.23: chocolate pretzel and strawberry birthday cake

5.3.22: 'in case of emergency' gift

5.3.21: melting potatoes

5.3.20: 🔥week 18

5.3.19: how to mat and frame pictures

5.3.18: protein pancakes

5.3.17: braided herb bread

5.3.16: houseguest treat bucket

Baked (or Pan-Fried) Polenta Rounds

Yesterday I posted a good recipe for baked crispy chicken, which tastes really good and is an easy prep - but my favorite part of the meal was the baked polenta rounds I made to serve with the chicken! If you aren't familiar with polenta it is made from ground cornmeal (it's similar to grits) and comes in 2 forms (that I know of), ground meal in a box or bag, or precooked in a tube - we enjoy it both ways. 

I made this recipe using the polenta in a tube - you can make it creamy by chopping it up and put it in a saucepan, add about a cup of broth and stir frequently with a whisk to fully incorporate the broth - it ends up sort of the consistency of mashed potatoes. This time I sliced the polenta into rounds about 1/2" - 3/4" thick, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper; baked at 400' for 10 minutes and flip, continue baking until golden brown. 

Another way to make the rounds is basically the same except you can fry them in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, once they are golden brown I finish them in the pan with a little drizzle of olive oil or melted butter. 

I like to sprinkle the finished rounds with a little parmesan, or top with marinara. Yum. 

5.2.23: TT evaporated milk in frosting

5.2.22: graduation cap jar 

5.2.21: 🔥 week 18

5.2.20: Lisa's stuffed mushrooms 

5.2.19: provencal vegetable bake
5.2.18: garbanzo bean cookie dough
5.2.17: DIY hair treatments
5.2.16: dipped candles 

Crispy Baked Chicken

I made this recipe for crispy baked chicken the other night and decided to make baked polenta rounds to go with it - unfortunately I was way more excited about the polenta than the chicken so the only picture I took has the polenta highlighted! This recipe is very easy to follow, is healthy (or at least healthier than fried chicken LOL), and comes together pretty quickly. I didn't pound the chicken and just baked the regular sized breasts until cooked thru, used regular paprika, and omitted the parsley - otherwise followed the recipe as written.

• 1.5 lbs Chicken Breasts (about 4), skinless, boneless
• ▢ 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 Large Egg
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Milk
• ▢ ¾ Cup Panko, or italian style panko
• ▢ ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ▢ 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• ▢ Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ Avocado cooking oil spray
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

• To prepare the cutlets, pound each chicken breast to an even 1/4 inch thickness.


• Next, rub the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. If time allows, marinate it for 1h to overnight. This will give you the most tender and moist chicken.
• Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In a shallow dish, combine the garlic powder, panko with parmesan and smoked paprika. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture, then dredge it into the panko mixture, lightly pressing to coat
• Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking oil spray. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken cutlets and bake for 5-8
  minutes more, or until golden and cooked through.
• Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
  

  5.1.23: cinco de mayo recipes

  5.1.22: 🔥 week 18 

  5.1.21: tri-fold card

  5.1.20: testing old seeds

  
  

  5.1.19: lemon cake

  
  

  5.1.18: smoked meat 

  
  

  5.1.17: butternut squash salad

  
  

  5.1.16: breakfast frittata