World's Best Alfredo

We absolutely love Italian food. In fact, we eat it at least once a week. We had the habit of going out to Olive Garden or Carrabba's and spending a fortune on pasta. So I had to figure out a way to make delicious pasta at home, that wouldn't cost a ton or take hours to make.

Well, I came up with this AMAZING alfredo sauce recipe. Believe me when I say, it's the world's best. I've been asked by so many people for this recipe and it's often requested by friends and family.

What you'll need:

• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 egg yolk
• 8 oz of heavy cream
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• salt to taste

How it's made:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add heavy cream. Stir constantly.

• Add in salt, nutmeg, and cheese, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

• Once cheese is completely melted, mix in the egg yolk.
• Simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
• Serve over your favorite pasta and garnish with a little bit of Parmesan
• Enjoy!

Tropical Blueberry Smoothie

I absolutely love smoothies. They're super healthy and filling. I've tried so many variations. But one thing I absolutely cannot stand, is when people add in yogurt. But that's just me. So, none of my smoothies have yogurt in them.

Here's on of my go to recipes

What you'll need:

• 1 c Coconut Almond Milk Blend

• 1 c frozen mixed tropical fruit

• 1/2 c frozen blueberries

How it's made:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smoothie consistency. You can add more milk if it's too thick.

French Toast Sticks

We absolutely love french toast. In fact, after we got married, Cody made me french toast for breakfast. It was the first time he ever cooked for me. So I guess you can say, french toast has a special place in my heart.

Well, we like to go out and explore on weekends. We always try to get an early start, but it doesn't always happen if we take the time to have breakfast. I mean you have to cook it, eat it and do the dishes. It's just time consuming. So I decided we should have have some finger food to take with us. So why not french toast sticks?

What you'll need:

• 6 slices of Texas Toast (day old bread is the best for this)
• 1 c heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Your favorite syrup

How it's made:

• Cut each slice of bread into 3-4 sticks (depending on the size you want them).
• In a large bowl whisk together cream, cinnamon, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

I just wanted to show off the measuring cups my grandmother gave me. Isn't it cute?

• Dip each piece of bread into the mixture, making sure it's coated on all sides. Shake off any excess.
• In a large sauté pan, melt  2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, add in the bread pieces 3-4 at a time. Be sure not to over crowd the pan.

• Cook until golden brown and slightly crisp on all edges.
• Serve with syrup!

This is my variation of the recipe from Just a Taste

Chorizo Cheese Dip

Last Friendsgiving, we had a taco bar. Although not traditional Thanksgiving, we had a lot of fun. We were each asked to bring something. One  of the ladies that attended brought this amazing chorizo cheese dip. It was one of those things where you just couldn't stop eating it because it was so good. I just had to get the recipe! And I did. Now, I'm going to share it with you.

You will need:

• 1 lb Corizo
• 1 small box of Velveeta Jalapeno Cheese
• 1 can of Rotel  tomatoes (you can use whatever blend you choose.)
• Shredded cheese

How to make it:

• Put chorizo in a pan. Cook until done. Drain off the grease.
• In a separate pan, melt the velveeta, stirring often to prevent sticking and burning. It helps if you cut the cheese into cubes. You can also add a tsp of milk to aid in the melting.

• Add the chorizo to the melted cheese. Add in desired amount of Rotel (we're not big fans of tomatoes, so we just add a little. Just enough for flavor). Mix together until well combined.

• Transfer mixture to a small casserole dish. Top with desired amount of shredded cheese. Put it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees, until cheese on top has melted.

• Serve with tortilla chips.

Now you have something to bring to your next pot luck, that everyone will love.

Butterbeer Recipe

I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I grew up with the characters. If you're like me, you always wanted to go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Heck I still do. One of the things I've always wanted to try is Butterbeer. I've looked all over the recipe trying to find a recipe that I feel tastes like what the books described. I've found many recipes although none quite lived up to what I had imagined. So I tweaked one of the recipes I found.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tsp water
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp rum extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided
• 3 Tbs butter
• 4 12 oz bottles of cream soda (very cold)

Directions:

• In a small pan over medium heat, combine brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Boil until mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• Add in butter, salt, apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of the cream. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Once the mixture has cooled, add in rum and vanilla extracts. Mix well.
• In a bowl, pour the remainder of the cream and 2 1/2 tbs of the brown sugar mixture. Using a hand mixer, beat until thickened. It should be frothy looking.
• Divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses. Pour is 1/3 cup of cream soda and mix well. Pour cream soda into the glass until almost full. Add the froth to the top.
• Now watch your favorite Harry Potter movie and enjoy your delicious Butterbeer.

Sloppy Joes... From Scratch!

My grandmother is hands down one of the best cooks I've ever know. She never had to go to any sort of school to learn. It just comes naturally to her. I guess she's where I get my culinary skill from. I've always been able to read a recipe, make it my own and come out with an awesome dish. My grandma is the same way.

On my last visit home, I asked my grandmother for any recipes that she wanted to give me. She gave me this Sloppy Joe recipe and told me it was delicious. And she was right. It taste way better than store bought. The color is a little different, but it's still absolutely delicious.

What you'll need:

• 2 tsp shortening
• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 c chopped onions
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 c ketchup

Directions:

• Melt shortening in a hot pan. Add in beef, onions and salt. Cook until done.
• Add in flour, chili powder and milk. Stir until thickened

• Gradually add ketchup.

• Serve on a bun. Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

I'm always down for trying new foods. I finally got around to trying rice pudding for the first time and let me tell you, it was delicious! If you've never had rice pudding, you have no idea what you're missing.

Anyway, I got some Crock Pots for Christmas and I'm completely obsessed with using it. So I've been creating recipes that will work in a slow cooker. So why not rice pudding?

You will need:

• 6 cups milk (whole, 2%, or 1%)
• 2 1/2 cups Minute White Rice (uncooked)
• 2 Tbs butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbs brown sugar

How to make it:

• Using the butter, grease the inside of your slow cooker (4 qt works best). Set aside the butter to use later.
• Add in remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Gently stir. Add remaining butter on top.

• Cover and cook for about 3-4 hours. Rice will be tender when done. Stir well. Garnish with cinnamon. Enjoy!