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2014 Year in Review: My Favorites

January 7, 2015 by Lynsey 1 Comment

The other day I posted the Reader’s Choice for 2014. Let me tell ya, we were pretty much on the same page with our tastes in 2014. I think we all had a bit of a sweet tooth throughout the entire year..which I have no problem with at all! There were, however, a few of my favorites that didn’t quite make the cut for reader’s choice, so I wanted to take a minute and reflect upon a few of my favorites from 2014.

So…here we go!

The mother of all cookies; brown sugar bacon cookies. This was by far my favorite recipe of 2014, and to this date still the most requested by my family and friends. It hits all the flavor notes; sweet, salty, nutty and chocolaty and it’s all packed in a perfectly thick, chewy cookie.

Two of my favorite things found their way together in this recipe. Fudgy brownies topped with cookie dough frosting. Folks, if you missed out on this recipe in 2014 don’t make the same mistake in 2015, head in the kitchen and make these cookie dough brownies.

There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t have at least one pizza night. 9 times out of 10 I like to make my own pizza; sometimes I enjoy playing around with various topping combinations, while others I keep it simple and traditional. But, one thing is for certain, you have to have a basic, fool-proof dough recipe. Thanks to Lauren of Lauren’s Latest, I’ve found mine {and my families} new favorite dough and cheese stick recipes; fail-proof pizza dough and cheesy garlic bread.

I can’t tell you how many times I enjoyed this mocha-nut frappuccino; all the deliciousness of a coffee house but half the cost and all in the comfort of your own home.

Pound cakes are one of my favorite desserts. They are a classic. I love a basic pound cake, but I also enjoy playing with different flavor combinations. One of my favorites of 2014 is this orange blueberry pound cake with orange glaze. It’s a perfectly moist cake that is sweet with hints of tang from the orange, the orange glaze is the perfect compliment that really brings it all together.

Along with pizza night, wing night is another regular occurrence in house. We have a favorite wing restaurant, but there are times where we just want to stay in and make our own at home. This year, I got a little more comfortable with the process, and perfect the baking method…at least to our liking. The chicken remains moist and tender, the skin has a nice crispy, then the chicken is ready to be tossed in your favorite sauce. These sticky honey soy baked wings are sweet, salty and perfectly crispy. One of our must makes on wing night!

I love a basic cinnamon roll. What’s not to love about fluffy, sweet dough that’s stuffed with a cinnamon sugar mixture? But, add roasted bananas to the mix? Well, why not. These roasted banana cinnamon rolls became an instant favorite.

Salted caramel is an obsession of mine, to say the least So adding it to one of my favorite fall drinks seemed like a no-brainer. I can’t tell you how much I’m obsessed with this salted caramel apple cider.

Southern sweet tea and bourbon cocktails, the best way to unwind on a hot summer day. I can’t tell you how many times we sipped on these cocktails throughout the warmer months. They are so good and incredibly easy to make.

I love soup during the winter months. Even better if it’s easy and super quick to throw together, but tastes like it’s been simmering all day. Well, such is the case with this white bean soup. A thick, creamy soup packed with tender white beans and juicy chicken. Serve with some toasted garlic bread and it’s a complete and satisfying meal.

I had several more favorites, but figured it would be best for all of us if I stopped with 10…otherwise I may set a record for the longest, single blog post! I had so much fun trying and creating new recipes this year. I am so excited to see what delicious eats and treats 2015 holds.

2014 Year in Review: Reader’s Choice

January 4, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

2014. What a year it’s been. I embarked on a new, and somewhat unplanned, adventure. In January of 2014 I left my 8:00-5:00 job to enjoy what little time I had left to stay at home with Tucker. It was a fun-filled, blur of a year with all sorts of firsts…mostly for my little guy.

I have to say, when I left my job I had no idea what to expect. I knew it wouldn’t be a life of leisure, posted up on the couch eating bon bons. Contrary to what many people picture when they think of stay-at-home moms. We’ve done a little homeschooling, mini vacations with my mom and been able to take advantage of many opportunities we wouldn’t have had the option to do otherwise.

I can say, one thing I expected was to be able to have a little more time to focus on the blog. Since I wasn’t working Monday through Friday, I thought I could focus on a little more on recipe development, taking pictures in actual daylight and getting ahead on my posts for all you guys. Well, I have to say, most of that didn’t become a reality. Although I have been able to spend more time in the kitchen, it’s been more bonding with Tucker over baking cookies than actual recipe development…which I’ll definitely take!

So, I have to say a big “Thank You” to all of you. Thank you for staying with me through my time of transition, through a few months of sporadic posting and the occasional MIA’s on social media. You’ve all been great and stuck by me through it all and for that I’m forever grateful. So, without further adieu, here are your top 10 most viewed recipes of 2014. I’m going to try to be better in 2015!

These chewy brown butter gingersnaps were posted less than a month ago and have already taken the top spot for your favorite recipe of 2014. My beliefs are true, brown butter truly does make a good think great!

I think we all agree about the trusty slow cooker. It’s definitely a busy person’s best friend. From soups, stews, roasts and much more, it cuts our work in half. Who knew that the filling for chicken fajitas could be thrown in a slow cooker before walking out the door and cooked to perfection by the time you came home? These slow cooker fajitas yield perfectly moist and tender chicken that shreds so easily. All you have to do is put it in a tortilla and enjoy.

I love making bread, so I’m very glad you enjoy a)making it too, b) reading about it, or c) looking at pictures of it…or all of the above. I am in love with this Sally Lunn batter bread; it’s fluffy, butter and slightly sweet. Everything I look for in bread.

The best chocolate Irish cream bundt cake with Irish cream glaze. That’s all I have to say about that.

A “best of” round-up wouldn’t be complete without at least one cocktail, and you all were instantly drawn to this pomegranate cranberry fizz. What’s not to love; a little pomegranate blueberry sherbet, cranberry lemonade, vodka and a little soda water for some fizz. A fun drink for any occasion.

I made this blueberry lemonade for my son since he’s a sucker for lemonade. He polished off the whole pitcher in under two days. Like my little guy, you too were hooked on this stuff. I don’t blame you, it’s the perfect amount of tart and sweet and the ideal drink on a hot day.

You all may remember peanut butter week, a full week of deliciously decadent recipes that featured peanut butter as the start. Peanut butter week was also the week we bid farewell to Matt Mosler on KARK 4. You all, just like Matt, have a passion for peanut butter and this peanut butter caramel skillet cookie soared to the top of the favorites.

An instant favorite was my Carrot cake monkey bread. I’m a sucker for carrot cake, as well as monkey bread. I fused the two together to make the ultimate breakfast treat that could also double as a dessert.

When I tasted these pineapple chorizo tacos from a local Mexican restaurant, Local Lime, it was love at first bite. After enjoying these countless times at the restaurant, I knew it was time to recreate them at home. These didn’t disappoint, and you all shared my love for these.

Blueberry lemon funny cake. Funny cake, gooey butter cake. Whatever you call it, this takes that classic and adds a refreshing burst of citrus that pairs perfectly with those sweet blueberries.

Thanks for all your support throughout the year. I appreciate each and everyone of you. I can’t wait to see what 2015 holds. Stay tune for a post with my top picks of 2014.

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It’s January 1, 2015 It’s hard to believe another year has already come and gone. It seems with each passing year, the time goes by just a little faster than the year before. A saying I heard throughout my whole childhood, but didn’t really take to heart until now. It truly seems like yesterday we were ringing in 2014.

2014 was a year packed with so much, looking back it seems like it was a complete blur. From leaving my full-time job to becoming a stay at home mom and spending tons of quality time with my little man. Starting something so new was definitely a leap of faith but something I would trade for the world. We have been able to go to Charlotte and see so many things and enjoy some terrific food, Tucker took his first plain ride, weekly (sometimes multiple weekly) trips to Magic Springs and tons of fun in the sun. Summer cookouts, various other travels and the icing on the cake was our mid November cruise to the Keys and Bahamas.

It has been a fun-packed year with so many incredible memories that we will forever hold close. As we bid farewell to 2014, I’m sad to see it go but I’m so excited for 2015. I can’t wait to see what it has in store.

As we embark on 2015, I’ve started thinking about some goals and changes for Lynsey Lou’s.

I want to incorporate more persona posts. From time to time I give little snip-its of whats going on in our lives, but I’d like to give you more. While the blog is a big part of my life, there’s so much more that goes on. So I want to give you all a glimpse into what else goes on behind the scenes.

I’ve tried to post consistently through the year, but let’s face it. Life happens and well, sometimes even our best intentions don’t actually become reality. I am going to try to keep up my posts, facebook updates, be more active on twitter and instagram.

I also want to try to focus on more Lynsey Lou original recipes. Folks, I’m constantly in the kitchen playing with recipes but it seems like only a small portion of those ever make in on the ol’ blog. So, as we start a new year, one of my major goals is to get more of those recipes into your hands!

I know it’s only a few goals, but I want to keep it maintainable. But, that’s my thoughts for the year. Do any of you lovely readers haven any suggestions or anything you want to see on the blog?

I hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the new year and are having a blast the first day of this year. If you haven’t already, be sure to eat those black eyed peas and greens for a rich and prosporous new year!

Thanks again for all your support and dedication to Lynsey Lou’s over the past year! I look forward to another wonderful year!

Go Green: Earth Day 2014

April 22, 2014 by Lynsey 2 Comments

Growing up, I remember my dad always stressing the importance of recycling. Whether we separated the different plastics, cardboard, paper, aluminum and put it in the different bins to take to the recycle station or we simply re-purposed an item that could just as easily been thrown away. It’s no surprise to me that he knew the importance of making the most of items around the house, because that’s something his mother did and re-enforced in her kids. That made an impression on my dad, and in turn an impression on me.

Today, my parents still have a huge recycle bin that all of the plastics, paper, cardboard, and aluminum go into. Every week they empty it and take it to their local recycle station. That’s something that has stuck with me, as well. Where I live, we don’t have to separate each item, we simply throw it all in the recycle bin and the recycle truck comes and picks it all up every couple of weeks.

Tucker, even as young as he is, recognizes the importance of recycling. One of his favorite things is separating the trash from the recycle and he takes so much pride in that. He knows with these small acts he’s helping to keep the earth happy and healthy.

Since I started staying at home Tucker and I have been able to enjoy more outside time than we previously have, as well as take various trips around our beautiful state and country. Through our various travels we have enjoyed our time not only at conventions about keeping America beautiful and the different things we can do to protect our earth for generations to come, but we’ve also enjoyed time hiking, fishing, and seeing the beauties of nature.

Since we’ve been able to really enjoy nature more, going green, and helping the earth has become that much more important to me. This earth day I am taking some time to reflect on what we are already doing in order to help the environment, as well as the areas that could use improvement.

One area that is so simple is plastic grocery and produce bags. You don’t realize just how many of those plastic bags you use on a weekly basis; just take a step back and look at how many sacks you pull from the back of your car. Once small way is to use those handy green bags. Those are readily available at all of the grocery stores as well as on-line. Some communities even off free reusable bags, that they will gladly exchange when the bags get worn out. Along with the grocery bags, we also use tons of produce bags. I know there are times when I’ve come home with about 10-15 produce bags. Luckily I have tons of the re-usable grocery bags and produce bags that I use all the time.

Another area that we’ve worked on over the past year is reducing paper waste. Grabbing a paper napkin or paper towel to use for a meal, clean up a mess or wipe the counters is so easy, it’s like second nature but, like the plastic bags, if you just take a step back and look at how quickly you go through napkins and paper towels it will make you think twice the next time you go to grab one for a quick spill. We’ve purchased reusable versions that have help us drastically cut down our paper waste. I am beyond happy about this change.

One thing I would like to focus on more this year is using local produce. We have a garden, and in the past I’ve tried my best to utilize all the fresh vegetables and herbs but never really had the time to use them to the fullest extent or to preserve any of them for future use. This year I am going to try to get the most out of our garden; using the items while they are fresh as well as preserving some for future use. We also have several farmer’s markets that will soon be popping up, and I want to try to utilize that fresh produce as well as support our local farmers. There are other areas that could use improvement, but I need to step back and look at these areas and figure out the best way to improve them.

One small change at a time is all it takes to help make the earth a better place. If you try to make too many changes all at once it gets very overwhelming and discouraging. Don’t get discouraged, just take baby steps. Look at one thing you do now that you want to change or improve. Focus on that one area, work on ways you can improve it and make it stick. Once that is mastered move on to another area. You can make a difference, I guarantee it. Maybe when others see you changing they’ll follow suite.

Small things you can do to make a difference:

Use reusable grocery and produce bags. The amount of plastic grocery and produce bags that leave the store everyday is unfathomable. Invest in reusable produce and grocery bags and keep them in your car. When you come home from the store, unload them and immediately place them back in your car for the next use. (be sure to wash them on a regular basis)
Pack your own lunch for work or school. Taking your own lunch, or packing or kids lunches, not only cuts down on unnecessary waste but it’s also a healthier alternative than running out for some fast food or buying something in the lunch line. Take an extra 5 minutes at night, pack your lunch and pop it in the fridge.
Reduce paper use. Purchase clothe alternatives. They will cost a little more initially, but they will last a while and cut the paper waste immensely.
Plant a garden. It doesn’t have to be huge; even if you don’t have a back yard you can you various size pots. Plant a few of your favorite fruits, vegetables and/or herbs and eat local and fresh.
Utilize the farmer’s markets. This not only ensures you are eating fresh and local fruits and vegetables, you are also supporting your locals farmers. Not sure if there are farmer’s markets in your area? Check out this list to find one’s near you.
Recycle. This is something so small and so easy, but makes a huge difference.
Don’t use plastic water bottles. Find a cute insulated cup or mug, take it with you and refill it.
Give up your morning stops at the coffee shop. Brew your own coffee and flavor it according to your preference. This will not only cut down on wastes, it will also give your wallet a break!
Can and preserve. It’s nearly impossible to use up all the fresh vegetables and herbs from your spring and summer garden. Don’t waste those excess vegetables; preserve them and put them up for later use.

Now for the fun part, a couple of giveaways! There will be two giveaways; one winner will receive a set of 5 reusable produce bags, and another winner will receive a set of 5 RuMe reusable shopping bags. To enter, use the rafflecopter below to enter. The giveaway starts today and will go through Sunday, April 27th. The winners will be announced on this post the following week, so be sure to check back! If the winners have not responded within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mixed up at Mixed Con!

January 16, 2013 by Lynsey 6 Comments

As most of you know, at the end of November I had the pleasure of attending my very first food blogger’s conference in the rolling Virignia hills. MixedCon was held at the infamous Mountain Lake Hotel in Pembroke, Virginia.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. You are looking at THE Kellerman’s Mountain House. Yes, the one from the movie Dirty Dancing. “Hello, Mr. Kellerman!” Yup, that’s we were spent this wonderful, funfilled weekend. I know what you’re thinking. Eeekk is right!

On a Friday afternoon about 150 food bloggers took Mountain Lake by storm. I honestly don’t think they knew what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to host this conference! 150 (mostly female…well, 2 males to be exact) poured into the quiet, mountainess hills reenacting scenes from Dirty Dancing, using up every. Single. Ounce of band with available and giddy to meet all of wonderful bloggers we had come to “know” through the blogging world. The staff at the hotel were incredible, so nice and accommodating and ready to help in any way possible.

Upon arriving at the Roanoke airport, the conference attendees instantly started spotting one another and introducing themselves. We got so carried away getting acquainted and visiting in the airport we actually had our shuttle waiting for quite some time…ooops! We quickly loaded our luggage and got on the shuttle and started the trip to the mountain. The entire trip to the hotel was filled with constant chatter, everyone so excited about meeting one another, the conference and everything in store.

The girls I roomed with, along with 3 other attendees, I “know” from an on-line cooking board. It was great to finally be able to meet some of these people I talk to on a daily basis! Lucky for me, they were just as nice in person as they are on-line. Amy, author of What’s Brewing in the Kitchen, Heather, author of Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks Maeghan, author of The Way To His Heart, Liz, author of Books-N-Cooks, and Stephanie, author of Brownies and Blondies were all absolutely amazing. Just as wonderful as I expected!

When we entered our room we were greeted with even more swag from our amazing sponsors! After we got settled we visited and sorted through our swag bags. I must say, Wow and a huge thanks to all of the incredible sponsors. Ya’ll really loaded us up with some fabulous stuff! A big kuddos to OXO, KitchenAid, Dixie Crystals, Real Butter, Dreamfields, Attune Foods, Hershey’s, Way Better Snacks, Lucky Leaf, Creminelli, Roland Foods, Stonyfield, Harvard Common Press, Le Creuset, Duff Goldman, Edgeware, John Boos, Boos Butcher Blocks, Dreamfarm, California Raisins, Anderson Seafood, Wisconsin Cheese and Captain Morgan! Ya’ll help make the weekend!

After we chatted for a bit and sorted through all of our goodies we headed down to the cocktail hour sponsored by Wisconsin Cheese. We enjoyed some delicious cheeses, wonderful salami from Creminelli, sipped on some wine and met some of the other incredibly talented ladies attending the conference.

After the cocktail hour, was dinner, then we headed over to the barn to enjoy some fabulous cocktails from Captain Morgan’s and munch on some cookies. More visiting and introduction went on for a bit, but not too long since everyone was ready for our midnight mac and cheese party. Ali, the author of Gimme Some Oven, won the contest put on by Dreamfields for the best mac and cheese. Be sure to check out the winning recipe for her vegetable mac and cheese. It’s delish!

Saturday was jam packed with fun (and educational) sessions with some of my foodie icons! First up-photography with the amazing and incredibly talented Bree Hester of Baked Bree. (Let me just say, she doens’t give herself enough credit for just how talented she is…don’t be fooled by her humility…she’s awesome!) Bree who is a foodie and professional photographer spent time going over various topics suchs as ISO, aperature, and lighting. It was a great way to start off the day and I walked away from this session with quite a few tips that will come in handy!

Next up was a session dedicated to holiday cookie decorating. The wildly talented Marian, of Sweetopia not only taughts us tricks, tips and techniques to use when decorating sugar cookies, she also demonstrated her techniques for us. Talk about someone who is so sweet and so nice, Marian is the real deal. She re-instilled my confidence and gave me the courage to go home and try frosting sugar cookies again. Before this session I had lost all hope that I could frost, fill and flood cookies. Thanks to Marian, I went home and successfully lined and flooded cookies for my little man’s 3rd birthday. Thanks, Marian!

The third session of the day, the last one before lunch, was videography. Denise Woodward and Lenny Ferreira of Chez Us educated us in the ever so indepth world of videography. Wow. I have so far to go before I even think about trying to tackle the world of video. (Note to readers…it’ll be a LONG time before you hear any words spoken from this southern girl) I did, however, learn so much from Lenny, as well as, had a ~~few~~ lot of laughs along the way. Be sure to check out their blog for terrific video footage, as well as some delicious recipes!

After lunch we had some free time. Myself, along with Heather, took this time to wonder the grounds, take a self guided Dirty Dancing tour (and along the way I just may have envisioned myself as Baby…that’s for me to know and you to never find out)!

The house where baby and her family stayed, while at Kellerman’s!

This rock was a tribute to the late, Patrick Swayze. It was placed on the path the leads guests through the self-guided Dirty Dancing tour.

I also took some time to read up on the mystery of Mountain Lake. That’s right, the lake that was a staple in the movie was dry. gone. Vanished. It was a little eerie looking out where the lake should be and seeing high weeds and grass. Hopefully it’ll fill up again soon…and maybe I’ll have a chance to visit again and see the flowing waters.

After touring the grounds, it was time to head back to the next session of the day. Cake decorating with Duff and his gang. That’s right, we got to actually decorate side by side with Duff, Mary Smith and Elana! Duff and the girls are just as down to earth as they appear to be on their show. I had a blast cake decorating as well as chatting with him and the girls. They are all a hoot and so fun to be around. He was even nice enough to provide us with some fondant, icing and other supplies to take home!

The next to last session of the day was all about food styling. Just how do they make the food on the magazines and websites so pretty? Well, we learned all about it from fellow food blogger and professional food stylist Tami Hardeman of Running with Tweezers. Tami shared great insights about how the pros make the food look so great, but also shared some wonderful tips for the homecook. I have already tried to implement some of the tips and tricks she shared with us.

The final session of the day was e-books. The amazing and talented Heidi Larson, of Foodie Crush, schooled us in the ins and outs of ebooks. She informed us on how to get started in the e-book phenomenon, how to organize our materials and layout of the book, and finally how to market the finished product. During this session the wheels in my tiny, little brain started spinning and I came up (with what I thought) were some pretty nifty ideas for an ebook. Don’t start holding your breath yet, I’ve still got a ways to go before I have any type of book out there!

*Be sure to check out Heidi’s e-magazine that’s all about food and foodies, Foodie Crush Magazine

Throughout the day booths were set up with different snacks and goodies from our sponors. We were able to sample different products, stock up on samples, and chat with the reps throughout the day. I know all of you are familiar with Hershey’s so I don’t even need to begin to tell you about all the prodcuts they have to offer…I’ll just say that they hooked us up! Way Better Snacks specializes in healthy(ier) snacks and they are making a splash into the food scene. They provided all sorts of goodies for us throughout the weekend, and I must say their sweet potato chips and sweet chili chips are amazing. You must try them. Thanks so much to all the vendors that made sure we didn’t go hungry while we were getting our learn on all through the day Saturday.

After the final session wound up we took a minute to go unload all our goodies. We then headed down to another wonderful cocktail hour, followed by dinner and then headed on over to the barn for another mixer. We had more yummy drinks from the wonderful and generous Captain Morgan, some live music from a local band, and lots of giveaways from our more than generous sponsors. Oh yeah, I was once of the lucky winners too! Wooohoooo!

I had a terrific time sipping cocktails, scoring a great prize and getting to mingle with some of the other fabulous and talented ladies. I also got to chat up some of the reps of the sponsors; they are amazing and beyond nice. It was so nice getting to talk with the Lizs (yes 2) from Dreamfields and Kimberly from Dixie Crystals, just to mention a few. I also got to talk to some talented bloggers, as well, Erin of Eat Bake Drink Cook, Mackenzie of Susie Freaking Homemaker, Karen of Pint Sized Baker and Krista of Budget Gourmet Mom, just to name a few.

After sipping on some tasty concoctions, some great music and wonderful giveaways we headed back to our rooms, changed into our pj’s and got ready for the movie. You guessed it, the midnight showing of Dirty Dancing. We had seen the set and toured the grounds, now it was time to watch the movie in the ballroom at the place it was filmed. How surreal! While we were watching the movie there was no shortage of candy to munch on, thanks to Hershey’s. You have no idea how fun it was to watch this movie with so many ladies that were just as equally enthused as I was, I think we all found ourselves quoting each scene…and even cheering at times!

Sunday morning we woke up, packed up and at one last meal with all our new friends. Then it was time to bid farewell to Mountian Lake and our friends and head back to the real world. At the airport I had some free time before I had to board my plane so I spent some time with some more fabulous ladies; Carrie of Bakeaholic Mama and Lauren of Climbing Grier Mountain. I had such a wonderful time visiting and chatting with them, my only regret is that we didn’t connect earlier at the conference. After tons of chatting it was time to board the plane and all head back home.

It was a great weekend, that was jam packed with so much to do. I still can’t believe that I was able to go and that I was surrounded by so many talented and gifted foodies. It’s a weekend I will cherish forever.

Thanks again to our fabulous hostess’ and conference organizers. Paula, of Bell’ Alimento, and Susan, of Doughmesstic, ya’ll are awesome! Thanks again for everything and providing a weekend for so many foodies to have the time of our lives!

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