I have a little bit of an issue, I LOVE carbs. Seriously, I just can’t get enough of delicious bread. I could probably eat a whole loaf on my own. Give me some homemade bread and I’m in heaven. These garlic and kale homemade breadsticks are absolutely amazing and they really aren’t that hard to make. If you’ve never made homemade bread before, you should really give these a try!

Homemade Breadsticks

If you’ve never made homemade bread before, don’t let the processes intimidate you. It’s really not that hard.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 3+ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoons salt
• a cup of chopped kale
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook-whisk together the yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water, let stand for ten minutes or until the yeast has become a thick tan colored foam.

2. Stir together 1 1/2 cups of flour and salt.

3, Add yeast mixture and the remaining 3/4 cup of water, stir until smooth.

4. Add another half a cup of flour and mix.

Note: If the dough is sticking to your hands or the side of the mixing bowl then it’s too moist, so add more flour a little bit at a time. On the other hand, if the bread dough is too dry add a bit more water (better to keep the bread dough slightly sticky because you’ll be adding a bit more flour as you knead).

5. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rise for an hour or until it’s doubled.

6. While it’s raising, chop kale and herbs, then mince the garlic and set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and keep the two parts you aren’t working with covered in the bowl (this will help prevent the dough from drying out).

8. On a floured surface, fold in the kale herbs and minced garlic to the first part of the dough. Knead the dough until kale. herbs and garlic mixture is speckled throughout. Roll the dough into a 9×13 rectangle and use a cookie cutter or butter knife to cut 5 long strips. Pick up a strip, twist it, and transfer to a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone (I used the latter). Repeat with the rest of the strips.

9. Place in oven and bake for 18- 22 minutes until breadsticks are golden brown.

10. Remove from oven and slather with Herb & Honey Butter and serve

Whipped Herb & Honey Butter Ingredients:

• 2 Sprigs Rosemary, minced
• 2 Sprigs Thyme, minced
• 1 1/2 Stick of Sweet Cream Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions:

In a stand mixer add butter, herbs and honey. Whip on medium setting until peaks form.

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Here in Northern California the temperatures are heating up, which means this girl wants nothing to do with cooking in the kitchen. Just about everything on my dinner menu is being cooked on the grill, including this delicious perfectly grilled corn. A big thank you to Kenmore for sponsoring this tasty recipe!

This grilled corn recipe is packed with flavor and the best part is you can use any flavors that your family enjoys.

The Perfect Grilled Corn Recipe

When people think about grilling chicken, steak and ribs usually come to mind. So many people forget that side dishes and even desserts can be cooked up on the grill. Here in California my husband and I grill year round.

This grilled corn recipe is the perfect side dish for your summer bbq.

Ingridents:

• Corn on the cob (husks removed)
• Ice
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Smoked Paprika
• Garlic Salt
• Foil

Directions:

Remove husks from the corn and place each cob on a sheet of foil. Sprinkle your seasoning all over your corn, ensuring it is well coated.

Add a large dollop of butter on top of the corn and then place a few small ice cubes next to your corn. You’ll now fold the foil up around your corn ensuring it’s sealed up tightly. The ice in the foil packets creates steam that really brings out the flavor in your corn.

Place your foil wrapped corn on the grill for about 30-minutes. Once corn is nice and tender, remove from grill and let it cool slightly. Once the corn has cooled down a little, place the corn directly on the grill to get some good char marks. I will typically only leave the corn on the grill for a few minutes. Once you have some char marks remove from the grill and serve with your favorite dish!

Don’t forget that with Father’s Day quickly approaching it’s the perfect time to start thinking about getting that special man in your life a new grill!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kenmore Elite Grills.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out some of my other popular posts!

Grilled Chicken Lim Taco Salads

Veggie and Fruit Popsicles

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If you’ve never tried Bruschetta you’re seriously missing out! This easy bruschetta recipe is so good! It’s one of my favorite easy home cooked recipes. The taste of ripe tomatoes, crispy bread, fresh mozzarella with a slight bite from the balsamic makes this dish the perfect appetizer. You’ll impress any guest with this dish.

Easy Bruschetta Recipe

This bruschetta recipe is great all year, but I really enjoy it when you can get fresh tomatoes and herbs from the local farmers market or even your own garden! I don’t feel that this dish has the same great flavor without fresh ingredients. There really is something to be said about using fresh ingredients.

Yum! An Easy Bruschetta Recipe! #foodie #recipe
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Ingredients:

• ½ pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• ½ pint morning glory tomatoes {yellow small}, quartered
• 2 Tbsp balsamic glaze
• 1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese
• 5-6 sliced basil, chopped
• French baguette sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

This is a really quick recipe to cook so I highly suggest having all of your ingredients prepared in advance. I would also serve it shortly after cooking it as it always taste best when the bread is nice and crispy still.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush one side of sliced baguette slices with olive oil. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Brush one side of sliced baguette slices with olive oil. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted or until your desired crispiness.

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, balsamic glaze, mozzarella and basil. Stir to combine. Spoon onto toasted bread slices and top with additional chopped basil if desired.

Optional, put I also like to sprinkle a pinch of salt over the mixture. It really elevates the flavor of the tomatoes!

If you enjoyed this recipe make sure to follow me on Pinterest and also check out my Easy Salsa Recipe.

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My husband and I love spicy food! The spicier the better and jalapeños poppers have always been a favorite of ours. Wrap them in bacon and now you really have something yummy to snack on! These are hands down one of my best bacon recipes.

You’ll also notice that these bacon wrapped jalapeños are not breaded or fried making them that much healthier!

Making your own bacon wrapped jalapeños is so easy. You can use different types of cheeses and really make them unique to your own taste.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 6 jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded
• 6 slices bacon
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, lightly greased with olive oil.
• Cut each piece of bacon in half. Try to use a good quality bacon, it really makes all the difference.

Directions

Blend together cream cheese, gruyere, salt and pepper until smooth. To get an even amount of the cheese mixture in each jalapeno, put the cheese mixture into a pastry bag or a zip lock back with the end cut. Pipe the cheese mixture into each jalapeno half. Wrap one piece of bacon down the center of each jalapeno.

Place jalapenos on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp bacon. If you like your bacon a little crisper leave it in the oven for another minute or two. Just be sure to watch it close….burnt bacon isn’t good!

Yum! Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos #foodie
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Bacon wrappedjalapeños are a perfect appetizer for holiday parties, summer barbecues or just as a tasty snack on the weekend.

I promise you, all your friends are family are going to love these!

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest for more tasty recipes!

If you enjoyed this recipe make sure to check out my Easy Salsa Recipe.

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Summertime will be here before we know it and it will be time to host summer cookouts. Not to mention Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day parties! Anytime I’m invited to a party I always bring some type of dip. Dips are the one thing you really can’t have too much of. I always find people standing around the table that has all the different dips. There is something about standing around chatting with friends while enjoying some yummy dips. Just make sure not to double dip – that’s gross!

You’re going to love this crab rangoon dip and don’t forget to check out my other easy home cooked recipes.

Crab Rangoon Dip

The best part about this dish is that you can really customize it to your liking. If you don’t like crab trying using salmon or shrimp. Smoked salmon would taste delicious in this recipe.

Ingredients

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

¼ Cup Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 teas. White Pepper

6 oz. Can Crabmeat

4 Green Onions, thinly sliced

Optional, 1-2 teas. Hot Pepper Sauce (Sriracha, Louisiana hot sauce, Tobasco etc.)

Yum! Crap Rangoon dip! #foodie #recipe
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Instructions

In a medium bowl beat together the Cream Cheese and Mayonnaise until smooth. This will take you about two to three minutes.

Add the Soy sauce and White pepper and stir until well combined.

Add in the Crab and Onion and mix well.

If using the Pepper sauce add ½ teas. at a time tasting between each addition.

I prefer to let this dip chill for a several hours before serving.

Serve garnished with some extra green onion with your favorite chips, pretzels etc. Pita bread is another nice alternative to chips.

If you enjoyed this recipe make sure to follow me on Pinterest for even more tasty recipes.

My homemade pretzel recipe would go great with this dip! You can find it below.

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My all-time favorite snack is chips and salsa. No joke, I could eat a whole bag of tortilla chips in one sitting as long as I have some good homemade salsa. There really isn’t anything much better than easy home cooked recipes.

Easy Salsa Recipe

This salsa recipe is so easy to make and has just enough heat. You can make this salsa to fit your own personal taste. Sometimes I’ll make a few batches with varying heat levels.

Ingredients:

10 medium sized tomatoes

7 jalapenos’s

2 white onions

1 bulb of garlic

1 full bunch of cilantro

1 lime

salt

1/4 tsp. (affiliate link) chipotle chili powder

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut your tomatoes and onions in half and place on a cookie sheet. Slice your jalapenos in half and scoop out the seeds. I typically leave seeds in three of the jalapenos as my family enjoys some heat. Place the jalapenos on the cookie sheet. Cut the top off your bulb of garlic and place on the cookie sheet. (You’ll probably need 2 cookie sheets)

3. Drizzle oil over your vegetables and sprinkle some salt and pepper over everything. Let the vegatables roast for about 30-minutes or until everything is nice and soft.

4. Set vegetables to the side and let cook for about 15-minutes.

5. Place vegetables in a food processor along with half of the cilantro. Once everything is pureed add in your chipotle chili powder and salt to taste.

6. Mix in fresh chopped cilantro, squeeze some lime juice into the salsa mixture and then refrigerate until you are ready to dig in and enjoy!

Tips: You can also roast your vegetables over an open flame, but I find this takes a little bit longer. Also, if you aren’t sure how hot you like your salsa start out by only leaving the seeds in one jalapeno.

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest for more simple recipes!

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This homemade pretzel sticks recipe is so amazing! This one is going on my list of easy home cooked recipes!

These pretzel sticks were inspired by a recent date night my husband and I had. We were at Applebee’s and ordered their beer battered pretzel sticks and they were really good! My husband told me to figure out a recipe as spending $9 for 5 pretzel sticks was not going to cut it on a regular basis.

We  had our pretzel sticks with some store-bought Queso Cheese. You can make homemade dips easily enough but I was so burnt out from cooking all day, it was nice just to open up a jar of cheese.

You can also serve these pretzel sticks with mustard or create your own dipping sauce!

Homemade Pretzel Sticks Recipe

Homemade Pretzel Sticks Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

 

Author: Kristi

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• ½ Cup Brown Sugar
• 4½ tsp. yeast
• ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
• 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• ¾ Cup Baking Soda
• 1 Large Egg
• Sea Salt or Maldron Salt
• Melted Cheese or Mustard for Dipping

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine 2 cups of warm water with brown sugar and mix well. Once the brown sugar is dissolved add yeast and let set for five to ten minutes. You want the yeast to start foaming slightly.
2. Mix in vegetable oil and 2 cups of flour. The dough will be pretty sticky at this point. Add in 3 more cups of flour and knead by hand or in a mixer with the bread dough hook for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a well-floured cutting board and knead until the dough is very smooth and workable. If more flour is needed add in ¼ cup at a time.
4. Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let your dough rest for about 45 minutes. It should double in size.
5. Prepare 3 cookie sheets with a light coat of vegetable oil or olive oil.
6. Remove dough from the bowl and return to a well-floured cutting board. knead the bread for about 2 minutes and then punch down to make flat. Cut the dough into 20 pieces and roll each piece into the shape of a pretzel stick. About 9 to 10 inches long and about a ½ inch wide.
7. Let the pretzel sticks rest on the prepared cookie sheets for 30 minutes. Make sure to leave about 2 inches in between the sticks.
8. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
9. In a large stockpot add 8 cups of water and ¾ cup of baking soda. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Place 3 to 5 pretzel sticks in the water mixture, turning once. You only want to keep the pretzels in the water for about 30 to 45 seconds. Let the pretzels drain on cookie cooling racks for a few minutes then return to the baking sheet. Once you have dipped all pretzels into the water mixture you'll make your egg wash with one egg and 1 tbsp. of water.
10. Brush your pretzel sticks with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. You can use sea salt, Kosher salt or Maldron salt. I personally prefer Maldron salt as it's nice and flakey.
11. Cook pretzels for 10 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
12. Serve warm and with a dipping sauce of your choice.

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If you enjoyed this recipe make sure to check out the recipe below!

Copycat Firecracker Salmon Rolls

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