Smoked Paprika BBQ Potatoes

These potatoes are quick, easy, kid-friendly, and very good!  Plus, you don't have to heat up the oven to eat them.  A perfect summer dish!

Smoked Paprika BBQ Potatoes
From: Jamie Cooks it Up
Yields: 5-7 servings
Time: 20 minutes
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8 small-medium russet potatoes
1/3 olive oil
1 T smoked paprika, must be "smoked" (I found this cheapest at Wal-mart)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dipping Sauce
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 C favorite barbecue sauce

Combine the dipping sauce ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large bowl pour in the olive oil add the smoked paprika and salt and pepper, stir.

Wash your potatoes, cut them into 1/4 inch slices.  Put them into the bowl with the oil and seasonings and toss to coat.

Pre-heat your grill to medium heat.  Place potatoes on grill, I did some on the 2nd rack and some on the direct rack, they both cooked at about the same pace?? Who knows why, but it took about 7 minutes per side.  Remove from grill and serve with the dipping sauce.

Wingers Sticky Fingers

I have got a great recipe for you today and it is so simple!  Only three ingredients, four if you are counting the chicken.  One of our favorite places to eat as a family is a restaurant called Wingers.  They have restaurants all across the United States.  Our favorite thing to get there is the boneless wings, which they call sticky fingers, they are basically chicken fingers covered in their original amazing sauce. The sauce is a great combo of sweet & spicy.  This recipe taste identical to their amazing sauce, it is so good, quick, easy and budget friendly, you can't beat that!

Winger's Sticky Fingers
From: Real Mom Kitchen
Yields: Covers approximately 8 chicken fingers
Time: 5 minutes for the sauce
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3 T Frank's Hot Sauce (must be Frank's, no other will do!)
3/4 C Brown Sugar
2 T Water

Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan, cook on medium-high heat until it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved, let it boil for about a minute.

Pour the sauce in a container that has a lid, add your cooked chicken (wings, popcorn, or fingers) place the lid on the container and shake to coat the chicken in the sauce.

Serve with ranch dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Banana Bread Bundt

I love banana bread, but hate to make it.  Whenever I have a bunch of bananas getting bad I think "Oh, I should make banana bread" but I rarely follow through.  It seems like so many ingredients and it makes such a mess in my kitchen, that I usually don't bother.  Well, this recipe is easy peasy lemon squeezie thanks to a cake mix and it taste just as good, if not a little better than any other recipe I have tried.  This is very moist and delicious!

Banana Bread Bundt

From: Real Mom Kitchen

Yields: 16 servings

Time: 10 minutes prep and 1 hour baking time

Print Recipe

1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) pkg banana cream flavored instant pudding **
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)
1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and Flour a bundt pan.
In a large bowl, add all ingredients but the walnuts.  Blend with a mixer on low for 30 seconds then on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Fold the nuts into the batter and pour into the bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean.
Allow bread to cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes then invert onto onto cooling rack.

** vanilla pudding can be substituted

Lemon Chive Pasta

This creamy pasta is so simple yet so delicious.  The lemony taste is perfect for Spring.  Everyone in my family loved this dish. It will definitely be going into the tried and true collection!

Lemon Chive Pasta
Adapted from: Simply Scratch
Yields: 6 servings
Time: 20 minutes
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1 pound dried farfalle (bow tie) pasta

1 small onion, diced 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped or 2 T dried chives

2 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, reserving a cup of pasta water. Mean while sauté the diced onions in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Once the onions have softened, sprinkle with two teaspoons of flour and cook for one minute. Stir in chicken broth until flour is dissolved and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and add heavy cream, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta, lemon zest and parmesan and toss. Thin out with a little of the reserved pasta water.  Serve.

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Olive Garden has the best Alfredo Sauce, hands down, but since its neither good for the hips or the wallet I was bound and determined to come up with my own version.  This is the perfect blend of all that makes Alfredo, Alfredo. Here's the actual Olive Garden recipe and though mine is very different both in cost and calories they are surprisingly similar in taste.  When made with lite cream cheese and skim milk, my recipe weighs in at only 353 Calories and 29 fat grams per serving. Olive Garden’s comes in at a whopping 700 Calories and 43 grams of fat per serving.  This recipe is super simple to make; the whole meal can be finished in about 20 minutes!  You can’t get a table at Olive Garden quicker than that!

Creamy Alfredo Sauce
From: Meg @ Back Pocket Creations
Serves: 6
Time: 15 minutes
Print Recipe


1/2 C Butter (do not use margarine)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese (can use light)
2 t Garlic Powder
1 1/2 C Milk ( I use skim)
6oz bag of grated parmesan cheese
1/8 t black pepper


1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder stirring with a wire whisk until smooth.  Add milk a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps.  Bring to a slow boil and gradually add the cheese, stirring after each addition, giving it time to melt before you add more. Add pepper.  After adding all the cheese you may find it is too thick for you liking, you can add up to 1/2 C of milk until the sauce has reached desired consistency.


2. Serve over noodles and topped with chicken and/or broccoli.  Enjoy.


"Put that in your back pocket."


-Meg