Sugar Cookies - Plain, with Icing, or with Frosting

My grandma used to make some of the best sugar cookies in the entire world. No, I'm not being biased. I swear. When we were little, my sister, my cousins and I would look forward to these cookies every Christmas Eve. They were sweet, crunchy, and perfectly sized for little kids and adults alike. I used to get jealous because my sister would be the one who helped my grandma make them and that meant I never got to taste them until our family dinner. And, unfortunately, it also means that I have no idea how to make them. My grandma is gone now so it's been a very long time since those cookies have been around. I used to try really hard to duplicate pretty much everything she used to make, but I've realized that it just isn't possible. She was a Polish grandma. And like pretty much every other grandma out there, she had her own measuring techniques and her own ingredients and I'll never be able to go back in time to figure out what those were. I've finally come to terms with that. So the only thing I can do at this point is do my best to make an updated, albeit different, version to her classics.

Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Garlic

I originally planned for this tart to be a quick, plain tomato-style to use up some of my garden tomatoes. Instead, I just kept adding things and it turned into an awesome tart with zucchini and garlic. Those combinations are so amazing together!

Western Salad Dressing

Western Dressing is my son's favorite salad dressing. He just started really eating salads last year and he's been very adamant about not trying any other dressings. We'll get there some day, but for now, I'd rather him have this dressing while he's still getting used to eating salads in general. And since I only make my own salad dressings for myself (ranging from vinaigrettes to creamy to everything in between), I decided I'd try my hand at a homemade Western since I've never done that one before.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is another one of those spur of the moment recipes that happened by chance.

Lemonberry Cooler

It's hot out there right now. And what goes better with hot weather? Yep. A nice, refreshing drink. And if that drink has a little alcohol in it, then so be it.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I love coming up with new meals for my family. And it's always exciting when the pickiest one - my husband - loves what I come up with. I was worried that he wouldn't like this one because it isn't the typical meat, veggie, starch combo, but he was still good with it. Of course, I did have to serve some rice on the side because he's a big guy and would be hungry in half an hour without it...

Tuscan Cauliflower, Tomato, and Bean Sauté

I've been working on this little at-home challenge where I'm trying to eat more vegetables every day. Some days I achieve my goal, some days I don't. But the good days outweigh the bad and I think I'll eventually hit the amount that I'm happy with each and every day. In an effort to help me succeed, I'm trying to whip up these awesome side dishes that serve more as the main entrée than the actual side.

Poached Cod with Shallot Butter Sauce

I love trying out new recipes for fish. And most of the time, that fish just happens to be cod. It's our favorite. And when I say our, I mean my son and I. My husband just won't touch it! Well, I guess I should say that he won't touch the kind I make. He only likes it fried. Why? Because then you don't taste fish, of course!

Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

I'm on a quinoa kick. And I'm always looking for new things to do with avocados, so why not combine the two! This one was inspired by a recipe a friend shared on Facebook. You can find it here: http://theleancleaneatingmachine.com/2014/01/17/quinoa-stuffed-avocados/

The original was more of a Mexican-flavored meal so I decided to change it up and bring on some completely different flavors. The only way to go, of course, was Mediterranean style!

Warm Chick Pea, Pea Pod, and Tomato Salad

When you have pork in the Crock Pot that's ready to be shredded for tacos, the only logical thing to do is come up with a great side dish that is different than your standard, plain beans. Not that there's anything wrong with beans (I love black beans just hanging out by themselves), but I wanted something new.

Naked Jalapeño Poppers

My husband and I are big fans of jalapeño poppers. It's been quite awhile since we had them though because the fried goodness just isn't good for you. Tasty? Oh yeah. But to eat a lot of them is just soooo not gonna happen around here.

Pureed Cauliflower Soup

We're totally on a cauliflower kick over here. My son absolutely loves it so I've been trying out some different things. I did the (suddenly so popular) cauliflower pizza crust but I need work on it some more. I think it could be much better so more on that later.

I've also done it steamed with carrots and then seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. It's really good, but kind of boring. But, hey, if my kid will eat it then I love it.

Mediterranean Baked Cod

This one. This one is probably one of my favorites. And my son's favorites. You just have to love when your six year old's new favorite dinner is fish, right?

(Did I mention he's six now? When did this happen? He was just a tiny baby, wasn't he? Well, my little man just had a birthday and at least I can say that I'm handling this one better than I handled it when he turned five. Not sure why since six means he's officially a kid and not my baby anymore. How can he not be my baby anymore? How will I get through this?! Well, after I commented that he was getting so big, he proceeded to reassure me that no matter how old we both get, he'll be my baby forever. He knows just what to say to get to this momma's heart...)

Okay, mini meltdown over. Now I can get back to the recipe...

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

You may have thought that quinoa was just a trend, but it's here to stay. It's delicious, it's versatile, and it's really good for you.

It can get boring eating it plain though, so I like to add fun things to mine. This one is so great because it's not your traditional hot side dish. Because of the mild flavor additions, it's best served at room temperature. This allows all the flavors to meld together nicely and softly pronounce each one.

It goes with pretty much anything, but it's so good and filling that I could just make this a meal!