Winner Winner Chicken Dinner - Bon Appetit's Chicken and Ricotta Dumplings

I am not a big dumpling fan so when I saw this Bon Appetit recipe for chicken and 'dumplings' that used ricotta gnocchi instead I had to try it. This recipe did not disappoint! It is a bit of a pain to prepare so I recommend breaking this into steps and doing some of it ahead of time. You could even skip the gnocchi and have a pretty killer chicken soup. Unless you are feeding a ton of people I would also recommend cutting it in half. Half is enough for at least 4 servings if not more. Hope you enjoy!

Bon Appetit's Lime and Blackberry Meringue Pie

I have to be honest about this one. While it is beautiful it was a major fail for me. All the flavors are amazing, but the blackberry compote turned the pie into a soupy mess when I cut into it. This recipe might be worth revisiting if you leave the compote out of the pie and just serve it as a drizzle over the top. For the original article visit Bon Appetit here.

Homemade Granola

After a recent trip to a B&B I have been craving homemade granola. I read a bunch of recipes online and decided to combine them all to make my own version. This type of recipe is very easy to customize. Just take out or throw in whatever your heart desires!

Bon Appetit's Bacon-Infused Carolina Fish Muddle

I've been all over Bon Appetit magazine lately. Seeing their magazine really inspires me to try new recipes even if they are sometimes overly complicated. This Bacon-Infused Carolina Fish Muddle was a perfect use for some of the fish we have in the freezer so I gave it a go, with some changes of course. After trying it, I would say it needs a little extra something. If I made it again I would definitely add some chopped fennel bulb to the sauteed veggies and kick up the heat with some extra jalapeno, hot sauce or Cajun hot seasoning. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and easily had enough to serve 4 people. I skipped the toast but it sounds pretty good, doesnt it?! I served it one night with grits and the other night over brown rice and surprisingly I liked the rice better. I posted what I did below but you can get the original recipe here.

How to Shred Chicken

Ever try to shred chicken to make enchiladas or maybe pull pork for a sandwich? I have always used the two forks method which gives you nicely shredded meat but also leaves you with hand cramps, bent forks and at least a half hour of your life wasted. Ron sent me this blog post the other day and I didn't believe it until I tried it. All you have to do to EASILY shred chicken (or any other meat I would imagine) is throw the warm meat in your kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment and let 'er rip. You will have perfectly shredded meat in seconds. The longer you let it go, the finer the shred. Love it!

Southern Italian Wedding Soup

I first saw this recipe for Southernized Italian Wedding Soup on Deep South Dish. I loved the idea of using up some frozen collard greens and black eyed peas I had leftover from new years so I gave it a shot. It was delicious and SO filling. I think this recipe could really help stretch a buck if you are feeding a large family. I did tweak the recipe a little so if you want to see the original please click on one of the links above. Enjoy!

Worst $5 I Ever Spent at Whole Foods

The new fad for healthy snacking promoted on all the recent cooking shows is kale chips. I have been trying to eat better, so on my outing to Whole Foods last night I decided to pick up a bag of these Kaia Foods salt & vinegar kale chips and see what all the fuss is about. If I can replace chips or other junk food with kale it has to be good right? I keep a pretty open mind with new foods (I happily ate and enjoyed raw herring in Amsterdam) but, ummmmm, wow, these were DISGUSTING! I really don't understand how they made a vegetable taste so bad. An odd cross between cardboard, gerbil food and hop pellets, I think I would rather eat the bag. And the Salt and Vinegar flavor was nonexistent. When I asked my hubby to describe them his exact words were "shitty shit". Consider yourself warned! Anybody have any luck with kale chips? Did you make them yourself or is there a packaged brand you actually enjoyed?

Key West Best Eats

As you may know, I am in love with Key West. I try to get there at least once a year if not more. I got engaged there, married there and HOPE to one day move there. When anybody tells me they are going I can't help but spew out where I think they should eat, drink, and sleep, what I think they should do and what I think they should avoid. I get giddy just thinking of somebody enjoying some of the lesser known places and getting off of Duval Street to see the real Key West. Given my inability to shut up about the place I figured I should share some of my favorite places to eat in Key West. I left out most of the touristy places because (1) you can find them on your own without any help and (2) if I was going out to eat, I probably would not eat there. I'm not knocking the touristy stuff. There is something about those Key West classics like Margaritaville, Sloppy Joes and Hogs Breath that will draw you in, but trust me, you can find better food and drinks if you venture off Duval.

White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Scones

Everyone always says baking is a science and you have to follow a recipe exactly in order for it to turn out great. I, on the other hand, am always trying to prove this theory wrong. I think this recipe proves that you have some wiggle room when it comes to baking. To make these scones I started out with the cheddar dill recipe, reduced the salt, nixed the savory ingredients and added in a bunch of sweet goodness. They turned out PERFECT! I am seriously obsessed with these and hope you will give them a shot.