Food Archives - Page 25 of 32 - Simply Happenstance

:: Strawberry Delight Appetizer ::

Who doesn’t love an easy summer appetizer, especially one that entails strawberries and cream cheese? This appetizer as I deem Strawberry Delight, truly is a simple delight. The ingredients that are combined to make this savory yet sweet appetizer are a great edition to your next party. This appetizer has been a go to for far too many years to count. As food generally has a story, this appetizer tells the story of my life with my girlfriends and roommates back during my early twenties. Such fond and fun memories of 4th of July’s, beach days, roller skates, and boat parades. What I believe to be most fun is this recipe was passed my way from my dear friend, Stephanie. I had one of these bite sized Strawberry Delight Appetizer’s at one of her fun family parties. It was from then on, we made this yummy recipe at every event we hosted or toasted to, not to mention it’s great with a glass of champagne.

:: Chicken Pesto Pasta ::

Oh Chicken Pesto Pasta… how I love thee. I have a pasta addiction. If you were to ask me what my favorite meal would include, it would have to be some sort of pasta. I know I have a little Italian buried somewhere in my lineage {wink}. Though it is summer and some of you can’t think of eating a heavy meal, this light yet savory sauce makes this pasta not as weighing as a traditional lasagna. This pasta was created from a combination of herbs and tomatoes from my garden box, basil pesto sauce, and burrata cheese. Giada’s first book, Every Day Italian, has a ton of hidden gems and basic sauces that can be built into entirely creative pasta meals. Easy, simple, and delicious. It is one of my favorite Italian cookbooks. As for the garden boxes… in this sunny yet mild California climate for summer, my basil and sun burst yellow tomatoes have taken off like crazy! So why not combine the two with chunks of creamy burrata cheese? [Read more…]

Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops

August 5, 2013

:: Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops ::

One of my dear friends gave me these Zoku Mini Pop Molds at the end of the school year for being one of her room parents {Such a great gift idea!}. Since we are nearly settled into our new house, I thought it was about time to pull them out of the box and whip up a delicious summer treat for my littles!

I don’t know about your kids, but mine rarely finish an entire large popsicle. Inevitably, it ends up as one sticky mess {which may be half the fun}! They either grow tired of the flavor, or end up dropping the leftovers on the ground, it seems. These Zoku Mini Pops are honestly the perfect size! While they are much smaller than your average ice pop, I did find that the kids were still able to spend several fun-filled minutes enjoying them! [Read more…]

Decadent Frozen Banana Bites

July 31, 2013

:: Decadent {frozen} Banana Bites ::

Naming this post was a bit of an issue for me! You see… these aren’t your average frozen banana bites dipped in rich, creamy chocolate! Oh no! These are WAY more decadent! These little frozen banana bites are wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough, and dunked in a thick layer of chocolate!

Clearly, I had a moment of weakness in making these! It was a week prior to our big family move and I needed the stress relief of whipping up something tasty! For me, the process of baking has always been a coping mechanism when I need to unwind or take a breather from life. These banana bites were successful in getting my mind off the never ending to-do list that comes with moving a family of six. They also provided the kids and I with a delicious frozen summer treat that brought back some of my favorite childhood memories of going to Balboa Island in Newport Beach and indulging in the famous Frozen Bananas & Balboa Bars!

[Read more…]