Get out of that same ol’ recipe rut and try one of these delicious and easy recipes this week! This week I highly recommend making the Veggie Sweet Potato Garden Burgers and Grilled Flatbread Ham & Cheese Hoagie Pizza!
Happy Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day TKW Family! Mother’s day is tough for me, as is most holidays since both of my parents have passed on. It’s been 29 years since Mom passed and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. Even after all these years I still carry some feelings of anger within as I feel I was jipped out of a life with her as she was taken when I was just a kid. Actually, I was young when she, my father and grandmother passed. And while I there are 5 older siblings, due to the big age difference we aren’t close. So for me, I almost grew up an only child if that makes sense.
You guys would have loved my mom, both my parents actually. Full of life, spitfire and as my Dad would say – “gumption”. Her laughter filled the room and just a smile from her put you at ease. She was the Mom to everyone. You walked into our house and you felt at home. You never left with an empty belly or a doggie bag. Mom enjoyed the simple things – her flowers, bingo, and cooking. While we didn’t have money or ‘things’ she didn’t care. She taught us to work with what we had and use the gifts God had given us. 
Mom is the one that taught me how to bake; how to respect the ingredients. She taught me that with just a few basic staples you can create deliciousness. Mom taught me to be myself and that I AM WORTH IT. She’d wipe my tears when I got hurt or when I was picked on. In 18 short years, Mom taught me a lifetime of lessons and values. For that, Mom, I am forever grateful. While it doesn’t get easier I’m able now to think of her and smile as God blessed me with an Angel on earth who so happened was my Mom.
As the years went by I eventually met and married Mr. Fantabulous. Mama Fantabulous threw me a curveball. She wasn’t like any of those stories you hear about when it comes to a mother in law. She wasn’t mean. She didn’t ride a broomstick. She loved me and respected me. She treated me as family; as a daughter. Then something amazing happened – we became friends. Not friends because we had to but because we wanted to. To say I love my mother in law is an understatement. I see so much of my mother in her – the spitfire, the take-no-crap, the genuine heart. She’s an amazing woman who I so truly cherish.
Okay ’nuff mushy stuff – I’m out of tissues anyway.
So how was your week last week? Mine was ROUGH. I was so sick to the point I actually scheduled a doctor’s appointment. I must have picked up something from my travels to Mexico. I got home that Friday night, by Saturday afternoon I couldn’t keep anything in my system…for an entire week. In 6 days I lost 18 pounds. Oh trust me, I’m not complaining but that’s not healthy. As of this morning I’ve been able to keep some yogurt in me but we’ll see. I’m thinking it may be that Montezuma’s revenge.
I also got some news I didn’t want to hear last week. So I’ve been putting off my 3rd shoulder surgery since November but it’s finally to the point it’s absolutely unbearable. That being said my next surgery is scheduled on June 9th. I’m scared about this one though as it’s more complex than the first two AND it’s on my “good” shoulder. I have a torn rotato cuff and I split the bicep tendon lengthways. Yeah, nice, huh? I did this carrying about 10 or so cast iron pans (only about 75 pounds). It wasn’t heavy but something in my shoulder said “Nope! Not today!” and popped so bad – actually I thought I dislocated my shoulder. I immediately dropped the pans and down I went. I’ve been babying it ever since but enough is enough. What sucks though is we have so much more work to do on this house. Even though Mr. Fantabulous will be furious (cause he’s Italian and stubborn) I may break down and hire a company to come finish it with/for him.
Anyway, I only had one real day of cooking as I just didn’t want to be near food. If you follow me on Instgram you would have seen a bunch of the stuff coming up next week on here.
I’m working on an amazing Crostini for Smithfield® Foods. This only took 20 minutes in the pressure cooker! Click on the image to watch the video!
Here’s what the final product looks like. This is a total game changer for backyard cookouts!
It was a Crostini kind of day!
🌟PERFECT CROSTINI APPETIZER!🌟
- Grill up some bread and sauté up some sweet Italian sausage.
- Whip together some ricotta, Parmesan, fennel, basil and olive oil.
- Dice up some tomatoes.
- Slather the bread with ricotta mixture, top with sausage, tomatoes, basil strips, olive oil and salt flakes.
And then there was this.. Yes it has actual Caramel Creams® IN THE BURGER!
♥ Monday – Veggie Sweet Potato Garden Burgers
♥ Tuesday – Meatball Stuffed Manicotti
♥ Wednesday – Mexican Shredded Beef Subs
♥ Thursday – Egg Stuffed Skinny Portabello Caps
♥ Friday – Grilled Flatbread Ham & Cheese Hoagie Pizza
♥ Saturday – Mexican Beef Stuffed Avocado Crispy Egg Roll Cups
♥ Sunday – Best Ever Pork Roast and Sauerkraut
♥ Dessert of the week – Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
I am trying grandma meat loaf tonite.
Hope you love it as much as I do!
Best Kitchen Wishes!