Blog

Taking The Leap To Follow My Dream

Recently I have found myself thinking back on the 7 years since Food n’ Focus began, and how amazing this time has been, but also reflecting on how much hard work and effort has gone into getting to the point where I find myself today. Now that I’m less than 2 weeks away from the beautiful country of France becoming my intermediate home, all of the lessons I have learned and the experiences I have been able to take part in, are working together to see me off to my biggest adventure yet. It’s difficult to think back to a… Read More

Raspberry Walnut Goat Cheese Appetizer

I have very few summery nights to spend on my patio this year, and next year for that matter. In between all of the projects I’ve been trying to get done for Food n’ Focus before I leave for my trip I have been trying to spend as much time as possible with friends and family, even if just for a small gathering. I know it’s only going to be a year but I’m sure there will come a point in my trip where it no longer feels like vacation and I start to miss some of the comforts from… Read More

Pros & Cons of Moving to a New Country

Since I made my big announcement a couple of weeks ago regarding my upcoming move to France, I have gotten a lot of excitement from friends and followers and a lot of questions. I’ve heard everything from ‘what made you decide to do it’ to people saying I’m crazy and they could never see themselves doing it. Now, I have yet to have the actual experience of living abroad so check back in a few months and see if I’m hating it, but for now I could not be more excited about the opportunity. I thought that this might be… Read More

Quatro Fromaggio Flatbread

This post is sponsored by Dietz & Watson. All opinions expressed are my own. A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend a fun happy hour that was a collaboration between Dietz & Watson and Metro Market, which is a local grocery store in Milwaukee. There were some fun cooking demos, delicious meats and cheese appetizers and even a station to design your own cutting board! I paired some delicious local beers with tasty Dietz & Watson cheeses and meats and even helped to create a Quatro Fromaggio Flatbread for attendees. Do you ever make flatbreads at home?… Read More

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches

Since I’m leaving my home for a new land in about 6 weeks, I’ve been doing everything that I can to enjoy my American summer before I jet off to France. I have been attending all of the local festivals, grilling every chance that I can get, relaxing (when I can) on my patio and next week will be hosting some friends from California and showing them a really good Milwaukee time! Also important right now are quick and delicious meals because I don’t have much time for anything else! I whipped up these delicious Smoky Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches recently… Read More

Ranch Lovers Hot Dogs

Wow! I just wanted to start by saying thank you to everyone for the outpouring of love and support following my big news from yesterday! I could not be more excited about the adventure I’m about to embark on and look forward to sharing it more with you throughout the next year! I still have plans to share delicious recipes weekly but also plan to share more about the culture and adventures that I’ll be taking each and every day. One of the things that I’m most excited about is shopping at their markets and eating more fresh foods. If… Read More

Big Announcement….

Hey friends! I am SUPER excited that I can finally share some big news with all of you! This has been something in the works since earlier this year and I’m super excited to announce that… I’m moving to France for one year! Yes, you read that correctly. My husband and I began this year asking ourselves what we really wanted to do with our lives and it has been a dream and conversation for quite some time to live abroad for a length of time. With our love of travel and culture, being able to experience some time in… Read More

Join the Good Mooed Tour for FREE Ice Cream Samples

This post is sponsored by Turkey Hill Dairy. All opinions expressed are my own. Hi, my name is April and I’m an ice cream addict. It’s true! If there is one dessert that I can’t get enough of, it would be ice cream. I enjoy a good soft-serve, but my favorite is from a carton straight from my freezer, slightly thawed so it’s extra smooth and creamy. This is a stark contract from my husband’s preference of having ice cream so cold that you practically have to chew through each bite! You can imagine my excitement when Turkey Hill asked… Read More

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably saw me post some pretty tasty looking tacos a couple of weeks back. Since today is officially Taco Tuesday I thought I would finally share the recipe in case you wanted to try them out for dinner tonight! My Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos offer the perfect balance of spice and flavor and will have you wishing you made a double batch! I actually whipped these up for my friends over at Litehouse using their Coleslaw dressing. Have you ever realized how many different things that you can do with coleslaw? In… Read More

Zesty Grilled Steak and Panzanella Salad

Oh hey July! I think that mother nature flipped a switch this weekend and decided that it was time to turn up the thermostat because we had 90 degree temperatures in my neck of the woods! I am NOT complaining because I spent most of the year in cool or darn right cold temperatures. I decided that even though it was HOT HOT HOT this weekend that I would stand over a hot flame and grill because seriously, why not. I decided on a Zesty Grilled Steak and Panzanella Salad that used up some of the delicious heirloom tomatoes that… Read More

Sesame Ginger Chicken Kebobs and Ginger Cucumber Salad

I promise that I have not forgotten about you guys. Blogging gets really hard in the summer months because all I want to do is soak up every ounce of nice weather that I can and spend endless weekend time on my patio enjoying the warmth of the sun. I have been working on some recipes that I will be sharing throughout the weeks ahead and have some other exciting things coming your way very soon. In the mean time, please feel free to search through all of the other delicious recipes on Food n’ Focus and add these Sesame… Read More

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Bacon Burgers

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend and I’m sure many of you are planning a cookout with your dad so I thought that this would be a good time to present one of the most delicious burgers that I’ve ever made! Seriously…I’m traditionally a ketchup and mustard kind of gal but this burger really takes the cake. Imagine piling creamy gouda, crispy bacon and spicy onions on top of your burger and topping it off with a deliciously sweet BBQ sauce. I give you the Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Bacon Burger. I was really toying around with burger combinations… Read More

Summer Tortellini Salad

Even though I’m coming off of a very unseasonably cool weekend here in Wisconsin, I certainly have my sights set on all of the warm days ahead. I feel like the days have just been passing by so quickly that I feel like summer will be over before I know it and I might have missed out on some of my favorite summer activities! I love a good gathering on a warm summer afternoon with friends and I’m planning to bring this Summer Tortellini Salad to the next potluck I attend! I almost feel like I need to put together… Read More

Easy Chana Masala

Do you ever feel like your life is always at one extreme or another in terms of chaos? I’m either super busy with no breaks, or sometimes I manage to find my weekends totally empty and relaxing. There never seems to be a happy medium! This weekend was one of those super chaotic weekends filled with errands and activities. Perhaps it seemed busier because I was coming off of a 5-day weekend followed by a short work-week. At any rate, I’m about to go into another full week of work and hoping to maintain my sanity and enjoy some time… Read More

Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

Well, I went from rainy Miami to rainy Wisconsin to start my week but thankfully the sunshine and heat are finally arriving! And just in time for my birthday tomorrow! Did you catch my early birthday gift that I talked about on Monday? My birthday gift for YOU?! Head back over to Monday’s post if you missed the giveaway that I’m hosting with my friends at Strauss Brands! If you already entered, awesome. Hang out here because I’ve got a delicious recipe for Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad that I’m sharing today! There is no better combination in my mind that… Read More

Strip Steak with Whisky Cream Sauce

Do you remember last week when I mentioned that I was heading off to sunny Miami for the weekend? Well, I certainly made it to Miami for a few days but decided to cut my trip short because Miami was anything but sunny for the days that I had scheduled to be there! Don’t you just hate that? Thankfully it is a new week and it’s my birthday week! To start the celebration I decided to make a delicious Strip Steak with Whisky Cream Sauce for you AND bring you an awesome giveaway from my friends at Strauss Brands! I… Read More

Mediterranean Hummus Plate

Welcome back from the weekend! I hope all of the moms out there got a chance to enjoy some time with your family and children. I hosted my mom and mother-in-law for a little brunch at my home over the weekend and enjoyed a few laughs. On tap for this week is a trip to Miami where I’ll be checking out some delicious restaurants and other sights to bring you a Miami city guide very soon! In the mean time I’m bringing you a tasty Mediterranean Hummus Plate that is perfect for lunch or a snack on the patio this… Read More

Greek Chicken Fries

One of the things that I love most about summer months is that there always seems to be some sort of celebration or party. We just came off of a weekend with Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby and we are now heading into Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. There always seems to be a good reason for a tasty snack or appetizer to serve guests. I love coming up with fun new ways to serve some of my favorite foods which is where the idea for Greek Chicken Fries were born! I’m not talking about the chicken fries… Read More

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Chicken Tinga Tacos

With my excitement over celebrating Taco Tuesday every week you can only image how excited I am over celebrating Cinco de Mayo tomorrow! Not to mention it is supposed to be beautiful weather in my neck of the woods and I plan to spend my afternoon on my patio with the biggest bowl of guacamole you have ever seen. And a margarita. I also plan to whip up a batch of these delicious and smoky chicken tinga tacos that I recently made for the Living Litehouse blog. Sound hard? They really couldn’t be any easier to make! I know that… Read More

Cheesy Chicken Taquitos

Whoa! How are we in May already?! I think month after month I keep saying with surprise how quickly this year is passing by. I am excited that Cinco de Mayo is coming up on Saturday and plan to bring you some delicious recipes all week long to celebrate. I also realized that the Kentucky Derby is on Saturday so I’m trying to figure out how to make a Moscow Margarita! I’ll report back with my findings. In the mean time, here are some quick and easy Cheesy Chicken Taquitos that you can easily whip up for a snack or… Read More