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Pumpkin Spice Caramel Pecan Ice Cream

It may be cooling off outside but that doesn’t mean that my love of ice cream is going anywhere! I often forget that I own an ice cream machine but every time that I bring it out to make a homemade treat I’m delighted with the outcome! My friends over at Litehouse recently launched a Pumpkin Spice Caramel Dip and since pumpkin spice is one of my favorite fall flavors I decided to swirl it into a batch of homemade ice cream! And so, here’s my recipe for Pumpkin Spice Caramel Pecan Ice Cream! I don’t know what it is… Read More

Blackened Chicken Strips and Cajun Rice

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. #TysonBlackenedChickenStripsAtMeijer #CollectiveBias Since I spent so much time in Europe over the past year I decided that this next year would be devoted to US travel. There are so many places right here at home that require my attention such as Yellowstone, Charleston and New Orleans. I have been to New Orleans in the past but not really for a foodie adventure and I feel like this city has so much to offer from a culinary standpoint. I’m not… Read More

Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Tacos

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PaceTacoNight #CollectiveBias One of the foods that I found myself craving constantly while in Europe was tacos! Unfortunately, Europe just didn’t seem to be able to make decent Mexican food so I was stuck trying to make my own at our apartment with limited spices and cookware. Now that I’m back home I am looking for any reason to celebrate a Taco Tuesday and am utilizing all of my cooking tools at my disposal to make delicious fillings. Last week I pulled out… Read More

One-Pan Chicken Parmesan and Roasted Vegetables

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #McCormickONEatMeijer #CollectiveBias Ever since I arrived back in the US I have found myself more pressed for time than ever! I’m back into the full swing of life with getting my house back in order, the usual weekly errands and cooking like crazy to make up for lost time. While eating out at some of my favorite restaurants was high on my list upon my return, this isn’t always the best option for trying to live a balanced lifestyle. With limited time I’ve… Read More

Korean BBQ Chicken Bowls

I’m excited to announce that I’m working on a new series of e-Cookbooks that will be focused on European recipes that I discovered during my travels. This will be a series of 3 books filled with delicious recipes from France, Italy, Greece and many other countries and I’m super excited to be sharing them with you! These books are available only to my newsletter subscribers so if you’re not currently on the list be sure to sign up now so you get the first ‘chapter’ when it launches very soon! But speaking of international cuisine, today I’ve got a totally… Read More

Meatballs, Greens and Beans Pasta

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyCarandoMeal #CollectiveBias After spending two months in Italy during my European adventure, I came to realize that delicious Italian cuisine does not have to be complicated. Yes, I love to make homemade pasta and that can take some time, but there are so many delicious dishes that are quick and easy to prepare and still offer robust and hearty flavors. Since I have been home I have been trying to find new products that keep with this theme of easy Italian recipes and… Read More

Scallion-Ginger Beef and Broccoli

I am an absolutely fanatic when it comes to Chinese take-out and unfortunately during my time in Europe I could not fulfill this desire too often. There was a Chinese restaurant near our apartment in Florence, Italy that was rather inexpensive but not the best. But we ate it because it hit the spot given that we had been without Chinese food for so long. We also had it once in Scotland, but that was also mediocre and the restaurant was strange. Also, you had to buy your rice to go with your meal, unlike here in America where it… Read More

Scottish Highlands Whisky Tour

After leaving France in the middle of July, we spent some time visiting new areas of Europe that we had not seen before. After a few days of sightseeing in Amsterdam we flew to Scotland to begin a week that was sure to be memorable. While Aberdeen may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of Scotland, there was one very specific reason for starting our trip through Scotland in this northern city. Scotch, or what the locals simply call “whisky,” is what drew us to this rugged city which is deeply tied into the… Read More

Celebrate Cholesterol Awareness Month with Lightened Up Moussaka

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChooseMazola #CollectiveBias Now that I’m back in town from Europe, I have been eager to open up all of the cookbooks that I purchased during my travels and dive into more European cuisine. One of my favorite discoveries during my time abroad happened while I was in Athens, as I discovered my love for moussaka. This is an eggplant-based dish that includes other vegetables and ground meat. Since it’s Cholesterol Awareness Month, I thought that I would make a better-for-you version of this… Read More

Tomato Chickpea Flatbread

You know the old saying, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’? Well that is exactly how I’m feeling right about now on my European adventure. Over the past couple of weeks constant thoughts of ‘how is it that I’m going home soon’ have been filling my head. While we are coming home just shy of 1 year, the past 11 months have flown by! People keep asking about what our favorite part of our trip has been and honestly, everything has been my favorite. It has been such a wild adventure, a learning experience, and a time filled with so… Read More

Le Marais Food Tour in Paris

I can remember back in September when we first arrived in Europe being excited and anxious to be away for one year. I can also remember thinking about how far off Paris was from our arrival but it finally arrived when we paid a visit last month! I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about Paris but I really do love the city for the beauty and romance it presents. I only had one spat with a cloakroom attendant at a museum, but we won’t talk about that. Today I’m sharing the details of my food tour… Read More

Korean Grilled Chicken & Cucumber Salad

Since I left the French Riviera at the end of May a lot of travel and learning has occurred! We took a 2 week trip to the Loire Valley, Mont Saint-Michel, Monet’s Garden, Versailles, Paris and then Epernay. If you follow on Instagram you may have seen all of the sights that we’ve been visiting! I have a lot of travel posts to fill in to bring you up to date and hopefully will be getting to those this week. In the mean time I am sadly starting my countdown until I’m back in America and behind my grill! Speaking… Read More

Refreshing Citrus Sangria

Bonjour friends! I thought I’d take a break today from the travel posts and share a quick summery drink recipe with you and an update on where things are at on my European adventure! While I won’t be enjoying summer on my patio this year, I do have a lot of fun things in store and you can sip of this delicious Refreshing Citrus Sangria while reading all about my travel adventures! I’m very sad to say that this is my last week in the French Riviera. We arrived back in September and instantly fell more in love with this… Read More

Krakow Food Tour With Delicious Poland

As I mentioned in my last post, our trip to Poland was somewhat unexpected as it certainly wasn’t a place high on our list to visit. I say this only because we didn’t know much about Poland, the culture or the food but as we begin to research something ‘different’ to fill our time in April, Krakow came up on multiple lists of places with a lot to offer. Including an amazing cuisine! The first thing I thought of was vodka, but with the help of Delicious Poland and their Culinary Food Tour, I found that they have so much… Read More

Wieliczka Salt Mine and Schindler’s Factory Tour

One of the great things about spending a whole year traveling throughout Europe is that it gives you an opportunity to see so many different things, and I have to say that when we set off on our European trip back in September of last year, I never expected to be spending some time in Poland. As we were researching new places off the beaten path to visit, we came across some information on Poland that was really intriguing. More specifically we were drawn to the beautiful city of Krakow and the historical sights which are in close proximity. After… Read More

The Ancient Farming Practices of Rosa dell’Angelo

The month of May is here and we are back to our home in the French Riviera! After a full month of travel to Budapest, Athens and Krakow that lasted the month of April we thought that settling back into our home away from home for a break would be nice before we begin our final leg of this adventure. A friend that we met while here told us that the motto of the Côte d’Azur is ‘Slow in the morning. Not too fast in the Afternoon.’ and this is exactly how we’ve been treating our time here! It seems… Read More

A Culinary Walk in Budapest

It really is quite amazing how quickly these days and months are trailing by! At the start of this month we left our cozy little beach-front apartment in France and headed to our first stop for the month of April: Budapest. This definitely was not a place that I had even considered visiting but as we began to look at our travel plans for the month it came came to mind because of the interesting history of the city and country as well as some of the beautiful architecture and sights within the city. Of course one of the first… Read More

Saint Emilion Winery Tour with Bordovino

After experiencing some of my favorite wine regions of Italy, I was eager to get back to France and check out Bordeaux. I’ve watched a few documentaries on the complexities of Bordeaux wines but certainly wouldn’t call myself an expert. You pretty much can only find French wines in the shops of France and I would go in there clueless and end up not really enjoying the wine that I picked. And so a wine tour was in order to learn more about these world-renowned wines. I decided to team up with A la Français and their Bordovino team to… Read More

Gourmet Blue Cheese Steak Sandwiches

I have now moved from the land of stinky cheese to the land of goulash….and will be heading later this week to the land of gyros! Traveling around Europe and getting to experience all of the delicious flavors has really been one of my favorite parts of this adventure. While I photographed this recipe before I left for Europe last fall, it certainly is very French-inspired between the Dijon mustard and blue cheese crumbles. There is nothing more delicious than a toasty sandwich on a ciabatta rolls, wouldn’t you agree? This Gourmet Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich layers rare steak with… Read More

Buffalo Chicken & Bacon Ranch Sliders

I feel like I’m a bit late to the March Madness party but being fashionably late is totally acceptable in my book! While I keep up with the news over here in Europe I don’t find myself being as plugged in as I was living back in America. Not to mention my mind is slightly sidetracked by the adventures of living abroad! Either way, with the tournament winding down (or perhaps heating up) there is never a bad time to introduce a new buffalo chicken recipe to try as we approach the championship! I worked on these Buffalo Chicken &… Read More