Carrie Hill - Owner and Operator at LooksLikeHomemade.com Food & Lifestyle Blog

Baking, Breakfast, Entertaining, Recipes

Blackberry Muffins

ByCarrie Hill | On April 22,17 | 0 Comment

This is a keeper of a Blackberry Muffins Recipe for sure! We are at the time of year around here where fruit is stupidly expensive. $1.99 a lb for apples is higher than I’ve ever seen it. Hopefully spring brings with it some new crops that bring our prices down. Berries must be in season because they’ve been fairly reasonably priced, with blackberries at $.99 a 1/2 pt at City Market – and I got some for $.99 a pint at Sprouts the other day as well.

Berries keep for a good long time in the fridge if you rinse them well, and get them OUT of that stupid plastic container and diaper thing they come in – that diaper thing causes rot faster than anything. I put mine in a sealed container with a few paper towels in the bottom, that way they’re ready to go when you want to make this blackberry muffins recipe! I’ve had blackberries and blueberries keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge like this. Raspberries are a bit more delicate, though – they don’t keep as long – but they should be stored the same way.

So needless to say, I had a lot of blackberries on hand and while we eat them happily – I wanted to make something for the boys to take with lunch es and have for breakfasts this week. I’m on a low-fat diet so I adapted this recipe just a bit from one I found at SimplyRecipes.com. Hope you like it!

Entertaining, Light and Healthier, Menu Planning, Recipes, Veggies and Fruit

Cucumbers with Lemony Dressing

ByCarrie Hill | On April 12,17 | 0 Comment

I love salads that don’t actually involve lettuce. While lettuce is fine, it’s like a talisman to the fact that I’m actually dieting, which irritates me, so I pretend I don’t like it. I’m always looking for something quick to throw together to make a non-lettuce salad to go with dinner. I stumbled across this recipe from The Dinner Daily and adjusted it a bit for our tastes.

Whether you use cucumber, pour it on a zucchini noodle salad, pour it on a regular salad, or spoon a bit over blanched or roasted asparagus, this is really fresh and light. You may be tempted to skip the salt and pepper, but that’s probably the most important part – it brings out the liquid in the veg, and salt counter-balances the sweet from the lemon and sugar. you could substitute stevia in here if you wanted, easy peasy.

Budget Friendly, Light and Healthier, Menu Planning, Recipes

Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Asparagus

ByCarrie Hill | On April 08,17 | 0 Comment

I found this recipe on Pinterest and adapted it a bit from the one Damn Delicious posted. Hubby had his with a fried egg on top, and really enjoyed it. Runny egg yolks are not my thing without toast, so I skipped the egg and enjoyed mine with a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan cheese. The egg definitely adds protein though – so to boost it if you don’t want eggs, try a legume like chickpeas or cannellini beans.

The Boy had his without egg and cleaned his plate, so even good for picky eaters. My kids both love roasted asparagus, though – so that makes things easier!

Serve with a green salad and garlic bread – perfect quick-cooking, no plan meal.

Recipes, Veggies and Fruit, Weeknight Favorites

Vegetarian Greek Pasta Recipe

ByCarrie Hill | On March 06,17 | 0 Comment

We try to do vegetarian meals once a week, some weeks we’re pretty good, some weeks we are not – at all 🙂

I was a bit apprehensive about this one – the flavors from the feta are pretty strong but Hubby really liked it, so that’s a win in my book. The picky boy is at boyscouts, so I’m going to go out on a limb and think he’s not going to be keen on it, but he’s a big boy and will get over it.

This was a really quick meal to put together and I added some toasted Naan from the freezer – which is always tasty.
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Everything Else

Finding your Happy Place

ByCarrie Hill | On March 05,17 | 0 Comment

Yesterday our squad spent time together shooting clay – tons of fun and a gorgeous day. This morning I sent the boys out the door and hunkered down on the couch for awhile to watch some food network. I decided to hit the kitchen just as a text came in from Hubby – he and the Boy found their happy place!

It was kind of ironic that they found their spot just as I was stepping into the kitchen to find mine!

2 pans of Banana Nut Muffins – and a try of almond cookies later – I’m blogging and getting ready to fold laundry…laundry is not my happy place, but I guess we call it the “toll” to pay so I can spend more time in that happy place 🙂

Happy Sunday, Everyone

Wanderlust

Anniversary Staycation – Carbondale, CO

ByCarrie Hill | On March 04,17 | 0 Comment

Winter provides just a few opportunities to indulge in our wanderlust. We go on a few excursions and we try to spend weekends doing something fun, but getting out of the house when it’s cold and miserable is not our favorite pass time.

Our anniversary is the end of February, so we try to do an overnight stay somewhere not too far away so our 15 year old can stay home with the dogs but we’re close enough to get home if something happens. Carbondale is about 45 minutes from our house and has a vibrant downtown – lots of restaurants and fun things to do.

We got into town about noon, just as Marble Distilling Company was opening for the day. Our bartender (John Paul, I think his name was) was great and as we were the only ones there, we got lots of attention. I had a Cosmo or two, Todd tried a hot chocolate drink with their espresso-infused vodka called Moonlight ExPresso and tried their young whiskey. I tried their different vodka selections. We also had their cheese & charcuterie board, which was great nibbles to go along with our drinks.