Grilled Eggplant with Cumin Scented Yogurt Sauce

Thick eggplant slices are grilled to tender perfection and served with a creamy and delicious yogurt sauce. 

This simple recipe makes a perfect side dish or a great party appetizer!

This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield and Simply Organic. 

All opinions, as always, are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

I truly love eggplant, but it's not something I cook at home very often. My oldest son enjoys it, but now that he's away at college I don't have anyone to eat it with. My youngest son is just not the biggest fan of vegetables other than the basics like corn, beans and peas. I guess he doesn't have my refined palette yet. 😉

Top 10 Favorite Recipes of 2016!

Happy New Year’s Eve Eve! Can you believe that 2016 is almost over? Really and truly, it seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye for me. With that being said, I'm really excited for 2017 and all that it will bring!

First off, I just want to say how much I appreciate you being here. Thank you for taking the time to read this little ole' blog of mine. Thank you for trying my recipes and sharing your feedback. Thank you for sharing your lives with me, and allowing me to share mine with you. I wouldn't be where I am today without your support and encouragement!

Cranberry-Apple Sauce #CranberryWeek

This beautiful, bright red Cranberry-Apple Sauce will soon become a staple on your holiday dinner table! 

Simple and easy to make, it's both tart and sweet, and full of flavor. 

Welcome to #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline's Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures! All week my blogger friends and I will be sharing cranberry-inspired creations in celebration of National Cranberry Day. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to check out the delicious recipes that are being shared today! 

First up for me is this beautiful, bright red, flavorful Cranberry-Apple Sauce. Truth be told, growing up I did not like cranberries at all. I couldn't even eat cranberry jelly, whether it was from a can or homemade. I just did not like the taste. Fast forward several years and depending on how they're prepared, I kinda love them. This Cranberry-Apple Sauce has become one of my favorite recipes during the holidays. Fresh cranberries are cooked with sweet honeycrisp apples, a little sugar, water, and a cinnamon stick until the flavors meld into one. It's quite fanastic if I do say so myself.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Cranberries #SundaySupper

This simple side dish features roasted, caramelized Brussels sprouts with crunchy pine nuts 

and tart cranberries. It's perfect for the holidays or even Sunday supper!

Growing up you couldn't have paid me to eat Brussels sprouts. I wouldn't touch them, along with asparagus and broccoli. I know a lot of kids are the same way, and it fascinates how different things are once you get older. I now have a love for all three of these delicious vegetables and cook them as often as I can.

This weeks' Sunday Supper theme is Best Holiday Side Dishes. We all have our traditional favorite sides like green been casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, etc. but I wanted to make something a little bit different. Something that we don't often have at our holiday table. These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Cranberries are full of different flavors and textures, and definitely fit the bill for best holiday side.

Celebrate National Picnic Month

Did you know that July is National Picnic Month? To celebrate the occasion my blogger friends and I 

are sharing 10 of our favorite picnic recipes with you!

For our picnic I'm sharing my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, a classic summer dessert! (And also my dad's favorite!) A delicious dessert is always needed at a picnic and this pie is just perfect. I've teamed up with a few of my dear blogger friends to share the perfect picnic recipes. From side dishes to main dishes to dessert, we've got you covered! 

Roasted Tomato and Sweet Pepper Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

Colorful, nutritious, and delicious, this pasta salad will quickly become your new favorite potluck party dish!

Did you know that June is National Dairy Month? Well if you didn't, you do now! Here in Michigan this is an important thing to celebrate, since more than 98% of Michigan dairy farms are family owned and operated. Dairy farming is a true Michigan tradition! Michigan’s 2,030 dairy farms produce more than enough milk to supply our state, so we are fortunate our milk is local.

We eat and drink a lot of dairy products in our house. We consume milk, ice cream and cheese on a daily basis. I cook and bake with cream, butter and cream cheese quite often. Like I said, I love my dairy!

Simple Berry Salad

Bright and beautiful berries tossed in a simple dressing make a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack!

Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious. Like fresh fruit and vegetables. They don't need much to taste good.

These gorgeous strawberries and blackberries are the perfect example. Tossed with a little honey and lime juice and garnished with fresh mint, they are a versatile dish. I love to eat them as a side dish, put them over my morning yogurt, and even over vanilla ice cream. They would be the perfect topping for homemade waffles or pancakes, too.

Creamy Parmesan Risotto

This rich, flavorful, and creamy Parmesan risotto takes a little time to make, but the results are worth it!

Whenever I dine out at a nice Italian restaurant I tend to order the risotto. Up until just recently, that was really the only time I ate it because I didn't make it at home. For some reason I was scared to make it, thinking I would somehow mess it up. I always heard people say it could turn out gummy and not creamy, so that scared me away from trying.

Several months ago I finally decided to stop being a chicken and go for it. I figured, what do I have to lose? So I made an asparagus risotto at my parents house and I have to say it turned out pretty well. Probably not my best, but it was still good. A couple of weeks ago I gave it another shot, went with a nice creamy and cheesy Parmesan risotto, and the results were fantastic.

Buttermilk Cornbread

This slightly sweet and tender cornbread is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving meal! 

My family is from the South, Louisiana to be exact, and every year during my childhood we traveled down there during the summer to visit my grandparents. It's safe to say that's one of the reasons I love food so much today. My grandma cooked everything from scratch and in true southern form, she loved to cook with butter.

I can remember eating catfish, hush puppies, fresh tomatoes and peppers from her garden and, of course, cornbread. Lots and lots of cornbread. My mom makes it quite often still, especially to go with beef stew and chili. Cornbread is perfect for sopping up all the juices in your bowl.

Skillet Cinnamon Apples

These easy to make skillet cinnamon apples are a delicious side dish or topping for pancakes and ice cream!

It's still a few weeks away but I'm already planning out my sides for Thanksgiving. We always have the standards - dressing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes - but each year I like to add a few new recipes too.

I made these Skillet Cinnamon Apples over the weekend and right away I told my son, these are going on our Thanksgiving table! They are simple to make, budget friendly, and they taste absolutely amazing. Who knew that just a few ingredients could turn into something so divine?!