A Fresh Start - Check out my new blog!

Big Announcement

I knew at some point I would want to change my blog name but I was just too far in after a decade. Then I found out that Google Domains was going away and I was going to switch to Squarespace for my domain. I decided to just go ahead and make a giant switch. Not sponsored, but it wasn't too horrible of a jump.

So with that, Fantastical Sharing of Recipes will be at a new home soon and be called The Recipe Jackpot. I definitely struggled with a name, but this is one that I thought suited me because I utilize my blog as a huge resource for meal planning. It's a vault of all kinds of recipes - tons of my favorites. So it's like I've hit the recipe jackpot every time I am on it. Even if no one else reads it, it's a digital archive of the best of the best for me and my family. 

I've imported all of my posts onto the new blog (they are not live yet though) and I will be working through each post to give them a facelift. I had started that process already anyways so I really just need to consistently work on it. This blog will possibly go away at some point. I'm just not sure when that will be. If I'm able to reroute traffic from specific posts to the new url, I'll do that. But I still have to delve into researching that!

Thanks for coming along with me on my food blogging journey!

-Janie

Korean Spicy Noodles

A spicy stir fry with beef and veggies!

I love a good stir fry and this one has marinated beef with veggies and noodles! I think I typically do stir frys with broccoli and rice. I was unable to get my hands on the Korean sweet potato starch noodles but I definitely would love to for future makings of this recipe! The original also had mushrooms which I omit, so be sure to toss some of those in with the onions and carrots if you like them!

Homemade Artisan Bread

Make four-ingredient homemade bread in bulk!

So weird to finally be posting some recipes from quarantine back in 2020, but here we are...the baking bread time in quarantine. I typically have flour on hand at all times. Sometimes a little too much because I forget I have flour on hand and buy more, so that worked out well during the beginning of the pandemic when some commodities were harder to come by. This recipe makes a big batch of dough that you can make multiple loaves with - it's almost like a sourdough. 

Baked Vanilla Donuts

Super simple vanilla cake donuts dunked in chocolate frosting!

I don't know why, but I tend to forget about how quick homemade donuts are to make. And every time I finally get around to making them, I kick myself for not doing it sooner. Most of the recipes I've tried so far are cake donut style, which is my preference. Once the batter is ready, it's just 8 minutes of cooking time. That's it! Faster than a lot of other breakfast recipes out there for sure. These are super simple and super quick. You have to try them!

Peanut Butter Criss Crosses

You can't go wrong with classic peanut butter cookies!

Every once in a while, I really love a good classic peanut butter cookie. I'm not sure honestly what else can be said about these. They are pure nostalgia!

English Muffin French Toast Sticks

Traditional French toast with a crunchy dipping twist!

For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed having an occasional English muffin for breakfast with peanut butter on it while it's fresh out of the toaster so the peanut butter can get all melty. So I thought it would be such a delicious treat to turn crunchy English muffins into little French toast sticks (which I also love). They still held onto a little bit of their crunch and were super easy to make!

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Who hasn't wanted to make a pan full of bars that taste just like Reese's cups?!

Hello hello and happy May. I have this easy 5-ingredient recipe to share today that tastes just like a Reese's cup. And it makes a lot of bars that taste just like a Reese's cup, so it's honestly fantastic. It can be cut into whatever size you'd like, so this would be really fun for a party or get-together.

Tuscan Smothered Pork Chops

Pan fried pork chops with a delicious cheesy tomato and spinach sauce.

I've gotten a little off track with my Monday postings, but I'm still here and will hopefully have a little more time next week to work on blogging. End of the school year always seems as busy as the beginning. Even with one teenager now able to drive (what the what - how do I have a kid with a license?!), there's still so much going on!

This recipe is fantastic. I mean I really don't need much convincing if the recipe includes garlic, tomato, and spinach. It's definitely something new to do with pork than I typically make. It's absolutely wonderful with roasted potatoes for a side!

One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pesto lovers unite with this quick one pot pasta meal!

I love a meal in one pot and I love quick fixes for weeknights. I probably have a few recipes that are similar to this one but I really did enjoy the addition of spinach and sun dried tomatoes. I love pesto anything so this was definitely going to be a keeper!

Butterscotch & Beer Bundt Cake

A lovely cake made with rich Bock beer and butterscotch!

I'm a little embarrassed that I'm posting recipes from nearly 3 years ago, but here we are. This cake was made for my husband, Nick, for his birthday in May 2020. He loves butterscotch - it's one of his favorite sweets. He enjoys beer and does like a Bock occasionally. I thought it would make for the perfect birthday cake. I personally did not anticipate liking this cake at all because I'm not a fan of beer, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had such a wonderful balance of the more savory beer flavor with the sweetness of the cake base and butterscotch. The glaze was magnificent. It's very much like a rum cake!

General Tso's Chicken

Light, crispy chicken tossed in a sweet hoisin-soy sauce!

I am no stranger to posting a recipe every once in a while that isn't necessarily one I like because I have made it for my family and they liked it. This is one of those recipes. Nick loves General Tso's chicken and I've been trying to find a recipe that I like, but coincidentally (but not really at all), most of the recipes taste the same. I like Asian foods and I love hoisin especially, but I'm not a huge fan of this recipe. I don't by any means hate it, but I wouldn't choose to eat it. However, it gets posted on my blog because it's a solid recipe that my husband loves and my blog is my recipe box. :) I hope that this brings a little joy to someone who was looking for a good General Tso's recipe and that you love it as much as Nick does!

Crockpot Southern Collards

Collard greens cooked low and slow to perfection!

I adore collard greens and I was delighted to find a recipe for the crockpot. My next mission is to find an Instant Pot recipe. I really cannot get enough of them. The low and slow method is the way to go and the flavors were fantastic.

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Oreo Parfaits

A fun, chocolatey, no-bake dessert served up individually!

I love a good no-bake cheesecake type recipe! This one is pretty easy to whip up and it's served up in individual portions, so it's great for a party or get-together. I personally typically use mason jars for these types of desserts but I thought it might be easier to scoop into a stemless wine glass. It ended up being a little easier to eat out of the wine glass too, so win all around!

Best Tuna Melt Sandwich

Tuna melts with a zing of Dijon and the crunch of celery and red onion!

I've made plenty of tuna melts over the years and I am not sure if I've ever made any with red onion. I think it's a fantastic addition to tuna salad and goes along really well with the Dijon instead of yellow mustard in the recipe. I'd love to try this particular recipe with bagels - years ago, I tried a recipe for chicken salad on a bagel and fell in love. It's my favorite vessel for chicken salad.

Spinach Dip Pasta

Creamy spinach dip turned into a main dish hit!

I made it one whole month and have posted each Monday! Go, me! I'm hoping to continue on this way for the full year. I'm in desperate need of some recipes for my meal plan that I have forgotten about. This is definitely one of those recipes. I think pretty much everyone in my family eats spinach dip and so the thought of combining it with chicken and pasta was super exciting to me. I'm so glad that it turned out too and we all really liked it. I am happy to finally get it posted so that I have a visual reminder that this recipe exists!

Smothered Baked Chicken Burritos

Burritos got that much better smothered in a cheesy green chile sauce and loaded with toppings.

Occasionally, I like to make something that is maybe a little more involved and this recipe is that. The shredded chicken for the burritos, I'm sure, could be made ahead before the day you make the actual burritos. But they are also fine for the day of. The chicken is in the crockpot - so set it and forget it. Then you assemble the burritos for baking and prepare the cheese sauce while they bake. It's a lot of ingredients, but not as much work as much as prep.

Butterfinger Butterscotch Cookies

Soft oat cookies with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and bits of Butterfinger candy bars.

I know it's a whole thing of people thinking they are getting a chocolate chip cookie and it's oatmeal raisin and they hate it, but I am not one of those people. Well, maybe. I definitely love chocolate chip cookies, but I also love oatmeal raisin too. Now these cookies are like a beautiful mixture of the two plus butterscotch chips and Butterfinger candy bits. What's not to love about that? It reminds me a lot of cowboy cookies or everything but the kitchen sink cookies. With a little patience with the freezing time, you get wonderful cookies!

Greek Chicken Gyros

Flatbreads topped with fresh vegetables, Greek-marinated chicken, and tzatziki

I cannot get enough of anything that includes naan or pita, fresh vegetables, feta, and tzatziki. There is a local food place where I get chicken shwarma and gyro plates all the time and it's my obsession at the moment. I really liked the ease of this recipe where it's really just marinate the chicken and then cook it. Everything else is just chop or scoop and you're good to go. It's such a fresh and bright meal.

Creamy Herb Pasta

A quick, easy pasta dish with creamy herb sauce!

Hello and happy 2023! I'm attempting to see if I can get myself on a posting schedule. My goal is to maybe post once a week and go from there. I think I only posted 3 recipes last year, so I'm already a third of the way there :)

I know everyone is now very anti-words in recipe posts, but I'm going to throw some out there because I've been so MIA. I started my career in mid-2021 as an accountant for tv/film production companies at a local firm. After 14 years as a stay-at-home mom, it was a huge transition. I still struggle with trying to juggle everything but I'm trying to cut myself slack and really work on my time management. There are a lot of times where I forget to thaw meat that I need and I have to say, my 2022 birthday gift was an Instant Pot and holy baloney - that has been a lifesaver.

This recipe is a great recipe for chaotic nights. I really love when things can just be thrown together and it's very simple ingredients. I feel like you could switch up the vegetable if you really wanted to.

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

I'm still here and eventually I'll get my act together to start posting again. I haven't forgotten. Life has been pure chaos and my blogging hobby has definitely been put on the back burner. I was totally disappointed to not be able to do the Countdown week like I normally do to wrap up the year, but maybe this year I'll get there :)

Happy 2023 to everyone! Wishing you all the joy and good health in the new year!