Menu Monday | New Pinterest Recipes To Try

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 29, 2016 // 10 Comments

It’s the last Monday of the month! That means I’m teaming up with Whitney from Come Home for Comfort and Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place to share our favorite Pinterest recipes that you HAVE to try!

Anyone else guilty of over-pinning recipes, but hardly cooking them?? Me! Me! Here are a few that I have cooked over the last month and that are Katie Approved! I neglected to take ZERO pictures of few of these, so Pinterest pins will have to suffice.

Easy Skillet Mac & Cheese

If you missed this post last week, this recipe originated on Pinterest, but I’ve tweaked and changed it many times! It’s one of the most adaptable recipes I’ve made. And cooking it in the skillet and then sticking it in the oven under the broiler makes a lovely crunchy top!

We have had this baked ziti OH so many times. The recipe originated from Cook’s Illustrated, but thankfully someone clever has put the recipe online for all to enjoy. This is seriously the most delicious baked ziti. It’s not dry or mushy! It makes a lot of ziti, so halving the recipe makes enough for 3-4 servings (dinner + leftovers!). I have even made the sauce, used half for dinner and then froze the other half for another dinner.

This Southwest salad was so satisfying! The real winner is that salad dressing. So flavorful! It’s one of those meals that you just have to make, especially if you’ve got a craving for salad or something lighter.

Check out Come Home for Comfort and Polka-Dotty Place for their recommended recipes from this month!

We’ve also created a Pinterest board where we’ll be pinning all of our tested and approved recipes we find! Head on over and follow for more ideas!

Follow Whitney’s board New Recipes We Tried And Loved! on Pinterest.

Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie

High Five for Friday #59 | Storm Watch!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 26, 2016 // 16 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, Della, and Caitlin! If you want to know more, read about it here!

If you’re new to High Five for Friday, welcome! We’re so happy you’re here! When you link up below, could you add a * after your name? That way we all know you’re here for the first time and can come say hello!

This week’s featured blogger is Penny from Penny’s Passion. She is one of the sweetest, encouraging bloggers out there! Penny always finds the rays of sunshine in life. Not to mention she posts some of the most AMAZING recipes, like this one for simple yet decadent brownies! She also hosts a weekly linkup – Thinking Out Loud Thursday. Go over and say hello to Penny!

Here’s what we were up to this week!

1. We had the WILDEST storms on Wednesday! I actually had no idea that we were expecting strong thunderstorms and possible tornadoes until my weather-obsessed mother (like… the weather channel is on all the time…) called me asking if we were experiencing hail yet. Huh? I cued up the local news station, and they were saying a tornado warning was active and that the dangerous part of the storm was under 30 minutes away, and our house was on the direct path! Thank goodness for mothers! So we watched the weather until we decided it was better to be safe than sorry… and we hid in our hall bathroom. We lost power for about 2.5 hours, but thankfully nothing major damage-wise. We even had a rainbow post-storm!

2. Elizabeth had a blast being on “storm watch” as she started to call it. She enjoyed hiding out in the bathroom. And then when we built a fort in the living room after the all clear. We also zoomed into the sunroom to look out the windows at the wind and rain. The most fun you can have while watching scary storms roll in!

3. Two blog thoughts for you all! 1) I was thinking about bringing back the weekly vlog… not every week, but once a month maybe? Thoughts? And 2) there’s moderate interest in me filming a Q&A video where I answer your questions about ANYTHING! If you’ve got a question for me, let me know or email me!

4. Pregnancy this week was…. not pleasant. In the grand scheme of things, this pregnancy is uneventful! But this week I started having weird pain that I don’t remember with Elizabeth… I assume it’s because this bouncing baby boy is sitting alot lower than Elizabeth was, but it wasn’t that fun. I did have an OB appointment this week (24 weeks!) and had to take Elizabeth with me. She was SO excited to come along. I even told her the name of the doctor we were seeing, and the minute he walked in, she was thrilled to see him!

5. Finally, Downton Abbey ends soon. *hold back the tears* The finale is March 6…. and I’m DREADING it! Not because of possible plot twists… but because that’s it! It ends. This has been one of my favorite series of all time. But this season has had me bawling at each episode HAHA! Emotionally draining. Anyone else watching Downton Abbey?

What were you up to this week? Let me know!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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Easy Skillet Mac & Cheese

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 24, 2016 // 13 Comments

This simple Mac & Cheese recipe is oh so good, and oh so adaptable to your particular tastes. We had this for dinner last night for the 15th time (because when you write a blog post about a recipe, you instantly crave it!) and it was so yummy.

I’ve adapted this original recipe from Just a Taste, but have definitely made this original recipe a few times, without modification, and it’s really good too! You can’t go wrong.

But each time I’ve made this, I’ve cooked it in my cast iron skillet. And that’s been the game changer. Once the macaroni is covered in the cheese sauce, I stick it under the broiler (at 400F) for about 10 minutes to get the top nice and browned. I have even added some bread crumbs before sticking it in the oven for extra crunch. YUM!

A note on portions. The recipe, as is, makes a ton of food! I’ve successfully halved this recipe and it’s just the right amount of food for us, plus a smidge for leftovers.

Some additions I’ve mixed in at various times with DELICIOUS success:

Diced Onions and Garlic

Caramelized Onions (a little extra effort, but OH so good!)

Sun-dried Tomatoes (1/4 cup; halve if halving whole recipe)

Bread Crumbs (1/4 cup; halve if halving whole recipe)

Smoked Cheddar for some of the Sharp Cheddar

Fresh Basil

Wilted Fresh Spinach

Mushrooms

Peas

So when I say that this recipe is REALLY adaptable, I mean it!

Are you a big Mac & Cheese fan like me? Favorite additions to your “cheesy noodles”? Let me know!

Linking up with Party at My Place

Favorite Organizing Inspiration | Organize Your Life

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 23, 2016 // 10 Comments

The Organize Your Life series with me and Annie from All Things Big and Small has been such a fun series so far! It’s hard to believe this is the last one of our series. Have you picked up any interesting tips?

Do you love other bloggers’ links and loves style posts? Well then you’ll love this one! It’s chocked full of all the places I go for organizing inspiration.

I had never been to a Dollar Tree until I started watching the videos from Do It On a Dime. Then she had me obsessed! From fun ways to decorate and organize from the Dollar Tree to games and activities for toddlers on the cheap, she’s my go-to source. I love this video!

Pinterest is full of great inspiration! Printables. Organizing ideas. Cleaning schedules. You can find anything! I save all those ideas on 2 different boards – one for just planners and printables, and one for cleaning and organizing.

Planners and notepads are some of my favorite organization tools. I’m a sucker for a great list. I’m currently using the Simplified Planner, but I’m also loving reading up on bullet journals. I’ve talked about them before, and I’ve even done a version of it several years ago with my DIY planner. If you want to tiptoe down that rabbit hole and get sucked into it, start with this video!

Speaking of planners and lists, did you catch my video all about my everyday organization tools? It was a GREAT video full of tips!

Can you tell I’m a video person?? HAHA!

Finally, a tip to keeping it all organized (or at least sort-of organized). I’ve been trying to be consistent with having daily planner time at night, as well as time on Sunday to plan for the next week. Setting aside time for mapping out what’s coming has helped me stay on top of things.

That to-do list plan may not happen as originally planned… Elizabeth may get sick. I may just not really feel like doing stuff. But it gives me a battle plan that I can try to execute. It’s my “If you do one thing… do this” tip. The tools you use to get organized don’t really matter unless you make time daily to use them.

What are some of your favorite go-to tools or inspiration?

If you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, catch up now!

Grocery and Meal Planning Hacks | 8 Parenting Hacks That Changed My Life |
5 Storage Containers You’re Throwing Away

Annie at All Things Big and Small has been rocking the tips for this series, so don’t forget to also swing over and check out her inspiration, too!

Linking up at Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me and Tuesday Talk

Menu Monday | Sandwiches and Pasta

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 22, 2016 // 9 Comments

It’s Monday! Did you have a wonderful weekend? We finally got some nice weather here in NC, so that was a nice change! And it’s totally got me in the mood for Spring!

This week I planned the menu around my craving. I really wanted sandwiches and pasta! Ain’t no shame in that game. I’m also planning a Trader Joe’s trip this week. I haven’t been in so long and we’re in need of a stock up trip. Anyone else get giddy about going to Trader Joe’s?

Don’t forget next Monday is a round up of all the new recipes I tried this month and what you HAVE to try too! If you missed the first post in the series, catch up now!

Need more info for how I menu plan? Check this out! Or read up on my favorite meal planning and grocery shopping hacks!

Monday:
Skillet Mac & Cheese
(Recipe coming this week!)

Tuesday:
Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis

Wednesday:
Burgers & Fries

Thursday:
Baked Penne

Friday:
Creamy Black Bean Soup with Cornbread

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Pizza Night!

Need more ideas for dinner?
Follow my Pinterest board – it’s where I save all of my dinner ideas!

Follow Katie | Cup of Tea Blog's board Good Eats | Dinner on Pinterest.

Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie