Jolene's Recipe Journal

  So excited to be a part of Girl Carnivore's #BurgerMonth event this year! It's a happy day when the snow has finally melted and I can get to the grill again.   This year it seemed to take far longer than usual, so we've been enjoying it even more now that the weather has been cooperative. *This is a sponsored post.  I received products for use in the creation of my #BurgerMonth recipe.  All opinions are my own.* This burger is something that I've been working on for a while now. It started from a chicken sandwich that I get from a local restaurant chain that I cloned at home.  I love the sauce and the flavors so much that I decided to try them on a burger.  I've always made them with cheddar cheese, but Cabot sent us an amazing variety of cheeses, and the pepper jack called to me.  I also added a new product I discovered, French's Crispy Jalapenos . Remember that cooperative weather I referred to earlier?  Well, on t...

Try a new take on a classic dessert with our Honey Rum Grilled Banana Split. Enjoy delicious grilled bananas glazed with honey and rum, served with scoops of ice cream and your favorite toppings, such as pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, whipped cream, and cherries. Today is the final day of #BBQWeek, and what an awesome week it has been!  I know that my summer menu just got a whole lot better!  I wanted to end the week off with a dessert, and there were so many great choices on the Taste of Home website, I had a hard time choosing.  I saw this recipe for Honey Rum Grilled Bananas from Lori W., and it sounded just perfect with the beautiful weather we've been having. I upped the ante a little bit, and instead of just serving it with ice cream, I added some of the traditional banana split flavors: pineapple, strawberry, chocolate shavings, whipped cream and cherries. The guys had theirs with all three flavors of ice cream, but I went straight vanilla bean.  They...

There's nothing my guys love more than a good burger! They're pretty much a weekly staple from May until the snow gets too deep that I can't get to the grill anymore :)  I love finding new things to add as toppings or to the meat to change them up.   These All American Hamburgers from Taste of Home have great flavor and use simple ingredients that I always have on hand.  Sometimes I substitute dried minced onion for the fresh.  I have a square burger press that I love , and makes perfectly even patties. The key is really take care and not overwork the patties, and once you've got them on the grill, resist the urge to smush them with the spatula, or to flip them excessively. I cook them for 2 to 3 minutes, rotate them a quarter turn, then cook them for 2 to 3 more.  Flip, and repeat, adding the cheese after the that last rotation.  I personally go with just cheddar on mine, the guys like both American and cheddar on theirs. The toppings vary wildly...

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek. I received product samples from sponsors to use in creating #BBQWeek recipes. However, all opinions are mine alone. I can't believe we're halfway through #BBQWeek already!  I'm pinning and printing recipes like crazy, and I hope you are too.  My recipe for today is another winner from Taste of Home, Jersey Style Hot Dogs.   Hot dogs are  such an easy meal to whip up, but they're a tough sell for my guys.  I'm constantly looking for ways to switch them up.  I love peppers and onions with Italian sausage, so I knew this would be a hit too. I only made one change to the recipe, and that was the type of potatoes.  I had an overload of red potatoes on hand, so that's what I used. Some people look at the picture and see pickles.  Maybe it will be the next internet sensation, like the "What color is the dress?" thing that was going around a while back.  Do you see pickles or potatoes? ...

    Hope you are enjoying #BBQWeek so far, I know I am! A barbecue isn't complete without some awesome side dishes, and coleslaw is a pretty popular one. Since I'm not a fan of mayo, I've never really made or eaten coleslaw before.  I saw this recipe on the Taste of Home site, and thought I'd give it a try. I made slight changes to the recipe, using the red, orange, and yellow peppers I had on hand. I also substituted pepitas instead of nuts. It all comes together so quickly, the peppers and apple make it so colorful, and the dressing is light and tastes great.  Thank you so much to Elaine H. for sharing her recipe! Print With Image Without Image Crunchy Cool Coleslaw ingredients: 2 packages coleslaw mix (16 ounces each) 2 medium Honeycrisp apples, julienned 1 large carrot, shredded 3/4 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (I used red, orange and yellow) 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup canola oil 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar ...

It's Taste of Home Tuesday! I pinned this recipe a while back, hoping to make it with fresh spring peas.  Sadly, an extended winter has put all produce a bit behind, and I really wanted to get this on the menu.   Using the "steam in bag" frozen peas makes it super fast and easy. One other slight change, and that was to use a handful of heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered instead of a medium tomato. I loved the colors it added. The crispy proscuitto was amazing, it was hard not to eat it all straight out of the pan.  Before I would have counted frozen peas as on the lower end of my favorite vegetables list, but this recipe definitely changed that. Thank you so much to Jill A. for sharing it! Do you have an amazing recipe you'd like to submit to Taste of Home? Follow this link and learn how! Want to apply to be a Community Cook?  Check out the requirements and apply here. Print With Image Without Image Sweet Peas Parma ingredients: 1 pack...

And they're off!  Today is the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, commonly referred to as the most exciting two minutes in sports. While I know nothing about odds and favorites to win the race, I do know that there are certainly recipes that are always found in the Winner's Circle when it comes to Derby Day. For my contribution to today's festivities, I chose the Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich. Since I've never made or eaten one before, I turned the Taste of Home website search. I made some slight changes to the recipe.  I used 15 grain bread, it's just what I have on hand. I used sliced roasted turkey instead of the deli meat.  Since the heirloom variety of tomatoes I purchased were so huge, I only did one slice per sandwich.  My roux got a little dark in the pan, but it's absolutely delicious. I love all the different flavors and textures. Thank you so much to Ellen from Family Around the Table for hosting, and to all the other Festive Foodies for shari...