Travel Destinations & Culinary Adventures

Insanely Easy Hasselback Potatoes

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Hasselback potatoes look fancy, but they are super simple to make. As long as you can slice a potato, you can make my Insanely Easy Hasselback Potatoes. Think of them as baked potatoes with class.

Let’s get started!

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Wash several Yukon Gold potatoes.
  3. Use a sharp paring knife to slice the base of the potato off (horizontally from end to end) so it rests level on cutting board.
  4. Slice multiple deep cuts into the potato perpendicular to its length and about 3/4 of the way through each potato. Don’t slice the potato clear through.
  5. Brush each potato with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt (I used truffle salt from World Market) and cracked black pepper.
  6. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.

    This photo shows what your potatoes will look like once removed from the oven.
  8. Remove potatoes from oven and brush with butter (the real stuff). Then return the potatoes to the oven to bake for an additional 30 minutes. (Ovens vary so check at 20 minutes to see if they are done.)
  9. Remove potatoes from the oven and serve hot topped with your favorite ingredients. (I topped my batch of potatoes with homemade pesto.) 
  10. Enjoy!

Bake these potatoes for house guests or for the next family holiday dinner. Guests will say the potatoes are fancy, but you’ll know they are incredibly easy to prepare.

What’s your go-to holiday dinner side dish? Leave it in the comments below and I’ll try to make my version of it for the blog.

Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetables

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Sometimes the last thing you want to do is make dinner when you get home from work. Yet, the thought of another frozen pizza or takeout meal makes your head spin. The solution to an easy, home-cooked meal is a sheet pan dinner that is as easy to prepare as chopping ingredients.

My recipe for Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetables is incredibly simple and uses up many of the vegetables in your refrigerator. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.

While your oven is heating up, clean and cut vegetables of your choice into chunks and add them to a large mixing bowl. Then, do the same to a package of link Sweet Italian sausage. Next, drizzle the vegetables and sausage lightly with olive oil, add a pinch of red pepper flake, paprika, Italian seasoning, and then salt and pepper. Finally, toss the bowl’s contents with a large spoon (or use your hands).

Transfer the contents of the bowl to a parchment-lined large sheet pan. Spread the sausage and vegetables evenly across the surface of the sheet pan so they roast evenly during cooking time. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan from the oven and move around the sausage and vegetables with a spoon. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the sausage no longer looks pink and the vegetables have softened and browned.

Warning: You’ll be tempted to grab chunks of cooked yumminess from the pan after removing it from the oven and pop them in your mouth. Don’t make this rookie mistake. It’s hot, folks. Super hot.

Want more easy to prepare dinner recipes for the week? Try Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives or Thin Crust Alfredo Pizza with Bacon and Kale. 

Let me know about your go-to favorite dinner recipe in the comments section below. Share it!

Sheet Pan Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetables

One Delightful Life
Incredibly easy to prepare for a weeknight dinner, this sheet pan dinner was having you craving leftovers.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course dinner entree
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package Sweet Italian sausage links 5-6 large diced
  • 3-4 large diced red potatoes
  • 1 large diced russet potato
  • 1 small large diced red onion
  • 1 small large diced yellow onion
  • 1 large diced green pepper
  • 2 whole garlic cloves
  • Handful of asparagus de-stemmed of tough stalks
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1/2 T. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Dice all vegetables, garlic, and sausage into large chunks and place in a large bowl.
  • Add olive oil, seasoning, red pepper flake, salt and pepper.
  • Toss contents of bowl with a spoon our your hands until evenly coated.
  • Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and use spoon to move around the vegetables and sausage to help it cook thoroughly.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes more until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables have softened to your liking.

Notes

Garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley or basil before serving (optional).

Angel Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Blueberry Sauce

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When I make desserts, I get a little crazy. Good kind of crazy. My creativity runs wild and before I know it, I’ve swirled blueberries inside angel food cake and topped it with vanilla icing and ….yes, more vanilla blueberry sauce. Total decadence.

My Angel Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Blueberry Sauce is an recipe idea that came to me during a daydream. I thought, “How can I combine light and airy cake with decadent blueberries?”

So when the boyfriend (who doesn’t eat desserts – uh, what the heck?) was away, I made a mess of the kitchen and started preparing the Vanilla Blueberry Sauce so it could cool before baking the angel food cake. Wanting to swirl the sauce through the cake batter, I knew the sauce couldn’t be added to the batter while the berries were warm.

Now, don’t be fooled. When I’m making a dessert on a work night, it’s a semi-homemade one. I simply used Betty Crocker’s Angel Food Cake box mix by combining 1 1/4 cups water with the dry mix and then added a few tablespoons of cooled Vanilla Blueberry Sauce to the cake mix. Then, I used a wooden skewer to pull the sauce throw the cake mix until swirls appeared. Using a ice cream scoop, I portioned wet cake mix into paper line cupcake baking pans.

If you fill the cupcake liners all the way to the top with the swirled batter, expect them to rise over the edge when you bake. Only fill the cupcake wells about 3/4 full.

Bake the angel food cupcakes at 350 degrees for 11 minutes (or until a toothpick pulls clean from their centers.) I prefer to remove the paper liners from the cupcakes prior to decorating and servings. Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing them with store-bought vanilla icing. Drizzle with more Vanilla Blueberry Sauce and top with a couple of fresh blueberries and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Look at light beautiful glory! You might need a fork, but I just ate mine over the sink and let the oozy blueberry sauce drip down my arm. That’s my style.
Do you see that bottom swirl layer too?

This dessert would be a good one to make with kids and allow them to decorate their own cupcakes with the sauce and berries. You never know. Maybe they’ll even try the mint!

I grew that mint!

What dessert do you daydream about? Tell me in the comments below! I may just need to do a little recipe research on it.

Angel Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Blueberry Sauce

onedelightfullife.com
Pillowy soft angel food cupcakes are the perfect platform for homemade vanilla blueberry sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert, fruit
Cuisine American
Servings 12 -14 small cupcakes

Ingredients
  

  • Vanilla Blueberry Sauce Ingredients:
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1 T. cold water
  • 1 T. vanilla extract
  • pinch lemon zest
  • Angel Food Cake: Make according to box directions

Instructions
 

  • Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan and stir gently over medium heat. Do not allow it to boil.
  • Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and cold water in a small ramekin.
  • Add the cornstarch slurry to the blueberry mixture stirring slowly while it thickens.
  • Stir for about 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Add vanilla and lemon zest.
  • Pour into a small glass bowl and leave uncovered in the refrigerator to cool until used in the cake mix.
  • Once cooled, add 2-3 tablespoons of the vanilla blueberry sauce into the already prepared wet angel food cake mix.
  • Using a wooden skewer, pull the vanilla blueberry sauce through the cake batter until large swirls form.
  • Using a ice cream scoop or large spoon, portion the finished cake mix into paper lined cupcake pans.
  • Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.
  • Allow cupcakes to cool completely before topping with vanilla icing and blueberry sauce.
  • Garnish with more (fresh) berries and a sprig of mint.

50 Ways to Break Up the Monotony of Your Life: A List of New Experiences to Try

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I was recently reminded of how fleeting life can be. I wanted to seize every moment moving forward, so I vowed to try something new and push myself to show up to life every day.

My life had become a routine of commuting to work, sitting in a cubicle, coming home, and repeating the same evening activities almost daily. Do your work days seem to be a blur, and before you know it, you’re waking up on Saturday uninspired? I can relate.

So, I promised myself that I would incorporate new experiences into my day to break up the monotony and force my brain to fire off new circuits to impact my life and health positively. Some days, I wake up and already know what new experience I will have on that particular day and other days, I refer to a bucket list of sorts saved in my phone notes.

Either way, I’m having a blast learning about myself, firing up my brain, and sharing these experiences with others. I’m feeling rejuvenated and showing up for a more delightful life.

Image: Pixabay

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

We only get one life, and I plan to live mine to the fullest. This list consists of activities I recently experienced or that I hope to try soon. Not all of these experiences require spending too much money or require a lot of time. Perhaps you would like to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone and try one or all of them too?

  1. Go to brunch with your parent at a restaurant you’ve never tried.
  2. Drive a different route to work.
  3. Call up a family member you haven’t spoken to in years (or that you only text occasionally) and ask about their day.
  4. Reach out to a co-worker or friend who works nearby and ask them to meet you for lunch.
  5. Volunteer on a committee, for your church or kid’s school or a neighborhood association.
  6. Say yes when a friend invites you to travel to the lake, go camping, or site-seeing outside of town. Better yet, ask them to go with you.
  7. Eat local. Sip coffee at a local cafe or try the seasonal beer at a brewery.
  8. Style your hair differently than you did yesterday.
  9. Change up your fragrance. Wear new perfume or cologne.
  10. Pull your bicycle out of the garage and take it for a spin around the neighborhood after dinner one evening.
  11. Visit the library, walk over to a book category that interests you, and close your eyes. Run your hand across the shelf of books until you decide to stop. Remove whatever book your hand landed on and check it out to read it.
  12. Introduce yourself to a stranger and make small talk.
  13. Tour a neighborhood in your city that you never explore.
  14. Smile and say hello to a stranger on the street. You might find you have something in common with them.
  15. Don’t just sunbathe while at the lake or pool. Run and jump in the deep end with careless abandon. “Cannonball!”
  16. Desk yoga.
  17. Paint and sip wine at an art studio.
  18. Visit a festival and eat at a food truck. Ever tried bbq nachos? Curry chicken?
  19. Eat your lunch away from your workplace at a park.
  20. Try an adult coloring book.
  21. Learn new skills by taking a webinar.
  22. Grab some friends and sign everyone up to try an escape room challenge.
  23. Experience a local seasonal activity like riding in a horse-drawn sled at Christmas, making s’mores with the Girl Scouts on National S’mores Day or grab a map and navigate a corn maze at a pumpkin patch.
  24. Wear colored socks to work.
  25. Pick up a new hobby that doesn’t involve using technology.
  26. Create a date jar with ideas for date night fun. Draw a new idea from the jar this weekend.
  27. Buy yourself flowers.
  28. Travel anywhere you’ve never been before.
  29. Throw a party that coincides with a random food holiday.
  30. Follow a recipe for food you normally buy. No churn vanilla ice cream anyone?
  31. Visit a tourist attraction or museum in your own city.
  32. Pick fruit in an orchard.
  33. Point the car west and just drive.
  34. Stop and talk to your neighbors when you see them outside.
  35. Always go to the movie theater? Try a dramatic play production instead at a local theater.
  36. Lasertag. Paintball. Water balloon fights.
  37. Grow vegetables or purchase them from a local farmer instead of buying them from a store.
  38. Walk into a toy store and buy a toy to assemble yourself like a puzzle or box of Legos.
  39. Try a different way of exercising or use a different exercise machine at the gym.
  40. Watch wildlife anywhere but in your own neighborhood.
  41. Take a new car for a test drive.
  42. Walk your friend’s or neighbor’s dog.
  43. Host a potluck or food contest amongst friends at your home. Who can make the tastiest beef jerky, mac-n-cheese, or pizza?
  44. Let a local artist or friend sketch your portrait.
  45. Get a henna tattoo.
  46. Celebrate your city or town’s birthday. Take in the sites and buy cupcakes to celebrate.
  47. Try a Pinterest DIY project.
  48. Listen to a different radio station all day long.
  49. Take a tour of the city from the air.
  50. Do anything counter to your normal routine, and when a friend or family member suggests doing something you’re about to reject, say “yes!”

Have an idea of something I should try? Challenge me by leaving your idea in the comments section below.

 

 

 

 

Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps with Asian Cucumber Salad

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My version of Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps includes using soft ribeye steak cut into small chunks, then marinated in a soy sauce and canola oil marinade, and later cooked to perfection over medium heat. I prefer to cook my steak to medium rare or medium. If you use a cut of beef with a lot of marbling, it would be a more tender cut and with robust flavor. Of course, use fresh cuts of meat over frozen ones.

Yum Yum Sauce. That creamy, tangy sauce is so delicious on top of Asian meat dishes. You’ll love it drizzled on top of this recipe for Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps, a low-carb but high flavor dinner. The wraps are easy to make and pair well with my Asian Cucumber Salad a dining experience complete with international flavor.

We are still “trying” to eat low-carb in our household. Yep, we’re going on five months of this dietary lifestyle and it’s been a challenge but a satisfying one. Thankfully, it’s forced me to think outside the box when brainstorming recipes that are high in nutritional value but low in carbs. Eating this way involves more discipline than not eating bread and pasta. It requires sheer willpower.

But, I can’t lie to you. We shared a basket of skin-on truffle fries today with garlic ailoi dipping sauce, a real gut buster basket of deliciousness. I don’t feel guilty about it either. You can’t. You have to allow yourself a break or two every once in awhile. Can you relate?

For extra spicy heat, add more than a pinch of red pepper flakes to the cucumber salad dressing.

A lover of colorful food and crunch, I add shredded carrot and red cabbage inside my romaine lettuce wraps, then the cooked ribeye, and then topped with my version of Yum Yum Sauce. The sauce is a simple 2-1-1 ratio of Hellman’s mayonnaise, General Tso’s Sauce, and Tobasco Sriracha.

To cut the rich flavor of the Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wrap filling (I tend to over do it with the Yum Yum Sauce), I served Asian Cucumber Salad on the side. An easy combination of thinly sliced cucumbers, red onions, bell pepper, and dressing, its delicate Asian flavor balances the mayo based sauce’s heavier consistency.

You could slice your cucumber thinner than shown here, but I prefer more crunch with mine. To each his own!

Finally, to finish the dish I toast white sesame seeds in a naked skillet on a low temperature for a few minutes until slightly golden brown. I sprinkle the seeds on top of the cucumber salad for garnish and added flavor.

What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to international cuisine? Do you dive into curry soups? Slurp large bowls of pho?

Scroll down and let me know what big flavor dish you want me to make a low-carb version of and I’ll post it next on the blog.

Prefer lettuce wraps instead of using tortillas or bread for sandwiches? You may also enjoy my easy Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps or my recipe for Crunchy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps.

Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps with Asian Cucumber Salad

onedelightfullife.com
Topped with Yum Yum Sauce, ribeye is the star of these Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps served with cool Asian Cucumber Salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course dinner, sandwich
Cuisine Asian
Servings 3 wraps

Ingredients
  

  • Hibachi Steak and Marinade:
  • 1 pound diced ribeye steak
  • 1 T. canola oil
  • 1 T. soy sauce
  • Asian Cucumber Salad:
  • 1 thinly sliced seedless cucumber
  • 1/2 diced orange bell pepper
  • 1/8 c. thinly sliced red onion soak for 24 hours in water inside a covered glass dish to cut the bite of flavor
  • 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • tiny pinch red pepper flakes
  • tiny pinch kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 T. white sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Clean and dry romaine leaves. Set aside.
  • Slice the red onion and add to a small glass bowl. Add water and cover tightly. Allow to sit for several hours (I prefer overnight to 24 hours) and then drain the water.
  • Slice the cucumber and dice the bell pepper and add to a bowl. Add in the red onions.
  • Mix the cucumber dressing and drizzle it over the cucumbers, pepper and onions. Mix thoroughly and then refrigerate for at least an hour.
  • Dice the ribeye steak and add it to the marinade for at least 20-30 minutes, if not longer (refrigerate). Cook the steak over medium heat until desired doneness.
  • Assemble the lettuce wraps and drizzle with 2-1-1- Yum Yum Sauce made of 2 parts Hellman's Mayonnaise, 1 part General Tso's Sauce, and 1 part Tobasco Sriracha.
  • Serve with cucumber salad topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

You can substitute chicken or shrimp for beef.

Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps

 

Abilene, Kansas: The Boyhood Home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

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“The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” – President Dwight D. Eisenhower

The 34th president of the United States and 5-Star General was raised in Abilene, Kansas. Founded in 1857, the town grew when the railroad and the Chisholm Trail intersected causing it to become the first cowtown in America. Today, the small but bustling town draws history enthusiasts and day-trippers looking for an afternoon of entertaining tourist stops.

Just east of Salina on Highway 70, the town that raised a president includes sites for the young and old. Full of tourist stops and antique shops, you’ll be hard-pressed to see everything the town offers visitors in one day.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home, 200 SE 4th Street.

Tourists can explore all three sites on 22 acres of land, including five buildings housing artifacts and documents that trace his life from his childhood to his final days. In fact, Eisenhower and his immediate family were laid to rest on the property, a memorial that visitors can also visit.  Across from his library, the museum houses far more than nostalgic “I Like Ike” buttons. The museum curators painstakingly collected nearly everything bearing his name to the clothing he wore while at war.\

After slowly making your way through his museum passing by artifacts documenting his achievements and his family life, you can step outdoors and see his small boyhood home in the distance. Visitors are able to tour the interior of the home led by a tour guide about every thirty minutes. Sightseers awaiting the next tour should sit outside on one of the shaded benches until the next free tour begins.

The three-bedroom 19th-century home is situated on its original site and the bottom level is open to visitors. The house and its contents look exactly as his mother left them before she passed on. It feels surreal to stand in a president’s boyhood home. You will feel a real connection to Eisenhower by the end of your tour.

You will be enamored by this house from it’s size (it housed his whole family!) to the family’s rich traditions recorded inside.

See the blue ceiling on the porch? It’s supposed to mimic the sky. A famous photograph of the family taken on this porch is on display in the museum.

This stained glass window is part of the Eisenhower Memorial where his wife and children are buried.

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, 201 NW 2nd Street

This quaint visitor’s center employs one super helpful tour guide! Ask her anything. She is a proud resident prepared to give you historical facts and free maps too.

The building is actually a historical Union Pacific Depot that is open seven days a week. If you stop here first before beginning your tour of the town, you can watch an introductory video or gather materials for your journey. Don’t forget to take your photo inside an original bright red phone booth located just outside of the center. A farmer’s market selling produce and homemade wares take place on the grounds on Saturday mornings.

The original Union Pacific Railroad Depot, Abilene’s Visitor Center is small in size but big on personality.

Well, hello there!

Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Excursion/Dinner Train, 888-426-6687, 200 SE 5th Street

You can also ride the historic rails in Abilene from the 1887 Rock Island Depot and Gift Shoppe. After buying your ticket for the next scheduled dinner train tour, you can tour the depot’s artifact museum. The walls of the depot show the writings of railroad workers of the past. Have a question about the historic rails? The dinner train departs at 6:30 pm four times each summer and at 6:00 pm four times each fall.

Diesel, steam locomotives, a caboose, and gondola care are also on display for viewing or riding. Fares for kids three and under are free, children up to age 11 $7.50-$15, and adults $15-$30.

Be sure to head over across the depot to see the recreated Old West downtown watch the gunfighter show starting at noon each day. The volunteer impersonators interact with the crowd and shoot blanks at one another to tell the story of the wild west.

Located outside the front doors of the Old West saloon, the “bartender” took our photo and served us cold root beer and freshly made popcorn for the gunfighter show.

Heritage Center, 412 S. Campbell Street

This national historic landmark was voted one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas and includes over 100 years of telephone history on site. It is a short walk from the Eisenhower complex. You’ll see early models of telephones to modern-day advances in technology. It’s mind-blowing.

Behind the museum visitors can take themselves on a self-guided tour of log cabins, the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel (rides available!), a one-room schoolhouse, and much more! The operator of the carousel has worked as a volunteer there for years and smiles ear-to-ear while sharing the history of this stunning restored piece of local history. Don’t forget to have him take your photo!

We were the only people riding, but that just made it more special.

This print shop interior exhibits the original letterpress used to print the town’s newspaper.

You can go inside this one-room school house, a work of art restored by volunteers. Ring the bell too!

I worked in secondary education for over a decade, seven of those years as a high school teacher. This one-room schoolhouse speaks to me. I love every inch of it.

Greyhound Hall of Fame, 407 S. Buckeye

Missing your family pet while on the road? Stop by a building dedicated to the history of the greyhound breed and its racing history. Two greyhounds on-site serve as the welcoming committee. If you don’t have time to visit, cruise through the parking lot. You might just find one of the dogs in its kennel outside the building waiting for you to pet him.

Greyhound

Ike’s Place Bar and Grill, 100 NW 14th Street

Dark and cool inside, this expansive sports bar’s walls are covered with black and white framed photos of Eisenhower’s life. The menu features typical sports bar grub but also includes homestyle entrees such as homemade soups and their famous meat chili. The waitress recommended several sandwiches and the chili as the most popular eats. This restaurant’s customer service was friendly but a little slow, but the reasonable prices and tasty lunch made up for it. You’ll enjoy the added Eisenhower history lesson from the wall artifacts and menu trivia included in your visit.

Having just scratched the surface of Abilene, I look forward to returning to check out the infamous Brookville Hotel (hot fried chicken and family-style side dishes) and the enormous Seelye Mansion.

Do you know of a fun day trip excursion in Kansas? Comment below with your favorite detour stop! A proud Kansan, I’m ready to visit another great destination in the Sunflower State.

 

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