Pizza at Home - Apple, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Who is hungry for pizza? I know I am. It's Sunday and yet again, we're doing another brand new pizza recipe. This has gone on way longer than I expected. 

Today we're going to make an apple pizza, but this isn't the first apple pizza we've made. Back in 2020, I made a caramelized apple gorgonzola pizza, which was so-so. In 2021, I made an apple pie pizza that was fantastic. 

Today's pizza is more of a savory pizza, and not a dessert pizza. I'm making it with apples, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. And because the family has been heaping so much praise on the thin crust pizza, I suppose we'll continue the trend and make it on thin crust again. 

Aunt Rita comes to visit and we do Disney! Pt1

Aunt Rita is here visiting! And lucky for us, she's also got a ticket to come to Disney World with us today! Hooray! Let's start the day at our favorite park. Epcot!

Krispy Kreme Jelly Belly Beans taste test comparison

Jelly Belly makes jelly beans that taste like Krispy Kreme donuts? Let's do a taste test! 

Honestly, I've been holding on to these Jelly Beans for a long time. There wasn't a nearby Krispy Kreme to compare them against, so these sat in my taste test cabinet for a few years...

But they're Jelly Beans, so they should still be good, right? Finally in Florida, just down the street from our campground is a Krispy Kreme! There's 5 different Jelly Belly flavors! Cinnamon Apple Filled, Strawberry Iced, Original Glazed, Glazed Blueberry Cake, and Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles. 

Aunt Rita comes to visit us in Florida

We love it when we get visitors! We just had Uncle Patrick, Aunt Megan, and Avery come. Then Uncle Jacob. Now Aunt Rita is here!

Our time at Sherwood Forest RV Resort

It's time to move the RV again! Every few weeks we're bouncing to another place in the Orlando area. This time we're moving to a place called Sherwood Forest. As you might expect, many of the streets in this area are named after things in the book. There's Merry Men Drive, Little John Street, Maid Marian Street, Friar Tuck Street, Castle Tower Street, Legend Tale Lane, King Richard Drive, Bow and Arrow Lane, and even Peasant Street. 

Jacob comes to visit and we visit Disney World together - Pt2

Hey! I know that guy! That's Uncle Jacob! Oh, and that's Goofy too. 
Uncle Jacob is here in Florida visiting family, plus we get to spend a few days with him too!

Jacob comes to visit and we visit Disney World together - Pt1

Didn't we just have visitors? Patrick, Megan, and Avery were here a few days ago and now we're getting to see Uncle Jacob! Awesome! It's been so long since we've been able to hang out together! 

Pizza at Home - Breakfast Pizza on a thin crust

Happy Sunday! Time to eat some pizza! Today we're mixing it up a little bit and having breakfast for dinner! Tonight we're making a breakfast pizza! And because the family wants it, tonight's pizza will be make on a thin crust. 

Taco Bell's Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco and chips comparison

Oh boy! I'm excited for this one today!
Hey Ian, Taco Bell is bringing back the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco!
Ian - Really!?!
Except it's Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch.
Ian - Oh...

In partnership with Doritos and their new Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch Doritos corn chips, Taco Bell is also bring us a new Doritos Locos Taco. We hated their decision to get rid of the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco. The Nacho Cheese one just doesn't have the same tangy flavor that we love. 

Made at Home - Theresa makes our favorite Epcot Festival of the Arts dish, Red Wine-braised pork over potatoes

Today Theresa has got something special for us. It's a meal that we tasted recently and love, but it's something we've never tried making at home before. 

Tonight's dinner consists of a red wine braised pork over mashed potatoes. Mmm, I know this is going to be good. 

A Visit to Disney Springs with Megan, Patrick, and Avery - 2022/01/21

It's our last day with our visitors, Patrick, Megan, and Avery. We've had a lot of fun while they were here, visiting Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and doing all kinds of taste tests. 

The weather has been perfect for the days they've been here too! Sunny and warm for our days at the parks, and when we went to the pool. Today though, all that warm weather is about to change. Overnight it has started raining and the temperature has dropped. 

Our plans are just to visit Disney Springs before our guests have to leave to go to the airport. This is a lot like Avery's very first visit to Disneyland back in 2019. It was a rainy Thanksgiving Day, and we road on rides with standing water up to our ankles! I figured we should try to recreate the photo we took that day too. 

Breakstones Cottage Cheese Doubles taste test comparison

As we were out shopping, Theresa saw that she got a coupon for the Breakstone's Cottage Doubles Cottage Cheese. She's not a big fan, but I like cottage cheese. And my brother who is out visiting likes cottage cheese too. Since there's so many different flavors, I'm feeling like a taste test is in order. 

On the shelf were 7 different flavors of Breakstone's Cottage Doubles. Pineapple, Blueberry, Peach, Black Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Mango. 

Each of the Cottage Doubles uses a split cup. One side is filled with cottage cheese, while the other has a jellied mixture of that particular fruit flavor. The lids with the red labels are regular cottage cheese curds, while the lids that are other colors have small curd cottage cheese. 

Spark Raspberry Lemonade Mountain Dew taste test and comparison

Today we're going to be tasting a new version of Mountain Dew called Spark! Spark is a combination of Raspberries and Lemonade along with Mountain Dew. And I've got my brother here trying it with me!

And to go along with it, the best lemonade you can get from the store, I think, is Simply Lemonade. It's made from water, cane sugar, lemon juice, raspberry puree, and other natural flavors. Maybe not as good as Chick-Fil-A lemonade, but CFA doesn't have raspberry lemonade. 

Happy Valentines 2022!

Happy Valentines Day! The kids were very excited to celebrate!

Pizza at Home - Chicken Nachos Thin Crust Pizza

Happy Sunday! And today is a special day because it's Super Bowl Sunday! Hmm, what kind of pizza would go well with the Super Bowl? How about a loaded chicken nachos pizza? Sounds tasty to me! 

Thrashed Apple Mountain Dew taste test and comparison

Let's have another Mountain Dew taste test! This time we're going to try Thrashed Apple Mountain Dew! And I'm glad I have my brother here with me to taste these. He loves Mountain Dew!

And we have to have something to compare this to. Why not a thrashed apple? 

A Visit to the Magic Kingdom with Megan, Patrick, and Avery - Pt2 - 2022/01/20

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! We're visiting with my brother and his family. 

A Visit to the Magic Kingdom with Megan, Patrick, and Avery - Pt1 - 2022/01/20

We've got visitors here in Florida! Yesterday we spent the day at Epcot, and today we're going to hang out at the Magic Kingdom!

LiveWire Orange Mountain Dew taste test and comparison

It's time for a Mountain Dew taste test! This time, we've got Mountain Dew LiveWire! And fortunately, I have my brother visiting! He's a big Dew lover too!

Supposably LiveWire is a permanent flavor in the United States, but haven't seen it until just a few weeks ago. I knew it had a very wide release years ago (2003-2005) but since then, it's been very difficult to find. 

Mountain Dew LiveWire is "Dew sparked with Artificial Orange Flavor". That means we've got to taste it alongside oranges. Theresa suggested we should have tasted it against artificial oranges, like SunnyD. Real oranges will have to do. 

A Visit to Epcot with Megan, Patrick, and Avery - Pt2 - 2022/01/19

We spent our morning going around Epcot eating food! Now let's spend the rest of the day checking out all the different rides!

A Visit to Epcot with Megan, Patrick, and Avery - Pt1 - 2022/01/19

Patrick, Megan, and Avery are visiting! Let's go visit the Disney Parks!
Epcot!

Pizza at Home - Loaded Baked Potato Soup inspired thin crust pizza

Yesterday Theresa made me a delicious Loaded Baked Potato Soup trying to recreate the soup from Stuart Anderson's Black Angus. It was so good! Now it's Sunday and it's pizza day and I need inspiration for what I can make this week that is new and exciting. Well, why not make a pizza inspired by that same soup? 

Today's pizza has all the flavors you're looking for when you get a warm hearty bowl of Loaded Baked Potato Soup. Sour cream, potatoes, bacon, cheddar, and even chives. 

Making Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Molasses Bread and Loaded Potato Soup At Home!

It's been a chilly few days here in Florida. Theresa said that for dinner we should have soup.
Theresa - Which soup would you like? 
Joe - Any soup is good. 
Theresa - No, really, pick any soup and I'll make it for you.
Joe - Well I really like those creamy potato soups. Like the Loaded Baked Potato one from Stuart Anderson's Black Angus. 
Theresa - Okay! I can make that. We should have something to go with it. 
Joe - I can make bread!
Theresa - Yes! Make their Molasses Bread! I can't believe we haven't made that one yet!

And so Theresa got to work on her part, and I got to work on mine. This dinner tonight is going to be good!

Grandma's Spiced Tea - A delicious warm tea that is perfect for the holidays or any cold weather

There's one drink that I associate with the holidays more than any other. It's something I've had around Christmastime for as long as I can remember. It's warm, sweet, and full of flavor, it is so delicious!

Whenever we would visit Grandma's house for Christmas, she would have her Hot Spiced Tea ready for us. 

For years, I've teased it here on the blog. I've even shown the ingredients, but I've never given out the recipe. If you sent me a message directly, or if you happen to purchase one of those old "Church Cookbooks" my mom shared her best recipes in, you might have seen it. But today, it's time to share it with everybody. 

Toffee Crunch Oreos taste test comparison

Does Oreo know me or what? 
For my traditional Christmas treat this year, I decided to make English Toffee for the very first time while I was visiting Colorado. It was a huge hit! A few weeks later, someone sent me a link to the Oreo flavors coming out in January, and look at that, Toffee Crunch Oreo! 
Since making that first batch of toffee in Colorado, I've made it nearly a dozen times now. My sister-in-law Megan thinks it's especially delicious, so I was thrilled she was out visiting so she could join us for this taste test!

Like usual, we'll try the Toffee Crunch Oreos, and then compare them to the real thing and see what we like best. 

Pat, Megan, and Avery come to visit us in Florida!

We've got visitors! We love having people come to see us out here in Florida! This time my brother Patrick, his wife Megan, and their daughter Avery are coming to stay with us for 5 days!

A visit to the Magic Kingdom - 2022/01/13

Today we're taking a trip over to the Magic Kingdom! It doesn't matter that we're starting our day here after 1pm. We'll still get plenty of fun stuff in. We enjoyed taking the ferry over the last time, and it was just about to leave this time. As soon as we boarded, they pulled the ramp and we were off!

A visit to Epcot and Hollywood Studios - 2022/01/12

Welcome to Epcot! It's a beautiful day out in Mid January and it's the perfect day to visit the parks. Also, the start of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts is starting in just a couple days, and they've already started putting decorations up for it. It's going to be great! 

Update - Homemade Chocolate Cake

Update: After sending photos to my sister-in-law Megan of the homemade chocolate cake we made to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day, she requested a slice. I've had a few people ask if I actually sent the homemade Chocolate cake in the mail to her. 

I'm happy to say that the cake arrived in Colorado, over 1800 miles away, safe and sound!