Panzanella Salad

Posted on June 18th, 2013 by Leah Damron

I had a blast channeling my inner 15-year-old girl yesterday when a friend and I took two carloads of giggly girlie girls over to Noah’s Ark in the Dells for the day. Oh. My. Gosh. If you haven’t shrieked like a teenage girl in a while, you should definitely give it a go. It’s cathartic and fun and no one even cares because they’re all screaming their faces off, too. Somehow we lucked out and there were no lines for anything at all, which meant we were able to run from slide to slide without navigating any crowds, and we rode slides until we were completely waterlogged and absolutely could not climb one more stair.

Featured, Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous, News | June 18th, 2013

Enjoy Sendik's All Week and Baked Ham and Swiss on Pretzel Rolls

Posted on October 11th, 2012 by Leah Damron

Two days ago I had the Fiddle Faddle bug; today it’s hot ham sandwiches.  No, I’m not kidding.  I saw something on Pinterest recently where someone made baked ham sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls for a football party and ever since then I can’t stop thinking about baking a ham sandwich.  Except I don’t care for Hawaiian rolls, and Read more

Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous, News | October 11th, 2012

Grilled Dixie Chicken

Posted on July 10th, 2012 by Leah Damron

I’m getting a houseful of company tomorrow. Haven’t had houseguests in a long time so I’m totally up for it, believe it or not. However, I don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen prepping dinner in time for their late afternoon arrival. There are tons of groceries to buy and sheets to change and if you could see my floors right now you’d surely notice there’s enough black fur floating around to build another DamDog, I swear. Housework will trump cooking time tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean I’m punting on the dinner menu (say you know me better than that!). This recipe will fool them all into thinking I spent the afternoon slaving away on a delicious, company-worthy main course when actually I was busy scrubbing blobs of blue toothpaste out of my girl’s sinks.

Featured, Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous, News | July 10th, 2012

Cheddar Parmesan Bread — From Scratch!

Posted on January 6th, 2011 by Leah Damron

You’ve heard me say that I’m not much of a baker and I’m petrified by yeast. Sixteen years ago, I attempted bread from scratch and fell flat on my newlywed face. A total failure. My brand-new husband and I laughed it off as we both nearly broke our teeth on the rock solid brick I presented. And I hung up any further hopes of the irresistible smell of bread baking in my kitchen. Recently however, my next door neighbor Fred – who bakes bread for a hobby when he’s not bringing new babies into the world – has inspired me to give it a go again.

Featured, Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous | January 6th, 2011

Monkey Bread

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by Leah Damron

Thanksgiving Day is a marathon, friends. Not a sprint. You’ll want to keep this in mind as you fuel yourself throughout next Thursday. You’ll need your strength and endurance. Because if your family is anything like my husband’s, it’s bound to be a long, activity filled day. There will be tons (TONS!) of leaves to rake and hikes to take. Hands of cards and board games to play. Football on tv. And of course, catching up with relatives. We must maintain our energy. We must have SUSTENANCE!

Featured, Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous | November 19th, 2010

Snack Mom

Posted on October 7th, 2010 by Leah Damron

It’s that time of year again. My skin is casting an orangy hue – and not ‘cause I’ve been in to the cheap self-tanning cream. Nope…if you see me ‘round town and wonder why I’ve got the pallor of a bambino who’s been dished up one too many jars of strained squash and carrot puree, you’ll know why.

Featured, Fresh, Frugal, Fabulous | October 7th, 2010