Have you entered the Gift Cards Galore Pre-Summer Gift Card Extravaganza? Up for grabs: a $400 gift card prize back! You can enter via the rafflecopter below! As of the start of tonight’s party, there are only 6 hours left to enter!

Your Hosts

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About breakfast. I love breakfast. I can eat anything for breakfast. Today I ate leftover pizza. I also love recipes that could be considered breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisine. Quiche is one of those recipes that could be considered  breakfast, lunch or dinner cuisine. Recently I made a Sausage & Veggie Crustless Quiche to enjoy any time of the day.  I had it for breakfast for a few days and for dinner a couple of times.

Doesn’t it look fantastic? No need to fret if you don’t have all of the ingredients that I used. You can easily substitute ingredients. Are you out of red pepper but loaded with spinach? Use spinach instead! Is your fridge missing the sausage but has a package of bacon sitting on its shelf? Use that bacon! Bacon tastes great in Quiche. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Crustless Sausage & Veggie Quiche

A couple more recipes that you may enjoy:

Tomato Bacon & Spinach Quiche

Breakfast Egg Bake Casserole

I must say, the small amount of photos that I shot don’t do justice for this lovely church. I was experimenting with manual mode and since I’m a beginner (and when I say beginner, I mean super beginner) of shooting in manual mode, I was rather slow on getting the settings programmed to options that wouldn’t cause my photos to look washed out. I’ll head back to this church once I improve my photography skills. I plan to take a photography course one day but that won’t happen until after I graduate with my Bachelors degree in May of 2014. It’s so close to the end!

So let’s begin the day. My mom was visiting with us so we took her to a fantastic little restaurant called Cucina Dell Arte for breakfast. It’s located on Palm Beach. If you’re ever in the area, you HAVE to try it out!

Breakfast started with an awesome cappuccino. Check out that milk froth! And that little stick, well that has sugar crystals on it. You stir it in the cappuccino to sweeten it. Breakfast ended with barely anything left of a plate of Huevos Rancheros. This dish is so good that I actually have craved it since the last time I ate it in December.

After breakfast we stopped at the church so I could snap some photos.  I’ve included the aperature, shutter speed, and ISO settings that I used.

Aperature f/4, Shutter 1/80, ISO 100

Aperature f/6.3, Shutter 1/80, ISO 100

Aperature f/4.5, Shutter 1/80, ISO 100

Aperature f/6.3, Shutter 1/80, ISO 100

Aperature f/4, Shutter 1/80, ISO 200

I really like the design of the church and I’d love to visit it again after I improve my photography skills so I can shoot some more photos. What do you think of the photos? If you are well versed in photography, what suggestions tips might you have for me? I am open for feedback however, please do not criticize my photos by telling me that they are horrible or that I don’t know what I am doing. I am not claiming to be an expert. I am quite the beginner.

Hungry? Why wait? Here are a couple of fantastic recipes for you to enjoy. Have a wonderful weekend!  PS, if you haven’t entered the Gift Cards Galore giveaway, go enter now! You only have two more days to enter!

Baileys Brown Butter Pecan Blondies

Oh So Lemon Bars

Now, on to my recipe (and then, of course, YOUR recipes!)

I decided to make a tequila lime marinade. I was going to marinate chicken but being the seafood lover that I am, I ended up using shrimp instead. Shrimp was a fantastic choice. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a seafood lover. The shrimp soaked up the marinade much better than chicken would have. And it came out so tender and perfect.

We grilled the shrimp (I say we but Ken actually did the grilling) and then tucked them in soft taco shells with shredded cheese and topped them with Sweet & Spicy Pineapple Slaw. We served these delicious tacos with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.

So I guess you want to see the recipe, right? Ok, ok, but first, let me tell you another little story. I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I started shooting in manual mode. Shooting with my DSLR camera, that is. I actually shot these photos in manual mode. But I did a shoot in creative auto as well. I have a comparison to show you. 

The image on the left was shot with creative auto with a 50mm lens. The image on the right was shot in manual mode (f/2.5, shutter speed 1/50, ISO 100, 50mm lens.) What do you think? Can you tell a difference? I sure can. Manual mode is much crisper, brighter and cleaner!

Ok, now here’s the recipe.

Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos

Now it’s time to share your recipes! Again, Carrie and I cannot wait to see what you made! Be sure to review all of the rules on Carrie’s Spiked! Recipe Challenge Page and make sure you have included the Spiked! button entry in your post. You can pick up the button over on my side bar.

The linky is only open for 2 days! Once the linky closes, no more recipe submissions will  be accepted.  Please check back on May 22nd here and at Frugal Foodie Mama for the announcement of the Spiked! Tequila Recipe Challenge winner.

Be sure to hop around and check out everyone else’s Tequile Spiked! recipes. I mean, you have to take a peek at the competition, right?!

• You must have a Paypal account.  It is super easy to set up and secure for all involved.  If you do not already have a Paypal account set up and you wish you participate in the bake sale, please set one up asap.  It takes a few business days for Paypal to confirm and verify the checking account you will be attaching to it.
• Bidding on items will not start until 12am EST on Saturday, May 18th.  Bidding will commence at 11:59pm EST Sunday, May 19th.  Any bids placed before 12am EST on May 18th and any bids placed after 11:59pm EST May 19th will not be accepted.
• A few hours before the bake sale bidding starts, I will post all photos & descriptions of the bake sale items to the Baking for Kate Facebook page.  You can browse a bit before the bake sale & decide on which items you would most like to bid on.  Please make sure you go and Like the Facebook page so you can stay updated on all the bake sale news!
• Most bids for items will start at $5 or $10.  You may bid on items in $5 increments only.  (For instance, if an item has been bid to $20, you must bid $25 to outbid the highest bid.)  Bids in increments other than $5 will not be accepted. 
• You will bid by commenting on the photos.  In your comment, please include your bid amount and your email address. (Be sure to spell out the @ and dot to throw off spambots.)  
• On May 20th, the highest bidder will be contacted via the email address they provided in the comments.   They will have 24 hours to send the money to me via Paypal.  If they do not reply and send the bid amount within that time, the next highest bidder will be contacted.
• If you bid on and win a baked or homemade item, please allow a few extra days for the shipping of that item.  Most of the food bloggers participating will be making/baking their goodies after the highest bidder has been confirmed and will want to be sure that what they are sending you is fresh and yummy.
• 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Kate and her family to help cross off items on her Mommy Bucket List and to help cover the expenses of her medical treatment.
• This covers most of the guidelines for the moment.  But if you have any further questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to email me at thefrugalfoodiemama (at) yahoo {dot} com.  

A copy of the new Six Sisters’ Stuff cookbook… signed by all six sisters!!

Candied Bacon Brownies With (or Without) Walnuts from {I Love} My Disorganized Life

A big thanks for stopping by and a big Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there! Thanks for stopping by to link up to Marvelous Mondays! 

Have you entered the Gift Cards Galore Pre-Summer Gift Card Extravaganza? Up for grabs: a $400 gift card prize back! You can enter via the rafflecopter below!

Your Hosts

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am a stay at home mom with two amazing kids. We are originally from California, and moved to Iowa almost 14 years ago. Culture shock does not even begin to explain how incredibly different our lives are here. Whenever I am upset or stressed out, I start cooking. Feeling completely isolated in a strange place….. I started cooking a lot! As a result, I have finally found my passion….. a love of cooking!

I started my blog in November and I have loved every minute of it. When you come visit me, you will find recipes that include family favorites like Guinness Barbecue Ribs, restaurant re-creations like the Chicken Parmesan, and a lot of cakes baked with alcohol like BAILEYS Kiss Cocktail Cake.

All of my recipes are made from scratch, with lactose-free / dairy-free options, and have easy to follow instructions with step-by-step photos!

Today I will be sharing my spring version of Southwest Chicken Salad with Guacamole Ranch Dressing, try and say that 5 times fast! The spring version includes diced avocados, which I love because they contain mono and polyunsaturated fats, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals! Here is a collage to show you what this delicious salad looks like…..

It is so simple to put together and can be easily made ahead of time for a super fast weeknight meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do – Lisa

Southwest Chicken Salad with Guacamole Ranch Dressing

For the Salsa:

• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 can of organic corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Salad:

• 1 bag Leaf Lettuce, I used European Blend
• 1 bag Spring Mix Lettuce, I used Baby Garden Blend
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken – a rotisserie chicken is perfect

For the Dressing:

• 1 cup Ranch Dressing (my dairy-free Ranch Dressing recipe)
• 2 ounces of guacamole, I used 1 individual packet of Wholly Guacamole
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin

To Assemble:

1. Mix the ranch dressing, guacamole, and ground cumin together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Place the beans, corn, bell pepper, onions, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and stir to combine*. Add the cubed avocado, and gently stir.
3. Place your lettuce in a large bowl or on a large serving platter.
4. Sprinkle the chicken over the lettuce.
5. Sprinkle the salsa over the chicken.
6. Serve with Guacamole Ranch Dressing

*It is best to make at least one hour before serving, so the flavors have time to mingle and get happy. I wait to add the avocado until right before serving, but feel free to add whenever it works best for you.

I make a pretty spectacular basic coleslaw, you can see that recipe here, but I wanted to make a sweeter, spicier coleslaw. A coleslaw experiment! I wanted to try to mimic the flavor that I had tasted in a few different coleslaws that I tried that I actually enjoyed. I suspected the flavor I tasted was pineapple and my suspicions were confirmed when I made the coleslaw I am sharing with you today.

So this is the awesome coleslaw I made. Pineapple, Serrano Chilis and pineapple juice set this apart from your basic, everyday coleslaw. I made this to top Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos that I made on Sunday. I’ll be sharing that recipe with you later this week. It paired quite well with the tacos but it is also great as a side dish to compliment a variety of meals. I think it would go great with BBQ. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Sweet & Spicy Pineapple Slaw

Have you entered to win a $400 gift card prize back yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Gift Cards Galore {enter here}

You know what else is super exciting that happened this week? I started experimenting with the full manual mode on my camera. My good bloggy friend Deb from Cooking on the Front Burner gave me some tips. Those tips along with some great info that I found on Edible Perspective gave me the boost I needed to start experimenting! All of the photos in today’s post were shot in full manual mode. I actually had a photo that was shot in one of the auto settings but I accidentally deleted it. But have no fear, the Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos that I will be sharing later this week will have an auto vs manual photo! Now let’s get on to that recipe!

Dulce de Leche is awesome. Plain and simple. If you haven’t tried it, um, well, you are missing out. Go get a jar of it and try it. Or make your own! Cheesecake, dulce de leche oh and did I mention that these are grain free? Yep, that’s right. These little gems have a crust made of almonds and pecans.

This recipe makes about 20 bite sized cheesecakes. But I found out after I started pressing the crust into the liners that there wasn’t enough crust to accommodate the cheesecake batter. No worries, though. I just made a few crust-less cheesecake bites. They still taste amazing. It’s hard to go wrong with cheesecake. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this wonderful, bite sized recipe!

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bites {Grain Free}

A few more cheesecake recipes that you may enjoy:

Irish Cream Mini Cheesecakes

Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes with Almond Pecan Crust

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake