Homemade Restaurant Style Fried Calamari

I'm gonna teach you to get Restaurant quality Calamari in the comfort of your home!

Even from the time I was a kid I have always LOVED calamari.  It was my favorite thing to get when we would eat out at Italian places.  If it's done right, it is just oh, so good!

Hover over this image to pin it!

Last year I saw that in the freezer section at my grocery store they have frozen raw calamari, I was shocked!  You see, since we live in such a rural area, they don't carry some of the fancier or odder things because there just isn't a market for it.  Anyway, I decided to be bold and buy it and I took it home and cooked it up and holy smokes, it was so easy and sooooo good.  We went through it so fast it was ridiculous! Ever since then I have been wanting to make it again and do a post about it.

Well, I forgot about it.....

 I try to always add something new when we have leftovers, to make if feel a little less redundant.  So, Monday evening I was looking through the fridge and freezer trying to come up with something for to go with leftover spaghetti when I happened upon a package of frozen raw calamari and thought, YUP!  What a perfect combination!

Perfect Avocado Ranch Dip

I am a complete and total sucker for all things Avocado

I love the color the smell the texture the flavor

the whole bit

This dip envelopes all of those things and adds it with the cool refreshing flavor of ranch

This dip is awesome with chips or veggies 

we also use it for quesadillas, sandwiches and burgers.

Due to the versatility and deliciousity (is that a word?) this is the Perfect Avocado Ranch Dip

It tastes Fancy but is so easy to make!

Florentine Stuffed Chicken Breasts

When I was a teenager I worked at this restaurant and they served this dish called

"Chicken Florentine"

I had never had it before so I tried it and let me just say it was just 

INSANELY delicious

I don't know about you other cooks and wives out there, but I get in food ruts

We get into a groove where we eat the same things every week

And so my husband started asking if I would make something different

I have no problem trying new things, 

in fact, I quite enjoy it, but it's always a little daunting.

How Much of This Did YOU Already Know?

{This post, like ALL of my posts, is photo heavy and most of them are from my Instagram!}

Follow me by clicking the Instagram Bone to the RIGHT ------->

...and go ahead and click all the other bones too while you're at it...

;-)

My regular readers may already know that I go to school full-time on top of taking care of the house, the kids and being as crafty as spare time will allow.

This week however has been my spring break.

The time off is always so exciting and awesome, no matter how short lived or jam packed it is.

And somehow at the end of it I am always so eager to get back to work 

and frankly, a little confused about how I ever filled my days before schoolwork and studying was a factor....

Triple Heart Tuesdays Link Up #3

Well, Last week was a little slow,

But that's alright!  we're still just starting out & working through the kinks

I have faith in y'all this week though!

Can we make this the biggest week so far??

I surely think so!

*******

So here we are, Let's look at this week's features:

Let's start with another Amazing and Incredible creation from Coupons and Cooking

These White Chocolate Macadamia Magic Bars...

Just the idea of these drives my taste buds wild, I mean like, Holy Cow!

Next up is what I find to be a simply adorable idea from Irish Italian Blessings

This Irish themed Baby Shower is just too cute for words!  

everything from the decor to the snacks just screams Irish Pride

Now, Last and certainly not least is this mouth watering treat from A Sweet Baker

This is such a clever idea in my opinion.  I've had orange and cranberry scones before, but never cranberry and grapefruit!  These scones are putting grapefruit on the map for me!  

*******

What great links we had this week!  Now let's make this week even better!  

GO!!

Triple Heart Tuesdays #2

So,  last week really wasn't too bad for a first ever Link party!  

I'm keeping a positive outlook that it will continue to grow each week!

Thanks to each and every one of you!

As for this week's features I have chosen my three favorites

{Which was pretty hard even with just the handful of entries as we had!}

Y'all please go ahead and take a Featured button!
You earned it with your awesomeness!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://thesepiapuppy.blogspot.com" title="The Sepia Puppy" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w439/Bethany_Kline/featuredbutton_zps06f30543.jpg" alt="The Sepia Puppy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

*******

First choice, was this amazing yet simple creation for a relaxing bath

the DIY Spa Like Bath Shelf

From the incredibly talented Kenz @ Interiors by Kenz

Next was this mouth watering creation

The Chocolate Covered Rolo & Ritz Cracker Sandwiches

{Hubba Hubba! these look sinful!}

Compliments of Kaylee @ Couponing and Cooking

Last, but certainly not least is this very cool and adorably named

Crazy Cat Lady Scarf

Crocheted by the Clever miss Lisa @ Hook, Yarn and Stinkers

I was so excited to have all of the visitors we did last week and I'm ever-so-thankful 

for each and every link up!

Spread the love and visit the features if you have time, they all have awesome blogs!

*******

All right my Darlings, let's really BRING IT this week!!

Tell your friends about The Sepia Puppy

and bring them over to link up!

Fearsome Dragon Cakes

Ya'll may remember me saying in my Tristan's jar cupcakes post that we were planning a party for the kids' birthdays on Saturday the 17th. 

We decided a while back we were gonna make this a dragon themed party because that's something they are both really into.  

I searched the world of pinterest and found a really awesome tutorial to make a dragon cake!

I altered it just a tad to make it fit my cake plate and I think they turned out fantastic!

so, here we go.... a SERIOUS undertaking...

Tristan's Birthday Jar Cakes

Yesterday was my Son's 8th Birthday

And since we are having a big Party this weekend 

We didn't do the whole shebang 

But my husband suggested we at least do cupcakes or something like that and so i decided to make the rainbow jar cakes you see all over pinterest.

I want ed it to be a "dry run" in terms of coloring the batter because I wanted to do rainbow cakes for the party Saturday...

Colored batter.  

I freaking love gel food coloring btw 

Oktober Brat Rolls

If there was ever something my mother taught me 

it was how to make due with the stuff you had.

She was especially an expert at this when it came to food.  

Growing up in a 10 person family made dinner time.... interesting...

There were plenty of times where my mom would just look in the fridge and the pantry with no plan whatsoever and throw together the most amazing meal.  

those always ended up being the best dinners.

So yesterday afternoon I was all too fed up studying and got busy on planning dinner.

And here is what I threw together:

My Week Off from School

You may or may not already know that I'm going back to school. 

I go to Liberty University Online and I love it!

However, (isn't there always a "however??) I love my off time as much as any other stable-minded person.

"Pumpkin Better Than... Cake" success

Let me start by saying, 

I love finding an awesome recipe on Pinterest 

And then discovering that I already have ALL the ingredients!

That was this case with

Something Swanky's "Pumpkin Better Than Cake"

This looked so gooey and yummy I just had to make it

I had no excuse not to!

I had everything!

Well Almost Everything...

Fried Ravioli

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it was worth a try. 

I rarely fry anything, but i thought this would be a great idea for leftover ravioli

(when there actually are any)

and so i pinned it to my noms pinboard use later.

Via What's Cookin, Chicago?