Sarah's Test Kitchen

When I was looking for a healthy chili recipe, the title of this one definitely grabbed my attention! It has since been a family favorite and I actually won a chili cook-off with it today at work! 🎉 This recipe has been my go-to chili for a few years now - even when I'm not wanting to go healthy. I always salt and pepper the meat as I brown it - typically with Nature's Seasoning actually. The problem with ground turkey is its blandness. I also use black beans instead of kidney beans at my husband's request! I think the addition of the cumin makes it stand out giving it a Mexican flair, so why not change to black beans, right? I do believe the addition of the red bell pepper is spot on because it balances the taste better than the sweetness of a yellow or orange pepper or the strong taste of a green pepper.  For the garnishes I always add avocado, Mexican blend cheese, sour cream, and of course cilantro! Some brave souls can add jalenpeno. You can enjoy it with cornbread o...

I love scones and I love cinnamon. The combo is a winner for sure. The only thing better than a cinnamon scone is a cinnamon chip scone! I think the first time I experienced this was at Panera Bread. I made it my goal to try to create my own. I found a recipe and at the time none other than Walmart carried the cinnamon chips. They've since stopped carrying them, so now I just order them online. Let me just say, the addition of cinnamon chips to a cinnamon scone is a game-changer. You can cut them in a variety of ways. The recipe says to form the dough in a circle and cut them into 6 scones. Well, they are simply huge - like Panera's! Problem is, I nor any of my family members prefer to eat one that large in one sitting. So I'll often split the dough in half and make two circles out of which to cut the scones. That way they're smaller and I have more product. I have also used a biscuit cutter which works great, especially if you want a uniform look. This time I decided t...

During the quarantine I saw I had a bunch of bags of cranberries in my freezer (I stock up on them to make smoothies). I decided to look for a new recipie I could use them in. Well, I found a winner! The "test kitchen" attempt was in the spring, but I decided it would be a perfect dessert for the holidays. This year, I made three different batches for different occasions! It has been a favorite for sure.  The addition of the orange zest makes it special. I love the zing of the zest combined with the tart berries. Together they complement the sweetness super well. I have used both pecans and walnuts. Both work great but pecans are my fav. And ignore where it says that powdered sugar dusting is optional. It is quite necessary - especially for the holidays! 🎄 Enjoy!  Cranberry Bars Recipe - Stuck On Sweet