Another week has passed… and it is time for another installment of Zesty’s favorites of the week.  For this week I am doing a few return picks as well as a few new blogs that I have been checking out.  I think you will enjoy the line-up for this week.

I find this weeks selections have a lot of variety in both personality and style. Let me know what you think by dropping a comment and checking out these great blogs.

1. EzraPoundCake - If you love great recipes and a great blog… in addition to stunning photography, this one is a must see.  Simply Amazing!  Check out the sauce on these muffins.
2. Eating Bender - As a self-described “Lazy Chef,” Jenn of eating bender works to balance a crazy college schedule with the desire to create fast, easy and delicious recipes. You can see how Jenn gets in the culinary mood for fall by checking out this link.
3. Katheats - If you didn’t already know, Kath is a huge lover of Oatmeal… check this bowl out, it will knock your socks off!
4. VeggieGirl - Overall, a great blog with great veggie recipes. Talk about a cool post…. check out how to multi task.
5. Creative Confectionary - All I can say is WOW.  This blog is something else.  Witty and funny writing style, complimented by great recipes and a fun atmosphere.  Jennifer really has the whole package.  For some great Candy Corn Halloween Cupcakes visit today!
6. Carrots and Cake - Soon to have a feature post on Zesty…. I just love this blog.  Any leftover apples aching to be baked.  Check out this sweet little treat.
7. Care to Eat - A great duo of Andrea and Erin.  Talk about fun and exciting to read.  I suggest everyone follow this blog, you will not be disappointed!  Simple ideas, great philosophy  - truly a must see.
8. Megans Munchies - full of a variety of recipes, food finds, and food blog fun. Megan loves to be creative and come up with unique flavor and texture combinations when playing in the kitchen. As an added bonus, she tries to make all her recipes as healthy as possible!  Be sure to check out this special treat
9. Kitchen Table Medicine - Did you know that squash was a ’super food’
   
10. Southern Plate - Check out some old fashion American Macaroni and Cheese

Zesty Tip: When using Herbs - remember dried herbs should cook for a long period of time to maximize the flavor and fresh herbs should be used at the very end of the cooking process.

I hope everybody has a safe and happy Halloween in addition to a generic Happy Friday.  I look forward to another fun and exciting week… until next week.

Take care

Zesty

Thursday is here which means that there’s only one more day until Halloween!  Welcome everybody to another silly episode of me trying to write something witty before we get to today’s recipe.  This recipe was inspired by my little guy who is 3 1/2 years old as he was asking if we could have space worms for dinner last night or AKA Spaghetti.  So of course I said yes, anything to get him from eating peanut butter sandwiches or chicken nuggets.

So with that being said, I tend to do my spaghetti sauce in two stages. First stage is to brown the meat and then use the pan drippings to move on to the vegetable and tomatoes.  If you have the time, which is not much longer than opening a can of your favorite spaghetti sauce, give this sauce a try.

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Happy Wednesday everyone!  It is time to share an old classic - roasted chicken.  Yesterday proved to be a busy day all around.  Not only did I have a tonne of real work to do at the office, I also had to cram my blogging duties into a smaller window.  Tough I know, but what is a guy to do?

As I was preparing in the morning for what to post for today in conjunction with what hairstyle to go with, I thought that a roasted chicken would be the answer.  I had a chicken sitting in the freezer that was aching to be roasted in the oven.

There is nothing better than the smell of your house while a chicken is roasting.  I opted for a lemon basil mix for this bird.

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The time has come, Sweet Potato Fries is now getting some attention.  A few weeks back I shared with everyone a quick and easy way to whip up a batch of healthy homemade french fries.  This crunchy plate of goodness received a lot of positive response.  With that came requests and references for sweet potato fries.

Krista over at Kristas Kravings said she loved sweet potato fries done in a very similar process. Juliet from Think Inside the IceBox said that she had sweet potato fries on her to do list.  As well, Nick over at PeanutButterBoy said he also like to make a batch of sweet potato fries in the oven.  Also Clayton from Furiousfoodies asked if I could whip up a batch of sweet potato fries. Needless to say with all these requests, I had to oblige and put these on the Zesty Menu.

Now I have been experimenting with sweet potato fries for a couple of years now.  To be honest, I find the most successful way to make excellent sweet potato fries is to deep fry them.  Read the full story

Wow!  What a weekend… Just to let everyone know - I am addicted to Zestycook and usually spend every waking minute either thinking about what to post, cooking in the kitchen, writing down ideas or checking out all the amazing food blogs around.  I love it!

My focus while working all weekend on Zesty was trying to come up with new and exciting, yet simple meal ideas for everyone out there.  It is a well known fact that a lot of people are busy and have little time to prepare meals for themselves or their families.  It is also a known fact that more and more people are adopting healthy eating habits and engaging themselves in a healthy lifestyle.

I am practicing some new techniques with the camera and lighting - what do you think?

With that being said, I thought I would share with you a chicken salad with a taste of Mexico that has a good balance of greens, protein and complex carbohydrates.  This salad is super easy to make but does not lack in flavour.  Roll up your sleeves and prepare this dish the next time you want some Mexican flare.

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