Welcome To My Picnic Life

Everyday’s a Holiday Pomegranate Fruit Salad

Fresh fruit salad gets a holiday makeover with a touch of a tangy pomegranate and orange syrup. This recipe is sure to be a success at any holiday, special occasion or weeknight meal!… Continue reading →

November 13, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

MAKE MEATBALLS GREAT AGAIN ...

Recipes

Tis The Season

Everyday’s a Holiday Pomegranate Fruit Salad

November 13, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Squash Soup – What? No Marshmallows?

Until a few years ago, if you asked me, “do you like squash?” I would have told you that I did and in my mind I would see Acorn squash. Not Butternut. Not Spaghetti. Certainly not Delicata or Patty Pan. Just Acorn. If you asked me how to prepare it, I would have described how… Continue reading →

November 6, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Comfort Food: Autumnal Au Gratin Potatoes

This recipe takes the traditional au gratin potatoes and puts a fall flavor twist on it. Sweet potatoes, chicken sausage, kale, mushrooms and sage combine in this delicious, cool weather casserole.… Continue reading →

October 30, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Comfort Food: Au Gratin Potatoes & Ham

Comfort food casseroles warm the body and the spirit. This recipe combines potatoes, ham and cheese for a warm and hearty meal.… Continue reading →

October 17, 2018October 30, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Kicking Up Pulled Pork

I love pulled pork as much as anyone. I don’t care if we’re talking Kansas City, Texas, Carolina … I love ’em all. But then I stumbled upon a Louisiana version and I found a whole new happy place! Okay, so technically, I don’t know if this is authentic Louisiana cuisine but the recipe had… Continue reading →

October 2, 2017October 9, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Carrot Cake

Officially declaring carrot cake as my favorite cake – layers of texture, glaze, and frosting.… Continue reading →

February 11, 2017November 9, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Pumpkin Parfait Cups

This pretty cup makes the perfect, hand-held pumpkin dessert. Layers of whipped cream, pumpkin and graham crackers provide an easy, no-bake alternative to pumpkin pie!… Continue reading →

November 6, 2016October 9, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Thanksgiving Meatballs & Cranberry-Mustard Sauce

November. Halloween is over and everyone is jumping right into Christmas. Music, movies, decorations, shopping … Not me. I’m a Thanksgiving girl. I love everything about this holiday. I love the hymns we sing at church, the story of the Pilgrims and Indians sharing a meal to celebrate the bounty of the land, getting together… Continue reading →

November 1, 2016January 15, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Kale, Chicken & Apple Salad

Kale! Beautiful Kale! It is especially true when referring to this gorgeous purple kale. It’s almost too pretty to eat! Almost. Or, if you are my husband, it IS too pretty to eat so why EAT it!?! Kale seems to fall into the same category of likability as cilantro … either you love it or… Continue reading →

October 19, 2016October 25, 2017

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Be Foodventurous!

Foodventurous: Miami

September is not the month this Iowa girl would pick for a trip to Miami. Cooler temps and turning leaves typically have me pulling out flannel shirts and making chili and molasses cookies. However, when an opportunity to spend a few days in southern Florida presented itself, I pulled out my swimsuit and sunscreen and… Continue reading →

October 4, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Foodventurous: Wallace Country Life Center

If you grew up on a farm in the midwest, chances are one of the publications prominently displayed in your home was Wallaces’ Farmer. If you are a history buff, the name “Wallace” triggers thoughts of Vice Presidents and Secretaries of Agriculture. Go to college in the late 70’s or early 80’s? Remember punch cards… Continue reading →

May 29, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Foodventurous: Mankato

If I invited you to share a picnic with me and gave you the opportunity to choose one of the following settings, which would you choose? Wine & Live Music Waterfalls & Pie Military Tanks & Beef Jerky Did you think I was going to make it easy for you to choose? What if I… Continue reading →

April 23, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Foodventurous: Olive Oil in Lazio

Which travel personality are you? Are you the laid-back, we’ll-figure-it-out-as-we-go type? Or are you like me … Type A, FOMO (fear-of-missing-out), Google-obsessed planner? You can imagine then that a trip to Rome as the master-planner for 6 people might send me into overdrive. It did. Prioritization became a must … “everyone pick ONE thing you… Continue reading →

February 7, 2018February 10, 2018

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Foodventurous: Rome

Just how exactly does one put Rome into words? Even if I narrow it down to “food in Rome”, it is still an overwhelming task. Having just returned from a week in Italy and placing a magnificent check-mark next to one of my upper-tier bucket list items, I find myself trying to pick just the… Continue reading →

December 1, 2017December 4, 2017

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

Farm Crawl 2017

Whether you consider it a “crawl” from farm to farm because of all the gravel roads and traffic, or a “crawl” because that’s all you can do at the end of the tour, it doesn’t matter. A beautiful fall day spent touring farms showcasing Iowa agriculture, arts, people and food is a good day. I… Continue reading →

October 8, 2017October 25, 2017

Anita Hinkeldey McVey

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