Cassie DeNisco

My Gardening Tips & Tricks!

July 3, 2023

After a little 2 week break, I’m back with more blog posts! The summer comes on fast and if you’re not ready for it, you often get swept away with it. One thing that has been consistent though is my gardening tips and tricks!

I started prepping it back in May and I’m starting to slowly see all of my plants come to life! Having a garden has been really therapeutic for me and given me the opportunity to get some sun every day! I thought I would walk through all of my adventures so far.

List of Plants

This was probably one of the hardest parts of gardening. When you get to the store, you just want to get everything but you have to go in with a plan and know what you can actually grow in your area. There’s lots of ways to figure it out but I just Googled “What Grows in Westchester NY” and I found a full list on a website.

It’s essential that you grow what you know will flourish so that it’s not a waste. What I did that I loved was once I made my list, I put it in a Google Doc that I not only shopped from but now I have it forever and can refer to it next season too!

Planters

After you decide what you’re growing, you have to decide what you’re putting it in! I went with these two versions of planters on Amazon. Both are great because so far my plants are really doing well in them and they’re holding up well.

I will say I feel like the metal ones are a little bit better price wise but the wood ones are great if you don’t want to be bending down to water the plants! These are affiliate links so I make a small commission if you choose to purchase from them!

Metal Planters: Shop Here

Wood Planters: Shop Here

Watering & Pruning

One part of the gardening process I really love is watering. It’s like a treat to be outside and getting to look at all of the garden progress each day. So far I’ve only been watering once a day, but now that it’s getting warmer, I’m going to increase to twice a day!

Pruning is also kind of fun because you get to get rid of all of the yucky leaves that aren’t helping your plants grow. I didn’t love this part but once I got a great pair of gloves, I’m able to really get in there and clean out the plants!

Gloves: Shop Here

I hope this post inspired you to at least get out there and give it a try. I know gardening seems so daunting but I’ve really grown to love it. If you liked this post of gardening tips and tricks, let me know! I’d love to continue sharing more!

Check out my latest blog post here!

My Bruschetta Recipe!!

October 24, 2022

I am kicking off my November cooking series TODAY!! I’ll be sharing some great recipes for your to have on your Thanksgiving table and we’re starting with appetizers today! My Bruschetta recipe is so easy to make and will seriously make people think you spent forever on it!

I made this for the first time over the summer with my fresh garden tomatoes and have been craving it ever since! This seriously tastes delicious and has become one of my favorite appetizers. This is perfect for your Thanksgiving feast!

Ingredients:

3 Cups diced grape tomatoes

6 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsmic vinegar

1/2 fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons butter

1 French baguette

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 and thinly slice your French Baguette. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and mix with 3 tablespoons minced garlic. Evenly coat both sides of baguette then bake for 20 minutes or until super crisp.
Sauté 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the remaining 3 tablespoons of minced garlic. Cook until fragrant then set aside.
Dice your grape tomatoes and combine balsamic, basil, salt and pepper together. Mix in your oil olive and garlic mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for it to marinate but the longer the better!

This bruschetta recipe is perfect year round! I actually never really liked it in the jars because it always was way too salty! It’s so easy to make so you might as well try it out and flavor it your way! If you loved this recipe you can view more here and be sure to follow me on Pinterest as I’ve been posting lots of video content there!!

A Yummy, Healthy Rice Bowl!

July 5, 2022

I’m super excited to be sharing this healthy rice bowl recipe with you! I was originally introduced to it through Green Chef, but I’ve made it so many times now I have my own take! Rice bowls are seriously such a good dinner idea because they have something for everyone.

I also love to have meatless nights but still get in enough protein. This bowl is so filling and if you wanted to add a meat protein, chicken, beef or turkey would pair well!! Here’s my recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup White Rice

1 cup veggie broth

Tomato

Scallion

Lime

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp mayo

1 tbsp dijon mustard

Pecans

Directions:

Bring veggie broth, rice, and salt to a boil then let simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
Chop up tomato, scallion, lime, and rinse pinto beans
Use half of the tomato, half of the scallion, and half the lime to create a salsa. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Saute the other half of tomato, scallion, and corn in the pan then add pinto peans and spices. Cook until heated.
Add the cooked rice to this veggie pan and sprinkle with the other half of the lime. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
Divide the rice & veggies evenly into bowls. Add salsa on top then pecans and finish off with dijon mustard & mayo mixed together and drizzled on top.

As you can see this bowl is so easy to make but jam packed with flavor. I seriously love to try out green chef recipes because they open your eyes to different ways to put food together! It really gives me the inspiration to create a healthy rice bowl like this!

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My BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

June 18, 2021

As we head further into summer, I am all about a light and easy dinner. This BBQ chicken salad recipe is delicious and so easy to recreate. This not only is a great dinner, but it’s also easy to prep for lunches for the week. By spending a little time prepping everything on a Sunday, you can have healthy salads all week long that you can mix and match ingredients. Keep on reading for how to make my favorite BBQ chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Red Onion

2 Tomatoes on the Vine

1 Can Corn (I roast mine on top of the stove until blackened)

2 Cups Rotisserie Chicken

2 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 Cucumber

1/2 Cup Shredded carrots

Greens of your choice

Barbecue Sauce

Ranch Dressing (I love this Boathouse Greek Yogurt one!)

Assembly:

I love to grab a big bowl and put my greens down first. I always pick a mixed greens with baby spinach but that is totally up to you. Next, I just throw everything in the bowl and finish off with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and then some ranch dressing. My top trick is to cover your giant bowl and give everything a good shake so it all gets covered.

As you can see, this BBQ chicken salad recipe is so quick and delicious. It makes the perfect summer dinner or lunch recipe and is great for meal prep. Salads aren’t always my top choice but when you have so many yummy toppings, it helps you not even realize you have greens in it!

Let me know your favorite salad combo below!

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My Yummy Shrimp Taco Recipe

May 21, 2021

As many of you know, I’m not the biggest meat or fish eater but I am trying to incorporate more into my diet. I recently was craving a taco and decided to create this yummy shrimp taco recipe that came out so great. It is a great twist on the traditional recipe and has so much flavor!

Ingredients:

1 lb. of Shrimp

Chile Lime Seasoning from Trader Joes

Tortillas

1 Red Onion

3 Tomatoes

1 Japepeño

1 Lime

Fresh Cilantro

Taco Toppings of your choice ie. sour cream, cheese, hot sauce

Directions:

The first thing I like to do for this recipe is make my fresh topping. I finely dice the onion, tomatoes, cilantro and jalapeño. I add them to a container and then squeeze half of the lime in it. Salt & Pepper it and let it sit in the fridge while you prep everything else.
Clean and take off the tails of you shrimp. Sprinkle the chile lime seasoning on it (or seasoning of your choice) and let it marinate for 20 minutes.
Add your shrimp to a pan and cook thoroughly.
While they are cooking, you can warm your tortillas in the oven by broiling for 2 minutes.
Once shrimp are finished, assemble your tacos, top & enjoy!

This yummy shrimp taco recipe is seriously delicious! It was so easy to make and is a great lighter meal option for spring. I love stepping out of my comfort zone with recipes and this one was so easy to make!

Let me know if you try this recipe! I have my latest recipes linked here and make sure you’re following me on Pinterest @cassiedeniscofor more of my favorite recipes!

My Simple Pizza Recipe

October 12, 2020

If you’re anything like me, pizza is one of your favorite meals. I swear I could eat pizza for almost any meal and this makes it so easy. I was in search of a pizza recipe a little less carb heavy and I stumbled on the pita in my fridge. Using these as a crust leaves the pizza almost like a flatbread. The size of the pita also makes it perfect for personal pizzas or to mix and match the toppings. In this post, I’m sharing my go to pita pizza recipe.

Ingredients:

Pita Bread

Olive Oil

Tomato

Fresh Mozzarella

Basil

Balsamic glaze

Directions:

Start by putting the 1 teaspoon of olive oil all over your pita
Thinly slice your tomatoes and layer them around your pizza
Add your fresh mozzarella & basil to the top
Bake at 350 for about 8-9 minutes or until cheese is melted
Once out and cooled sprinkle balsamic glaze over

This pizza recipe is seriously so good. I love how healthy it makes pizza night and makes it quick and easy to make. Some other toppings that I love to use are ricotta cheese, zucchini and even red onions and barbecue sauce. Pizza night is awesome with pita because you can make everyone their own flavor and don’t have to worry about trying to find one everyone loves.

Another really yummy way to make pizza is with flatbreads. I buy mine at my local stores and its similar to the pita. Of course it has more carbs but sometimes you just really want that great slice of pizza.

What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?

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Plant Base Meat that I Love

September 21, 2020

I definitely don’t like food labels however I generally live by a plant based diet. With that being said. I enjoy not eating too much dairy or animal products but I like to have plant base meats to supplement that. I have been eating this way for awhile now with my mom so we both have brands and plant base meat products that we love. This guide I hope is interesting and helpful to share with you so let’s dive in!

Morning Star Farms Veggie Hot Dogs

These are so yummy and I love them so much! They definitely taste similar to a hot dog and are a great option to have. Regular hot dogs somewhat gross me out in reading all of the ingredients but these are so good and a much healthier option. I like these with a bun and a little ketchup and you are good to do.

Morning Star Chicken Patties

I love having these patties with a little vegan mayo, vegan cheese, and a hamburger bun. It is like a fast food sandwich but so much healthier. These do not really remind me of breaded chicken but to be honest, they have a better flavor. I know Morning Star also makes veggie chicken nuggets which have a similar texture and are also great!

Gardein Veggie Burgers

So this is one of my newer favorites. I used to love the Morning Start Farms veggie burgers but I realized the patties were just so thin. These patties are thick and seriously give off a beef burger vibe. I love these veggie burgers so much. They remind me of an Impossible burger but to be honest, might even taste better!

Gardein Veggie Meatballs

I can’t say enough about these Meatballs!! They have so much more flavor than a regular meatball could ever have and my boyfriend most of the time can’t even tell the difference. These are great in red sauce with pasta for dinner or even a roll for a sandwich. Highly, highly recommend these meatballs!

Boca Meatless Ground Beef

This is seriously game changing. I had never realized you can get meatless ground beef and now my chili is seriously elevated. It’s awesome way to sneak in even more veggies to your chili because you really can’t tell the difference once everything is seasoned. This is a really great meat alternative product.

If you notice there’s on thing I didn’t add to my list and that is the Impossible brand. I think their burgers are great when I go out to eat but I haven’t been able to cook them successfully for myself at home. Let me know if you have any tips because I definitely want to like them, but they just fall apart when I cook.

I hope this list of my favorite plant base meat products is helpful whether you are plant base or just looking to supplement in some healthier alternatives to meat in your diet. I plan to do some recipes with these products so that you can see how I cook with them so be on the lookout for that.

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My Healthier Chipotle Bowl Recipe

September 7, 2020

One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chipotle because I love their bowls. After eating them for so long, I realized I could probably make my own version that is a much healthier Chipotle bowl. Not to mention, I wouldn’t be eating out so much or even spending money. My healthier Chipotle bowl is so easy and great to make for a family. Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

1 tomato

1 yellow onion

1 jalapeño

1 avocado

1 cup rice

1 lb chicken

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon cumin

Directions

Rinse and drain the can of corn and can of black beans, then mix to combine and place in a container together. Start cooking the rice however you normally would.
Cut up the tomato, yellow onion, jalapeño and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for a few hours so that the flavors all get to mix together.
Season the chicken with the paprika and cumin and then grill it until cooked. Let cool and then cube it.
Once the tomato mixture has sat and is fragrant, you’re ready to eat so start with the rice in your bowl. Then add chicken, tomato mixture and corn and beans. Top with sliced avocado or sour cream and cheese and you are good to go!

This seriously is such a healthier Chipotle bowl recipe. I love to prep this the morning of so that it’s ready to go whenever we want to eat. The recipe is simple enough that anyone can make it but also great because you can really mix and match. Meals like this are great for families because there’s something for everyone!

Let me know below if you have an Chipotle hacks and be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more recipes @cassiedenisco. Check out my last post here!

My Favorite Summer Salad Recipe

August 24, 2020

There is no better feeling than eating a salad made entirely from your own garden. I’ve been really obsessed with knowing exactly where my ingredients are coming from lately so this salad recipe is a culmination of that. There’s a secret ingredient to this summer salad ingredient and it’s a chopper. Getting salads into bite size pieces not only makes it easier to eat but I swear it makes it taste that much better.

The salad chopper I have is from Amazon and you can find it here. I absolutely love it because you literally throw everything into a bowl and then just take the chopper and go to town. Chopped salads are so good and a great way to get all of your nutrients in without feeling like you’re eating too much. Here’s the recipe!\

Ingredients:

Greens of your Choice (I love spring mixes with spinach)

Hard boiled egg

Tomatoes

Avocado

Red Onion

Cucumber

Protein (sometimes I add chicken, or bacon, or chickpeas)

Pepita Seeds

*fun add in is cheese (I like a cheddar)

Dressing of your choice

Directions:

I started off chopping salads by just trying to chop everything whole however it is good to cut everything up a little. This really helps to even out everything and make it all the same size. I also was a huge over-chopper. I would just keep going until it was small pieces but everything lost its integrity. Make sure to use a big bowl so there’s room and just put everything in and chop. Add in your dressing last, mix and enjoy!

I love making chopped salads like this one. It’s a great salad recipe if you have produce that’s starting to look iffy so you’re not wasteful. Another awesome thing about salad in general is you can really customize it so that everyone in your house can make their own! The more toppings the better for a salad in my opinion so happy chopping!

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Green Juice Recipe You Need to Try

July 27, 2020

I have been on my fresh green juice game these past few weeks so I am so excited to share my recipe with you. This green juice recipe is so good and just leaves you feeling great. There are so many health benefits to getting your greens in everyday and the perfect way to do that is through this green juice recipe. To create these juices, I use my NutriBullet. I don’t have a juicer and just found that even though it takes a little longer because of straining, this works just as well as a juicer would’ve.

Ingredients:

1 Celery Stalk

Handful of Greens

1/2 a lemon

1 inch chunk of ginger

1/2 a cucumber

Handful of Carrots

Directions:

This is seriously so simple! Just add everything into your NutriBullet and blend. Depending on the day, sometimes I add a little water just to thin it out if it’s too thick. Next comes the straining. I just take very fine holed strainer and start to pour the juice through it into another container. I do this again, but this time straining it into whatever I plan to drink it out of. I love these reusable cups from Amazon!

I’ve been really working hard to get my greens in everyday during quarantine and making a juice has seriously helped. When I started making juices, I literally almost couldn’t drink them because I thought they were so gross. I would add apple or watermelon to them to sweeten them up and make them interesting to eat. Now, I am literally obsessed! I have this juice every. single. day!

Let me know in the comments below if you try this and be sure to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco!