I love this easy scratch cake because it’s fast and easy to make, and it always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake. Not to mention, the buttery, brown sugary pineapple juice that seeps down into the cake from the slices on top make the cake so soft, moist, and buttery that it just melts in your mouth....

Vanilla Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake Recipe I’ve made a lot of cakes over the years. But this one is unique and like no other I’ve made. It’s fluffy soft, sweet, creamy, and as a happy accident, it turned out very close in taste and texture to yellow cake mix cake. I have a nostalgic love of yellow cake so this was an unexpected, but excellent, stroke of luck. The secret?...

With a grill on your patio or backyard, you can always make fresh, juicy, and downright TASTY meals. Think grilled vegetables LOADED with flavor, crisp-to-perfection pork belly burnt ends, or even a mouthwatering caramel apple crisp! You read that right, there are ways to make desserts on the grill, too! There are tons of different grills out there, so when you’re first getting started, it can be a little overwhelming to decide what you’ll actually need and use....

Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Frosting Recently my daughter celebrated her eighth birthday. When I asked her what kind of treats she wanted to bring to school to celebrate with her classmates she said chocolate cupcakes. Sounds easy enough, right? Not so much. Long gone are the days of bringing in a box of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, or even your average homemade chocolate chip cookies. Everything requires teacher pre-approval and in my daughter’s small class, the teacher went down the line of the kids’ various dietary requirements: vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free....

comment icon 252 more comments These cookies are my chocolate dreams coming true right in front of my face. They turned out completely different than what I thought they were going to be, which is just par for the course when you put, uhh, myself in the kitchen with “creative license” to play with recipes. The good news –> even though they weren’t quite what I was expecting, they turned out even better than I was thinking they would....

I love Fashion Valley. Where else can you (window) shop at Pottery Barn, Tiffany, MAC and Mac, Williams-Sonoma, the Nike Store, Victoria’s Secret, F21, Anthropologie, Bath & Body Works, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton all within 100 yards of each other? And do it under palm trees and 76F afternoon sunny weather. Don’t answer that because if I find another mall like it, I’ll immediately have to go....

Before we jump in I wanted to provide a quick reminder that we’re closing off enrollment to Food Blogger Pro this Thursday at 11:59 pm CST. That’s soon! Click here to sign up for Food Blogger Pro before the doors close. The next public enrollment won’t be until the Spring of 2016. More on that in a bit, but first, the official intro… What are these reports all about, anyway?...

Let’s cut right to the chase. There are three types of colorful berries, a crumbly topping, a golden crust, and ultimately 3 sticks of butter baked in this 9×13 pan of berry pie bars. Or… well… used to be 3 sticks of butter. I think Bjork and I dealt with the first 2 sticks pretty well (judging by the picture), and the third is headed where the first two have gone....

Some recent posts… My food styling and photography workshop last weekend helped to fuel my new passion. Earlier in the week I made Lightbounces which was the best 60 second and $3 dollar DIY project I’ve ever done. A couple weeks back I was in hot pursuit of linens and pretty backdrops for my photos. I found some vintage scarves I’ve been loving. Cute dishes that I can find on the cheap are always on my brain, too....

I absolutely adore pineapple, mango, and chickpeas and the salad was right up my alley. So much texture and flavor in every bite and it’s ready in 5 minutes. It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, almost fat-free, and I happily went to town on it. It has a tropical vibe from the pineapple and mango, and pineapple salsa enhances that. Pico de gallo and cilantro add depth of flavor and a savory element that balances the sweet fruit....

If you’re a vanilla aficionado like I am you’re going to love these adorable little muffins that are brimming with vanilla flavor. The muffins are fast, easy, made in one bowl, and you don’t even have to use a mixer. They’re not an overly sweet muffin making them an ideal choice for breakfast, snacks, or in lunch boxes. In fact, there’s only 1/2 cup sugar in the entire batch. With so much lovely vanilla flavor, I didn’t want or see the need to add lots of sugar....

Recently I was at Whole Foods and saw a new salad in their deli case. The minute I tasted a sample I knew I wanted to recreate it at home. Their salad was a great jumping off point but mine tastes better and is more flavorful. Not that I’m partial. It reminds me of this Twelve Superfoods Salad which is a reader favorite. There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite of this hearty salad filled with superfoods....

comment icon 63 more comments So bring me up to speed – what’s the general feeling on Valentine’s Day right now? We’re three days out. Are people talking about it? Is everyone annoyed? Are you, like, personally ready for it? And it is normal that after you’ve been married for about five minutes, you stop buying each other Valentine’s Day gifts? That’s not entirely true, but if this year’s Christmas gifting is any indication of what’s to come during this year’s Valentine’s Day gifting, we are going to be eating a pan of peanut butter fudge together by the romantic light of Lost playing on the laptop....

Salsa Verde Chicken with Avocado in a Skillet There’s nothing better than an authentic-tasting Mexican meal made in one skillet that’s ready in 15 minutes. Hello busy weeknights, here’s looking at you. It’s also a fairly healthy recipe you can feel good about enjoying and serving. The salsa verde is so fresh tasting along with fresh lime juice and cilantro to really give this chicken and avocado recipe the finishing pop of bold flavor that will keep you going back for more....

If you’re a fan of sweet and sour chicken, you’re bound to love this Hawaiian pineapple chicken skillet, too! The sauce that coats the chicken and veggies strikes the perfect balance between sweet, salty, and tangy thanks to a blend of ingredients including soy sauce and chicken broth add saltiness and richness. And honey and pineapple juice add the perfect sweet touch. It’s a definite winning flavor combination! I like to spoon the chicken, bell peppers, and pineapple over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, or quinoa to soak up the tasty sauce....

Want more healthy snack recipes? Try Homemade Fruit Pops, Chocolate Overnight Oats, Protein Bars, and Cowboy Caviar! How to make Frozen Yogurt: Blend: Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender (ideally with a tamper) or a food processor and blend until smooth. Add an extra spoonful or two of Greek yogurt, if needed, to help it mix. For an even healthier treat, try homemade fruit pops! Freeze for at least 2-3 hours before scooping and serving....

comment icon 35 more comments Bjork’s parents were over for dinner a few weeks ago and I made a batch of air fryer chicken (because, what else?). We needed just one more thing to make it into a meal. I had a bag of green beans. I had a craving for this avocado caesar dressing. It was a perfect recipe meet-cute right there in a moment of pre-dinner chaos, and now it’s our summer meal formula....

I like to make a big batch of pulled pork and freeze the leftover meat for these nachos, or BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Don’t miss my other favorite Party Appetizers and finger foods, like Baked Chicken Wings and Chex Mix. When we lived in Saint Louis I’d order Pulled Pork Nachos at every Cardinals game we went to (which was a lot!). This recipe is my copycat version, and we enjoy them on a quiet Sunday watching sports, or as an easy sheet-pan dinner....

Maybe I’ll have better luck with this photo and judging than I did here. Judging can be harsh! I’m entry #690. The exact number is switching a bit due to other entrants dropping out or being disqualified. Not sure I hold out too much hope of winning anything but it’s fun to try and play along. And if you have photography questions, editing questions, camera questions, see my Photography Section for more....

Try some more soup recipes! I love Chicken Enchilada Soup, Clam Chowder, and Classic Homemade Chili! There are a few soups that my mom made growing up that have had my heart for years, and this Broccoli Cheese Soup is one of them! (Her Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and famous Gumbo, also make the list!) Years ago when I was a new mother and cooking for my family I made her walk me through the recipe, step-by-step, so I could document it for all of us (she never uses a recipe)....