Like, 100 degrees hot. This is Minnesota – we are capable of handling cold extremes like nobody’s business, but the hot? I’m shriveling up like a raisin. That could have something to do with the fact that I work in a room that has no air conditioning. Repeat: none. Oh, and did I mention that 24 ten-year-old bodies also share the space with me? Just imagine the smell. I dare you....

Over the weekend I went to the grocery store and there’s a vitamin and supplements store right next to the grocery store and they were handing out free samples of products. Even though I can’t tolerate and digest whey and most soy-based protein powders, Scott can. So I snagged a couple of these! And this Fat Burner, i.e. Metabolic Activator And there was also these Natural Vitamin & Mineral Supplements free for the taking....

Maybe when we’re out we’ll have some appetizers and there may be an adult beverage involved. Not sure though because I actually am fighting off a cold. Nothing like burning the candle at both ends, working a ton, not sleeping enough, and a wicked change of temperature out of the blue to bring on a cold. I haven’t had a cold in ages, and am not full-blown sick or anything, but just fighting it off, and it’s hot as balls out and it reminds me of being a kid and getting a summer cold....

Zesty Quinoa Salad Recipe I can’t believe something so healthy tastes so good. I’m normally indifferent to quinoa. I mean, it’s quinoa and usually not too earth-shattering. But I couldn’t stop eating this. It’s a fast, easy dish that’s ready in 20 minutes and packed with big flavors and so much texture. It happens to be accidentally vegan, gluten-free, with no added sugar, and very little oil or salt. There’s sweet yellow onion to boost the flavor, chewy and slightly sweet sun-dried tomatoes, Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds for a satisfying crunch, and parsley to add color and a mild herb flavor....

comment icon 9 more comments It was a logical choice; it’s clearly the most masculine apron that I own. I knew he would enjoy the burlap style fabric. And Italia? That’s kewl. He’s kewl. He went to go put the apron on. He stopped. Set down the apron. Walked to the window and closed the shades. I reconsidered asking for a picture. Now, to the ultimate question: Why? Someone needed to bravely confront the hot, splattering oil that was far too intimidating dangerous for this girl....

If warmer weather leaves you with a lack of desire to turn on the oven and heat up your house, then these quick, easy, no-bake treats will leave you staying cool. All are No-Bake Many are Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate-Covered 7-Minute Microwave Caramels 2. Pink Lemonade Freezer Bars (No-Bake) 3. Nutter Butter Special K Bars (no-bake) Cinnamon Sugar Chocolate Pretzels (no-bake, with vegan and GF options) Orange Push-Up Smoothie (gluten-free)...

Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken Recipe This 20-minute chicken dinner tastes so rich and comforting that I can promise it’ll become a new family favorite that’ll be sure to go into your dinner rotation. It’s seriously restaurant-quality that will impress your family! My creamy Dijon chicken recipe is make in one skillet, on the stovetop, and the cream sauce is just out of this world. The Dijon cream sauce for the chicken is a mixture of half-and-half, garlic, white wine, dijon mustard, and Parmesan cheese....

And those seasonal and special edition bags of candy that Target sells, don’t even get me started. Because of the ‘Limited Edition’ factor, it’s suddenly more appealing, you go into hoard mode, and buy even more. On top of it, the 75 trick-or-treaters you were expecting really only materializes into 7 kids, 3 of which were infants-in-arms. Whoa, you now have a lotta candy. Whoa, I have a lotta candy recipes....

comment icon 126 more comments I am coming to you live on a Saturday morning because this 30-Minute Sesame Mango Chicken Teriyaki is too good to wait any longer. It’s a special day when I can find a chicken recipe that I actually like – and that kind of special day is here once again. We’ve got a lot of delicious but simple yums factoring into this recipe. Starting us off as the most important part of any recipe IMHO – the sauce....

comment icon 89 more comments Friends. Gather round now. I am a lover of ice cream, and I am also, as of recently, a very obsessed lover of peanut butter cup nice cream. Wait, I take it back – FIVE INGREDIENT peanut butter cup nice cream. Is nice cream not the cutest name for this little cousin of everyone’s summer favorite? I scream, you scream, the whole internet including the non-vegans scream for NICE CREEEEAM!...

Make an invitation to your dinner party more inviting with one of these five dinner party ideas and serve up an evening for the books. Evite has some awesome ideas they want to share. A Trip Around the World: Celebrate everyone’s heritage and your friends’ diversity. Ask guests to bring dishes from their family’s country of origin, or if you’re feeling extra ambitious, ask them to simply name their favorite dishes and make them yourself!...

This post feels unpopular. Is it unpopular? I think it is. Because the holidays are happy! Why talk about sad things? Why dwell on the past? What is there to be sad about when there are TREES and LIGHTS and MASHED POTATOES? But maybe that’s the whole point. Last year, in a small room in the NICU, I held my infant son Afton as he died in my arms. He was one day old....

You can season them tons of different ways (check out my variations below), and don’t forget the fun dipping sauces, like chick-fil-a sauce, ranch, bbq sauce or ketchup. I’m convinced that making homemade french fries in the air fryer is the BEST way to make them! They turn out just as crispy and delicious as baked or fried french fries, with out the fat from frying. If you’re still learning, check out my air fryer tips and tricks!...

Bizarre, unplanned things like this happen in my kitchen more often than I would like them to. But not to worry – this one turned out to be tasty! Odd as it may look, it’s essentially garlicky vegetables and melted cheese encased in whole wheat tortilla. Yum! I thought that I was making a “smaller” meal by only using one tortilla (folded in half) to make my quesadilla, instead of two whole tortillas....

Light and easy salads that you don’t have to turn on your oven for is what August heat means for me. This one is fast, easy, ready in 10 minutes, and full of Mexican-inspired flavors from the lime-cumin-chili vinaigrette. The vinaigrette perfectly coats tender chunks of avocado, hearty black beans, and juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions. If you have tomatoes and cucumbers in your garden, this is a great way to showcase them....

Baked Orange Chicken with Potatoes Recipe I have quite a few recipes for orange chicken including a stovetop Healthier Orange Chicken that’s a healthier at-home rendition of Panda Express Orange Chicken or your favorite Chinese takeout orange chicken. And there’s also this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken that uses orange marmalade which has been an Averie Cooks reader favorite for a decade! Today’s recipe for orange chicken is oven-baked to juicy perfection along with tender Yukon gold potatoes....

comment icon 346 more comments Salmon lovers, salmon skeptics… gather round, all of you. This is not your ordinary salmon. It is salmon that’s been given a delicious and aggressive treatment of sweet and smoky spices, which then gets broiled (fast! easy!) which results in a lightly crunchy outer layer, which conveniently mixes-and-matches with that buttery, silky, lime-zesty, sweet and juicy mango avocado salsa. It’s equal parts super pretty and not fancy, which is why we just pile a scoop of each on hot steamy rice and don’t get too precious about it....

comment icon 107 more comments Once you’ve experienced a plate full of these hot, syrup-soaked fluffy whole wheat pumpkin pancakes it’s hard to get your mind to go anywhere else. The texture of these pancakes is badda bing badda boom amazing. They fluff up just enough to be, uh, fluffy, but they are not so overwhelmingly cakey that you can only eat one. They’re light, they’re delicate, they have the perfect tiny amount of cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves to make you feel like it’s Christmas in October, but even with all that lightness they are substantial and filling because of the whole wheat goodness and of course, my favorite, the pumpkie....

Then I went to the post office and mailed package to a friend. She wants to start brewing her own kombucha and I am helping her get started. Speaking of fermented beverages, Zukay Foods sent me some of their products to try. The Zukay beet juice was refreshing and there are many benefits to consuming beets: Information from Zukay Foods: – Beet juice can help to strengthen both the liver and the gall bladder; even more so when mixed with other juices such as carrot or cucumber....

Looking for more cake recipes? Try White Texas Sheet Cake, Original Gooey Butter Cake, or Mississippi Mud Cake! Why I love this recipe: Easy – This Butterfinger poke cake may look intimidating, but it couldn’t be more simple to make! Baked in a 9×13 pan, this is a dessert anyone can make. Delicious – This cake is decadent with the chocolate cake, caramel sauce, and sweetened condensed milk, but the peanut butter whipped cream lightens and balances it perfectly....