Pork chops on the grill reminds me of my childhood because my dad loved grilled pork chops. And since outdoor grilling means that I don’t heat up my house, it’s fast, easy, and there’s less cleanup, I grill during the summer, or actually whenever possible. But the number one reason for grilling is that, for me, the flavor is unbeatable! These gas grilled pork chops marinate for one hour in a simple yet flavor-packed homemade marinade consisting of olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and a variety of spices including thyme, smoked paprika which lends the rich orange hue, onion powder, and garlic....

Looking for more bread recipes? Try my Lemon Blueberry Bread, Poppyseed Bread, or my favorite Banana Bread! Why I love this bread: Easy to Make – Only 10 minutes of prep and a handful of pantry ingredients needed.Makes more than one loaf – great for sharing or freezing for later.Fall Flavors – It has the perfect balance of Fall spices and plenty of chocolate chips to make it even more irresistible!...

This spicy chili recipe was shared by a close friend who continues to win the prize for “best chili” at our annual chili party. It’s packed with flavor and spicy but easy to adjust to make milder, depending on your spice preference. Serve it alongside buttermilk cornbread or on top of a cornbread waffle! How to make Spicy Chili: Recipe Variations: Slow Cooker: Follow steps 1 &2 and then add all ingredients to your slow cooker....

TL;DR: Still here, still staying home, still grateful and also sometimes still struggling. How are you guys doing? What has this experience been like for you this week? And I say this week because doesn’t it feel like it sort of changes with the hour? Man. I feel like we’ve all lived a lot of lifetimes in the last few weeks. This isn’t week one of quarantine for me – it’s actually week four, but that’s okay....

This is on the heels of last week’s site crash and database failure. Coincidentally, I am happen to be in the midst of a server migration (today) to a new hosting company. As I said in my Thursday Things post, Full Moons are notorious for things breaking, crashing, mechanical issues, and for technology-related problems. Some people may dismiss it all as hocus pocus, but on many full moons, I am not a stranger to random snags and glitches....

Every day, there are new Brave Things. Going to the grocery store for milk. Walking Sage around the block. Seeing babies. This week my Brave Thing was getting on a plane and going to Hawaii. I know, right? Dreamy. And four weeks ago, it would have been. But I’m living a new life now – one where following through on a would-be babymoon to Hawaii falls under the category of Very Brave Things....

Time flies when you’re eating plenty of sugary snacks and decadent treats. As a desserts blogger and cookbook author, I am around sweets, desserts, treats, carbs, dough, chocolate, and everything fatty, rich, indulgent and decadent every single day. I have at least 10 different kinds of unbaked frozen cookie dough, just waiting to be baked at a moment’s notice. My refrigerator is a holding tank for overnight dough that’s rising, and I have blondies, bars, brownies on the counter....

I’m loving Bravo TV even more so than usual because there are multiple cities of housewives happening. The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York (and what do you think of the new ladies?), and the New Jersey ladies are all on. Some seasons are beginning, some are ending. It’s a good thing my DVR is smart enough to just do its job and just record so I don’t have to keep track of what’s on and when....

Today is National Chocolate Cupcake Day. It’s ironic that with all the chocolate-based recipes, desserts, and sweets on my blog that I’ve never posted a recipe for a basic chocolate cupcake. I do have a killer cake recipe that’s a one-bowl and very fast and easy. The cake has the springy and spongey nature of a cake-mix cake, but it’s from scratch and the batter takes five minutes to whisk together....

If you’ve tried any of my other favorite pie recipes, you may have learned that I’m a Pie fanatic! It’s the most important part of my Thanksgiving. Don’t miss my classic Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, and Lemon Meringue pies. On Thanksgiving, I take great care not to over-stuff myself during dinner so that I have plenty of room for pie. And no, I don’t just pick one favorite and enjoy a slice....

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Mint Brownies Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! A few weeks early, but who’s counting? I couldn’t resist sharing these. Now. These brownies are the best thing to come out of my kitchen thus far in 2012. I know we’re only two months into the year, but I assure you, these take the cake take the brownie. I cannot convey to you how good these are. The mint brownies themselves are so rich, and the mint Oreos crumbled in the batter add a crunchy minty surprise....

Spiced Applesauce Quick Bread Recipe You won’t need scented candles ever again. Just make this applesauce bread! The scent of apples, cinnamon, and bread baking makes your house smell absolutely heavenly. The bread is supremely moist and soft, with just enough cinnamon to complement the applesauce, without being overpowering. It’s actually more like an apple spice cake that happens to baked in a loaf pan, so we’ll call it bread. You know, because bread is healthier than cake so you can have extra....

Thanks for your feedback, and if anyone wants to chime in more about why you can or cannot attend, let me know! Obviously price is an issue, as is time of year/dates/scheduling, but we’re talking a week on the beach in San Diego in August. Hello, this is gonna be fun!!!! But moving along, I’m glad you enjoyed my Weekly Highlights & Recap post where I recapped everything from Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Cherry Balls to Raw Salads & Homemade Vegan Salad Dressings to My Balls & Holes Compilation Post to my Chocolate Recipes Compilation Post....

Best Ever German Potato Salad Backyard barbecues, potlucks, picnics, graduation parties, and summertime events are the perfect reason to make a big batch of potato salad. Hot German potato salad a cinch to make, comes together very easily, and is done in about 30 minutes. The longest part will be waiting for the potatoes to boil and then all you need to do is whisk together the dressing, drizzle, toss, and serve....

Easy No-Bake Halloween Treat I’ve been making homemade peanut butter cups since before food blogs were even a thing! For a vintage look at bad photos and my then-toddler turned current high schooler, feel free to check out these 2009-era Peanut Butter Cups, these 2010 Tuxedo Cups, then again in 2013 with Ritz-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cups. However, peanut butter cups don’t change. They are always fabulous and delicious, and now we have the Halloween edition....

Those little feet ‼️ For about three weeks in June (where did that month go?), Bjork and I had a house full of little friends, little hands, little feet. What?! I know. IT WAS A BIG DEAL. And I’m not even being sarcastic. I alluded to our new guests a few times in random recipe posts last month, because I can’t not write about personal stuff when I am supposed to be writing about food....

I am always all about the sauce. I firmly believe sauce can make or break a recipe, and in this case the spicy orange chicken sauce is so good that I want to drink it. It’s made with orange juice, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and rice vinegar for an Asian-inspired flavor profile. A little spicy, a little tangy, a little savory, and a little sweet all in one....

Rather than being dependent on going to mall for my fix, waiting for seasonally-available treats to come along, or over-paying for storebought, I came up with at-home, copycat versions of the real thing. Included are 25 of my Favorite Copycat and Restaurant Knock-Off Recipes, and some fun DIY recipes, like making vanilla extract or peanut butter, which save money and taste far better than storebought. Overnight Buttermilk Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls – My ode to Cinnabons, and I prefer these to the real thing...

comment icon 145 more comments A: VEGAN VODKA PASTA, duh! This is too simple. Chewy, dense pasta tossed and coated with a silky, garlicky sauce that sticks to every pasta curve in all the right ways. Finished off with the basics – olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes – because sometimes (always) simple is best. And that’s it! Thank you and goodnight. The sauce looks like this: Garlic Olive oil Tomato Paste Vodka And the surprise ingredient: Coconut milk...

I am not a control freak. Really. Not. Add to that a laundry list of travel mishaps: almost missing our international flight as a result of poor ticket reading discovering a singing Korean boot locked onto my suitcase upon arrival in Seoul losing the water bottle cover for my brand new water bottle going to wash my face and getting sprayed by the shower instead realizing that there is no way for me to fix my wet hair because we don’t have an adapter realizing that there is no way to contact the world with our battery-dead electronics because we don’t have an adapter not being able to pick up even ONE spicy noodle with my chopsticks watching Bjork scoop up heaping, spicy bites of noodles with....