I’ve seen this little diddy on various blogs such as Gina’s and Katie’s. They wrote out their answers in full sentences but I prefer spending more time at the beach than typing so it’s one word answers from me. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Under Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored Do you hang mistletoe? No What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?...

comment icon 65 more comments Excuse me, JAMMING to One Direction. Why am I susceptible to the music of tween girls? EEEEE. I have a crush on all pop music ever. Cause it would be totally normal that my adult ears would gravitate towards songs with little to no meaning but a get-up-and-move-right-now beat, right? It sounds like candy in my ears. What kind of a person adoringly eats a beautiful Moroccan Salad with dates, pistachios, bulgur, spinach, oranges, and creamy homemade Cilantro Orange Dressing while listening to a boy band sing about dancing all night?...

There are so many reasons to love Paninis. Reason 186: There is usually some kind of delicious sauce on them. In this case, the “sauce” is actually a black bean puree. Not so nice to look at, but oh so nice to eat on the sandwich or by the spoonful! If you make nothing else, just give this puree a whirl and spread/dip/lick away! Reason 58: You can put things on them that you wouldn’t normally put on a sandwich....

You can serve gooey butter cake for dessert or serve it as a type of coffee cake for brunch alongside a simple quiche or breakfast casserole. It’s a real shame that it took me moving to Saint Louis before I ever heard about Gooey Butter Cake. The stuff is pure gold! Gooey butter cake is a dense but chewy (and of slightly gooey in the center) cake that originated in Saint Louis, Missouri....

From budget and basic to more gourmet brands, I love it all. I did peanut butter comparison of peanut butter sampled while traveling internationally What follows is a compilation of my Favorite Peanut Butter Recipes: Homemade Peanut Butter in 5 minutes – vegan, GF Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter (vegan, GF) Homemade Cookie Butter Peanut Butter (vegan, GF) Honey Roasted Butterscotch White Chocolate Peanut Butter (GF) – This peanut butter and the Cinnamon Chip (below) are my two favorites of all time...

Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Cake Recipe This pumpkin butter cake is more like a gooey, very rich pumpkin pie bar or piece of pumpkin pie with a spice cake crust. It’s a Paula Deen recipe that I spotted with over 2000 5-star reviews. Anytime 2000 people can agree and deem something excellent, I just have to try it. In typical Paula form, there are two sticks of butter, four eggs, and four cups of confectioners’ sugar....

Here’s a few pictures I snapped on our stroll through Balboa Parktoday Over the weekend I came up with a new tofu recipe. If you missed any, here are my recent tofu recipes: Sweet and Sour Honey Lemon Tofu Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu Mango Ginger Maple Tofu Today’s Recipe is Pumpkin Honey Tofu [print_this] Pumpkin Honey Tofu 1/4 c Pumpkin Butter (I stockpile this seasonally in the fall from TJ’s but as a substitute, use 1/4 c pumpkin puree whisked with a Tbsp of Agave/Maple/Honey) 1/3 c Honey (or Agave or Maple....

Want more healthy recipes? I love this Spring Roll Bowl, Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, or Bulgur Salad! How to make Quinoa Salad: Cook Quinoa and Make Dressing: Cook quinoa in vegetable broth according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool for 20 minutes. In another bowl, combine dressing ingredients. I mean, it’s a bonus that it’s healthy, protein-rich and packed with iron and fiber, but I mostly care that it’s absolutely delicious and full of fresh ingredients....

Making Roasted Chestnuts is a classic Christmas tradition that deserves a comeback! The smell reminds me of walking the streets of New York City during Christmas time. If you’re not familiar with them, Roasted Chestnuts are slightly sweet tasting and much softer in texture than other nuts. What I’ve learned about roasted chestnuts is that the hairy, papery skin found underneath the hard shell can be a pain to remove....

comment icon 126 more comments Will you look forward to: silky smooth, lusciously creamy sesame sauce that you can just shake up in a jar real quickfork-twirly noodles with just the right amount of stick to hang onto that saucesalted edamamecrispy cucumber bitsjuicy browned chicken or tofu or whatever protein you love – like, I don’t know, I’m having visions of a soft boiled egg? YOU TELL ME. Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?...

Simple Mexican Side Salad One of the things I like to do after I dine a restaurant is see if I can recreate what I ate. And then tweak it to taste exactly how I want it, aka make it better. This easy and healthy salad was inspired by a similar salad I ate at a restaurant but has more veggies for added texture and the dressing has amazing flavor. The Mexican salad dressing is an easy blender dressing that comes together in one minute flat and it’s packed with flavor from avocado, cilantro, Greek yogurt, lime juice, green onions, garlic, and a pinch of cayenne....

Chicken Stir-Fry with Ramen Noodles The next time you’re tempted to call for Asian takeout, put down you phone and make this ramen noodle stir-fry instead. It’s so easy, ready in 15 minutes, and layered with Asian-inspired flavors. It’s healthier than what you’d get in a restaurant, you’re in charge of the ingredients, and it will make you forget about that takeout. I cooked the chicken in a mixture of sesame and olive oils before adding broccoli, red peppers, baby carrots, and bamboo shoots....

So much so that it makes me wish I was on a tropical island right about now. It’s a fast, easy recipe the whole family will love and it’s ready in less than 15 minutes. This isn’t traditional jerk chicken but who said we always have to be traditional. I love the warming flavors in jerk seasoning and it varies from brand to brand but allspice, peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, brown sugar, garlic, and salt are common....

Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — This is one of the BEST homemade banana bread recipes! This banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!! Six-Banana Banana Bread – Six bananas in one loaf of bread means an extremely soft, moist, and richly flavored bread! Super popular with readers and great when you have a literal bunch of bananas to us up! Peach Mango Coconut Oil Banana Bread — One of my favorite banana bread recipes because it tastes summery and tropical!...

The best Father’s Day gifts are the ones he’ll use regularly. I’ve researched gift ideas that are GREAT for husbands, dads, grandfathers, uncles, and other father figures in your life who love to cook, grill, and bartend at home, plus a couple that are perfect for non-foodie dads, too. From accessories for the grill master to small appliances and flavorful additions to cocktails, these are the best Father’s Day cooking gifts that are sure to please!...

This is a post I’ve always wanted to write, and I’m so happy it’s finally here! I’m sure it’s one I’ll change and update over time, as Trader Joes releases new product or I find new favorites. I took into consideration tons of reader and friend recommendations, but I didn’t include any items that I personally don’t like–no matter how popular. Think I’m missing something? Sound off in the comments!...

Want really bright white icing rather than icing that’s just slightly off-white or dull? Try Bright White Soft Gel Paste When I saw Cheryl recommend Bright White and Bridget recommended it to her, and since both those ladies are amazing cake decorators and bakers, I knew I needed to order this, because sometimes you just want your icing to be white and bright enough to need sunglasses when you’re looking at your cookies....

We had TWO turkeys at Thanksgiving dinner when I was growing up. My mom usually hosted and we’d always have at least 30-50 people there. Mom would make one turkey and my Grandma would make the other, and they would both use the turkey drippings to make the best homemade turkey gravy! They say the star of Thanksgiving is the turkey, but I’d argue that the Turkey Gravy and cranberry relish really make or break the meal!...

It’s good to be prepared with edible gifts and the winner of this giveaway from Surprises by Mail can select from any one of the following items: toffee squares chocolate covered caramels chocolate covered Oreos buckeyes chocolate covered espresso beans chocolate fudge peanut butter fudge spicy seasoned pretzels cinnamon sugar pretzels M&M cookies white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies oatmeal raisin cookies peanut butter cookies chocolate chip cookies toffee brownies blond brownies As I was looking over the selections, I realized I have recipes recipes for most of the items in case you prefer to make homemade gifts: Toffee and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (no-bake) instead of Toffee Squares...

For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery blondies that are topped with the most amazing vanilla bean-infused caramel glaze, I called upon my trusty blondie base. When I want an easy, fuss-free, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that I know everyone will love, it’s my go-to . With 25+ versions and counting, it never lets me down. It’s an easy recipe to memorize because everything is ‘one’. In the 1 bowl used, melt 1 stick of butter, stir in 1 egg, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and 1 cup flour....