Last week I told you we had been off the grid. But this week, with Bjork’s parents still visiting, we were REALLY off the grid. Like, take a ferry to a different island and brave a muddy pot-holed road over the ocean to get to another tiny island and finally land at a ma-and-pa beach resort out in the middle of nowhere. It was a clean-air, blue skied, quiet ocean paradise....

comment icon 62 more comments Also buzzing: me, after eating a big bowl of (VEGAN) summer veggie-loaded pasta with roasted garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice… and a little (large) dollop of thick and herby walnut pesto that’s borderline creamy and 100% addictive. This recipe is: EASY. Vegan! Good hot or cold. Great as leftovers. Meant to work with almost any produce you bring home from the farmers’ market or happen to get in your CSA....

Easy Funfetti Cookies … From a Cake Mix! I am a big fan of Crumbl Cookies and wanted to recreate a homemade version of one of my favorites, the frosted Crumbl Confetti Cake Cookie. These big cookies are ultra soft, a little bit chewy, have a light vanilla essence, and are loaded with plenty of rainbow sprinkles. To quite literally ‘top off’ these jumbo cookies, I piped vanilla cream cheese frosting on them, and finished them with a dusting of confetti sprinkles....

I love all things gingerbread and since I already have plenty of recipes for gingerbread cookies and gingerbread bars, I wanted to get more creative and I made gingerbread truffles and popcorn that are twice as nice for any holiday gathering! As you may have guessed, both are no-bake and both are easy, which is the name of the game during this busy time of year. How To Make Gingerbread Truffles To make the truffles, you’re going to start with a holiday classic, gingerbread cookies!...

What is German Chocolate Cake? How to Make German Chocolate Cake: Make the chocolate cake: Combine dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Combine wet ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla). Mix together and stir in boiling water. Bake at 375°F: Pour batter into prepared 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. I like to cut a round piece of wax or parchment paper for the bottom of the pan also, to make sure the cake comes out easily....

Looking for more Italian recipes? Try this Tomato Basil Pasta, Manicotti, or Calzones! How to make Lasagna: Cook Meat: Brown the ground beef and sausage, using a meat chopper or spatula. Drain grease then transfer meat to a food processor and pulse only 3-4 times to chop it into very small pieces (I love this step because it makes the sauce more smooth and delicious). Remove to a bowl and set aside....

These homemade Parker house rolls are the end all, be all of dinner rolls! The texture of the rolls is extremely light and airy. These big and fluffy rolls practically melt in your mouth. I based my recipe on a Bon Appetit recipe but rather than using shortening, I used butter and it was a great choice because you can really taste the butter not only on top but throughout the roll itself....

I first made this recipe back in 2015, after my twin sister called me going on and on about some homemade Twix bars that she had at a little sweets shop in Utah called “The Sweet Tooth Fairy”. She described each detail of their homemade treat: a shortbread crust, a thick caramel layer, and chocolate on top. If that’s not your cookie bar love language, then I don’t know what is!...

Unlike more tart and dense lemon pies, this one has a soft lemon flavor and it’s ultra creamy, light and fluffy. Pair it with our Perfect Pie Crust and you will really “wow” your guests. I love this pie because the ingredients are simple and I usually have everything on hand. Lemon Sour Cream Pie Key Lime Pie Chocolate Cream Pie Oreo Cheesecake Pie Banana Cream Pie Coconut Cream Pie...

A pound each of mozzarella, ricotta, ground beef, sausage, and noodles doesn’t work for me. This lasagna bake is meatless, noodle-less, gluten-free, and uses just 8 ounces cheese for the whole pan. Use vegan cheese to keep it vegan rather than vegetarian. I won’t say it tastes ‘just like lasagna’ but for me, that’s okay. Lasagna is way too heavy and I’ve never like ricotta anyway. If you’re looking for an easy family vegetarian dinner that’s lighter, ready in 1 hour, makes planned leftovers, and is also budget-friendly, this one is for you....

Growing up in Minnesota in the dairy heartland, and neighbor to the great cheese producing state of Wisconsin, I great up eating copious amounts of cheese, including fried cheese curds. For those of you who have never had fried cheese, don’t start. It’s everything that coronary heart disease is made of and it tastes delicious. Then I lived in Chicago where the Greeks fry and ignite their cheese in the form of flaming saganaki and boy, that makes me shout, Opa!...

Print Shopping List Looking for more meal plans? View our entire collection here! Tuesday: Autumn Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup $17.46 Wednesday: Chicken Tikka Masala $25.39 Thursday: Waldorf Salad $10.90 Friday: Hibachi Chicken $14.60 Frequently Asked Meal Plan Questions: This post contains affiliate links. Each 5-day meal plan includes a printable grocery shopping list with budget information, to help save time and money!

Sort of like I crave things at Anthropologie seconds after I walk in the door, and had I not even ventured in, I would have been none the wiser. Nanaimo bars are named after the city of Nanaimo in British Colombia. Many consider Nanaimo bars to be Cananda’s national dessert, which doesn’t add any pressure or anything posting a recipe for the national dessert of a nation that’s not my own....

Bjork and I had put ourselves on the build-your-career-in-your-20s / start-having-babies-at-30 track, and it felt so right. We have been married for 7, almost 8 years (gulp), and we have been happily childless for most of that time. I grew up thinking I was going to have three kids and be a stay-at-home-mom by the time I was 30, but in the last few years I started identifying less and less with my former self: The Girl Who Only Ever Wanted to be a Mother....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache – My favorite cake recipe on my blog. to date. One bowl, a whisk, and bake it. Easy, foolpoof, has the spongy qualities of a yellow cake-mix cake that’s laced with pumpkin and drenched in chocolate. I will probably make this cake rather than pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Chocolate Pairings Party – Fun ideas, recipes, and chocolate pairings. Red wine and peanut butter top the list...

There’s nothing better than prepping a breakfast or brunch recipe the night before, going to bed, and waking up and all you need to do is bake it. That’s called a delicious, easy-breezy morning. The waffle breakfast casserole start with frozen blueberry waffles. I love scratch waffles but for ease, frozen wins. Chopped waffles are layered with a brown sugar and cream cheese mixture before adding blueberries, more waffles, and pouring a milky, buttery egg mixture over the top....

And it’s plenty warm here in Aruba. So fruit smoothies have been in full swing. They’re also easy, fast, plant-based, naturally vegan and gluten free. And kiddie-approved, too. She begs me for smoothies. There are far worse things she could beg me for. This is an easy request: [print_this] Peach Banana Colada Smoothie (non-alcoholic) 2 small/medium bananas (previously frozen is ideal but not essential) 1 c peaches (I used canned peaches in light syrup, but fresh would be great) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 c ice cubes (use your judgment) 1/4 c white sugar (or sweetener to taste such as honey, agave, sugar, stevia, vanilla NuNaturals stevia drops....

I’ve already been told by my husband that this is weird. Just let me explain myself. The only time I ordered oatmeal on the trip was during a breakfast-on-the-go stop at Au Bon Pain. But first of all, eating in the car takes some of the joy away from the overall oats experience. And secondly, I quickly realized that, while I love Au Bon Pain, their soupy oatmeal needed some major doctoring up with…....

Chocolate Cookies … with Rolos! This Quadruple Chocolate Pudding Cookie recipe is my favorite chocolate cookie recipe. I couldn’t resist ‘improving’ upon it by stuffing these cookies with Rolos. Insanely good. They’re thicker, bakery-style cookies that are bold and rich, not overly sweet, and are oozing with gooey caramel and melted chocolate. The cookies are super soft, tender, slightly chewy, and are made for serious chocolate lovers. There’s chips, chunks, cocoa, and chocolate pudding....

Easy BBQ Chicken Sliders Recipe These fast and easy BBQ chicken sliders on Hawaiian rolls certainly don’t disappoint when it comes to pleasing even the pickiest family member or guest. They are saucy, cheesy, and loaded with barbecue flavor! Made with shredded chicken, your favorite BBQ sauce, and Havarti cheese, they’re then brushed with a melted butter topping that adds savory flavor and oven baked until tender on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside....