comment icon 323 more comments We are in the midst of Deep Winter and I have a load of Queso Crockpot Chicken Chili with Roasted Corn and Jalapeño leftovers waiting for me in the fridge, brought to me by a weekend of relaxing. I think we’ve already talked about the beauty of a good Instant Pot or slow cooker meal in that it pretty much cooks itself, but in case it hasn’t been said enough: my ultimate favorite thing in life is when relaxing = flavorful, delicious, comforting, filling, warm dinner....

Quick Asiago Pasta Recipe Hello, family-friendly comfort food that’s ready in 25 minutes. The chicken and pasta are tender and al dente, the peppers and green beans are crisp-tender, and everything is coated in rich and savory Asiago cheese. The melted cheese clings to the pasta perfectly and is just so good. Literal pieces of comfort. The basil adds a lovely pop of freshness, flavor, and ties these Italian-inspired flavors together....

I absolutely love fresh cherries and because they have such a short season I find myself wanting to eat them any way I can. Including savoring them a light, refreshing salad that’s easy, healthy, ready in 30 minutes, and packed with texture and flavors galore. Tender yet chewy quinoa is mixed with lightly caramelized sweet yellow onions and fresh green onions to boost the savory flavor while the juicy cherries and crisp sugar snap peas add sweeter notes....

comment icon 70 more comments It’s got so many vegetables that it’s kind of like a salad – you know, in that noodles-stiry-fry salad type way? (How I prefer all my salads, TBH. Exhibit A: this Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad.) But instead of a crispy fresh vibe, it’s slurpy, saucy, just the right amount of sticky, with stir fried noodles and fork-tender vegetables and happy little cubes of tofu (if you want) all bathed in a borderline aggressive amount of coconut curry flavor....

Fall Roasted Vegetable Medley I love roasted vegetables and can make a meal out of them. Especially when there’s crispy roasted and seasoned chickpeas to go along with them. This isn’t a rocket science recipe that would necessarily make Julia Child proud. It takes simple ingredients, and with very simple preparation, demonstrates that seasonal veggies can taste like a million bucks. At least to me they do, but I have never been a ‘have to have meat and potatoes’ type of person....

Salt and Vinegar Chicken and Broccoli In a word, there’s plenty of vinegary punch in this dish. If you like salt and vinegar chips, or pickles, or vinegar in general, you’re going to love this dish. The vinegar mixture clings into the broccoli florets, which are like little sponges, just ready to absorb it. The chicken is tender, juicy, and this recipe is made on one sheet pan making cleanup a breeze....

Easy Slow Cooked Pork Loin Recipe Slow cooker pork loin is rich, tender, and stays incredibly moist thanks to the gentle cooking method used by the Crockpot. It’s the easiest dinner I’ve made in a long time, with the hands-on prep work taking just 5 minutes! Slow cooking pork loin takes about 6 hours, and I love that I can throw everything into my slow cooker before starting work for the day or taking kids to school, and dinner is ready and waiting for you at the end of busy day....

Fast And Easy I absolutely love snickerdoodle cookies and my recipe for them is a reader favorite, but if you’re in need of something that’s even faster and easier than making cookies, these frosted snickerdoodle cookie bars are the perfect thing. They’re soft and chewy with just the right amount of cinnamon-and-sugar for that classic snickerdoodle flavor. The bars are as easy as using a box of Krusteaz Snickerdoodle Cookie mix and I spiked the dough with extra cinnamon plus there is a handy cinnamon-and-sugar packet included in the box which is so convenient....

Pumpkin Bars… Made with Spice Cake Mix! If you’re looking for super soft pumpkin pecan bars, these are the ones to make. They’re fast, easy, and the little bit of chocolate tastes so decadent along with the richly spiced pumpkin and the crunchy candied pecans I used. This is kind of an odd recipe, which you’ll see in the recipe instructions below. But just follow the directions as specified and you’ll be wowed by this dessert!...

It is cold here. Brrr! So I made some soup. It’s a spinoff and very close relative to my Hearty Vegan Southwestern Sweet & Spicy Soup But I changed enough to give this soup it’s own name and recipe. Spicy Vegetable, Corn, & Bean Soup (Vegan & GF) Looks like a lot of ingredients but really just spices, veggies, and beans 1 can of beans or 1 can of prepared vegetarian chili, i....

Looking for more dip recipes? Try our 7-Layer Bean Dip, Crab Dip, or Cowboy Caviar! What I love about this dip: Quick – You’ll be ready to serve this baked spinach dip in just 30 minutes!Make in Advance – Busy day? Prep this anytime and store in the fridge for 1-2 days before baking. Crowd Pleaser – This is guaranteed to disappear before your eyes! I never have any left, and always get so many compliments!...

comment icon 166 more comments This week it was my birthday! Wait, did I already say that? I think I might have also already mentioned that special love that I have for pressies and gifts and pretty things with bows on them. I am so lucky because I got to have three little birthday shindigs – one with my family, one with Bjork’s family, and one with Bjork. Romantical birthday dinner dates are his specialty....

comment icon 50 more comments When we have brunch with my family, for sure the brunch item that will be for surely on the menu is my mom’s quiche. For sure. This quiche is a family favorite. One of my main issues with quiche is the texture, but this one has the texture just right: fluffy but not overly firm, creamy but not soggy, and full of flavorful sautéed veggies while still feeling like a proper savory-pie-for-breakfast moment....

Patriotic Red, White, and Blue Cookies It’s that time of year for red, white, and blue. And flags, stars, and all things patriotic. Including cookies. The cookies are soft, chewy, made in one bowl, and you don’t have to roll out dough. Love that. I used my trusty blondie base, baked the dough off in a pan, and then used star-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the cookies before frosting and decorating them....

comment icon 46 more comments high in protein, lower in sugar, creamy on a whole other level, desserty, yet snack-able in all the right ways, and nutritious enough to eat for breakfast? Answer: Strawberry Shortcake Yogurt Bowls! Yeah, I just kind of made that concept up, but if you think about it, it totally works – we have the juicy strawberries, we have the cookie-esque shortcake flavor in more nutritious granola form, and we have a creaminess that rivals the most luscious whipped cream of all time thanks to the beauty of siggi’s triple cream vanilla yogurt....

The Quickest Pretzel Recipe You know those pretzels at the mall that are hot, soft, and buttery and their scent wafts through the entire mall? As you’re in a dressing room trying to squeeze into some jeans that are a size too small, the luscious scent of the pretzels hits you and your New Year’s resolutions are out the window. Yes, these are those. You can make these buttery pretzels from start to finish in one hour....

Well, last week I entered the world of crazies and did a three-day juice cleanse along with my husband. At least we’re crazy together. I briefly mentioned that I was doing a cleanse and the biggest reason why is because I wanted to hit the reset button. I’m largely a desserts blogger and I make and eat sweets, desserts, treats, and sugar 365 days a year and I sample it all....

They make a coffee creamer (non-alcoholic), too And I love it in my coffeee for those non-alcoholic but still want the taste of Baileys moments In the wee hours Friday night I had a craving for some Bailey’s. The alcoholic version. This is what I came up with. [print_this] Vanilla Baileys Slushie 1 shot glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream (about 1 ounce but 2 ounces is fine too) 8 to 10 ice cubes 1 splash water (about 1-2 tbsp) Vanilla Stevia, to taste (optional) And/or 1/8 tsp vanilla extract + sweeter of choice Directions: Combine all items in Vita-Mix or blender and blend until ice is crushed and drink is frothy or slushie-like in texture Note: Vita users are at an advantage because you are making Bailey’s “ice cream” in about 20-30 seconds in your machine <– buy a Vita if for no other reason than that [/print_this] Gather your booze & sweetener, if desired....

[print_this] Vegan GF Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Flour 1/2 c Vegan Butter (room temperature, softened) 1 c White Sugar 1/2 c Brown Sugar 1/4 c Water Cream these ingredients together Then add 1 c Peanut Flour 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract Mix Again Add 1 c Chocolate Chips and stir in by hand Form into golf-ball sized balls on a greased/sprayed cookie sheet Bake at 375F (I baked one tray for 10 minutes and one tray I left in for 12 minutes) The cookies will spread, so don’t crowd on the cookie sheets....

That darn mini food. But it’s so small that the calories don’t even count. Exactly. I’m so happy with how these little puffballs turned out. They’re soft, springy, bouncy like little trampolines, and they’re vegan. Sometimes vegan baked goods, especially muffins or cakes, are terribly dense. Lead balloons come to mind. When removing eggs, it’s easy to also remove lightness and fluffiness. However, no eggs here, and they’re as soft and fluffy as any traditional muffin....