In the weeks leading up to Afton’s birth, I started reading some books on life with a newborn. One of the things that I loved was this idea of giving your baby a comfort item – something that would help them fall asleep on their own. Sleep! Newborns! 👏🏼, right? Because three weeks ago, I was still a normal person who worried about things like how we would get our baby to sleep....
comment icon 81 more comments This recipe is a new fave around here and I think it walks that summer-to-fall line perfectly: just a beautifully simple tomato sauce made with mild tomato passata (a skinless, seedless, silky, and pure tomato puree that pretty much tastes like fresh tomatoes in a jar), thinly sliced garlic and onion, a little torn basil to hold onto those last few days of warmth, and a dollop of mascarpone cheese to kick off the cozy vibes for the season....
What is Tres Leches Cake? Whenever I’m in Mexico, in addition to lots of guacamole, salsa, black beans, and margaritas, tres leches cake is a must. I wanted to make one in advance of Cinco de Mayo because it’s one of my all-time favorite cakes. This Mexican cake is every bit as good as the tres leches cakes I’ve had in Mexico — in fact, it’s the best ever! It’s an absolute dessert highlight of my year and I highly recommend it....
Easy Fruit Salad Recipe This tropical fruit salad is non-alcoholic and gets its piña colada name from — you guessed it — piña colada mix, sans alcohol. I use the shelf-stable, liquid piña colada mix rather than the frozen kind in cans. I added coconut and almond extracts for an extra boost of tropical flavors. I am a huge fan of both of those extracts and work them into any recipe I can....
On Saturday, I had housework and kitchen prep work catch-up day after my trip. I went on a long power walk with Scott and Skylar, and hit the Gym to Lift. Sunday we took a nice windy family walk in the morning, more Lifting for me, and then I hit the pool, alone, in the afternoon. But my plans were foiled by the wind! I brought my Hers but it was too windy to sit there and I lasted all of about 10 minutes....
I’m glad you enjoyed my Highlights and Review Post from yesterday where I recapped everything from the past week. And since last week was kinda a fun week being in Aruba and on vacation, there’s plenty of pictures from our trip And of course Pictures of Holiday Surprises And Foodie Pics But out with the old, and in with the new!! It’s a new week, a new year, and time for my first big recipe reveal of 2010: Averie’s Vegan Peanut Butter Vanilla Balls-No Bake/Gluten/Soy-Free/10 Minute Recipe!...
Easy White Chocolate Truffles Recipe White chocolate truffles are a favorite holiday candy and it’s easy to see why! These easy truffles are made with white chocolate galore – both in the truffle filling and then dipped in a white chocolate coating – before being sprinkled and adorned with a festive Christmas-inspired look! While truffles can be a bit more fussy than, say, making a pan of Christmas White Chocolate Blondies, they’re worth the individual rolling and dipping....
Imagine my delight when The Bolder Mat Company sent me a new yoga mat! I was like a toddler on Christmas morning about to break into a new toy. What a beautiful mat! It’s definitely the prettiest mat I’ve ever had and I’ve had alot. It’s nice-n-thick, making it perfect for me because I do ashtanga and do alot of jumpbacks, arm balances, and crazy stuff which is better suited to a thicker mat....
comment icon 72 more comments And Grandpa reminds me of the tour-de-Grandpa’s-old-farms that we did last summer after he passed away, which reminds me of cornfields, sunsets, and hanging off the back of trucks while driving down dirt roads. And by hanging off the back of trucks, I mean hanging off the back of a minivan. But still. Grandpa would have been proud of all of us farm peeps. Grandpa also would have been so proud to meet his newest great granddaughter last week....
Loaded Chicken & Doritos Taco Salad I’ve been to plenty of potlucks and parties where ‘taco salad’ is served but there’s an absence of any lettuce other than a few shreds of iceberg. In place of the lettuce, there are thick layers of sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, guacamole, and refried beans topped with tortilla chips. Not exactly a ‘salad’ in my books. For this chicken taco salad recipe, I brought the lettuce back into salad and loaded it with all my favorite taco fixings....
Easy Mexican Rice and Beans Skillet I am always trying to change up our usual chicken dinners and if you’d like to do the same, this is just the recipe for you! This black beans and rice skillet is easy, ready in 15 minutes, and loaded with so many Mexican-inspired flavors and ingredients. There are both sautéed sweet Vidalia onions and green onions for a savory punch. There are red bell peppers and corn for juicy texture and natural sweetness, black beans and rice add heartiness, and kielbasa adds a comfort food touch....
comment icon 131 more comments And I guess 15 Minute Spicy Shrimp with Pesto Noodles Day, too! Today I’m doing the unthinkable and cutting myself off from my usual habit of writing every word known to man in one single post. I KNOW. I literally woke up this morning and wrote, like, 8 paragraphs of my usual blabber, like I normally do. But then I read it, and to be honest, it just felt weird and not right to talk about regular life stuff in light of the seriousness of this holiday....
Here are 20 gift ideas for the Dad who cooks (or likes to have a cold beverage) and all are under $20. Nothing is golf-related, there are no ties, and no grilling tongs. Who knows, mom may even “borrow” one of dad’s gifts. Owl Measuring Cups, $19 Bottle Openers, $7.50 to $9.50 each – Parrot, alligator, mermaid, or turtle Tervis Water Bottle, $19.99 Tervis® Clear 24-Ounce Water Bottle keeps your drink as warm or cold for as long as it takes to enjoy it....
There’s not a single recipe for turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, or pumpkin pie. Instead I have chosen to showcase some versatile sides, some that can double as entrees, and some meat-free mains. Although everyone’s definition of healthy varies, all the recipes are either vegetarian or vegan and many are gluten free. After all that health food, there’s a few festive desserts that aren’t necessarily healthy, but you only live once....
Homemade Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet I have never been world’s biggest cornbread fan because they can tend to be dry and tasteless, but I promise you this skillet cornbread recipe is anything but! My traditional cornbread recipe is baked in a cast iron skillet so that the center is tender and moist, while the edges get a slight crispiness. This cornbread is just sweet enough to be a snack on its own....
And as I had left off yesterday, I promised you all some Chocolate Action, so without further ado… A few weeks ago I went to a friend’s house and rather than showing up empty handed, I decided to make a raw vegan chocolate pie. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t bring her the whole pie. Whadda ya think I’m nuts? No, like any greedy cook, I saved half of it for our munching pleasure over here, and brought her and her fam the other half....
My husband was the one who first introduced me to Arroz Chaufa, over ten years ago! He fell in love with Peruvian food while living in South America and Arroz Chaufa was one of his favorites. I will not claim this recipe as authentic, as I created it purely based off of his memory of what he enjoyed in it. I’ve found it’s one I like to adapt each time we make it to use up leftover produce or protein we have needing to be used in the fridge....
No-Flour Peanut Butter Cookies You can never have too many peanut butter cookie recipes, and these flourless cookies are some of the best! One bowl, no mixer, and just four main ingredients: peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. What sets this recipe apart from many other peanut butter cookie recipes is that there’s no flour and no butter, making them naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. Since there’s no butter and no flour what you’re left with is a cookie that’s full of bold, robust peanut butter flavor....
This blueberry crumble bars recipe is an easy, one bowl, no mixer recipe that takes just minutes to make. I adapted the recipe from my Blueberry Pie Bars by reducing some of the flour and adding oats to the crust and crumble mixture. The oats add such great texture. The crust and oatmeal crumble topping are one and the same. Love it when that happens so there’s one less step and one less bowl to wash!...
The Easiest Halloween Dessert! Every year I see these candy corn white chocolate M&M’s around Halloween, and don’t do anything about them. But this year I decided do something about them. And by that, I mean bake them into soft, buttery blondies. When I made the Candy Corn and White Chocolate Softbatch Cookies, many people asked if I had tried the M&Ms Candy Corn White Chocolate Candies, and yes, I sure had....
