organizing my most useful kitchen tools
I love healthy food, but I love it more when it doesn’t taste like healthy food. Best of both worlds! Click around to find some of my tried and true staples - and new recipes too, whether my own ideas, inspired by other blogs, torn from the pages of a magazine, or passed through friends or family. Learn more about me and My Utensil Crock HERE.
I took one for the team last weekend during a snow day and had a "S'Mores Workshop." With myself. You are hereby highly encouraged to do the same yourself - either solo or with a few friends. My goal was to determine the perfect ratio of chocolate : marshmallow : graham cracker, and how long the microwave takes to work its … [Read more...]
Warning: Super-fudgy, super-delicious, super-photogenic brownie recipe coming up in 3...2...1... Boom. Ga's Brownies. You are welcome. Ga, for those unfamiliar, is the nickname given by my brother to my mom's mom. I honestly never saw anything amiss with this nickname. It's short for "Grandma." My brother was a kid when this happened. It … [Read more...]
S'Mores Smush is the result of me trying to "s'mores up" some Brownie Bark. It didn't exactly work like I envisioned it. It worked out much better. I had recently had a toasted marshmallow and nutella crepe {she says casually, as if it wasn't a completely amazing concept}; and at an unrelated recent time, I had brownie bark. I had a … [Read more...]
If anything in this world is certain, my grandmother will always be there, and she will always make her Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. Little puffy clouds of awesome, a crisp shell protecting a sweet, gooey chocolaty center; messy to eat as all get-out. The only solution is to shove the whole thing in your mouth in one bite - purely out of … [Read more...]
Who doesn't have fond memories of melting marshmallows and butter on the stove, hurrying to pour in and stir a big bowl of cereal, and pressing the mixture into a buttered pan. The sticky, sweet crunchies left on the spoon and in the recesses of the pot were a teaser of the final, cooled product. Rice Krispies Treats may be the ultimate shared … [Read more...]
You can make a healthy version of kettle corn, at home, in your microwave, in less than 3 minutes. There. The secret is out. But backing up a bit, let me start with confessing that I find the smell of microwave popcorn to be quite off-putting. The stuff that comes in the pre-measured, pre-sealed bags - hate it. I blame my first job, where I … [Read more...]
As featured in the Huffington Post (July 2015; see #7). As featured in the Huffington Post (Sept 2014; see #7). Good morning to you, beautiful Breakfast Brownies. What?! you ask with an interrobang ... I thought we focused on healthy food here, with only occasional exceptions. These brownies are, I assure you, healthy. NO butter, NO flour … [Read more...]
Banana Bread: a timeless classic. Do you prefer banana bread for breakfast or as a snack? It's filling, either way, and satisfies a sweet tooth. I have made banana bread variations in the past with jazzy accessories like peanut butter ribbons and chocolate chip studs, but here I was looking to just change up this staple with a few moderate … [Read more...]
This is my favorite, easy muffin recipe. I first came across it when looking for a way to use the ripe summer peaches, plums, and nectarines that came with my vegetable and fruit delivery. I use a local company called Washington's Green Grocer; they deliver a gorgeous box of produce weekly to your door on a day that is set for your neighborhood … [Read more...]
When I was growing up, I distinctly remember the mother of one of my classmates making "puppy chow" for slumber parties and other gatherings. And I distinctly remember loving it. If you have had "puppy chow" - which I have learned is called "muddy buddies" in some regions - you understand how wide my eyes opened on my first bite of the crunchy, … [Read more...]
