I received this no-fail chocolate cupcake recipe from a friend many many years ago. After I had ooed and awed about the delicious perfect cupcake and asked what her secret was- she directly copied it word for word from her recipe card. The recipe card makes me smile. It's titled No Fail Cupcakes and it's wording is just as my grandma would have worded. Semi-specific yet straight forward. These really are the easiest to make and hardest to mess up. You most likely have all of the ...
No-Fail Chocolate Cupcakes
No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars
I've always loved granola bars. In college I would carry them in my backpack for an quick and easy snack - and now I carry them in my purse to tide me over while I'm out shopping, or to hand to my little boys if their tummies start to growl. Better For You Homemade granola bars have half of the ingredients you find in a store bought granola bar, they are easy to make (my kind of food), and DELICIOUS! When Dole asked us if we wanted to partner with them to create a snack hack using some ...
Ruby Red Grapefruit Sparkler
A special drink has always been a favorite thing. As a kid I would mix cranberry and orange juice together, or sprite and lemonade. Something a little fancy is always up my alley. When Torani told us about their #AToraniBrunch campaign I was so excited to create this grapefruit sparkler. Citrus this time of year is delicious. I always look forward to the oranges, lemons, and grapefruit in the winter months. So I found it only appropriate that I make a grapefruit sparkler. Perfect ...
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Meatloaf
A couple weeks ago I tried out instant pot meatloaf and my whole family was blown away! We decided to take this meatloaf up a notch (if that's even possible) and make it instant pot cheeseburger meatloaf. How did the instant pot change up my meatloaf to make it so much better than oven baked meatloaf? My instant pot meatloaf comes out fluffy and moist. It's not dry or over cooked. It's all the right things. How to make instant pot cheeseburger meatloaf I start out by using 2 pounds ...
Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Are there any "dump-the-jar-of-prego-into-a-saucepan-and-warm-up" peeps out there? Not for long because this sauce is easy AND delicious! I've never been a fan of jarred sauces. There is just something about the flavor of them that I don't like. Homemade Spaghetti Seasoning The seasoning in this dish are probably in your pantry already, and you're never going to want to eat the jarred stuff again. Skip the preservative and ingredients you can't pronounce and try out this easy spaghetti ...
Beef and Broccoli / Pressure Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Beef and Broccoli is a fast, delicious easy week night dinner for any family! We love making it now in our pressure cooker. Pressure cooker beef and broccoli comes out tender and delicious! You use the same sauce and ingredients, it's just done to perfection! If you don't have a pressure cooker, no worries! This recipe on the stove-top is amazing too. When I was a kid I fell in love with beef and broccoli stuck to it. Didn't want anything else. No sweet n' sour, not anything. My parents were ...
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
Growing up red enchiladas were always a favorite...that love has spilled over into my own little family as well. These are always a delicious, easy, comfort food that we enjoy. My mom always relied on the seasoning packet for these babies - 'cause lets face it - canned red sauce is...well...yucky. So I have a red enchilada sauce recipe that will knock your socks off. Items From Your Pantry I actually really like the good ol' seasoning packet as well, but making homemade is nearly as easy ...
Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie
With love in the air for Valentine's I wanted to make a delicious snack hack using healthy sugar free ingredients! Of course it had to be pink, or red, or both! So My kids and I came up with this crazy good ombre strawberry grapefruit smoothie! It is grapefruit season and my children have been completely obsessed. So much so that they beg for grapefruit for their lunches. I've been getting them Dole Sunshine ruby red grapefruit bowls since they cant exactly dissect a grapefruit during ...
Tropical Fruit Salad
I love this time of year in southern California. The trees are bursting with citrus fruit. When my neighbors show up with bags full of lemons, oranges and grapefruit I just wanna cry I'm so happy to get them. Citrus fruit are in season during this winter months (for the US) This time of year you'll buy the sweetest grapefruit, juices oranges and my favorite cara cara oranges! Making a fruit salad out of these beautiful fruits can kind of be tricky, so I'm helping you out with how to make the ...
Pressure Cooker Flan Cheesecake
On our final day we ventured into Liberia to try a famous restaurant. The restaurant is owned by 3 brothers, first it started out in a tiny house but their food was so good it grew and grew. It's now about 3 houses combined and basically takes up a whole block. They had all sorts of delicious sea food, casados, fried rice and for dessert flan cheesecake. I really wanted to recreate this dish so we could make it at home. They served it out of little ramekins and I thought it would be perfect to ...
Healthy Fried Plantains
Everywhere we ate there were plantains at every meal. Most of the time they were boiled and I didn't care too much for them, until we ate at a 200 year old restaurant. It has been run by the same family all these years! When we ate there it was full of locals, walking chickens, iguanas. The grandma was cooking in the kitchen and her grandson was serving us. When be brought us our food it was delicious! My very favorite was the fried plantains and homemade cheese. Holy crap I was in ...
Pressure Cooker Seasoned Black Beans
Black beans. So many black beans in Costa Rica. Some smashed, some separate, some mixed in rice, some all by themselves. Some salty, some sweet. My personal favorite are the savory black beans, not completely mashed, mostly separated. Black beans can be a labor of love when having to soak and then boil for hours. Cooking them in the pressure cooker not only helps the processes speed up but also intensifies the flavor! Pressure cooker seasoned black beans are amazing! One thing I noticed ...
Slaw Tacos
I love this citrus slaw. It first started out as a taco topping. A copycat recipe from a local restaurant here in souther California. Over the years it has evolved into a slaw that we love to eat just plain! It's so good and refreshing. WHAT DO I SERVE CITRUS SLAW WITH? On a vacation to Costa Rica we continually order casados from the restaurant menus. I noticed how their slaws were all light and citrus. When we came home we wanted to recreate these casados and other dishes for friends and ...
Thai Lettuce Wraps
These thai lettuce wraps are my favorite, ALL TIME FAVORITE. They are inspired from a restaurant called Pei Wei. Every time we go I order these crunchy, sweet and spicy wraps. I crave them, anticipate them, love them. Then the last time I showed up to the restaurant they were gone. discontinued. disgraceful. The only thing left to do is to re-create the recipe for myself. This is the perfect lunch recipe for everyone who is starting their new year's diets and resolutions. Make a big batch ...
Meal Plans Made Easy
Des and I been playing around with offering meal plans for a very long time - so we thought we would give you guys a little taste and see how you like it. The Dinner Time Curse I hate to admit this...but even as a food blogger...there are times I really struggle to get dinner on the table. I go thru times where I REALLY don't want to make dinner. Ordering a pizza or having my husband pick something up just sound a lot more appetizing that chopping, cooking, and cleaning it all up! But ...
Lentil Bruschetta
This last week I took this lentil bruschetta to a few parties- each time nervous that people would look at it and run away (let's face it these lentils are not the most beautiful creatures on Earth...) but instead I received the opposite reaction! Everyone LOVED it. I received so many comments and even texts asking for the recipe afterwards. SO so happy this was a major hit. I have every confidence that when you make this you will love it and everyone you share it with will love it ...
Candied Pecans
These candied pecans have been on here for a long while, they're buried way back in the archives. Just because they're buried doesn't mean I don't make them all the time! They are one of our family favorites. They're perfect all year around but I find them especially festive during the holidays. The uses for candied pecans are endless! I typically love to make the for this pear salad, but they are so delicious on their own that sometimes they dont even make it to the salad before we eat ...
Everything You Need To Host A Cookie Exchange
My mom attended a cookie exchange every year at my grandma's house. All of her cousins, aunts, and friends were invited. They went BIG and baked a dozen cookies for each person in attendance. She would come home with laundry baskets full of cookies. Some delicious, some that went in the trash, ha ha! But it was an event that everyone looked forward to. In recent years I've attended cookie exchanges where each person brought a dozen cookies and left with a dozen assorted cookies. ...
Chewy Trail Mix
A few year ago my husband and I took an adult only getaway to Las Vegas. My mom graciously flew out from Utah to spend some one on one time with our son and to let us have a mini-vacation. Before I left she whipped up this chewy trail mix for our drive out to Vegas. Lots Of Good For You Ingredients This mix is full of things that are super good for you, so you don't feel guilty chowing down on it! Almonds, cranberries, and lots of fiber! I was skeptical with ingredients like Kashi Go ...
Beef Bourguignon
During our first "oh so meeting" in the beginning days of the blog - a friend who used to blog with us, Anna, brought over her beef bourguignon to photograph and later share on the blog. I remember loving that recipe when we all took a bite. When Holland House® asked if we wanted to try some of their cooking wines, I knew this recipe would be the perfect fit. I've made a few tweaks to Anna's original recipe, but this hearty beef stew is a classic. Family Tradition She told a story of when ...