I remember my first childhood encounter with stinging nettle all too well. My family was camping up in the bluffs above the California coast for the weekend and I had found a ground of kids to play a campground-wide game of hide and seek with. When the countdown began, we all took off flying on our bikes to find the best bit of shrubbery to launch ourselves into. Can you guess where I decided to hide?…
gluten free
Gluten Free Dutch Oven Boule
In case you (like me five minutes ago) didn’t know, boule is a fancy word for round loaf of crusty bread. It also happens to be pretty fun to say, though to be honest I’m not entirely sure that I’m pronouncing it right. Either way, mastering gluten free bread has lately become kind of an obsession of mine.
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Mama T’s Chunky Guacamole
When it comes to party appetizers, my Mom has it on lock. She knows how to whip up a tasty snack on the spot and still make it look like she’s having the time of her life mashing a billion avocados in a humongous ceramic bowl. As you may have guessed, I love hosting.
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The Perfect Quinoa Salad
When it comes to making lunch to take to work, I’m usually about the laziest person there is. I love taking my time making a delicious dinner or dessert, but for some reason lunch just doesn’t make the cut on my interest levels. Especially since I know it will most likely be leftovers (aka the best kind of lunch), which means I’m not often set with the task of making something for lunch from scratch….
The Most Magical Baby Back Ribs Ever
Before this past Labor Day, I had never attempted to master the baby back ribs for fear that I would somehow screw them up horrendously. I’ve eaten plenty of ribs in my day, some good and some not so great, but my favorites have always been the ribs that are fall-off-the-bone tender and have a crusty bark on the outside.
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Quinoa Protein Bars [GF]
I’ve never been a huge fan of protein bars, mostly because I’m not a big lover of chocolate (weird for a female human being, I know). I figured if I couldn’t find a protein bar that I liked, I might as well try to make one. I had a bunch of random things in my pantry as per usual, so I decided to wing it. Thankfully, these turned out delicious!
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BLTA Spring Rolls
Sandwiches are pretty much my jam and one of my very favorites is the BLT. The freshness of the lettuce and tomato combined with the crispy saltiness of the bacon really just screams picnic in the park or day at the beach to me. When you toss in a few slices of avocado, you’ve pretty much reached ultimate sandwich Mecca in my book….
Asian Brussels Sprouts + Cabbage Slaw
When it comes to salad, I get tired of the standard greens and balsamic vinaigrette that dominates the menu selection at a lot of my typical lunch haunts. Plus if you can’t eat it all in one sitting, dressed salad doesn’t keep worth a damn no matter how lovingly you store it. Soggy salad just isn’t my cup of tea. …
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Goodbye, Summer. You will be sorrowfully missed, let me tell you. Fall is basically here and I feel like I still haven’t eaten my fill of peaches, nectarines, or most importantly strawberries.
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Grilled Corn + Cherry Tomato Salad
Let me just say that I LOVE this salad. It’s fresh, easy to make, and tastes absolutely phenomenal. I even got my boyfriend who isn’t the biggest corn lover to get a second helping. I call that a complete success….