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Coconut Cookies

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeMagicMoments #CollectiveBias I remember one of my first time making cookies from scratch. I'd heard it was super easy, only a few steps more than the mixes you can buy so I found a few recipes to try. I remember reading through them and one of the first things was to "cream" the butter. Yeah, I had no idea what that meant! I called one of my good friends and asked her what ... continue reading...

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Thanksgiving for the Vegetarian – 12 Recipe Ideas

Thanksgiving is best known for Turkey. It's pretty synonymous and what most of us expect that celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving. Sometimes there's a ham thrown in too, and many family like to add other meats that might be their favorite too. Where does this leave the vegetarian, though? Sure, one would assume the vegetarian will eat one of the traditional sides like Macaroni and Cheese or Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. However, we have a tendency to add meats and broths to those as well. I see ... continue reading...

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Butterscotch Snickerdoodle Cookies

There's certain smells and tastes that take me back to my childhood, and butterscotch is certainly one of the most vivid. My mother used to make this pudding and serve it in the cutest little pudding cups with long stems on them and I just couldn't wait to dig in after dinner. Butterscotch was always my favorite flavor pudding, and now I try to incorporate the luscious flavor into as many treats as I possibly can, it's such a simple but happy memory for me. Recently I wanted to try my hand at ... continue reading...

#ChicksWingIt #WingItWednesday beer chicken football fried main dish recipe side dish tailgate wings

Beer Battered Fried Chicken Wings

During the month of October my good friend Mandi from Chewsy Lovers and I got together to bring you a month of wings every week. This was actually something that began last year, and was so well received we decided to bring it back again for football season. Now that October has come and gone and we've got quite the arsenal of wing recipes, I thought I'd come back in Mid-November with a little encore recipe to share with you. I might do this every so often, these wing recipes are hard to resist! ... continue reading...

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Savory Chicken Noodle Soup

I will be the first person to exclaim from the rooftops and shout from the streets how much I love Fall. I love the crisp air, the beautiful colors of the leaves as they begin to drop from trees. I love the earth tone colors of Fall and the layered clothing. I love gloves and coats and boots. I love what it means to me in the kitchen, making more stews, soups and comfort foods. I also love that the holidays are coming up and everything that entails to our own little (big) family. However, ... continue reading...

#MacysChef cooking culinary events everywhere society Fall Fashion Show live cooking demo Macy's Macy's Culinary Council Rick Bayless travel Walnut Creek

Join Chef Rick Bayless at Macy’s in Walnut Creek!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency; as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Are you a foodie located in the Northern California Bay Area? I've got an awesome treat for you! On Thursday, November 19, 2015 Chef Rick Bayless will be at the Macy’s in Walnut Creek showing off his cooking skills during a live cooking demo during the Macy's Walnut Creek VIP Preview Night. During this session he will cook four of his delicious recipes and you will get your own ... continue reading...

#InsideOutEmotions candied candy cookie cream cheese cupcake deviled eggs Disney donuts doughnut frosting Inside Out movie party popcorn recipe red velvet smoothies snack snacks sprinkles sugar toys

Inside Out Theme Party Food Ideas

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias At least once a week I head to the store to get necessary grocery and toiletry items, and usually I pick one of my kids to go with me. Last week it was my youngest little guy, RoRo, and the store of choice was Walmart. While we were shopping, he noticed right away that there was a display getting set up for one of our favorite family movies ... continue reading...

#LegendaryTailgate appetizer BBQ big game boneless chicken football foster farms game day grilled main dish recipe sliders Stubb's tailgate

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LegendaryTailgate #CollectiveBias I have a confession. For many, many years I really wasn't into traditional barbecue type foods. I loved the sides, but eating meats slathered in barbecue sauce just really wasn't my idea of tasty foods. I'd dined at quite a few places and tried to like it, but to me the meat was always dry and it was like they were covering that up with ... continue reading...

#ChicksWingIt #WingItWednesday chicken dip football french onion game day garlic ginger honey main dish recipe tailgate wings

Ginger Honey Garlic Wings with French Onion Dip

I'm a little obsessed with balancing differing tastes and textures in my food. I love something that is both spicy and sweet, as well as crispy and creamy. To me, there's nothing better than snacking on something crispy with a creamy and lavish dip. That melding of flavors, it's what I love to do. Today I did it again! Ginger honey garlic wings. I know that doesn't sound too spicy, but if you look at the ingredient list there's a hint of spice. There's depth. There's also sweet. Gotta keep ... continue reading...

#TD4Rubbermaid appetizer dip football recipe Rubbermaid salsa tailgate

Easy Restaurant Style Salsa

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Rubbermaid. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. Want to know one of the things I look forward to most when eating at a new Mexican restaurant or taqueria, or even a Tex-Mex restaurant? It's the chips and salsa. I really don't know why, but I just love chips and salsa. At one point in my life, my nickname was "Chippy" because ... continue reading...

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Mango Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Most of the time when I make a smoothie it's really with no rhyme or reason. I just gather a bunch of ingredients that might go well together and dump them in the blender. Most of the time they include yogurt or milk, or a combination of the two. Often there's fruit, sometimes a vegetable or two. Usually some ice unless the fruit is frozen, and then I cross my fingers and hope for the best. Honestly, that's what I did with this smoothie that I threw together a few weeks ago. However, my ... continue reading...

#ChicksWingIt #WingItWednesday aioli buttermilk cajun chicken dip football fried game day main dish recipe side dish spicy wings

Cajun Buttermilk Fried Wings with Spicy Aioli

Last year when Mandi from Chewsy Lovers and I started our wing series, we didn't know quite how popular it would be. We had intended to just prepare a few recipes and share throughout the month of September to kick off football/tailgate season. It was sort of a no-brainer because Mandi and her husband, Buck, love to share recipes for tailgate foods and all of their grilling wonders, which ended up being some of their own most popular recipes. I too had written a few recipes for game day ... continue reading...

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Jumbo Raspberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Isn't it crazy how much our lives change in such a short amount of time? I remember about 7 or 8 years ago how my mornings would go. My husband, then my fiance, would leave to work in the wee hours of the morning before the kids and I were even awake. I'd rush every morning, throw the kids in their clothes, get presentable and take my makeup with me, drop them off at the bus stop because my commute was too long to be able to take them to school that early, and then I'd brave about an hour to an ... continue reading...

#ChicksWingIt #WingItWednesday baked brown sugar chicken dip football game day main dish recipe tailgate wings

Smoky Brown Sugar Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Last week I brought you the wonderful news (and delicious recipe) that the wings series that Chewsy Lovers and I began last year during football season was BACK and this week I'm bringing you one of my favorite wing recipes I've made to date. Oh, I'm so excited! This weeks wing recipe was one that I dreamed up. One of my very favorite seasonings is smoked paprika. I just love the flavor and depth that it brings to almost any dish and I thought it would be a wonderful main flavor for wings with ... continue reading...

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Mushroom, Zucchini and Carrot Saute

One of my favorite things, ever, is sautéed mushrooms. I'm a big mushroom lover as it is, but placing those babies in a pan with a bit of seasonings and some olive oil just makes them so incredibly tasty. I swear I could eat them like candy. All summer long I made different variations of sautéed mushrooms, sometimes with zucchini, maybe some tomatoes, and trying a variety of other veggies mixed in too. It's such an easy dish and you can serve it over rice, or with some pan fried fish that it ... continue reading...

#ChicksWingIt #WingItWednesday appetizer BBQ big game chicken creamy dip football game day grilled grilled chicken honey main dish recipe spicy sriracha sticky tailgate Yogurt

Grilled Honey Sriracha Wings with Herbed Yogurt Dip

Have I got some news for you! If you've been around for a while you might just remember the collaboration I did last year with my favorite kissing chefs, Chewsy Lovers. Mandi and Buck love to cook and grill, and they've come up with some amazing recipes for tailgating, so last year Mandi and I came up with a series called #ChicksWingIt because we wanted to share how us women can come up with some really great recipes for a tailgate food that is one of the most popular on game days - chicken ... continue reading...

#SKexperts #ZingBakingBlend apple baking dessert Fall healthy holidays kid-friendly low calorie pear pie pie crust recipe sweet sweets whipped cream

Mini Pear Apple Pie

Well the first day of fall has come and gone so I'm ready to announce the official start of baking season. That's right: it's all about cookies, cakes, and we must not forget the pies! I must say, I love a good pie, with a nice flaky crust; and I thought I'd celebrate the kick off to the fall season with some decidedly seasonal fruits that just scream AUTUMN to me. That's right, pears and apples. I just love these two flavors together, when the pears are just slightly sweeter than the apple, yet ... continue reading...

#7DaySwitchUp Family kitchen Life routine Viva Vantage

12 Tips to Switch Up Your Kitchen Routine

Last week I attended a delightful and informational brunch with a handful of other bloggers local to the Sacramento area. We sipped on mock cocktails from an Italian soda bar and munched on fresh fruit, bacon on a stick and pumpkin waffles with all the fixings while we learned about switching up our normal routines with Viva® Vantage® paper towels. Today I'm sharing what I learned with you during that brunch as a part of a sponsored post by Viva® Vantage®, and I'll be giving you some really ... continue reading...

#CarpanoAperitivoHour aperitivo hour appetizer Carpano Antica Formula cocktail martini recipe San Giuseppe Salami spritzer vermouth

Try an Aperitivo Hour

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Carpano Antica Formula and San Giuseppe Salami to bring you. As always, all opinions are mine alone. You know that time of day where things are the most hectic? In my house it's typically between 4:00-7:00 PM. That's when everyone is getting home from school, homework is getting done, food is getting made, snacks are getting eaten, adults are getting in from work and it's pretty much chaos. In our house it's organized chaos, but it's still a pretty ... continue reading...

#MacysChef Cat Cora cooking culinary events everywhere society Macy's Macy's Culinary Council San Francisco travel

Join Chef Cat Cora at Macy’s in Union Square!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency; as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. For my readers in the San Francisco Bay Area that love food, I have a treat for you! On Saturday, October 3, 2015 Chef Cat Cora will be at the Macy's in San Francisco presenting a live Q&A session along with co-host Liam Mayclem. You will hear all about Cat's no-holds-barred memoir on Southern life, Greek heritage, and the meals that have shaped many of her memories! If ... continue reading...