Mayhem in the Kitchen!

Homemade Salad Toppings – Croutons and Vegan Bacon Bits

Spring has sprung! (Well, here in Minneapolis we woke up to more snow, but the calendar says it’s spring! Work with me here.) Birds are chirping! Farmer’s market season is soon upon us! This time of year I find myself looking forward to the beautiful local produce, wonderful salads, and vegetable-centered meals that come with…

Foolproof Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ok, I promise this is my last roasted vegetable post for awhile, but I just had to get this recipe out there for you guys! For awhile I was on a huge Roasted Broccoli kick, and was eating that a couple times a week, but lately Brussels sprouts (or “alien heads” as we called them…

Perfect Roasted Broccoli

I can say without hesitation that my favorite food is broccoli – I’ll sit down with a bowl of raw or steamed broccoli for any meal of the week. While I understand that this veggie love certainly isn’t common, I do think that in roasted form, broccoli has the potential to be universally loved. Picky…

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

A few weeks ago we picked up a pressure cooker, and since then, life has changed! OK, that’s probably a little dramatic, but our life, as it relates to beans, has definitely changed. We’ve always used a lot of beans in our cooking, but prior to last week we were buying a lot of canned…

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower

You guys know me and roasted veggies, it’s an obsession at this point. One dish that has been coming up a lot on social media recently has been Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower, but my husband doesn’t care for buffalo sauce. Last week he was out for the evening and I had some cauliflower handy, so I…

Birthday Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the weekend I was short on time, but needed to put together some treats for a neighborhood welcome basket. As these were new neighbors and I wasn’t yet sure of their preferences, I racked my brain for something that is quick and universally appealing, but also special. After thinking on it for an afternoon,…

Low Carb Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last week I was invited to a surprise party for a very close friend. His girlfriend wasn’t able to bake for the occasion without blowing her cover, so I volunteered to make my first foray into keto-friendly (low carb, LCHF) baking. Prior to making these cupcakes I did some extensive research on flour replacements and…

Mini Double Chocolate Muffins

February is a busy birthday month in my office, so while most of the time we celebrate with cake or cupcakes, February gets a little more variety. Last week I made an assortment of scones, and this week it’s double chocolate mini muffins! Chocolate muffins are a great birthday treat for an office – they…

Quick Cranberry-Orange Scones

During The Quest for Brunch Excellence, I deemed developing a great scone recipe something of utmost importance. I went through 3 or 4 techniques, and after trying to serve fresh scones for my guests, it became clear that a key feature of any scone recipe is simply how quickly they come together. This research paid…

Vegan Conversation Hearts

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was in middle school, and people always ask me if I ever crave meat. I can honestly say that I never have, but you know what I DO crave on a regular basis? Sweet glorious gelatin in all its forms. Gummy candies (peach rings especially, though Sour Patch Peaches…

Whiskey Caramel Truffle Cake

When it comes to baking for occasions, birthdays are my favorite. I love trying to think of a dessert that really suits the person. This time around, I was baking for a wonderful friend of mine. She’s not too picky, but I knew that she isn’t a fan of the copious amounts of frosting I…

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yesterday I needed make something for the Super Bowl party I was attending, but it seemed that all of the major football food groups were already covered – tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, taco dip, potato chips, ranch dip, onion dip, two kinds of pizza, mini tater tots, little smokies, chicken wings…. Thankfully, there happened to…

No-cake Birthday: Mini Pies – Apple and Rhubarb-Raspberry

My husband’s birthday was last week, and while he’s always up for cake, his real idea of a treat is a nice fruit pie. The day of his birthday, I procrastinated a little and planned on heading to the grocery store right after work, but mother nature had other plans and dumped us with 6…

January Dinner Party Menu: Italian

Last week we invited four friends over for a casual dinner party with a small twist – instead of my husband and me doing all the cooking, we bought the ingredients, then invited everyone over a little early to prepare the meal together. Our theme was Italian cuisine, and we went with four courses: Appetizer…

Moscato Zabaglione with Strawberries

At our dinner party last week, we made three courses of the meal with the help of our guests, then, just before the dessert course started, my husband and I prepared this wonderful pudding. Initially I was a little intimidated by this dish, and I almost made a cake instead, but I’m so glad…