Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova for Valentine's Day Valentine's Day is just a few days away and if you haven't thought of what to make for a romantic dessert, my Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova should fit the bill nicely. It's an impressive yet surprisingly easy dessert to make. Equal time is spent hands on and hands off to...
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Vanilla Pineapple Margaritas #vanillaweek
Vanilla Pineapple Margaritas This is my third and final recipe for #Vanillaweek. I hope you have all enjoyed the recipes I made as well as all the other recipes from the other bloggers that have been participating. For my final recipe I went with a cocktail. Perfect for Friday and since the weather has been...
Sparkling Tahitian Vanilla Cupcakes
Sparkling Tahitian Vanilla Cupcakes I am such a huge fan of vanilla and I think it's anything but "vanilla" as in bland. plain, boring, basic. I have chocolate cupcakes on my blog, plus a few other fun flavors, and I realized I don't have a vanilla cupcake recipe. At least not on this blog....
Vanilla Balsamic Roasted Chicken Thighs with Cara Cara Orange Sauce
Vanilla Balsamic Roasted Chicken Thighs with Cara Cara Orange Sauce Not many people think of a savory meal when they think of vanilla, but I am here to tell you that it's amazing in savory recipes like this Vanilla Balsamic Roasted Chicken thighs with Cara Cara orange sauce. I am a huge fan of citrus...
Honey Lemon Mochi Doughnuts
Honey Lemon Mochi Doughnuts I think I had the most fun coming up with these Honey Lemon Mochi Doughnuts since they too are inspired by several parts of the movie, Big Hero 6, like like my Melt Your Face Off Chicken Wings recipe. My kids LOVE baking doughnuts. Baked doughnuts are really just a ring shaped...
Melt Your Face Off Spicy Asian Baked Chicken Wings
Melt Your Face Off Spicy Asian Baked Chicken Wings These are insanely delicious chicken wings. I got my inspiration for these Melt Your Face Off Spicy Asian Baked Chicken Wings from the movie Big Hero 6. We are big time movie buffs at my house, especially when it comes to suphero movies. We can't get...
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Pizza
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Pizza Its Pizza Friday!! Its supposedly national pie day, and people call pizza "pie" and since I am not the biggest fan of the dessert pie, I am going with this instead for pie day - Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Pizza. We are huge fans...
Maple Date Cream of Rice Hot Cereal
Maple Date Cream of Rice Hot Cereal It was winter for like all of two days here in Vegas last week. Its already back into the 60s, I was wearing flip flops today. But last week it was FREEZING. Freezing for Vegas, not the rest of the world mind you. 30 deg. in the am...
Pineapple and Coconut Fool
Pineapple and Coconut Fool Recipe is a healthy and delicious start to the new year. Happy New Year!! I dub 2015 the year of the pineapple and coconut. I wanted to make a lot more recipes with it in 2014, and, well, that year just slipped by faster than any other year it seems, so...
New Year's St. Germain Pear Sorbet Champagne Cocktail
New Year's St. Germain Pear Sorbet Champagne Cocktail I can't believe it is almost 2015. This year seems to have flown by faster than any other year so far. So to celebrate the new year I made a fun champagne cocktail. Last year I made a pineapple coconut champagne cocktail, this year I went a...
White Bandido Cocktail
White Bandido Cocktail Merry Christmas eve! Time to celebrate all day with cooking, baking, present wrapping and my latest cocktail creation, the white bandido cocktail. This month has been a whirlwind of activities, lots of work, not much time off, kids activities etc etc etc that it really seems Christmas snuck up on us. Free...
4 Ingredient Christmas Chocolate Rum Balls
4 Ingredient Christmas Chocolate Rum Balls These super easy to make and delicious chocolate rum balls will be a welcome addition to any cookie tray or holiday dessert table this year. And bonus -they are no bake! & I have been so busy this month! I had all these plans for recipes all month long...
Vanilla Cranberry Ice Cream Sundaes with Spiced Gingersnaps
Vanilla Cranberry Ice Cream Sundaes with Spiced Gingersnaps and Bourbon Whipped Cream December first and I am posting about ice cream sundaes. I think ice cream is acceptable year round, especially when make it "seasonal". One thing I make every November/December is a double batch of my cranberry chutney. Its normally meant to be served...
Lamb Carnitas Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Lamb Carnitas Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Originally published 2014, updated 2023) These lamb carnitas tacos are an amazing addition to my self proclaimed best diet ever, the " all taco diet". Doesn't that sound like the perfect diet? All tacos. All the time. Who doesn't love tacos?!? The recipe for these were inspired from...
Big ol' Batch of Buttermilk Belgian Waffles
Big ol' Batch of Buttermilk Belgian Waffles We eat a lot of Belgian waffles in this house. And by we I mostly mean my kids. And because we eat a lot of waffles, I always make big batches of them to freeze and thaw when needed so I am not waking up at 4 am...
Aprés Ski Boozy Tea (with homemade vanilla maple creamer)
Aprés Ski Boozy Tea (with homemade vanilla maple creamer) I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. Seems to have flown by faster than normal. It feels like I was just packing up Christmas decorations and here I am getting them out of storage already to decorate the house again. I also can't...
Grilled Cheese Tomato Sandwich
Grilled Cheese Tomato Sandwich. The only way to eat a grilled cheese in my opinion. And with wine of course. "You know you have made it in life when you have a refrigerator full of cheese" - Kristin Lilly This is going to be a tough post to write. But I need to, it's time....
Pumpkin Date Shake
Pumpkin Date Shake, like the famous date shakes from Hadley's in California with creamy pumpkin added in. I caved. Its November already and I finally caved in and made something pumpkin. I was pretty proud of myself for holding out for so long but I had the idea for this recipe last year actually and an...
Easy Creamy Tomato Soup
Easy Creamy Tomato Soup I am sure there are probably several thousand recipes online for tomato soup and or creamy tomato soup, but that doesn't stop me from making up new versions every once in a while. I had a craving for it last week and I figured my kids would love it since they...
Bride of Frankenstein Cocktail - Vanilla Blackberry Champagne Cocktail
Bride of Frankenstein Cocktail - Vanilla Blackberry Champagne Cocktail. I just love the color of this vanilla blackberry champagne cocktail. A perfect spooky halloween cocktail. Out of all the Halloween movies there are, the Frankenstein films are my favorite. From, The 1930's original Frankenstein movies to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to the oh so cheesy but...
Creepy Halloween Eyeball Martini ( Lychee Matcha and Blood Orange Martini)
Creepy Halloween Eyeball Martini ( Lychee Matcha and Blood Orange Martini) - a super fun Halloween themed cocktail. I love creepy Halloween cocktails and I had some fun creating these. You could also just call it a lychee, matcha and blood orange martini if the eyeball part grosses you out. Any way you call it,...
Liquid Ghost Halloween Cocktail
Liquid Ghost Halloween Cocktail- a delicious vanilla coconut cocktail perfect for an adults only Halloween party. I totally believe in ghosts. I LOVE haunted houses ( not the crazy ones that are mean the scare the poop out of people just at Halloween) but real deal haunted. Like The Stanley Hotel - stayed there....
Zucchini Linguine with Langostinos and Lobster Sauce
Zucchini Linguine with Langostinos and Lobster Sauce This is just like linguine with clam sauce. Except zucchini instead of linguine. And langostinos instead of clams. And lobster sauce instead of clam sauce. Ok so it isn't the exact same but this is my non-pasta twist on the dish and its so so so tasty! Bonus...
Aunt Lilly's Peach Floats - a perfect late summer dessert
Aunt Lilly's Peach Floats - a perfect late summer dessert. Creamy vanilla custard topped with peaches and raspberries topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream. Recipe origins: My late great aunt gave me this recipe of hers years ago when she was 95. She lived to a glorious 104 years old. A petite Austrian woman...
Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream and an 8 Billion Sprinkle Covered Cake
Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream and an 8 Billion Sprinkle Covered Cake This is a first for me. An actual dslr photo of one of my kid's birthday cakes. Normally its a few iphone snaps and a share on instagram. The only cakes I have ever blogged for my kids were their 1st birthday cakes...
Coconut Ice Cream with Pineapple Curd Swirl
Coconut Ice Cream with Pineapple Curd Swirl Summer is not over yet. Not in the least in my book and yet, so many friends are saying "hurry up fall". No!! I also refuse to look at Pinterest right now. There are TONS of pumpkin recipes being pinned already and Christmas stuff! Stop it, people, just...
Mango Coconut Popsicles and our Summer Bucket List
Mango Coconut Popsicles "Mommy...can we have popsicles? Can we please?" is the song I hear daily out of my kids. And why not? Its summer, its HOT out and popsicles are awesome. Except I am all out of popsicles on this particular day that they asked. That was yesterday. Wellllll I did have some, but...
Halibut with Pineapple Soy Ginger Sauce
Halibut with Pineapple Soy Ginger Sauce I am very excited to bring you another new super easy to make and healthy recipe on the blog today with my Halibut with Soy Ginger Pineapple Sauce. This post is sponsored by Le Creuset . ( Giveaway is now over) I have never been the typical “chick” when it...
Boozy Cherry Clafoutis for Bastille Day
Boozy Cherry Clafoutis. A decadent, boozy French cherry treat. OOOOHHH La la!! Holiday Food Party time and we are going French and celebrating Bastille Day!! When the group was chatting about what holiday to make recipes for next after we posted for Mother's Day, we thought it was a long time between that and Halloween...
Orange Sesame Grilled Salmon #ManMadeFood
Orange Sesame Grilled Salmon A quick, healthy salmon dinner, that is delicious and one of my husband's specialty recipes. When he has a free night to cook, which I love since he has a damn good cook, this is one dish he often makes. My husband's cooking when we first started dating is one of...
Spicy Ahi Tuna Sliders with Crispy Maui Onions Strings
Spicy Ahi Tuna Sliders with Crispy Maui Onions Strings I am a huge fan of sliders of all kinds. Those cute little three or four bite burgers that are on almost every pub or chophouse style restaurant appetizer and small plate menu. When we go out to eat at those kinds of restaurants I often...
Summertime Grilled Hobo Pies and Berries in Red Wine Syrup
Summertime Grilled Hobo Pies and Berries in Red Wine Syrup YAY!! Its finally summer!! One of our first fun meals of the summer are these grilled hobo pies for an outside bbq brunch. Also? Mimosas ( of course) and berries with red wine syrup and the berries are cooked on the grill as well. I...
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Doughnuts
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Doughnuts I guess today is national doughnut day. Or is it donut? Does it matter the spelling? It seems to be quite the split camp about the spelling. Either way, the first Friday of June has been declared national doughnut day and I am sharing with you a baked...
Pea Shoot Pesto Bucatini with Seared Sea Scallops
Pea Shoot Pesto Bucatini with Seared Sea Scallops I have been on a major pea shoot kick lately. Mostly in salads, but now that I have made pea shoot pesto, my meal frequency with them has increased by a lot. I love adding sprouts of any kind to salads and when I saw that Trader...
Fresh Pineapple, Avocado and Pea Shoot Salad
Fresh Pineapple, Avocado and Pea Shoot Salad I am a huge fan of spring and summer because that means more salads for meals and I am a huge fan of a salad. Big or small, I love salad. Myself and 5 other bloggers teamed up to bring you some fun healthy recipes. Normally when I...
Spicy Chili Pepper Mango Margarita
Spicy Chili Pepper Mango Margarita. Yum. I have this habit of taking photos of the menus at restaurants and bars we go to so I can try to recreate the meals or drinks at home. I seriously have a folder of iphone photos of restaurant menus on my computer. Some are hard to read since...
Pineapple Coconut Sweet Rolls ( Piña Colada Sweet Rolls)
Pineapple Coconut Sweet Rolls or as they are also called Pina Colada sweet rolls if you go with the optional addition of rum. YUM I think this is funny that I made this not super easy recipe for my Mother's Day post for the holiday food party because it didn't go exactly as planned...because my...
Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Coconut Syrup
Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Coconut Syrup. Guava Mango Mimosas. Tropical Fruit Salad. Also known as Mother's Day Brunch Hawaiian Style Mother's Day means brunch. And to me brunch means bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit and mimosas. You know me, pineapple and coconut all the things. I knew exactly what I wanted to make, my...
Grilled Pineapple and Pork Belly Pizza with Arugula and Burrata
Grilled Pineapple and Pork Belly Pizza with Arugula and Burrata I love a combo of sweet and salty on pizza and this one fits the bill. And yes, I am fully #teampineapple when it comes to pineapple on pizza. When it comes to ordering pizza either dining out or for take out, I stick with...
Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs with Roasted Asparagus
Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs with Roasted Asparagus. Also known as some seriously delicious food served in cute dishes. Small dishes are always cute, says me. When it comes to brunch there are two types of people, those who go for sweet options like waffles and pastries or those who go for savory like omelettes and...