Ruby was STOKED.

We stayed at the Sorrento Hotel and completely loved it. The fact that they upgraded us to a suite didn’t hurt. We’ll be back.

The fact that they had french press coffee in the room didn’t hurt either. Where has this been all my life?!

Pike Place Market…you have my heart. We could have easily eaten every meal of the weekend there, and we came pretty close.

Being near water always makes me feel so happy and centered.

I stumbled into Marimekko and nearly died. Too much pretty in one place. I left with my wallet intact, thank the Lord.

I had to visit the famous Left Bank Books, though I’m fairly certain they did NOT approve of the evil corporate coffee I was carrying, nor the evil corporate smartphone I was using to take this picture, hence the shaky hand and slightly blurred photo. I still love it. Vonnegut fans unite (and guys, stop stealing. uncool)!

We had a beautiful vegan dinner at Plum Bistro, including this grilled pizza with roasted garlic, red potatoes, olives, capers, rosemary, and vegan mozzarella cheese. It was totally out of my comfort zone but one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! We’ll be back for you as well, Plum Bistro.

And then there was this guy. What can I say?

We love you, Seattle! We’ll be back.

I could eat chocolate chip cookies or brownies with sea salt every day of the week — but in between I’d like a taco. Or a quesadilla…or a burrito. Basically I’d like to eat Mexican food for every meal if at all possible…and there are weeks when we come pretty close! I’ve definitely been known to throw some salsa in my eggs for breakfast.

I’ve made many, many batches of homemade salsa and I’m always up for trying a new recipe! There’s something magical about chopping up veggies and cilantro, and tossing them together with little more than lime juice, salt and pepper — they just turn into their own little party. As far as I’m concerned, the fact that salsa is comprised of vegetables is a gift from the heavens!

On Sunday nights, we make tacos. Last Sunday we stuffed small, white corn tortillas with refried beans, heaping spoonfuls of this salsa, and some sliced avocado. I don’t know a better way to start a new week (or a new weekend)!

Corn and Pepper Salsa
Barely adapted from The Curvy Carrot

1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/3 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve with chips (or inside a taco)!

These are certainly the healthiest blueberry muffins I’ve ever made, and very tasty as well. While I was making them Saturday morning, Ryan and I joked that if they didn’t turn out well we’d feed them to the dogs. I can assure you that they are both human and dog-approved.

Let’s just go ahead and eat cake for breakfast! Or at least muffins.

Orange Blueberry Cranberry Muffins
Adapted from Eat Better America

I hope you’re like me and have a couple of cans of pumpkin still lurking in the back of your pantry. I know I’m not the only pumpkin hoarder out there!

Makes 12-14 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup fat-free (or non-dairy – I used soy) milk
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (from one small orange)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, lightly coat liners with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, orange peel, orange juice, and oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the four mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries and cranberries.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost full. Sprinkle with oats. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm (with butter!).

We definitely never take a trip of any kind without snacks. To be real, I rarely go anywhere without a snack! That’s just how I roll. Things get ugly when I get hungry. We refer to it as “hangry” (hungry + angry).

I’ll just be honest, I ate a bunch of these while photographing them! They are GOOD. I think I’ll add some dried fruit for maximum car snackage, but they’re great alone! You need a snack, right?

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Barely adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Makes 2 cups roasted almonds

1 egg white
1 teaspoon cold water
2 cups whole almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a large (preferably rimmed) baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk egg white and water until frothy. Add almonds and stir until well coated.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over almonds and stir until well combined.

Spread almonds evenly over baking sheet. Bake for 60-70 minutes (until almost dry), stirring gently about every 20 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

2. Today was my little sister’s 20th birthday. I’m getting old. And Mary, let’s celebrate your next birthday on the west coast. Deal?

3. Phones and birthdays aside, I’m feeling mighty blessed these days. The fact that I pulled off some legit gluten-free cupcakes this weekend didn’t hurt! I’ve eaten a lot of cupcakes and I’ll gladly sign my name to these bad boys. They are delicious. I did have some help from Bob here.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes

I used my favorite cream cheese frosting here, because I am mildly obsessed with it. Use your favorite frosting! I think a chocolate ganache would be great as well.

Makes about 30 cupcakes*

1 1/4 cups hot prepared coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill and highly recommend it)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup agave nectar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine hot coffee, cocoa, and chocolate chips, and stir until completely combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, agave nectar, and eggs until thick and pale. Add the sour cream and oil, and carefully whisk until well incorporated. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture, mixing vigorously. Put some muscle into it! When the flour is completely incorporated, whisk in the coffee mixture.

Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake about 20-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring cupcakes directly to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate with frosting of your choice. Store cupcakes (in an airtight container) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

*I actually made 24 cupcakes + 4 7-oz ramekins, but I’d imagine this translates to about 30 total cupcakes (give or take a couple).

It’s pretty much mandatory.

I used a heavy helping of fresh pineapple here, as well as some frozen mango and peaches from last summer. I’m pretty proud that we’ve eaten summer fruit for this long! Ryan makes fun of my “end of the world freezer” from time to time because I have a tendency to stash a little of everything in there, but shoot, many a tasty dessert (and meal) has come from that freezer.

I know apple and cherry crisps are more traditional, but I love this slightly tropical, sweet mixture of flavors. It’s not quite as good as laying on a beach with a pineapple drink and an umbrella, but I’ll take it!

Tropical Fruit Crisp
Adapted from Cooking Light

For the filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups roughly chopped fruit, fresh or frozen (I used a mix of pineapple, mango, and peaches)
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted

For the topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Add fruit, juice, and 2 teaspoons melted butter, and toss gently to combine. Place mango mixture in an 8-inch square baking dish (or pie plate) coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, combine flour, oats, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon, stirring well. Cut in 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over mango mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until browned.

Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. I have no words. Have you tried this yet? If you don’t have a TJ’s nearby (I’m sad for you), I’m told that Biscoff Spread is similar. This totally tastes like graham crackers and it’s equally delicious straight out of the jar and on anything you can think of…including Cheez-Its. Don’t ask me how I know.

Essie’s Turquoise & Caicos and Tart Deco. I have equally undying love for them both! I realize it may be a bit strange to feel so strongly about nail polish…but there you have it.

Another recent TJ’s favorite is this Soy Milk Creamer. I stir a generous amount of this into my coffee every morning and can almost pretend I’m drinking a latte. It’s creamy and delicious (and free of scary chemicals)!

Ryan gave me these Kendra Scott earrings as a birthday gift and I can’t stop wearing them! For such a bright color, they seem to go with surprisingly everything and I have to consciously stop myself from wearing them every single day. Clearly I’m a fan of teal in general, but these come in many other lovely colors as well.

Have you ever looked through a cookbook and wanted to make (and definitely eat) every single thing? I read a lot of cookbooks, but this sort of excitement is a genuine rarity for me. Both Joy the Baker and Pioneer Woman’s new books have hit it out of the park and left me very, very hungry.

What are some of your current favorite things?

I planned on making these at the end of last week…but I was never home long enough! Meringue cookies are so simple but they need some time. The egg whites need to sit out for a bit, and then they dry out slowly in the oven. They also DO NOT need 120% humidity, which means I needed a non-rainy day. Yesterday it all happened!

These lovely little cookies are so light and airy, with a little bit of extra chew from the Nutella. They aren’t quite as poofy and delicate as traditional meringue kisses — stirring in the Nutella can deflate the meringue a little. That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make!

Nutella Meringue Cookies
Tried and True Favorite Recipes

You can certainly opt to drop the batter onto the cookie sheets with spoons like a traditional drop cookie, but this is a great time to break out the pastry bag and REALLY look like you know what you’re doing. No one needs to know that the mixer and the star tip did all the heavy lifting!

Makes 20-25 cookies

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a double boiler (or a microwave on half power stirring frequently), melt Nutella, then set aside to cool.

Using a mixer, beat egg whites until completely foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, and continue to mix until soft peaks form.

Increase mixer speed, and add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat on high until the meringue forms stiff peaks.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the Nutella into the meringue three or four times. Avoid over mising as variegated and swirled effect is desired. Over mixing may also deflate the meringue.

Using two spoons or a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, drop the meringue onto the baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, rotate trays, and lower the heat to 200°F. Bake for another 40-45 minutes. Meringues should be completely dry, and will sound hollow tapped on the bottom after they cool.

This is probably not your mom’s pound cake. There’s Greek yogurt inside! Living on the edge, I know. Go with me here. It’s okay…I promise it still tastes like cake. You don’t have to tell everything you know.

This is a lovely cake with a sweet punch of citrus, perfect for summoning springtime. It’s also a lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon, and should probably be enjoyed with a bit of vanilla bean ice cream.

Triple Citrus Pound Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light

I started with a lemon pound cake…and couldn’t leave well enough alone.

Makes one tube cake

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons grapefruit zest (from one grapefruit)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup lemon-flavored Greek yogurt*
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
butter and flour for preparing pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10″ tube pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl add grapefruit zest to sugar and rub between your fingers to combine. Set aside. In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add grapefruit sugar until well combined, followed by extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by orange juice.

Combine sour cream and yogurt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt mixture, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over top of cake.

*If you can’t find lemon-flavored Greek yogurt, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream will do, but increase the lemon extract to 2 teaspoons.