Adventures in Food

Shrimp and Grits

2012-02-23T21:13:00.001-08:00

We love going to a little Cajun restaurant in Berkeley and the shrimp and grits on their menu is perfect southern comfort food! After doing some research and finding several very different versions online, I combined my favorite parts of each of them and came up with this recipe. While my version may not be very authentic, I can promise you it is incredibly delicious and each bite is full of cheesy, creamy, and spicy perfection!

Funfetti Cake Batter Puppy Chow

2012-02-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

In my obsession with all things cake batter, I happened to see a few recipes for Cake Batter Puppy Chow on Pinterest and decided to try my own version! Oh-My-Word! Each piece of white chocolate coated cereal tastes just like cake batter! What a crispy, delicious, sprinkle-tastic snack for a party...or just because it's Wednesday! :)
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Strawberry Cream Cheese

2012-02-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

We love strawberry cream cheese around here! It's so easy to make and the homemade version is so much healthier and tastier, I never buy the rubbery stuff in tubs from the store anymore! Perfectly sweet, and tasting just like fresh, summery strawberries, the Munchkins and I enjoyed spreading this thick, yummy topping on our bagels for lunch the other day! Delicious!
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Perfectly Pink Strawberry Milk

2012-02-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

As a little girl, every time I visited my grandma, I looked forward to digging the plastic tub of pink sugary powder out of the cupboard, scooping out a couple heaping spoonfuls, and swirling it around in a glass of cold milk to turn it into yummy pink strawberry milk. Now that I'm a responsible mother of two little girls, who adore all things pink, I decided I had to recreate the beverage of my youth for my own girlies without the high fructose corn syrup and artificial dye. This creation made us all happy! Creamy, sweet, full of fresh strawberry flavor, and gloriously pink... you've got to try this healthy homemade strawberry milk yourself!
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White Chocolate- Macadamia Nut Cookies

2012-02-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

My Nana loves white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and whenever I ask her what kind she wants me to make her, it's these. She always tells the story of being in Hawaii on vacation, getting a craving for one, searching everywhere, and not being able to find them anywhere despite macadamia nuts being all over the place! She just had surgery on her leg this week and I made her a big plate of these to help her recovery along by cheering her up. From the smile on her face when she ate one, I think they did the job! I used my recipe for Best-Ever Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies and added white chocolate, nuts, and a splash of almond extract to pump up the flavor. They were amazing!

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Marshmallow Snowmen

2012-02-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

I made these cute little marshmallow guys for our annual "Gingerbread Breakfast" as favors for all of Munchkin's toddler buddies. They were super easy to put together and were cute as party decor too!
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Citrus Pulled Pork

2012-02-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

We love pulled pork and with some boneless pork shoulder in the freezer and tons of oranges in my fridge, this recipe was a no-brainer! It is so easy to throw together in the crock pot and the result is mouthwatering! Tender, juicy, citrusy meat... perfect for wrapping up into tacos, stuffing into quesadillas, or just eating over rice with the sauce poured right on top!

Funfetti Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls with Cake Batter Icing

2012-02-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

After making Funfetti Cake Batter Dip, Funfetti Pancakes, and Funfetti Waffles, these Funfetti Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls were naturally the next treat we had to make and they were a huge hit at our house! Imagine a warm, sticky cinnamon roll that tastes like cake batter! With sprinkles inside and out and covered in delicious, gooey cake batter flavored icing, they are sure to put a smile on your face and bring out the little kid in you!

Moist and Delicious 2 Hour Turkey!

2012-01-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe at Safeway years ago and have been using it ever since! Everyone I've ever told about it, can't believe that a turkey can be cooked so quickly and still be tasty and moist. After one bite of this turkey though, they're begging for the recipe! The skin gets crispy and seals in the moisture as the turkey cooks, so every bite is juicy and flavorful! Enjoy!
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Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Nutella Icing

2012-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Today was cold, rainy, and windy, so the Munchkins and I decided to stay cozy inside day. Lounging around in jammies, we built a fort, watched a movie, took naps, and made these cinnamon rolls. February 5th is World Nutella Day and I thought this would be the perfect treat to make in honor of this day! Hosted by Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso, this world-wide celebration of chocolate hazelnut goodness is the perfect excuse to indulge is some tasty treats! I decided to make these cinnamon rolls with Nutella filling AND Nutella icing. Oh-my-word. Every warm, gooey bite tastes of cinnamon, hazelnut, and chocolate! Another great thing about these is that you can make them ahead of time and then just microwave right before serving and they taste hot from the oven. This is the perfect dessert to share with those you love, and would be a lovely breakfast to bring your Valentine in bed! Try it today! :)
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Best-Ever Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-17T22:05:00.000-08:00

These cookies are truly the best chocolate chip cookies EVER! I found this recipe through Pinterest and changed it just a bit to create these chewy, gooey, chocolate packed cookies! Be warned: they're highly addictive, especially warm from the oven! :)

Pesto Puff Pastry Pinwheels

2012-01-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

I made these cheesy, little, pesto filled, flaky pastry pinwheels as a Christmas Eve appetizer. They're just the right size for munching and are so tasty you won't want to stop!
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Coconut Bread Pudding with Coconut Cream Sauce

2012-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

With a few stale croissants on my hands the other day, I decided to make bread pudding. Now that the holidays are over, I find myself thinking about warmer weather and the foods that come with it, coconut in particular, and I whipped this up in minutes for our New Year's Eve dessert. The bread pudding is moist with just a hint of sweetness and with the warm coconut cream sauce spooned over the top, every bit was bursting with coconutty goodness!
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Savory Pumpkin Polenta

2012-01-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

This savory pumpkin polenta is the perfect winter side dish to ham or roasted chicken! You can make it ahead of time and just thin with chicken broth and stir with a whisk while reheating over medium heat before serving.

Pig in the Mud

2012-01-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Munchkin had been planning a princess birthday party for months, when two weeks before her party she suddenly fell in love with pigs and decided that she wanted a farm animal birthday party instead. We bought plastic pigs to stick on her birthday cake, had her party at a local park that had a small barn complete with cows, sheep, and pigs, and for dessert we served these Pigs in the Mud. Plastic cups of delicious, creamy chocolate coconut pudding with buttery little pig shaped sugar cookies sitting on top. It was the perfect ending to the most perfect Farm Animal 3rd Birthday there ever was! :)
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Best Ever Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

2012-01-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

This recipe, adapted from Betty Crocker, is an old family favorite. As long as I can remember, My mom, grandma, and I have been using it to make Christmas cookies and now it's my go-to recipe when I want to make any kind of shaped and decorated cookies. For Munchkin's farm-themed birthday party we made pig shaped ones for 'Pig in the Mud'... and they were as delicious as they were cute! :)
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Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats

2012-01-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

After getting a box of chocolate rice krispies on sale the other day, I couldn't help but imagine them smothered in marshmallows, in bar form. Munchkin helped me make these chocolate rice krispy treats, using the chocolate cereal rather than the plain, and cut them into shapes with cookie cutters to share with her little friends. It was a delicious twist on a classic sticky treat!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2011-12-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

These muffins are the perfect addition to any holiday gathering! Whether you serve them as a spicy, sweet, perfectly moist breakfast muffin or call them cupcakes and serve them for dessert, one thing is certain... you won't have any left!

Cinnamon Avocado-Banana Bread

2011-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

With a bunch of ripe avocados and bananas that needed to be used, I saw a recipe on Babble and had to try it, with the addition of cinnamon. This recipe has it all nutritionally; whole wheat flour, honey instead of sugar, a fruit, and a veggie inside! It's also perfect for anyone with a dairy or egg allergy because it's completely vegan. I made jumbo muffins and then cut them in half and spread them with butter for the munchkins and they both gobbled them right up!
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Baby Food: Banana- Avocado Puree

2011-11-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

This puree is a great way to introduce avocados to your baby! The sweetness and creaminess of both the banana and avocado makes them perfectly paired as a first food for your little ones and this puree is packed full of good fats, fiber, and lots of potassium for their growing bodies!
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Funfetti Pancakes

2011-11-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

With an opened box of funfetti cake mix after making Funfetti Cake Batter Dip, I decided to try this recipe for funfetti pancakes from the same blog. I made them in mini size for the munchkins and they were amazing! The sugar in the batter caramelizes when it hits the hot pan giving these a little crunch on the outside while turning into warm, fluffy, funfetti cake in the middle! While probably more appropriate for dessert than breakfast, these are an amazing treat any time of the day!

Funfetti Cake Batter Dip

2011-11-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest and although I was skeptical at first, I made for for me and the Munchkins to snack on the other day. Who doesn't love funfetti cake batter, right?! And it's "healthy" since it's made out of yogurt! :) To my surprise, it really did taste like funfetti cake batter! It was amazingly yummy! We dipped fruit, graham crackers, and animal crackers in it and licked the bowl clean afterwards. You've gotta try it for yourself...
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Sausage and Herb Stuffing

2011-11-23T21:30:00.001-08:00

Until this year, I'd never tried making stuffing from scratch. Thinking it'd be too time consuming or labor intensive, I usually rehydrate a boxed mix and served it along side our Thanksgiving turkey. This year, I decided to give it a go and to my surprise it was easy and took less than half an hour to make! The flavors are so rich and delicious, a family member actually said it was the best stuffing they had ever eaten. I would have to wholeheartedly agree.. seriously, it's that good!

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Cinnamon Spice Glazed Pumpkin Scones

2011-11-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

You know that fall is in the air is when yummy pumpkin treats start appearing everywhere! I love pumpkin any time of year, but I always especially enjoy being able to grab a spicy pumpkin scone at Starbucks with my hot drink! If you like the pumpkin scones at Starbucks, you will LOVE these! Moist, soft, spicy pumpkin flavor covered in a cinnamon glaze- these are delicious for breakfast or dessert and are sure to get you in the mood for Autumn!

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Vanilla-Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes were the result of an adapted Dorie Greenspan recipe that I made for baby munchkin's first birthday party! I topped them with my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe and they were a huge hit with everyone who tried them! I love that they are both vanilla-y and lemony and taste good at room temperature or slightly chilled! Mmmmm! :)
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