Baby shower time!!! My friend Krystal is having baby #2 soon, and a group of us food bloggers are throwing her a Virtual Baby Shower! Krystal and I first met at a food photography/styling workshop hosted by Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson. Since then, we’ve kept in contact with each other in the digital space. Sadly, I wasn’t able to participate in Krystal’s first VBS for baby Elena (whose Instagram pictures slay me – so adorable!). So I jumped at the chance to participate in VBS #2. Especially when I heard it was cupcake themed.

Let me tell you about these Maple Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting. Imagine a stack of pancakes that’s been doused with a substantial amount of butter and maple syrup, then topped with a melty, ooey gooey, toasted marshmallow. Yeah, that’s what these cupcakes taste like. They’re quite addicting. I actually sat down and ate three of them shortly after photographing the picture above. Continue reading for the recipe.

Continue reading: Maple Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

I’ve been quite busy over the past two weeks tying up loose ends before I go on vacation with the man.  We are leaving tomorrow evening for New York City!!!  So I’m going to keep this quick.  As quick as this recipe for Homemade Olive Oil Mayonnaise.  Seriously, this comes together in a matter of moments.  And I’ve got a video below to prove it!!  Continue reading for the recipe.

Continue reading: Homemade Olive Oil Mayonnaise

This is what happens when you buy bacon in bulk.  Freshly popped corn is tossed with marcona almonds, crispy bacon, smoked sea salt and cayenne pepper, then drowned in a rich, deeply-hued caramel.  Bacon Caramel Corn is both super tasty and super addicting with the most satisfying crunch.  To be honest, I’m usually not the biggest fan of caramel corn.  I often find that it is too cloyingly sweet.  Luckily, this version of caramel corn isn’t too sweet.  It’s quite savory actually with just a hint of sweetness.

Bacon Caramel Corn can be made up to two days in advance.  Be sure to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  If you’ve never made caramel before, I’d recommend doing a practice run.  This caramel is simply a mixture of sugar, water and corn syrup, so if you mess it up, throw out the batch and try again!  Continue reading for the recipe.

Continue reading: Bacon Caramel Corn

So I think I might have a new obsession: Orange Cardamom Scones + Blood Orange Marmalade + Mascarpone Cheese.  Sweet, tart, creamy, flaky, and buttery.  Does it get any better than that?  Not just for scones, this sunset-hued spread can liven up any slice of buttered toast or cream-cheesed bagel.  Typically thought of as a breakfast food, marmalade can actually be used in many other applications.  Try spooning a dollop over vanilla ice cream to brighten up your late night dessert.  This marmalade can also be shaken into a seasonal cocktail or be used as the base of a fruit vinaigrette.

I’m already one paragraph in, and I have yet to mention the best part of this recipe.  It only requires 3 ingredients.  And 1 of them is water!!  If you’ve never made marmalade before, don’t be intimidated and give this recipe a try.  I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how easy it is.  Continue reading for the recipe.

Continue reading: Blood Orange Marmalade

With all of the diet changes happening in my life right now, I’ve become very aware of what I am putting into my body.  A month ago, I came down with a bad stomach bug after eating some homemade turkey burgers.  While I can’t exactly pinpoint the problem food, I am certain it was the ground turkey I got at the supermarket.  Since then, I’ve been grinding my own meat at home.  Now I did happen to experience a fair amount of weight loss from the stomach bug, so perhaps I should continue on eating the supermarket ground meat?  Really, I’m just two stomach bugs away from my target weight.  But, I’d rather not use up any more sick days at work for the same issue.  Also, it always seems like ground meat products are in the news wrapped up in some sort of scandal: recalls, salmonella, E. coli, and even horse meat!  So I’m going to stick with grinding my meat at home.  And let me tell you, the process couldn’t be easier.  Continue reading for the method.

Continue reading: How to Grind Meat in a Food Processor

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