I've got to be honest here, I didn't come up with this idea entirely. The recipe is tweaked from another recipe that I'm seeing everywhere lately-- one that is pretty good on its own but doesn't reach the its full potential, in my opinion. I would absolutely link to the original source if I had any...
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Pomegranate Mojito
Am I the only one who is completely blown away by how close to Christmas it is? Where did the time go? What have I been doing for the past month? I feel like Anchorman 2 has gotten more attention than the holidays this year, or maybe I just have selective hearing. Either way, I'm...
Salted and Malted Nutella Caramel Cookies
There are days when everything goes perfectly in my kitchen-- when I'm surprised at how easily a recipe has come together, there are no crazy set-backs, the food tastes great and is insanely photogenic, and the sun has decided to be on my side for the day and the natural lighting is perfect. Those days...
Boozy Raspberry Hot Chocolate
I've never been a huge fan of hot chocolate, but I also never realized that real hot chocolate doesn't come from a powder packet. In real hot chocolate, you actually melt chocolate and add milk and cream, which probably should be obvious but I never even considered it. It tastes like liquid happiness. Or at least...
Spicy Fried Shrimp
The first time I ever ordered Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill, I sang "She Bangs" (you know, the song by Ricky Martin-- but I sang it like William Hung) for about a week. It was a silly association, but it was so severely stuck in my head that it was driving me crazy. I...
Tomato Bacon Bisque
Many years of disliking tomatoes and an unfortunate encounter with Campbell's canned tomato soup had me thinking all this time that any variation of the stuff wasn't for me. However, this year I decided that I was going to push myself to try things I usually wouldn't, because taste buds change and yadda yadda, so...
Pretzel Bread
So, I'm well aware that I have kind of done this before. One of my first posts on this blog was for German Pretzel Rolls, which I guess are essentially pretty similar to Pretzel Bread, but I make no apologies. Why? Because pretzels are my favorite things ever, as you may have already known from the...
Cranberry White Wine Punch
I am a heavy proponent of two things at family gatherings: 1) Serving yourself, because the potatoes won't seem to cook, there are kids running around everywhere, Aunt Terry is discussing conspiracy theories, the potatoes still aren't done, you can't remember your third cousin's name and you don't know how much longer you can...
Roasted Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pomegranate Seeds
Seeing as it's getting to be "that time of the year", I feel like I should let you know about one thing I'm particularly thankful for: the fact that I never was served brussels sprouts as a kid. I don't know what it is about parents, but they seem to go through a phase once...
Thyme Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
I'm hardly the only person in the country who has a serious smorgasbord sprawled around the dining room table every Thanksgiving. My family always has the traditional staples-- turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce-- and a few oddballs-- Grandma Sandy's steamed pork dumplings, whatever last-minute concoction I come up with, et cetera. However, there has...
Roasted Garlic Gnocchi with Bacon, Spinach, and Smoked Gouda Cream Sauce
Since I started experimenting in the kitchen a few years ago, there hasn't been much that I've been too scared to attempt. Most of the time, my eagerness to jump right in to a new technique or use a new ingredient has proved well worth it, although I have to admit that I've had more...
Freezer-Friendly Athenian Chicken Quesadillas
I'm not ashamed to admit that out of all the awesome places I've eaten (and there have been many), my favorite place to frequent has always been a little dive bar just up the road from my mom's house. It's an unassuming spot that's far too small for the amount of locals who crowd in for...
Buffalo Chicken Corn Chowder
Depending on how long you've been hangin' 'round here, you may or may not remember my Buffalo Chicken Extravaganza last year. Basically, when the Super Bowl was drawing near, I went absolutely balls-to-the-wall, full-speed-ahead into buffalo chicken territory. Afterwards, I vowed to lay off of the buffalo chicken for about a year, and I almost...
Blue Cheese Garlic Beer Bread
Now that the cold weather has finally kicked in, most people are dreaming about baking up cookies, apple creations, and pumpkin masterpieces. You can definitely lump me in with that bunch-- my kitchen has been smelling like brown sugar and cinnamon for the past several weeks now, and there's no sign of it stopping any...
Chili Cheese Dog Dip
For me, football season has always been about the dips. In fact, when I was just getting interested in cooking, I made a few trays of dip for a Super Bowl party at my years-later-to-be-boyfriend's fraternity house, and he even just recently reminded me of how kick-ass it was and how quickly it was devoured. ...
Spicy Pork Bulgogi Sliders
It's not often that you see Asian food gracing tables or tailgates once football season begins. There are hamburgers, hot dogs, wings, pizza, 7 layer dip, and of course, plenty of beer, but nothing to represent the world's largest continent. I, for one, think that this is a tragedy (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but...
How to Put Together Your Own Italian Wine and Antipasto Spread
I personally don't believe that you can go over-the-top with a meal as long as the taste is worth it in the end. I don't find anything wrong with spending hours in the kitchen, or searching high and low for the best ingredients, or meticulously planning out the details of each course. Food is something...
Fried Olives Stuffed with Italian Sausage and Goat Cheese
I don't know a single person who feels lukewarm about olives-- my boyfriend, for example, absolutely hates them, and I really love them and always try to sneak them (and artichokes, one of his other many food foes) into Mediterranean dishes without him noticing. There's no fooling him; he always picks them out. My brother loves...
Shrimp Satay Skewer Shooters with Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce
On nights where I can't be bothered to cook, I begin to really miss college. Back then, I was young, impressionable, and a budding future food-fanatic, thanks to the many competing restaurants and extreme cultural diversity in the area. There was cuisine from nearly every country-- from Lebanon to Italy to Ethiopia-- and despite being...
Watermelon Bruschetta with Whipped Feta, Basil, and Balsamic Drizzle
As you might already know, this weekend James and I went to North Carolina to visit my cousin Ashley and her fiancé Evan, and just as I promised, you're going to hear a lot about it in the next few weeks, starting right now. First of all, let me just say that Mother Nature...
Mexican Stuffed Peppers (Chorizo-Stuffed Poblanos)
I remade these Mexican Stuffed Peppers so that they're better than ever. Check out the new post, recipe, and photos HERE. This past weekend, James and I went to an awesome little barbecue place in his town and pigged out (see what I did there?). It was fantastic, and I've definitely been inspired for some future...
Breaking Bad Blue Margarita (with Blue Salt and Blue Ice Chips)
With the Breaking Bad season premiere coming up this Sunday, you probably need something to sip as you and your friends gasp at the TV. If you're looking for drink inspiration for your premiere party, it's about time you break out those bottles and get mixing! You don't need your chemistry set to come up...
Tiffany Blue Cosmopolitan
It's been a little while since I concocted the Tiffany Blue Cosmopolitan (as in somewhere between 6 and 8 months), but it somehow got buried behind a million other little things in my mind and never made it to the blog. Luckily, I was scrolling through old pictures on the computer to delete some of...
Hummus Crusted Chicken
If you're one of the people who realized off the bat that this is a healthy recipe and said, "No way; That's just not for me," I have to advise you to reconsider. One, this tastes great. Two, it's quick to put together. Three, it's easy to put together. Four, a fourth point shouldn't be...
S'mores Treats in Mini Mason Jars
I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, but some days I have cravings for s'mores. Really, I should say most days. Most days I have cravings for s'mores. If you're still hung up on the non-sweet-tooth part, I apologize. I'm just more of a salty snacker than a sweet eater. Except...
Marinated Antipasto Skewers
There's been a lot of debate lately about using the "F" word. You know... Foodie.
Mini Pretzel Dogs
Forgive me if I'm repeating myself here (which I'm nearly positive I am), but I consider myself a pretzel expert. Or maybe more of a pretzel fanatic. I mean, whatever you call it, there's definitely an obsession there. Thin, sourdough, mall-style or Philly-- I'll take them all. I worked at Auntie Anne's for...
Grilled Pesto Chicken Sandwiches
Considering that I was obsessed with roasted red peppers for the first few years of learning to cook, I can hardly believe that I have included just one lonely recipe that uses them as an ingredient since starting this blog. In fact, obsessed might be an understatement here-- it was extremely rare that I ever made...
Rosemary Olive Oil Crock Pot Bread
HEY! There are better pictures, PLUS the recipe you're looking for, PLUS a recipe for Olive Oil Herb Dip to go with your Rosemary Olive Oil Crock Pot Bread HERE! *Sample photo from the new post-- go check it out!* Ah, I see you've decided to just scroll down anyway instead of viewing the...
Maryland Crab Cakes with Horseradish-Sriracha Remoulade
It all started about 2 months ago, when my good friend and past housemate (and avid reader of this blog-- hi, Rachel) mentioned that she wants to meet up at Chickie's & Pete's some day over the summer, which may or may not be my favorite sports bar due to it's abundance of shellfish, mollusks,...
Captain's Passion Punch
I originally had planned to start this off with a mention of the sudden shift we've had from freezing cold to sunny and 80-someodd degrees. We seem to have skipped spring all-together, I would have said, and bounded into the days of BBQs and backyard events. At least that's how it seemed last week when...
Tacos Al Pastor with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
Most likely, when we hear the word "taco" in the US, we think of the ground beef stuffed tortillas with a variety of garnishes that you can find everywhere from Taco Bell onward to the sit-down restaurants we frequent when a Mexican food craving grabs hold. However, in Mexico, ground beef tacos really aren't popular at...
Creamy Margarita Popsicles
They always say you should write about what you know. Well, I know how to put alcohol in anything. I learned a lot in college. Because I couldn't decide on a major for the longest time, I took classes in pretty much every subject out there. Everything from linguistics to psychology to art have been in my arsenal...
Chile Relleno
I'll cut to the chase: This is good. I mean, it's really good, the type of really good that makes it difficult for me to not leap out of my seat, speed off to the grocery store, and stock up on ingredients to make another batch. It's the type of Chile Relleno you find in...
Coco Pina Margarita
I have my first sunburn of the year, everyone. It's not of the same, near-watermelon pink fate that my boyfriend's poor skin endured, nor the kind that leaves uneven strips of ghostly white where sunglasses or tank top straps once rested. Still, it's there. Just barely. Really I do mean just barely, but there's...
Omi's Wurstsalat (German Bologna Salad)
"Let's make Wurstsalat," my Omi (German for Grandma) said through her thick accent over the phone, as we tried to decide what we would cook together when she visited. "Okay, what's in that?" I asked her. Wurst is German for sausage, and salat, obviously, for salad. I was expecting a big bowl of bratwurst with...
German Rouladen
When I grow up, I’m going to be a paleontologist. That is what I would have told you when I was in grade school. (It was a slightly more attainable goal than the previous year’s career aspiration, which was to actually be a dinosaur.) I was obsessed with dinosaurs, and my room was...
Pasta Greco
I've apologized once before for keeping a recipe from you for a week. I don't even know how to properly apologize for this one-- I've been keeping this from you for months now. Of all things to keep from you, why Pasta Greco? I have no idea. This is my go-to recipe. It is so delicious, and...
Planter's Punch
I want to tell you about the sunshine we've had lately, but I already did. I want to tell you how amazing a Jamaican cocktail can make you feel on a beautiful day, but I already did. The Dark N' Stormy is an awesome drink that I just can't get enough of, but this time,...
Dark 'N Stormy Cocktail
It's a beautiful day out in New Jersey, which is shocking to see and write after what has seemed like a century of dreariness. The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and it seems only right to celebrate the amazing weather with a cocktail. The perfect drink for such an occasion? The Dark 'N...