Food

Moving back to California, one of the things I looked most forward to was all of the produce. I had no idea that I would actually find a lemon tree, with ripe lemons, in my yard! The first day we arrived, my kids were super excited to see the vibrant yellow lemons hanging, very ripely, from the tree off of our patio.

I’ve made A LOT of cookie recipes over the years. Given that fact, t’s about time I share some of my all-time favorite cookie recipes that I’d definitely make again. As I scrolled through old recipes, I actually forgot about several of the Christmas cookie recipes I’ve made.

We are all so busy during the holidays, we need quick and easy solutions. That’s why I want to show you how to set up a cheese board in 5 minutes or less.

What are you serving this holiday season? I have the perfect fall drink recipe for you. This warm spiked apple cider drink recipe is seriously perfect with all the best fall flavors.

Raise your hands if you’re busy during the holidays! Just like me, I bet you’re super busy and find it really hard to fit in the time to cook or bake as much as you’d like. I absolutely love baking, but making homemade pies is often something I just don’t have time to do.

I love baking and I love sweets. Except, I try to limit the amount of refined sugar and fat I have in my diet. This creates a problem. How can I still bake but not create food that isn’t good for me? Well, I’ve been experimenting a little more with adding in beans. I know it sounds weird, but black bean brownies actually work. It’s not just black beans either. I tried chickpea chocolate chip cookies last month, and those were pretty delicious also.

Have you heard of chickpea cookies? Sounds gross, right? Well, they aren’t! I don’t know how it’s possible, but when you add just the right amount of nut butter, honey and chocolate chips, they really do taste like some version of a chocolate chip cookie.

I’ve made pie crust before, but I’ve never made a fresh fruit pie. I’ve made turnovers and galettes, but never a homemade pie from scratch. After a very stressful week at work, I came home and decided to bake. Given that there weren’t many groceries in the house, I didn’t have a lot of options. I opted to make a cherry pie with fresh cherries because I had all the ingredients I needed. Plus, I really love to use summer produce when it’s at it’s peak.

Are you looking for some recipe inspiration for your next gathering or BBQ? You need to try some of these healthy and fresh summer vegetarian recipes I’ve created over the years. All of them use fresh produce that’s at its peak during the summer.