(Not) Saturday Morning Snapshot Dog treat photo shoot outtakes… State of the Blog How was your week? Did you make anything delicious? Have a good Memorial Day? My sister came up for a visit over the long weekend and we had a low-key family BBQ, so I’d say mine was pretty near to perfect. This week on the blog, we had one last Nerd Month post in which I rounded up of some of my favorite nerdy recipes from other bloggers....

Happy Halloween! Whatever your plans are, I wish you many monstrous monster mashes, polite trick or treaters, and a scary good evening! Since we are nearly past Halloween, I thought today would be a good time to post my Cold-Soothing Chai Hot Toddy. I know, I know. I don’t want to think about cold season either, but trust me, pin these to a tucked-away Pinterest board, and when the sniffles find you this winter, you can drop back by for a visit and make yourself one of these....

I posted a quick and easy Chicken Fajita recipe a few weeks ago, and today, I have a little variation on that recipe for you: Chicken Fajita Sandwiches. If you’re a fajita lover and a hot sandwich fan like I am, you’re going to like this recipe, because you take chicken fajita fixings, pile them on bread, add a slightly spicy chipotle aioli and pepper jack cheese, and then bake it all together until it’s toasty, melty, and perfect....

Last summer I shared my favorite crispy oven-roasted potatoes with you, and I have another favorite potato side dish for you today, one that’s EVEN CRISPIER: roasted smashed red potatoes. Have you ever had smashed potatoes before? Friend, they are sooooo good, and I’m genuinely SO excited for you to try them. They have these fabulous creamy centers and crispy, almost potato-chip-like edges. You make them once, and you’ll probably end up a little obsessed and find yourself making them constantly because they are impossibly good....

Looking for more easy sides? You might also like my Apple Stuffing for Two, Parmesan and Panko Broccoli, and Potato Gratin for Two. You know those times when you’re putting together a plate, and you have your protein, lots of yummy veggies (maybe in the form or some super amazing Butter and Garlic Green Beans) and then just a big boring white space where your carbs should be? You could dig out your rice cooker and add some rice, or throw on a couple slices of bread, but if you want something a little extra special, I recommend today’s recipe, my very favorite Easy Parmesan Orzo Side Dish....

Looking for more sweet, frozen treats? Try my Cookies and Cream Popsicles, Smoothie Popsicles, and Apple Pie Sundaes! Happy Saturday, folks! Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend? I do! My birthday’s tomorrow, so I have a long day of good company and good food ahead of me, but before I run off to do that, let’s have a little chat about some ice cream first. I had a couple different names for this recipe....

If you need a simple but satisfying side dish to pair with dinner tonight, you really can’t go wrong with roasting up some root vegetables. Toss a bunch of carrots and a few potatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper, roast them in a very hot oven, and you’ll have people stealing pieces off the tray before they ever make it to the table. Equipment & Ingredient Notes...

One of the best things about shredded chicken is how versatile it is. Toss it in soups, wraps, quesadillas. Stuff it into enchiladas or add it to pasta or salads. It’s a perfect shortcut ingredient to keep in your freezer for times when you need to whip up a meal quick. I’ve written here before about making shredded chicken on the stove top, but today we’re going to get even more hands-off by using a slow cooker....

Are you sick of pumpkin yet? I’m not, and I’ve been testing pumpkin recipes since August. TBH, I spend most of the year just waiting for October in all its pumpkin-flavored glory to roll around, so I’ll happily stay here eating Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze, Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies, and Pumpkin Eclairs as long as the air is crisp and the leaves are red and gold. The one thing I don’t do is break out pumpkin pie until November....

Saturday Morning Snapshot Was given about a million of these strange tiny plums. Don’t know what type they are, but I do know they’re pretty tasty! State of the Blog This week was the last week of Nerd Month! I had so much fun this month coming up with recipes for and writing about shows, movies, and books (okay, book, singular) I love, but I’m glad we’ve reached the end of it....

I have a TON of hot chocolate recipes on this site because I fully believe that there’s a hot chocolate for every occasion. Need an everyday walking around sort of hot chocolate? Go make my quick and easy classic hot chocolate. Serving a crowd and need something hands-off? That’s a job for my favorite crockpot hot chocolate. Need something totally indulgent and perfectly ridiculous? You should absolutely make a hot chocolate float....

Today’s recipe is my favorite sort of recipe to share because like my carne asada and carnitas recipes, it’s endlessly useful. You make a big batch of barbacoa at the beginning of the week, and you can eat it a million delicious ways. Its smokey, tangy flavor only gets better as it sits in your fridge, so it’s ideal for leftovers. And if you’re cooking for a smaller household, it freezes amazingly well....

I have another fun and nerdy recipe for you today, Jigglypuff Pink Cream Puffs! A bunch of fellow bloggers are putting together a month of Pokemon-inspired recipes, and I definitely didn’t want to miss out on all the geeky fun. The recipe linkup is being hosted by The Gluttonous Geek. There are some really great ones in there, and you should absolutely head on over to check them all out....

Hey, keto friends, I have an easy keto dinner for you today: Keto Chicken in Cream Sauce. Quick-cooking chicken breasts cooked on the stove top with a killer basil and parmesan cream sauce and served over cauliflower rice. This is one of my favorite keto recipes for weeknights because it’s easy, quick, and super creamy and satisfying. Like my Keto Chicken Soup, it’s also very non-keto-eater friendly. So you can make it for anyone, and they’re going to love it....

Last week, I shared Dominique Ansel’s banana bread (AKA my favorite banana bread recipe in the entire world) with you, and promised in the post that I’d make a mini version for all you small-batch bakers out there. As promised, here is a cute little mini version of my favorite banana bread. Small-batch Banana Bread This mini version bakes in a 5.5 x 3-inch loaf pan (or can be baked as muffins in a muffin tin) and like my small-batch banana muffins, it can be made with just a single brown banana....

Okay, you guys know that I like to write posts that solve very dire and important problems like: I have a sad brown banana rotting on my counter. (Solution: Make Small-batch Banana Muffins) Or I have too much boring vanilla ice cream. (Solution: Make Oreo Popsicles) Today’s problem to solve: I have leftover short ribs but not enough for a meal. The solution: Make Short Rib Mac and Cheese. That’s right, shred that bit of meat and pile it on top of some creamy, cheesy pasta....

I have a question for you: Do you like oatmeal cookies? I’ll be honest, on oatmeal cookies in general, I’m pretty meh. Give me a big doughy oatmeal cookie, barely sweet, and stuffed full of raisins, and I’ll happily give it right back to you (bleh!). But these oatmeal cookies? These wonderful, lovely, perfect oatmeal cookies I’m sharing today? These oatmeal cookies I LOVE. And you should make a batch as soon as is humanly possible....

Saturday Morning Snapshot Hey, Spring, it’s not your turn yet… State of the Blog We closed out February this week with some more of my favorite recipes. Monday, in honor of our February Soups and Stews Series, we had my very favorite side to pair with soup. Wednesday, I posted the last recipe in that series, an old family favorite, and Friday we had a fun, jam-filled cupcake recipe that I adapted as a gift for my youngest sister....

Saturday Morning Snapshot Cap 3 screenings have begun, time to go on the spoiler offensive… State of the Blog My Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes With Broccoli and Cheese Sauce were featured in a Redbook round up of slow cooker meals on their site this week. The caption they gave it cracked me up, and if you are looking for some super easy dinners, go check out the fantastic other recipes in that post!...

If you’ve never tried BBQ Chicken Pizza before, you absolutely should because it’s is a total treat. Barbecue chicken makes such a good pizza topping, especially combined with red onions, mozzarella and smoked gouda, and cilantro. Depending on how much time you have, you can make the crust from scratch (I recommend the crust from my Margherita Pizza) and cook the chicken yourself. Or you can grab a rotisserie chicken and premade pizza crust at the store when you pick up the rest of your ingredients for a super easy weeknight dinner....