breakfast and brunch

How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes

With a crispy flour and cornmeal crust, these easy-to-make, golden fried green tomatoes taste sweet and tender and totally addicting when dunked into my simple garlic aioli dipping sauce.

With a short growing season here in Utah, it feels like we just barely get our tomato harvest in full swing when it suddenly stops short.

Before you know it, those plump and juicy red tomatoes we’ve been carefully cultivating for summertime BLT’s and the best balsamic-drizzled caprese salads, are facing the frost of fall.

Why Jack Frost? WHYYY? #shakesfistatsky

Not to go to waste, now you’re left wondering what can you do with the bounty of green tomatoes from your garden?

Oh baby, fry those tomatoes up!

And if you’re like me, this easy southern classic just might have you plucking your green tomatoes well before the late summer harvest, too.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes

Easy Yogurt Fruit Dip

This easy Greek yogurt fruit dip recipe is made with just 3 ingredients and makes eating fruit dip with apples, strawberries and more seem like a party.

For after school snacks or on weekend playdates, my daughter and her friends were always on the lookout for any opportunity to partake of a snack. As a mom, you know I wished said snack would be healthy. So instead of pulling out a box of this or a bag of that, a platter of bites to snack on became their go-to fave.

The girls called them pupu platters. I called them peace of mind. Knowing these kids were eating good for them snacks made it that much easier to whip them up on a whim. Easy is the name of this game.

This pupu platter has fruit of every color and with a centerpiece of sweet and healthy yogurt-based fruit dip. It’s great to serve on a platter for breakfast or brunch, or take to a potluck with fruit skewers.

With just three ingredients to whisk together, you won’t waste any time making it yourself.continue to the recipe… about Easy Yogurt Fruit Dip

20 Caprese Recipes You’ll Go Crazy For

From the best caprese salads to caprese skewers and the classic caprese sandwich, this list of 20 favorite tomato, mozzarella and basil themed recipes will have you going crazy for caprese.

You know those quizzes you see all over the internet touting, “Choose your favorite XX and we’ll tell you your personality type”? Well, if I had to choose, my favorite-salad-personality-clone would be the caprese salad.

There’s not much you can’t do with the basic ingredients of the classic caprese salad, from the classic caprese salad to caprese skewers to caprese-topped chicken dinners, all you need to get started is:

fresh and creamy mozzarella (any shape or size, and ultra-creamy burrata makes things even that much better)
the season’s best tomatoes (hopefully still warm from the garden)
spicy basil that smells of summer
the best fruity olive oil your wallet can afford
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for that hit of spice we all need in our day

Alone as a preamble salad or served as a potluck side dish that will be the first to disappear, a classic caprese is pure love on a plate, in a bowl, or on a platter. But take those classically fresh Italian ingredients and add a dose of inspiration and you have so much more: a topper for chicken, or spritzing up toasts, or making breakfast eggs even more of the best way to start your day. The caprese personality is one everybody will love.

The season is now to capture the rapt ripeness of the best tomatoes. Get them before the getting’s gone. It’s time to get your caprese on.

Start with this list of 20 caprese recipes to crush on now.continue to the recipe… about 20 Caprese Recipes You’ll Go Crazy For

My Favorite Pumpkin Roll Recipe

This pumpkin roll recipe is a favorite you’ll make year after year. It’s easy to freeze and serve, or perfect for holiday neighbor gifts.

As if the world needed yet another pumpkin roll recipe. But in this case, it really, truly does.

This is the second recipe that made me fall in love with pumpkin-flavored everything. The first of course being the classic pumpkin pie. I mean, what 8-year-old doesn’t love pumpkin pie?

(*Note to self: Share pumpkin pie recipe on bloggity blog. Because yes, the world does need another pumpkin pie recipe, too.)

My mom always made this recipe to welcome in fall and it was a popular neighbor gift for the holidays. As soon as we could smell the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin wafting from the oven, we knew the leaves would soon begin falling from the trees.

My mother-in-law recently gave this pumpkin roll cake recipe a try, too. She baked it without nuts (and you can too) and as you hope when mother-in-laws try anything of yours, she gave it her stamp of approval as well.

But then I knew she would. Because the world DOES need another pumpkin roll recipe.continue to the recipe… about My Favorite Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe for Steel Cut Oats or Rolled Oats

This oatmeal recipe made in an Instant Pot makes make-ahead oatmeal so easy that it’s become my new favorite method for both steel cut oats and rolled oats!

This recipe is brought to you by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze

The Best Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe

I’ve made oatmeal fast in the microwave, low and slow in the slow cooker, and overnight in the fridge, but this oatmeal recipe made in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker makes make-ahead oatmeal such a cinch, and so convenient, that it’s become my new favorite method. And even better, it works with both steel cut oats and rolled oats, for a healthy breakfast that I can make different every day of a week that doesn’t require any babysitting or tending as it cooks.

Today I’m sharing how to make Instant Pot oatmeal with both steel cut oats and rolled oats, plus 10 flavor combinations—from fruit or kale, to chocolate chips and nut butters—to make this oatmeal totally your own.

My family has a long history of eating oatmeal for breakfast. As a kid, I never even knew you could make oatmeal on the stove top, because my mom would always buy the instant quick oats oatmeal packets, placing them easily within our elementary school arm’s reach so my little sister and I could boil the water for the packet of oats and mystery ingredients to make our own breakfast before school.

My mom was smart that way. We learned how to fend for ourselves and she earned herself a little extra mom time in the morning with her coffee and the Today Show.

As I moved on in life, I sort of fell off the oatmeal-for-breakfast train and favored scrambled eggs, or cottage cheese and toast, or my fave microwave egg whites and spinach toasted bagel as my made-in-the-office breakfast instead.

But then last year when my sister served me her recipe for Instant Pot steel cut oats alongside her famous latte, I made the return to dosing up on my own morning oatmeal once again.

This Instant Pot oatmeal recipe has been perfected by my sister. If there’s one thing that Holly does and always does right, it’s making sure that she measures, that she takes notes, and that she makes it perfect. She’s a scientist, and that’s why she is such a good cook. Because sure, cooking can be art, but it all starts with science.

But Is Instant Pot oatmeal actually easier to make? Yes!

The Instant Pot is still enjoying its run as the trendy appliance of the season or two, but here’s one more validating reason it’s worth the cupboard space: I like making oatmeal in the Instant Pot rather than over the stove or in the microwave because there’s no monitoring involved to be sure it doesn’t bubble over and cause a mess like mine does in the microwave 50% of the time, or stirring to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Instead, you simply set it and walk away until the timer rings. And even better, it’s awesome for making a big master batch to keep in the fridge and warm up anytime with your favorite fixins’.

Cooking steel cut oats the traditional way can take up to 30 to 40 minutes of cooking time. But when you toss them into the Instant Pot, the cooking time is cut to 3 to 4 minutes with the resting time of about 10 minutes where the grains continue to soften. Be sure to allow time for the pressure cooker to come up to heat, about 7-10 minutes more.

I’ll take that for $500, Alex!continue to the recipe… about Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe for Steel Cut Oats or Rolled Oats

Blueberry Buckle Recipe With Lemon Glaze

This award-winning blueberry buckle recipe is studded with sweet, juicy blueberries and topped with a crumbly streusel and lemon glaze for a sweet breakfast or dessert.

You could say I never got my thrill on blueberry hill. Unless it was baked in a decadent blueberry muffin or my favorite blueberry quick bread.

I’m okay with admitting that fresh blueberries have never been a favorite of mine. They were always the loose marbles of the fruit salad that I would pick around in favor of fresh strawberries, chunks of cantaloupe, and definitely give me all of the pineapple.

Times have changed.

The nutritional values that blueberries possess were drilled into my head back when my job was designing health food magazines. Every issue had an article or blurb about their merits as a driving force in lowering blood cancer, fighting off the elements due to their antioxidant powers and strengthening bones to keep osteoporosis at bay.

Now, I can call myself a lover of the fresh, sweet, juicy blueberry. But I’ll forever be a fan of a good dessert (or breakfast?) treat with blueberries baked right in.

continue to the recipe… about Blueberry Buckle Recipe With Lemon Glaze

20-Minute Berry Jam

Use up your almost over-the-hill berries for the sweetest homemade jam that cooks in just 20 minutes.

Who else finds themselves guilty of the best of healthy intentions and buys too many berries that then start to look like Yoda as they ripen faster than you can eat them? It’s okay, not to worry, there’s a remedy for that: Homemade jam.

The thing is, homemade jam is the perfect remedy for those fresh berries that are at, or have just passed the point, of being perfectly ripe for snacking. Just because they may not be picture perfect is no reason for tossing them out.

The berries may not look the same the day they went into the fridge—with a few more dimples and their skin beginning to look a bit withered—but that’s my signal that their sweetness just leveled up, making them perfectly ready for crunchy sourdough toast and this easy to make, sweet berry jam. continue to the recipe… about 20-Minute Berry Jam

Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

This incredibly easy blueberry bread gets an added dose of healthy with the addition of Greek yogurt and oats, making it an even better option than banana bread or blueberry muffins.

This quick bread recipe is a favorite I originally shared back in 2013. Lately I’ve been making it over and over again—it’s that perfect food gift for welcoming the new baby (hello, baby Max!) or saying hello to new neighbors. So while I was at it, I took new photos to share again here.

This oatmeal blueberry bread recipe came about after standing at the kitchen counter one day with a half dozen super ripe bananas, swatting my husband’s headed-to-the-garbage-can-hands in an attempt to quell their discarded fate.

I knew by the super sweet smell and the mooshy touch—not to mention Smudge’s squinched up expression each time she passed them by thanks to their rather unattractive state—that I’d be lucky to squeeze even one more day in before my opportunity to make banana bread would be gone. And just like that, it was.

That’s when blueberries came to my quick bread rescue, for a quick bread worthy of any breakfast, brunch, or treat.continue to the recipe… about Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread is made sans oil and instead uses Greek yogurt to add moisture. This is easily the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made!

When she speaks, I listen. And when her friends speak, I listen louder.

Yes, I meant to say that. Louder. Because actions are louder than words and when they eat every morsel, every crumb, I know we have a winner.

Smudge is becoming a big help in the kitchen. I find myself stopping in my tracks to watch her flit from counter to cupboard, completely unaware of anything going on around her as she sings softly under her breath to the tune that never seems to end in her head. For good measure she’ll give a twirl, an elegant flick of her wrist then cock her elbow, throw her hand behind her head and rock a pumping sprinkler dance.

And then we return to the never-ending song in her head.

Recently a friend of hers came over for a playdate. What did they want to do? Bake banana bread. Well alright then, let’s do it. And we did. And they ate. And I listened when her friend declared this recipe was, “the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten.”

Umm, yeah. Perhaps because it tastes like a giant slice of banana bread chocolate chip heaven?

Hey, I’m just here to listen.

I’ve experimented with plenty of banana bread recipes, including the recipe I used in 7th grade that called for vegetable oil as the main moistening ingredient, resulting in a greasy crumb that deflated quickly. Using Greek yogurt in this easy banana bread recipe gives ample moisture minus the greasy fingers. This is banana bread, not french fries people.

Of course adding in a few chocolate chips to any recipe can only make the world go ’round a little easier, a little sweeter.

But when I’m in a need for a basic proven recipe I’m often drawn to my go-to 1,028 recipe tomb: The New Best Recipe Cookbook by Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve slightly adapted the recipe by adding a touch more vanilla, subbing pecans for walnuts, and yes, the aforementioned chocolate chips.

What’s in Choc Chip Banana Bread?

The beauty of homemade banana bread is that it uses very few ingredients, but is so incredibly flavorful and moist (yes, I just said moist). This banana bread with yogurt uses the following key ingredients:

All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Chopped pecans
Bananas
Plain Greek yogurt
Eggs
Unsalted butter
Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips

Make sure to buy plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole fat or low-fat (non-fat yogurt is much tangier and the lack of fat will result in a drier loaf). The brand you buy doesn’t matter, just get whatever’s on sale.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

To make this homemade banana bread, you just have to stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry, then pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

Bake the chocolate chip banana bread for a good 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I like to eat this moist banana bread warm with butter, but it’s also delicious at room temp with a glass of milk.

How to Store Banana Bread

Choc chip banana bread will last for a few days on your counter. Make sure to wrap it in foil to prevent it from drying out, though. If desired, you can rewarm slices of banana bread in the microwave or oven.

Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

Homemade banana bread freezes really well and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze the whole loaf, let it come to room temperature before wrapping it in a few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil (this prevents the bread from developing freezer burn). When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen loaf, set it on your counter in its wrappings to thaw.

You can also slice and freeze the banana bread and keep it in a freezer bag, but I find that it dries out more quickly in the freezer if it’s pre-sliced. But if you think you’ll eat the chocolate chip banana bread quickly enough, it shouldn’t be an issue!

Do I Have to Add the Nuts?

If you have a pecan allergy or don’t have any on hand, feel free to omit them. You can also substitute them with another type of nut if preferred.

Tips for the Best Banana Bread

The bananas you use for this chocolate chip banana bread recipe should be overripe and almost black in color. If your bananas are far from being ripe enough to use in banana bread, poke them all over with a fork and then bake them at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Let the bananas cool completely before adding them to the batter.

I’ll also say that although I love me some warm banana bread, you don’t want to slice into this loaf when it first comes out of the oven. Give the moist banana bread time to firm up and cool down a bit before slicing.

Lastly, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe because I like how the slightly bitter chocolate contrasts with the super sweet bread. But you’re welcome to use any chocolate chips or chunks you have lying around in this banana bread!

More Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.

4.29 from 7 votes

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread is made sans oil and instead uses Greek yogurt to add moisture. This is easily the best banana bread recipe I've ever made!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 9 people

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
3 bananas very ripe and mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 large eggs beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Whisk first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
In a medium bowl mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, vanilla and chocolate chips. Gently fold banana mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm with a swath of sweet butter or at room temperature with a cold glass of milk.

Recipe Notes

If you need to ripen your bananas quickly, poke them all over with a fork and then bake them at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Let the bananas cool completely before adding them to the batter.
Recipe slightly adapted from The New Best Recipe Cookbook from Cook's Illustrated

More Banana Desserts to Try

Obviously as I was creating this post I was on the hunt for more lovely banana-inspired recipes and I must say, the banana is severely neglected out there unless its in a muffin, pancake or bread variety.

I say, “Raise the banana flag!” Let’s give the banana it’s sweetened day in the sun. Here’s a selection of food bloggers doing just that, and doing it well.

Modesty must be Glory’s thing because according to her Glorious Treats’s Banana Caramel Cream Dessert isn’t groundbreaking. I beg to differ.

Gluten- and dairy-free but full of flavor with a history in family lore and subject that leaves Shauna in stitches, Gluten-Free Girl’s Coconut-Banana Cream Pie is sure to make us smile too.

Cassie makes sure the health nuts aren’t left out with a chia see and whole wheat flour recipe for Bake Your Day’s Vegan Banana Nut Breakfast Cake that’s enough to convert even the non-vegans in some of us

Diana layers her nana-nanas with an extra banana-flavored icing thanks to banana extract in Created by Diane‘s Banana Icing on Banana Walnut Muffins.

Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.

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As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.

Easy Quiche Lorraine

This classic quiche lorraine recipe is an easy make-ahead breakfast, brunch, or lunch made of creamy egg custard, bacon and cheese filling.

Growing up, my dad’s usual weekend breakfast spread for the rest of us was bacon and eggs. A fancy dish like quiche was totally foreign to me, and I only knew of it because I loved the B-52’s and their quiche lorraine song. I thought quiche was only for chic occasions because it’s all fancy-French and must be finicky to make.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Quiche is basically the French version of my dad’s classic American breakfast of bacon and eggs but whisked into custard that’s baked in a buttery crust.

When visiting Paris earlier this year, quiche was served at every corner bistro at every time of day, and along with me and my daughter, my husband hungrily and happily proved that yes, real men do eat quiche.continue to the recipe… about Easy Quiche Lorraine

The Best Bloody Mary Recipe (+ Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar)

This Bloody Mary recipe makes a spicy, flavorful vodka cocktail. Add as many toppings as you’d like to get your drink just right!

Give me a loaded Bloody Mary or give me a chardonnay. Because when it comes to brunch, I want more, more, more.

You might say this cocktail looks like a salad in a glass. I definitely wouldn’t disagree.

A loaded Bloody Mary is my dream. Snacking on all of the extra trimmings while I wait for my actual meal to arrive is kind of a necessity. I mean, it’s almost lunch. I didn’t eat breakfast. And this girl is hungry.

Like everything else I eat, I love nothing more than a bite of this and a taste of that.

Bloody Marys are a favorite of most every cocktail imbiber since it’s totally acceptable to sip one or two before noon — just think of the powerhouse of vitamins you’re getting in each fortified sip!

continue to the recipe… about The Best Bloody Mary Recipe (+ Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar)

No-Fail Butter Pie Crust

These are the secrets to making a no-fail, all-butter pie crust that won’t slump or shrink, and turns out tender and flaky every time.

The Best Pie Crust Recipe with Butter

It feels like there are two big pie seasons that hit every year: Spring’s berry pie season and Fall’s Thanksgiving pie season, with all other slices o’ pie falling somewhere in between.

We are smack dab in the middle of prime time pie making and eating and everyone knows that a foolproof butter pie crust recipe is the make-or-break point of baking an amazing homemade pie. More important than whatever fruity, nutty, or creamy fillings you whip up—the true test is its crust. It should be flaky, light, flavorful, and easy to slice through with a fork.

I’m a bit obsessed with baking pies thanks to the over the top pie crusts I’m incessantly inspired by because of the Instagram account of my favorite local pie company.

Now, after much trial and error, I’ve decided this is the only pie crust recipe I’m willing to bet my pie on. And now, everything that I know, you will too.continue to the recipe… about No-Fail Butter Pie Crust

How to Set Up a DIY Mimosa Bar

These tips for setting up your own DIY mimosa bar make it easy for the hostess to relax as guests help themselves at your weekend brunch, wedding, bridal shower, or other reason to celebrate.

Unlike cocktail party martinis or game-day beer busts, mimosa brunches aren’t intended to get anyone hammered or be the stepping stone to the dance floor and get the party started. Instead, they’re for those of us who appreciate a barely buzzed, lazy day, bubbly champagne sipper.

I recently hosted my niece’s bridal shower and like any good hostess, my first goal of the party was to keep things easy on myself. I set up a DIY bagel brunch bar with a few salads and desserts so the guests could help themselves.

For drinks, I thought abut setting up another on of my famous DIY Bloody Mary Bars, but feeling the need for something more refined, I made a DIY mimosa bar with all the makings for the perfect mimosa recipe instead.

Stocked with plenty of chilled and bubbly sparkling wine, fresh juices, and fun fruits to add to the champagne flutes, a DIY mimosa bar for baby showers, Mother’s Day, Easter, or just about any excuse for a holiday is just the right recipe for adding a little fizz to the day’s festivity.continue to the recipe… about How to Set Up a DIY Mimosa Bar

How to Make the Perfect Mimosa

Mimosas made with bubbly sparkling wine instead of expensive champagne adds one more reason to toast “cheers” to lazy weekend brunches or any special occasion.

My best friend Kim is the queen of mimosas. Whether it’s going out for a weekend’s bottomless mimosas brunch, a lazy summer bring-your-own-mimosa-to-the-beach day, or just the ticket for getting though a long flight on an airplane, her recipe for a good time always starts and ends with mimosas.

Bubbly and fizzy, light and bright, mimosas are the perfect champagne cocktail for adding a festive flair to any occasion that’s fit for bubbly. Or basically, Tuesday :).

Mimosas are an essential for bridal or wedding showers, baby showers, Mother’s Day, Easter, Groundhog’s Day…just about any holiday you can make an excuse to celebrate. Lest we forget New Years Day, where they are the best easy eye-opening hair-of-the-dog-sipper that won’t take your breath away.

In my humble opinion, there’s no better way to set up a cheers than with a little bubbly spiked with a little something sweet. That’s why today I’m sharing the perfect recipe for the best mimosas, made with bubbly sparkling wine instead of expensive champagne, making the cha-ching of dollars dropping into your hand just one more reason to toast “cheers” to all the celebrating we’re about to begin.

My little family and I recently visited where legend has it the mimosa was created, at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, so naturally I imbibed. I also took notes on how to make the perfect mimosa, so here we go.continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Perfect Mimosa

10 Ways to Waste Less and Save Money at the Grocery Store

These 10 helpful tips for how to grocery shop smarter will not only save money, but waste less food at home so you’ll eat healthier too.

This post is sponsored by Kroger

I hate wasting food and yet I do it almost every week. I’m one of those shoppers who has grand aspirations to cook every meal, and then life gets in the way, plans change, and I don’t. I see my veggies languish in the crisper or watch bread go moldy in the pantry. I’m guilty of buying too much and not using what I have.

If you’re like me, you’re probably asking how can I spend less money and shop smarter at the grocery store? It starts by answering the question, how can I stop wasting food?

That’s why I’m changing my food wasting ways by thinking about the end result first, before I even start my grocery shopping.continue to the recipe… about 10 Ways to Waste Less and Save Money at the Grocery Store

Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Feta

This healthy strawberry and arugula salad recipe with a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing gets even sweeter with watermelon that’s topped with feta cheese and nuts.

Strawberries. Watermelon. Arugula. Feta.

Sweet. Sweet. Bitter. Tang.

This super simple arugula salad with fruit and a quick balsamic dressing melds so perfectly together it creates a total flavor explosion. It’s smooth, it’s crunchy, it’s fresh, it has bite. And it lets every one of your senses know that baby, summer is on its way.

During spring and summer, I bet I make a version of this strawberry and arugula salad with watermelon, feta cheese and nuts at least once or twice a week. I LOVE the ying and the yang of the flavors and textures. Shockingly, the other two in our trio of a family didn’t get the fruit-in-salad-loving-gene.

Since meal time it’s a democracy in at 0ur house, when I say fruit goes in salad, this democratic (?) Queen (that’s me!) gets her way every time. And guess, what? Thanks to repeated exposure, my king and my princess have seen the light and converted to fruit-in-salad-lovers too.

All hail the Queen! (Still, me.)continue to the recipe… about Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Feta

How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

Wondering what to serve a crowd at your next party? Make it easy on the hostess with this breakfast and brunch buffet idea: Serve a DIY bagels and lox brunch bar.

Last year when my niece Chandler announced she was engaged, I knew I wanted to host a bridal shower for her. With her wedding date set for early May, coming up with spring shower ideas would be perfect timing.

So this past weekend with 20 to 30 guests arriving for her bridal shower party (why doesn’t anyone RSVP anymore???) something totally unexpected happened, and it pretty much blew my mind.

For probably the first time in my hostessing career, I didn’t freak the freak out while prepping for the party.

Why didn’t I have my usual pre-party hostessing melt down? Because you guys convinced me to make it easy on myself and create a build your own bagel and lox brunch bar as the centerpiece of our day.continue to the recipe… about How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I’ve searched for the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe forever. Perfectly fluffy and slathered with a buttery cream cheese frosting, this is it.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe has been my mission for more years than I can count on two hands.

Strike that.

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe and actually making it, now THAT is what has been my mission for that number of years.

I’ve Pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest, and liked all of them on Facebook. I’ve torn out every recipe from every magazine that’s shared cinnamon rolls deemed fit to bake. And it seems that just about every week of Friday Faves has one more recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll included in it.

Not that I’ve ever made any of them.

For some reason, the notion of baking homemade cinnamon rolls has always intimidated me. I blame it on my childhood. That’s when my early cinnamon roll baking adventures relied on using the pre-made dough from the can that came out of the oven tasting like they’d been baked 3 days before and then quickly turned into 5-day-old rolls as soon as they cooled.

It ruined the notion of cinnamon rolls for me until I had a REAL cinnamon roll from a true blue bakery and realized just how many light and fluffy pillows from cinnamon and brown sugar slathered with glaze bundles of heaven I’d been missing out on all those years.

Now THOSE rolls are the ones I want to bake. The homemade cinnamon rolls I want to be known for. The rolls that when family and friends take one bite they blissfully roll their eyes in satisfaction as they slowly absorb each sweet, flaky bite, and then look to one another in agreement and say, “Heidi makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls.”

And now, I have that recipe.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Breakfast Tacos Recipe

Shredded beef, sweet peppers and scrambled eggs make this breakfast tacos recipe a family favorite for breakfast, brunch or brinner in under 30 minutes.

This recipe post is sponsored by the makers of HORMEL^® Taco Meats because we all have #TacoGoals, and this is one of the easiest ways to meet them.

If you’re a regular follower of the blog, you know I’m a fan of scratch cooking. But sometimes reality takes over. Life gets in the way. And when my man and my Smudge decide in the afternoon that tacos sure would fit tonight’s meal-ticket-bill, making a whole roast to serve our shredded taco cravings is simply out of the question.

But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, when Hormel Foods asked me to create a recipe using their shredded beef taco meat, I discovered it can actually be quite simple to meet our taco goals.

My husband is a Mexican food fanatic. If Taco Bell had frequent flier miles, by now we’d probably have been able to fly to Europe and back. That’s a lot of burrito supremes with crispy beef taco(s) on the side.

So today we’re curing all of our cravings and making tacos for breakfast, or better yet, let’s make them for brinner. Olé!

There’s nothing quite like shaking things up at dinner and serving breakfast instead. My dad used to do this when we were kids and he was in charge of dinner. That’s when we had Grandma’s Eggs. They’re still a favorite around here.

So breakfast tacos with eggs, beef and beans are a natural transition from breakfast to dinner for us. And this one is ready in under 30 minutes.

My husband doesn’t limit his Mexican addiction to the standards, and one of his favorite meals is a machaca burrito. This breakfast taco recipe is our riff on that Mexican classic beef of shredded beef with sautéed peppers and onions, but in taco form. Personally I prefer the taco version because I’m far more at ease eating one manageable taco, instead of half of a burrito the size of my head.

Let’s keep things in reality. In under 30 minutes. Check!

continue to the recipe… about Breakfast Tacos Recipe

Easy 3-Minute Blender Hollandaise

Homemade blender hollandaise is a quick and easy classic sauce any French cook would declare très bien.

Classic hollandaise sauce is one of those lush additions to a dish that immediately elevates the stature of whatever it drizzles or lathers. I mean, an Egg Benedict is really just an Egg McMuffin until it gets the hollandaise treatment.

However, from scratch hollandaise can be a tricky recipe to master and feel like one of those recipes only a trained chef can carry off.

Not the case monsieur!

Unlike traditional hollandaise that requires whisking and tempering over a water bath and a fair amount of practice to master, this blender hollandaise is incredibly easy and fast with no cooking involved, and can literally take just about 3 minutes to whip up.continue to the recipe… about Easy 3-Minute Blender Hollandaise

30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Sometimes hearty, sometimes boozy, whipping up St. Patrick’s Day recipes is the perfect excuse to gather friends for a potluck, brunch, and yes, even if you’re in the mood for easy green food ideas.

There are many reasons traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipes are so beloved. If you’re wondering what to serve or how the Irish actually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this list of recipes has you clovered. (See what I did there?)

There’s always my classic slow cooker corned beef and cabbage for the main meal or 20 different stout recipes for dessert, but don’t leave out these fun Irish brunch ideas below like potato pancakes to whiskey ice cream for dessert, and find the lucky dish to make your day complete.

continue to the recipe… about 30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

Healthy snacks for adults and kids, weight loss, work, and on the go can literally be at hand with these easy recipes.

Healthy Snack Ideas Any and Every Time

Snacks are the key to keeping good nutrition habits on track, and the first thing to totally derail our best intentions of the day.

Keeping a stash of healthful snack ideas for every situation makes it a whole lot easier to pass right on by the sabotage of the dastardly vending machine, and makes it so much easier to just say no to that tub of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer.

This month long list of 31 healthy recipes makes it easy to snack any time, for:

healthy snacks for weight loss
healthy snacks for work
healthy snacks on the go
healthy snacks for adults and for kids

They’re sure to become your new go-to to stave off the 3pm slump at work, or even just a late night indulgence that you can still feel good about in the morning.continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

Healthy Caprese Breakfast Sandwiches

Healthy breakfast sandwiches you can make fast at home can be the saving grace when you don’t have time to eat at the start of your day.

This recipe is brought to you by Dave’s Killer Bread

We’ve all lived in that split-decision moment of choosing whether to make your healthy breakfast at home, or say there’s not enough time and instead do the drive thru cruise to pick up a bagel and coffee or a not-always-so-good-for-you breakfast sandwich on the go.

The thing is, you can totally have the best of both worlds.

Breakfast sandwiches don’t have to be exclusive to the drive thru and are one of the easiest solutions to your morning meal dilemma—and a healthy one at that.

Whether it’s a make-ahead freezer breakfast sandwich, egg and avocado toast on the fly, or an egg sandwich cooked in the microwave, breakfast sandwiches made at home (or at the office) are the quick and easy way to get breakfast on the go.continue to the recipe… about Healthy Caprese Breakfast Sandwiches

Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

These homemade blueberry muffins are moist, loaded with berries, and so easy to make from scratch that I’ll never make the boxed kind again.

There are several recipes for my favorite baked goods that I am perennially trying to find the PERFECT recipe for. My top three recipe-seeking baking obsessions are: the best chocolate chip cookies—CHECK! and with chocolate chip with oatmeal—CHECK!, the best brownies—CHECK!, and the best blueberry muffins—now it’s CHECK CHECK CHECK!

I made these easy blueberry muffins as I always do for Christmas morning, and then I made them again a week later, and then I made them again just a few days ago. After referring to this post that many times, I wanted to give it a refresh. So here we are, all shiny and new.

A few years ago when I purchased my copy of the multi-faceted-actress-singer-Goop-creator-now media mogul Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter cookbook, and discovered her mother’s recipe for blueberry muffins, my heart skipped a beat.

The photography plus my girl crush on Gwyneth back then made me pick up the book. But it was that blueberry muffin recipe that sold it. And why I’m sharing it again today.continue to the recipe… about Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

50 Favorite Mediterranean Diet Recipes

The Mediterranean Diet has been named 2019’s diet of the year, and this list of 50 breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes makes it easy to add more of the Med-inspired lifestyle to your weekly meal plan.

The Best Diet of 2019

Just as we were setting our sights on eating better with the New Year, US News and World Report came out with their standings of the best diets to follow for 2019, and for the first time, the Mediterranean Diet took top honors. CNN reports the diets were ranked on: “how easy it is to follow, its nutritional completeness, its ability to produce short-term and long-term weight loss, its safety and its potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease.”

Unlike many of the trendy, silver bullet diets that are at the bottom of this year’s list and you see everyone jumping through hoops to try (and ultimately bail out on), the Mediterranean diet is a centuries-old lifestyle for long-term health and wellness instead of a quick weight loss fad that never seems to really last.continue to the recipe… about 50 Favorite Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

This easy pull-apart bread starts with frozen dinner rolls that rise overnight and are then baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker for a sweet and fast cinnamon sugared breakfast or brunch treat.

I’m not sure who made up the name for this sweet, sticky pull-apart bread, but whoever did nailed it on the head. Because just like monkeys who are known to pick, pick, pick at their favorite things, this cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan-laced monkey bread is the perfect sweet breakfast or brunch finger food.

This overnight monkey bread is made with frozen yeast dinner rolls so be sure to plan ahead and allow time for the rolls to rise overnight.

The unique part of this recipe is that instead of being baked in the oven, this monkey bread is baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Yes! You can bake in the Instant Pot, and successfully do so too.

The other part of this recipe I love so much is the “balls” of the monkey bread are cut in half before baking to make smaller bites, ensuring that every single nugget is lathered in that classic sticky, cinnamon and brown sugar goodness.

Half the size means you can enjoy them all year long, whether it’s Christmas breakfasst, or New Years brunch, or any time you’re craving that sweet treat any monkey would put his hat on and dance for.continue to the recipe… about Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

14 Days of Healthy Breakfast Recipe Ideas

What can I cook for breakfast? It’s a question repeated by millions every single day. And I bet you’re one of them.

I talk a lot about my cravings for easy, healthy breakfast recipes, because, hey, it’s the most important meal of the day, right?

Why is breakfast important? Because eating breakfast helps with weight loss, brain function, and keeping you moving all throughout the day. That’s why I am ALWAYS on the lookout for easy breakfast recipe ideas to keep this healthy habit fresh and fun. Because as we all know, breakfast is too easy to skip, and too often breakfast is boring too.

This list of 2 weeks, or 14 days, of seasonal and simple healthy breakfast recipe ideas offer up WAY better than average starts to your day and make eating breakfast a habit you’ll actually enjoy.

These breakfasts focus on all the flavors of fall, with some geared toward on-the-go and others for easy weekend breakfast or brunch. They’re seasonal but simple recipes for eggs, breakfast sandwiches, simple frittatas, oatmeal, avocado toast, and protein pancakes will make breakfast your favorite meal of the day.continue to the recipe… about 14 Days of Healthy Breakfast Recipe Ideas

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This easy lemon poppy seed muffin recipe gets a healthy boost with almonds and yogurt to make a moist muffin everyone will declare the very best.

Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

You know how there are some ingredients that you just can’t say no to when it comes to a particular food? Like, for me, the only cake that’s worth its weight in birthday candles is German Chocolate Cake. Or if I’m choosing an artisanal cheese it’s going to be a stinky, gooey, triple cream.

So when my Ali Smudge wanders through the bakery section of the grocery store, I don’t even have to wonder what request she’s about to pose. Because it’s always the same. And it’s always for a lemon poppy seed muffin.

This lemon muffin recipe originally comes from Cooks Illustrated and is one of the best, delivering a solid base for add-ins to make all of your muffin dreams come true.

These muffins bake up light and with a tasty crumb, far from the greasy, heavy versions you’ll find in the grocery store.

see more: 37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

continue to the recipe… about Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

Comfort food cures all our cooking cravings, and there’s no better time to cozy up to hearty soups, easy slow cooker meals, and comforting pastas, than the 31 days of October.

It feels good to fall into fall, don’t you agree?

While I fiercely LOVE the summer months, there is a totally cozy nostalgia that comes with changing leaves, a chill in the morning, and the don’t-want-to-admit-but-I’m-getting-excited-thrill of the holidays peeking just around the corner.

Whether you’re looking for a new killer chili recipe to bust out at your next tailgate party, a simple throw-together weeknight meal, or a healthy-fill-you-up breakfast, these 31 tasty recipes are what you should be making this month.

And since we are in the 31 days of October, don’t you dare forget the pumpkin recipes!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

15 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Get You Through the Week

This list of 15 easy and healthy breakfast ideas will have you out the door and on the go in no time.

We’ve heard it and know it by heart—the oft-repeated mantra, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

But too often the back-to-school rush of packing lunches, figuring out dinner plans, choosing healthy snacks, etc., breakfast can get left behind in the shuffle.

Even if you’re not sending littles (or bigs) out the door, I’m all about having options to mix up my healthy breakfast eating routine, because you KNOW I’m not one to skip any meal, but most importantly not breakfast and my daily time-to-be-just-with-me quiet time.

This list of 15 easy breakfast provides three weeks worth of weekday breakfast options that will get you out the door quickly without sacrificing your diet, sanity, or valuable hair blow-drying time.continue to the recipe… about 15 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Get You Through the Week

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