lemon juice

Arugula Salad With Shaved Parmesan Three Ways

The fresh bite of this arugula dinner salad with a simple lemon dressing and shaved Parmesan is made three ways for three easy salad recipe ideas to go with any dinner’s main course meal.

Choosing a main course dinner idea is pretty easy to do. But when it comes to rounding out the meal with some extra plant nutrition, it can add another layer of what-to-make-wondering to your meal planning.

That’s why I depend on a few simple recipe ideas for side salads and dressings that are easily customized to dress up or dress down, depending on what extra ingredients I have on hand.

That’s why this easy 5-ingredient arugula salad recipe with big flakes of salty parmesan is often where I get my start.
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Crab Cake Poppers

These past few weeks I’ve spent an absurd amount of time with some amazing food bloggers. Absurd to me only because I’m not sure I could have ever imagined the reality of my journey from an office stiff to a travel-when-the-opportunity-strikes online content creator.

While the time I spend ensconced in my home office or toiling away at the library allows me plenty of alone time, these blogging trips and the relationships I’ve created with my fellow bloggers are the glue that binds my love for what I do.

I love creating ebooks, magazines and photography, but creating recipes is the part of the job that truly, mainly because it’s part of my life, it’s what I do to survive. To make food and eat it.

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Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil bring summertime flavors to a classic dinner of Shrimp Scampi Pasta.

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Three ingredients that magically transform into very special recipes when a few simple additions are made.

Add toasted bread and you have Bruschetta. Add mozzarella and you’ve just made a classic caprese.

This recipe for Shrimp Scampi Pasta takes those simple, classic flavors and with a twirl of a fork wrapped around slinky angel hair pasta puts the fresh taste of summer smack dab on your dinner table.

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Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

**This giveaway is now closed.

There are few things I enjoy more than spending an afternoon cuddled up with:

A: A warm body I love (Smudge, G Dawg or one of the pups all take first place),

B: Either my iPad loaded with new online mags to scroll through or a fresh batch of my favorite print titles to savor,

C: A new cookbook to glean tasty inspiration from.

Lucky me, I have exactly three of those reasons to make a fresh iced coffee, kick off my shoes, and steal away for some “me” time but this time it’s with the debut cookbook from one of the web’s most popular food bloggers, Lori of Recipe Girl, appropriately titled The Recipe Girl Cookbook. Well said Lori.

Lori was one of the first food bloggers I discovered after being introduced to her blog by a friend of a friend. I had just started FoodieCrush and after blogging for a just a few months I boldly asked Lori if I could interview her. She was probably wondering what she got herself into, but graciously said yes to this newbie.

I got to know her a lot better on a blogger’s trip to visit Harry & David, and in person realized this girl not only knows food, but she’s generous and creative, offering advice when asked and encouraging others to reach their goals. Plus she likes a nice glass of wine. I can totally get down with a gal like that.

So when Lori asked me to take a look at her new cookbook, and cook and eat and share one of her recipes, it wasn’t hard to respond with an “Absolutely!” Send over the echo-sign, I’m in.

Lori paired my post with one from Amanda, who chose to make Lori’s Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter & Fresh Tomato Sauce. My plan was to choose a side dish that would work with her choice, creating a complete—and simple—dinner. Oh but which recipe was would it be?

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Crab Salad Sweet Potato Chip Bites and a Virtual Baby Shower

There’s nothing in the world that can bring a smile to one’s face like seeing a new mama gaze wonderously at her newborn baby. The cliché is true, each and every one of those nuggets of time are mini miracles.

And today we have a little celebrating to do: TA-DA! We’re welcoming a new baby that one of our favorite bloggers will soon be smiling sweetly upon. Thanks to Maria, Marla, Gaby and Brian for hosting a virtual baby shower for Lisa of the popular food blog With Style and Grace.continue to the recipe… about Crab Salad Sweet Potato Chip Bites and a Virtual Baby Shower

Mad for Dips and Creamy Clam Dip

When it comes to sporting events, we’re all about rallying the troops and gathering the pom poms, but really it’s an excuse for a foodie get together.

It doesn’t much matter the team, whether it revolves around engines, goggles or balls, it’s a simple reason to come together and become absorbed in the beauty of human determination and fortitude.

This weekend we’ll be choosing sides, donning our colors, and sitting back to immerse ourselves in March Madness. I’m partial to college basketball. My dad played college basketball, as did my grandfather, and yes, I play a mean game of H-O-R-S-E.

So as the remaining teams battle for the big win at the Final Four and the network entices the not-so-enthralled-fans with the musical medley of Jimmy Buffet, Blondie, KISS, Avett Brothers and the Black Keys—nothing like throwing a broad blanket on the entertainment picks to try and appease each and every demographic–we’ll be gorging on our go-to game time snack. Clam Dip.continue to the recipe… about Mad for Dips and Creamy Clam Dip

Pam Anderson of Three Many Cooks, Caesar Salad and a Giveaway

Some lucky food bloggers are seeing their online blogs and recipes become real-life cookbooks.

Pam Anderson took the opposite route. See, Pam is actually a very, very accomplished recipe developer and cookbook author—starting her career as the Executive Editor of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, yeah, you know, THAT one!—and is a New York Times best-selling author of six cookbooks, is a Julia Child Award winner for her cookbook The Perfect Recipe, and is now adding even more prestige to her resumé with the release of the James Beard-nominated How to Cook Without a Book.

Obviously this talented lady knows how to talk food, which she does with her two lovely and driven daughters, Maggy and Sharon, at the popular food blog ThreeManyCooks.

Cook Without a Book was originally intended to be titled ‘Meatless Mondays’ with the purpose of drawing carnivores to the idea that going sans-meat once a week is an easy adjustment in prep and happiness for the palate.

Pam professes that she is not a full-time vegetarian but states, “Once you go this direction, you realize it really isn’t that hard, and is fully satisfying.” Her reason for writing the book? “I wanted to show people you don’t have to change your pantry that much, this cookbook is meant for mainstream America.”

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