Manchego Stuffed Spanish Meatballs

Apolinaras and I enjoyed a fun Spanish themed dinner party last week. Elina hosted and made fideos with ham, shrimp, and clams, which was just delicious, and Shannon covered dessert and brought cupcakes filled with dulce de leche and topped with almond cream...

Pumpkin Martinis

I’m not much of a mixologist, but I was inspired to tend bar after seeing Erin’s recipe for pumpkin spice latte martinis – what a great idea, I didn’t even know pumpkin liqueur existed! When POM Wonderful recently offered to send samples of their new iced coffees, I...

Cajun Shrimp Rolls

When I was in New Orleans several months ago, I ordered a Crawfish Roll on a whim from one of the food vendors. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a yummy eggroll filled with a crawfish/seafood stuffing. It was...

Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi

Kia ora! I’m finally gone through all our New Zealand pictures, so my next several posts will be recaps from our trip! New Zealand is just a breathtaking country and has something for everyone – mountains, beaches, wine country, even glaciers, volcanoes, and...

Cucumber Hummus Appetizers

I really enjoy every aspect of having friends over for dinner (except for the cleaning part, of course!) and was especially excited for the meal we had last night with our friends Geeti and Puneet because Geeti is also a huge foodie. We had an absolutely amazing feast...

Toasted Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

Please don’t judge this recipe by the picture. It’s not the best looking pasta dish to begin with and my hopeless photography skills definitely don’t help do it any justice, but I can guarantee you that it’s worth making! I was recently asked whether I usually end up...

Valentine’s Day Heart Cookies

Can you believe Valentine's Day is just around the corner? Apolinaras and I don’t exchange presents or anything, but I do like the excuse to indulge in more chocolate than usual and I also enjoy going all out in the kitchen to make a really decadent meal. This year...

BBQ Sloppy Joes

My mom used to make sloppy joes for us pretty regularly growing up. I have very fond memories of watching her add the ketchup and mustard to the ground beef simmering in a pot on the stove, and then of course of all of us attempting to eat the sandwiches without...
Spring Goat Cheese Risotto

Spring Goat Cheese Risotto

What’s one to do with leftover goat cheese and asparagus? Why make a goat cheese risotto with spring veggies, of course! Risotto has been a little controversial on Top Chef lately. Apparently, it’s supposed to spread on the plate and be a certain consistency to be...

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M&M Cookie Dough Tart

M&M Cookie Dough Tart

Speaking of birthday treats, I made a very festive one for our lab technician Juliana this week. I topped a chocolate chip cookie base with a thick layer of eggless mini M&M cookie dough and then decorated the top with more M&Ms! I always like to add some oats...

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Strawberry Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes

Strawberry Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes

Apolinaras always gives me the cutest sad puppy dog face when I'm whipping up treats to bring into lab for birthday celebrations. If I'm making cupcakes, I always save a couple for him to enjoy, but I can't just cut into a pie or cake and give him a slice before it's...

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Sushi Spring Rolls

Sushi Spring Rolls

You may have noticed I’ve posting less often than usual. I normally try to get about two recipes up per week, but between the exhaustion and nausea of the past several months, I just haven’t spent any time in the kitchen...yep, I’m pregnant!! Apolinaras and I are just...

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Tempura Banana Sundaes with Caramel Sauce

Tempura Banana Sundaes with Caramel Sauce

Man, ice cream is hard to photograph, especially when it’s smothered with warm tempura bananas and caramel sauce – major melt factor! I first swooned over tempura bananas in New Zealand at a Japanese restaurant in Auckland. They were crispy on the outside and gooey on...

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Chicken Fajita Nachos

Chicken Fajita Nachos

Apolinaras headed to the grocery store the other weekend and accidently brought home tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s instead of the tortillas on my list....oops. It was pretty obvious the only solution to this problem was to make chicken fajita nachos instead of...

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Red Bean Paste Stuffed French Toast

Red Bean Paste Stuffed French Toast

I’ve been trying to work on clearing out the clutter from our pantry and recently found a lonely can of red bean paste hidden away in the very back corner. How did I forget about such a treasure? It jumped into our cart at HMart a few months ago, and I was originally...

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Nutella Pavlova with Strawberries

Nutella Pavlova with Strawberries

Time for my third and final New Zealand recap post (here are part 1 and part 2 if you missed them!). From Kaikoura, we set out on our longest drive of seven hours to the opposite side of the South Island to see two glaciers. Yes, glaciers! We visited Fox Glacier first...

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