Bittman's Banana Bread

I'm finished with grad school. I've graduated, I've got a decent handle on things at work, the house is clean, we're heading to a Philadelphia Union game tonight, and I have a bunch of overripe bananas on the table. Life. Is. Good.

Sweet Potato Hash w/ Chorizo and Crumbled Feta

Looking for a delicious dish? Want healthy ingredients in there? Want it to be really easy? Made in only one pan? You've come to the right place...

Cauldron Cakes

It has been a crazy, crazy couple of months. And not always the good kind. When I made the decision to focus on getting through my semester and spending time with family it meant putting the blog on the back burner. 

But the semester is over and I have decided to dedicate a large part of my summer to posting about food that makes me happy. Some of it is going to be really healthy because I love food that makes me feel good. But some of it is going to be full of butter and chocolate and sugar, because that kind of food can be full of joy. And this is one of those recipes. Not remotely healthy, but SO TOTALLY FULL OF JOY!

Onion Potato Soup

I just couldn't go one more day without blogging. It's been since October.

OCTOBER.

Black Bean Cakes

Pumpkin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles

If baking were a performance, these cookies would be where I drop the mic and walk off stage.

Chocolate Chip PB Pumpkin Cookies

Sweet Potato Oven Fries w/ Blue Cheese Fondue

This pile of naturally sweet, cheesy goodness is just one of the excellent memories from last week. I am very recently returned from an amazing week at the Montreat Youth Conference. I bet there are very few people who attended that will tell you that their week was, in fact, NOT amazing.

Chipotle Black Bean Hummus

I don't think there will be any of this left when Paul gets home tonight...

My mouth is on fire and yet I can't/won't stop. At least I will definitely get my 8 glasses of water today.

Rock Cakes, Cathedrals, & the English Coast

We'll get back to these bad boys in just a moment. 

Berry Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes & Our Wedding

When we were planning our wedding we hired a young and talented photographer whose business has since exploded, which meant we had a really long wait for our photos. On the morning of our one year anniversary, we got our photos - along with a very classy apology. Yes, there is a recipe at the bottom of the page so go ahead and scroll if that's what you came for. I won't be offended.

Cold-Brew Iced Coffee

It is really hard to get back into the swing of things after being on vacation. For two weeks I barely sent a text message, hardly looked at e-mail, and didn't make a single phone call. It was truly a break.

We had a wonderful two weeks in England visiting Paul's family, touring the Lake District, and celebrating our wedding with family and friends abroad. I ate crazy amounts of food - market wares, home cooked meals by friends and family, delicious pub fare - and I have several recipes from our travels that I want to share.

But first things first - dealing with jetlag. After dinner the night we got home I made a joke about resting my eyes for a minute and put my head down on the table. Regardless of my intentions, I promptly fell asleep. Awkward.

I was hoping to post about this before I left but I was running around getting ready right up until we left and didn't get the chance. Homemade iced coffee seems even more appropriate now. Appropriate because coffee helps with the tiredness, but even more so because it's iced. It was 73 degrees when we left England and when we landed it was a whopping NINETY-FIVE DEGREES! And it hasn't gotten much better...

90º weather makes me want to grab a glass with some ice...

Berry Cream Ice

I'm not really sure what to call this...

... all I know is that I love it. And it was one of those happy accidents that sometimes happen in the kitchen. 

Brown Sugar Shortbread

One of my first posts was about my grandparent's neighbor, Gordon. (There was also a really delicious scone recipe.) Meeting Gordon was an interesting treat. He's in his late 90's, he's a retired CFO who lived in New Jersey, and he wears Adidas track suits. When we sat down to talk, Paul had to fix Gordon's hearing aid for him before we could have a real conversation. When I told him that I am a Sunday School Director, he spoke to me about doing things with meaning in a way that still touches me when I think about it.

Whole Wheat Garlic Crackers

Is there anything better than biting into a crisp garlicky cracker with a giant air bubble when it's still hot from the oven? Okay, so there probably is but I still think it ranks up there in life's pleasures.

White Bean Blondies

I have been going hard at the gym this week. I did two hours of water classes this morning to the point where my skin screamed a definitive "NO!" to the chlorine and my arms now refuse to function normally. Why am I doing this? It's almost summer and I'm trying not to put ON weight. Why am I gaining weight? Trying to get this recipe just right.

Kale-Tempeh-Lentil Bowl

Earlier this year I got knocked out by a virus, spent two full weeks laying down, and felt weak and shabby by the time I recovered. I hated the way I felt so I made the decision to run. I downloaded the RunKeeper app to my iPhone and started the free Couch to 5K program. I even signed up for an actual run that would be the cap to my training program and my semester.

Grain-Free Protein Bread

I wish I was one of those people who could eat whatever I want without consequence. I'm not talking about my metabolism either. As I've gotten older I've learned more (the hard way) about the connection between what I ingest and the way I feel.

Sausage & White Bean Skillet

I was recently faced with the dilemma of an almost empty fridge, a grumbly tummy, and the desire to not leave the house. A totally unique situation, I'm sure. Paul and I were also getting ready to leave on a church camping trip for several days and we didn't want to buy any food to potentially spoil while we were gone.