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A Food Blogger’s Guilty Pleasure As food bloggers, we get a lot of questions about where we like to eat, especially since we live in the NYC area. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is, while we of course venture out to try restaurants in and around the city––from trendy and talked-about to hole-in-the-wall types––sometimes, all we want is a plate of Factory Meatloaf, the colossal Chicken Romano, and of course, the avocado egg rolls....

Posted May 15, 2022, Updated Feb 17, 2024 This banana avocado smoothie is a thick and creamy treat made with healthy ingredients. It tastes like a vanilla milkshake but is loaded with nutrition, so it’s a yummy breakfast or snack you can feel good about eating. This avocado smoothie recipe is made with 7 ingredients in 5 minutes and will keep you full all morning long. Don’t forget to check out all of our favorite smoothie recipes!...

This pasta salad is filled with bacon, cheese, and chicken in an easy, creamy homemade dressing. This pasta salad is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and hot summer evenings. A Main Dish Pasta Salad This super easy salad is so hearty we enjoy it as a lunch or main dish. It also makes a perfect side dish for barbecues and beyond! It keeps up to 4 days in the fridge, perfect for quick weeknight meals....

Juicy scallops wrapped in crispy bacon create a flavor explosion that’s perfect for impressing your guests or simply treating yourself to a delicious snack. They can be an appetizer or a main dish and can be cooked on the grill, broiled, or cooked in the air fryer! Crowd Pleasing Appetizer or Meal Scallops wrapped in bacon can be served as appetizers as an entrée. Cooked in a light garlic butter sauce, the bacon adds a great smoky salty flavor and the scallops come out perfectly tender....

Posted Jan 23, 2023, Updated Feb 14, 2024 These healthy banana oatmeal muffins are a delicious and nutritious breakfast or snack (also try these oatmeal muffins and blueberry oatmeal muffins). They’re easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients in the blender. They have no flour so they’re gluten-free! Plus, they freeze well so you can prep them in advance and pull them out to enjoy at any time....

It’s not completely obvious to the uninitiated how to use them, however. We’ll tell you everything you need to know in this quick article. What Are Bean Curd Sheets? Bean curd sheets or skins are made by cooking soy milk until a film forms on top. That film is then lifted off the soy milk and dried into sheets. These sheets can be layered and stuffed with fillings: A similar process can create dried bean curd sticks, which are rolled into long sticks before drying....

Posted Aug 23, 2023, Updated Oct 21, 2024 I enjoy dessert so much that I eat it every night – which is why I like to create healthier recipes, like these Black Bean Brownies! Dessert doesn’t have to derail your healthy eating habits, with this black bean brownie recipe it can be part of your daily routine – because what good is a day without chocolate? Topped with this Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting, these black bean brownies are one of favorite desserts....

Posted Sep 19, 2019, Updated May 07, 2024 This Best Eclairs Recipe is my husband’s favorite dessert of all time. His mom has been making these homemade Eclairs for over 45 years and when Ritch and I got married, she taught me how to make them too. These Eclairs are good, like knock-your-socks-off delicious. But they’re not necessarily an “easy” recipe. This eclairs recipe is really three recipes: one for the Choux pastry, one for the chocolate frosting and one for the eclair filling....

Posted Apr 22, 2020, Updated Apr 16, 2024 This Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe is one of my all-time favorites! I have a serious love for Mediterranean food (like baked falafel, Greek chicken, Greek meatballs, and chicken kebabs – YUM)! Since we don’t go out to eat very often, I have worked hard over the years to create homemade versions of my favorite restaurant fare. Tzatziki Sauce is one of my favorite “condiments” and our recipe is better than any tzatziki I’ve ever had in a restaurant....

Incredibly low effort, easy and awfully satisfying, this recipe is so so so darn good served alongside a crispy, flaky paratha and a cup of masala chai (Indian tea) - yum! The chickpeas, which are simmered on low heat for 30-40 minutes, literally melt in your mouth and paired with a slightly soft yolk tastes divine! For an extra creamy touch, add a dollop of double cream after you’ve finished cooking and have turned the heat off....

First: The Limitations of an Instant Pot! Many of you are probably familiar with the the classic Shanghai dish, Hong Shao Rou or Red Braised Pork Belly. This isn’t that recipe. Because let me tell you a little secret about making Hong Shao Rou in an Instant Pot…it’s not really a good idea. Now before you call me a Debbie Downer or an Instant Pot hater (I <3 my Instant Pot, trust me), the thing is, you can’t really pull off the same results in an Instant Pot, because the thing about some dishes is that they can’t be rushed!...

The secret is in the perfect blend of ingredients that are likely already in your pantry! Rub it on fish or chicken. Sprinkle it on shrimp or stir it into pasta. A Staple Seasoning Blend Cajun seasoning is a pantry staple in Louisiana, and in my kitchen too! It’s easy to make at home. Spicy & versatile! Cajun spice adds a smoky, spicy, and savory pop of flavor to recipes....

A delicious salad with slices of tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and creamy mozzarella cheese under a drizzle of oil and balsamic. It’s the perfect appetizer or side that can be served all year round. An Italian Favorite With the colors of the Italian flag, Insalata Caprese (ka-pray-zee) as delicious as it is beautiful. This salad originates from the island of Capri and is made with ripe, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves....

The first time I had good cha gio was in Austin, Texas while visiting friends. It was a great meal. I had grilled pork chops and fried spring rolls in my salad—a heavenly combination of textures and flavors. That night, I also tried Vietnamese coffee for the first time, which also blew my mind. Needless to say, that meal really inspired me to do a lot of research to develop these recipes....

With multiple hypotheses… Testing different variables… Many observations noted in my handy dandy recipe notebook (which is now conveniently stained with pakora batter)… We ran out of funding (boneless chicken, gram flour, coriander, you name it) several times during the research trials, and I had to apply for renewed funding (asking the husband to keep popping to the Pakistani grocery store). But you know what? It was ALL worth it because not only did I get the recipe for The BEST Chicken Pakora EVER, but I now I FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT ALL!...

It’s a time of togetherness and abundance, which means a bit of planning is in order to ensure everything goes smoothly. DOS: What everyone should do for Chinese New year DO decorate with lots of red decorations. DO clean your house before Chinese New Year. DO remember to hand out red envelopes to children and unmarried young adults if you are married and older. DO wish everyone a happy new year when you see them....

So normally, these scallion rolls, or hua juan (literally in Chinese, flower rolls), are twisted or braided into much more intricate shapes (never fear! we have an easier way). We decided to roll them and cut them much like one would with cinnamon rolls, and then press them into these sort of “butterfly shapes” to keep them from expanding and rolling apart. Now, you can make the traditional (also vegetarian) version, which is largely just scallions....

Posted Apr 14, 2016, Updated Jul 17, 2024 These little balls of chocolatey bliss are crazy delicious and healthy! They’re paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and are only sweetened with date. Simply almonds, dates and a few other ingredients come together beautifully to make a healthy treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. Everyone in my family LOVES these Almond Butter Energy Bites. My husband, who usually doesn’t care for my “healthy” treat options, raves about these....

Posted Dec 19, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2024 If you’re looking for a decadent breakfast for serious chocolate lovers then these chocolate cinnamon rolls are for you (also try chocolate waffles, chocolate crepes and chocolate scones)! This is not your average chocolate cinnamon roll recipe! Every component of these heavenly rolls contains chocolate. There is chocolate inside the cinnamon sugar filling. The cinnamon roll dough itself is deliciously chocolatey. And the chocolate cream cheese frosting is absolutely to die for....

Posted Feb 01, 2018, Updated Sep 02, 2020 This Peanut Butter Pie with a brownie crust is the embodiment of perfection…in dessert form. I mean seriously, It’s everything a dessert should be {and more}. A creamy peanut butter filling sits on top of a fudgy brownie crust and is topped with a luscious chocolate peanut butter ganache. Plus this bombshell is gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free! This Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie was born in my mind long before it came to life in my kitchen....