Slice and Bake Chocolate Dipped Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

It’s cookie swap time!! Once again, I participated in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, an event hosted by the lovely gals of Love & Olive Oil and Little Kitchen, wherein food bloggers make cookies, send each other cookies, blog about the cookies, eat the cookies, and support Cookies for Kids Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, and did I say eat cookies?

Spiced Apple Bourbon Sparklers

What are your favorite holiday cocktails? I love warm mulled wine and bourbon drinks. And I’m a big fan of champagne or sparkling wine during the holidays slash all year long. This year I whipped up a double batch of this eggnog, at my coworker’s insistence. It’s been aging for a few weeks, so we won’t know the outcome until we crack it open the week of Christmas. I’m pretty excited for it though! 

Thanksgiving Menu 2015

THANKSGIVING WEEEEEEEK (forget Oprah voice, we're singing that with Jean-Ralphio flush-with-cash voice)! I’m hosting for the first time, and I’m so excited! I usually help my ma out in the kitchen, and make one or two dishes, but I've never been in charge of the full meal, or the turkey. I'm stooooooooked to do the turkey! I'll probably post some updates on Instagram (is this what Snapchat is for? Ugh. I just feel too old for Snapchat... I mean... be real, it's just for d**k pics, right??), to let you know how it all turns out. If you need any last minute inspiration, here’s my menu!

Corn Pudding with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

When I was growing up, my little family of four—my parents, my sister, and I—created some very, very strong holiday traditions. Like, the kind where if one tiny thing changed, we revolted. We were so rooted in those traditions and rituals that giving them up has been hard. Last Thanksgiving, our first without my dad, was really, really hard. He wouldn’t be there to cut the turkey, to joke with my sister and me about the fuckingyams, to give his annual thanksgiving toast. So, to counter the sadness and weirdness of his absence, my mom invited tons of people. Like 30. Or more. It was a huge party.

Thanksgiving Feels

I'm feeling ALL THE THANKSGIVING FEELS. 

Slice and Bake Spice Cookies with Citrus Glaze and Sea Salt

IT’S COOKIE SEASON YOU GUYS!!!

Pumpkin Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls

If you can't get enough pumpkin this October, have no fear. Sara at Cake Over Steak decided to throw a #virtualpumpkinparty, and invited over 70 bloggers to share all things pumpkin! We're basically going full-on pumpkin cannon on the internet today! 

Fried Cabbage "Strudel" Rolls with Powdered Sugar and Jam

You might think I’m crazy, but today we’re pairing powdered sugar and jam with…cabbage! Mmmm…cabbage dessert! I know it sound pretty weird, but these cabbage rolls, smothered in powdered sugar and dipped in jam, are something from my childhood. One of my favorite comfort foods! I used to ask for these for my birthday every year (for breakfast!).

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins with Coconut & Almond Meal

Happy first Friday in October! One of my favorite months… the air is a little a crisper and the trees are all shades of red and orange. And of course October is all about Halloween and everything pumpkin! It’s also the month Evan and I got married! We’re headed up to Vancouver, BC for the weekend to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, but I wanted to leave you with a pumpkiny fall treat!

Marriage!

This weekend is Evan and my one year wedding anniversary! How on earth did a year pass by so quickly!? We barely got all of our thank you cards out within the one year grace period, and I never even really shared that many photos on here or really blogged about our wedding! Ack! 

Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian Sausage and Roasted Tomatoes

Well. Summer was here then it went away then it was hot again then rainy then sunny then super stormy then summery… and now it’s un-summer again. So, I took the opportunity to turn on the oven and make a hearty, warming, carb and cheese filled fall meal. Baked Ziti!

Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers

Summer's not over yet! Sherrie & Renee are hosting a bubbly, sparkly, boozy, fresh, fruity virtual cocktail party, #drinkthesummer! Scroll to the bottom for a complete list of fun summery drinks by other awesome food bloggers! Get your summer drank on!

Peach, Nectarine, and Plum Pie

This is my favorite pie, and basically the only fruit pie I make. A crispy, flaky, super rich all butter crust with a sunset of colorful peaches, nectarines, and plums inside. A few summers ago, I made it for my parents, and my dad said it was the best pie he’d ever eaten. That’s a pretty big compliment, because the man loved desserts. I got his sweet tooth, and my mom’s taco tooth.  

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw

Last weekend was my SEVENTH year running Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, and I have a serious case of the post-Ragnar blues.

Monkey Lala Popsicles

IT'S POPSICLE WEEK! That one week every year when Billy rounds up all of his closest, most elite food blogger friends (just kidding, everyone's invited) and we all post a kajillion recipes for popsicles and then we all eat popsicles and then you make popsicles and then you eat popsicles. It's total magic. Also, Billy is total magic. This year, to kick off #popsicleweek, he made an animated gif of Xtina eating a popsicle and asked us if we were team dirrty Xtina or team clean Christina. I said dirty.... so then I figured I better come up with a dirty pop. 

July 4th Burger Roundup

A few years ago Serious Eats released this amazing, comprehensive guide called the United States of Burgers, and apparently I was super unhappy with Washington's representative burger. I wrote a post about it when the article was released, and never ended up hitting publish. With the 4th of July just around the corner, there's no better time to resurface a ton of awesome all-American burger inspiration. Aside from Will Smith saving the world from aliens, what's more American than a burger on Independence Day!? USA, USA!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas with Cherries and Corn

I was kind of dreading Father’s Day this year. All of the first holidays and events without him are hard. But the impending punch in the gut of Father’s Day—all of the gift guides in my inbox, the grilling recipes for dad online, the Father’s Day golf/BBQ/fishing/woodworking/drinking themed everything everywhere—it had me in a major funk these last few weeks. Luckily we celebrated in the most amazing way possible, which really helped me (and my sister and mom) get through the day. Rather than having a somber memorial last summer, which he would have hated, we waited until last weekend, and had a big blow-out celebration of life. He loved being a dad, and he loved summer solstice, so there was no better time to raise a glass and toast an awesome man, who lived life to the fullest.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Toast with Ricotta and Raspberries

I’m THIRTY! I know a lot of people have meltdowns or get freaked out by turning the big three-oh, but I’m stoked! 

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalapeño Dip

It's Memorial Day and that means it’s officially (unofficially?) grilling season! I’m extra stoked for summer this year, because our place has a tiny little yard, which we’ve spent the last month transforming into a patio oasis (with tons of help from Kyle, Benson, and Kel). 

A Dinner with DRY + Lemony Roasted Chicken Legs with Garlic and Rosemary

I did something fun and rad and I've been keeping it a secret! Picture this: a bunch of your favorite people, a sunny warm spring evening, twinkly candles, and vases full of colorful flowers. A record playing lightly in the background, a well-rounded cocktail in one hand, a crostini in the other, and an enormous cheese plate in front of you. This is basically the PERFECT evening for me. You guys, I am SO almost 30. And I love it.

Thanks Mom!

Pancakes and coffee in bed, flowers and wine. Tiki parties. These things are good, but nothing like that can begin to express the admiration, gratitude, and love I have for my mom.

Tiki Week: Frozen Key Lime Pie Cups

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and that means we’ve hit the end of tiki week. Hopefully this little series has inspired you to do something fun and different for your ma this year. Put away the bubbles and scones and shove a rum drink and rumaki in your mom’s hand, for once! 

Tiki Week: Coconut Shrimp Rangoon

Tiki week appetizer #2! If crab Rangoon and coconut shrimp had a baby, that baby would be coconut shrimp Rangoon! And then we would eat the baby. Er. Is that a weird thing to say on a food blog?!

Tiki Party: Rumaki

You can’t have a tiki party without some classic tiki snacks! Have you ever had rumaki? We had it all the time when I was growing up, which is why I knew my ma would love this Mother’s Day tiki party! 

Tiki Party: Three Dots and a Dash Tiki Drink

It’s tiki week! And the key to a good tiki party is, of course, the drinks! And the key element of a good tiki drink is RUM!

Tiki Party!

Let’s have a Mother’s Day TIKI PARTY! 

There are tons of Mother’s Day food blog posts and ideas out there, and the majority are all flowery and lavender colored, and filled with breakfast in bed and tea sandwiches. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of doing this in the past. But what about the badass moms!?

Quick Black Bean Chilaquiles

You may be a Derby fan, and I like the idea of celebrating the Kentucky Derby—what’s not to love about strong minty whiskey drinks!?—but I’ve never really gotten around to it. Probably because it always falls around the same time as Cinco de Mayo, and I live for Mexican food.

No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that these all-natural healthy-ish ice cream sandwiches replace the classic vanilla ice cream plus chocolate chip cookie combo. Because sometimes a gal just needs a scoop of full-fat, full-dairy ice cream between two buttery, sugary cookies. This gal dreams of that combo daily.

Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It’s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It’s a pita sandwich! It’s a quesadilla! It’s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood

I was going through old documents and files on my computer, and found this thing I wrote for Amanda for her 30th birthday. I never ended up giving it to her, for whatever reason. We always joke (in a funny-'cause-its-true kind of way) that Amanda has the worst memory ever, and I exist to be her life historian, because I have a crazy good memory.

Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Sodas

I’m going to keep this pretty short and sweet.

Mochiko Chicken Musubi + Surprise Baby Shower!

Emily, the hilarious gal behind The Pig & Quill, is making a human baby, and I'm making little baby sized chicken bites on a fluffy bed of rice, swaddled up all tight in a toasty seaweed blanket. Aww!!! It's practically the same! Right? No? Oh.

Classic Deviled Eggs

There are a trajillion deviled egg recipes on the internet. Fancy ones with Dungeness crab on top or truffle oil mixed in. Spicy ones with sriracha or horseradish. Deviled eggs with bacon, goat cheese, and avocado. Southern, southwest, and buffalo deviled eggs. I even saw a recipe for breaded, deep fried deviled eggs. Whoa! And, for every crazy, fusion-y, fun deviled egg out there, there are probably 3 takes on the classic version.

Flying South for the Winter

Next week I’ll be:

A: Lounging on a sun-drenched beach, with snorkel gear and a tropical drink nearby.

B: Exploring a jungle filled with sloths, parrots, and monkeys. And no spiders. Let’s just pretend there are no spiders.

C: Touring one of the greatest civil engineering achievements of the 20^th century.

D: All of the above.

Coconut Pecan Hot Fudge Sundaes

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Let’s celebrate with ice cream sundaes! 

Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Over the holidays Evan and I decided to work on a puzzle…just a simple 500 piecer that we borrowed from a friend. We were never big puzzlers in my family… I honestly can’t remember ever completing a puzzle until now.

Super Bowl FEASTMODE Recipe Round-up

Every single thing that these guys do makes me love them even more! Sherm, being a straight up team player, and, let's face it, total boss. BeastMode, being so charming and adorable I just want to watch cat videos with him all day. You guys! I mean, they're awesome players and everything, but what I love is that they're are actually trying to make a statement and change some of the shittier things in the NFL (for the better), rather than just sitting back and accepting the status quo. LOVE. Also, they're Hawks, so I love that too. 

You know what else I love? Football snacks. 

BEASTMODE ChampionChip Cookies

Super Bowl week! Let’s snack!
Obviously I’m cheering hard for my Hawks, and packing these cookies full of blue and green M&Ms, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them even if you’re not a Seattle fan. I don’t like it, I don’t support it… but go ahead, put other colors of candies in them. I’ll look the other way. 

Breakfast Tacos with Chorizo and Fried Eggs

One of my friends has the most insane stories from her office, almost daily. Recently she was telling me about her coworker from Texas (Dillon/ East Dillion I’m assuming). He was talking about the things he misses most about the lone star state, particularly breakfast tacos (followed closely, I'm sure, by Tim Riggins). And the rest of the coworkers didn’t believe him that breakfast tacos exist. Seriously!? Who are these heathens! I want nothing to do with them. And everything to do with breakfast tacos (and Tim Riggins).

New Year Goals: 2015 Style

Happy New Year! I know I’m a little late to the game here, being that we’re already half-way through January, but I took the last few weeks to recharge, and I’m excited to be back! I have a lot of fun ideas planned for this space in 2015… starting with a facelift!*