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Alana

Arugula Walnut Pesto

Appetizers, Pasta, Snacks By April 10, 2016 Tags: , , , , No Comments

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This past week I had my family in town which calls for lots of time spent exploring and lots of food in my refrigerator (both of these things I have no problem with whatsoever). When it came to this weekend after everybody left though, I found myself with tons of leftovers in the fridge. As to not waste any food, I restricted myself to only eating leftovers until I go grocery shopping again. This plan led me with the realization that I would have to eat a ridiculous amount of salad and greens in a short amount of time to succeed. So to not waste anything, I saw this arugula and knew exactly what to make with it: pesto!

 

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I have made this arugula pesto in the past due to a similar issue. A year or so ago I was house sitting for someone who had a garden and to thank me for the help I received a large bundle of arugula as payment. I was so excited until I realized that eating excess amounts of arugula is not a simple task. So once again I came to the conclusion to make pesto!

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Baked French Toast Casserole

Breakfast, Brunch By March 26, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments

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Every Easter my favorite thing to make/eat are cinnamon rolls. My mom made them all the time growing up and I have become accustomed to the smell of cinnamon on Easter morning. This year though I decided to mix things up but wanted to keep the cinnamon smell and flavor. The result is this baked French toast casserole.

 

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Another reason I had a desire to make this dish is I stopped by a Great Harvest Bread Company and found this amazing Challah bread.  I sampled a slice in the bakery and fell instantly in love. I knew I had to make something scrumptious with it (although it tastes heavenly with just a spread of softened butter).

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Classic Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Dessert By March 20, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

 

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For the past four years I have made a carrot cake for Craig’s birthday. I’m not sure what made him want a carrot cake in the first place but now it has become somewhat of a tradition. It’s a good thing I like carrot cake because this year I made an entire cake for only two people…

 

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In the past I have switched it up by making a carrot cake/cheesecake hybrid. While that is delicious, there is something nice about making the classic. This year too his birthday fell even closer to Easter which made me even more excited to make this carrot cake!

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Shepherds Pie

Dinner By March 13, 2016 Tags: , , , No Comments

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I decided to get in touch with my Irish roots this weekend and whip up a Shepherds Pie. This was my first time making one and I got to say I don’t know why I’ve waited this long!  It’s really delicious and a great one pan meal. Of course with St. Patrick’s Day and Pi Day being this week I decided to celebrate the days with one dish!

 

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I know Shepherds pie is usually made with all the lamb, and while I like lamb, I find the flavor can be too strong at times. So I decided to mix it with ground beef to keep some of the lamb flavor without it being overbearing. Also, I happened to have the right amounts of both ground beef and ground lamb in my freezer so that’s what I went with!

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Chocolate Pecan Bars

Cookies, Dessert By March 6, 2016 Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

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I’ve always had a ridiculously strong sweet tooth. Ice cream and cookies are two food groups I am good at justifying eating daily. I can control it when I want to but for the most part I don’t want to… That has been the case lately as I have been giving into my sweet tooth more frequently. I like to think though that I am good at consuming sweets in moderation, daily, but in moderation… (Am I making any sense??)

 

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So I felt the need to make some of these chocolate pecan bars to be a part of my daily sweet tooth cravings. Believe it or not I actually think these worked at curing my sweet tooth, for a few days of course, not permanently. They are so good and the perfect amount balance of sweet and salty.

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