Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes. I used to shy away from them, because they were always served with those weird little marshmallows on top. Was it dessert? Was it a veggie side? Let's just say that I'm much more of a savory sweet potato person. I tried these savory little buggers last night. So easy. So yummy in my tummy.

These sweet potatoes are cubed up and tossed in a balsamic reduction, sweetened with a little brown sugar, sprinkled with kosher salt, and then roasted to perfection in the oven. They're sweet and savory. This side dish is easy to make, but does take 40 minutes in the oven, so don't wait until the last minute to throw it together.

Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

Tequila Jalapeno Crab Dip

I'm so so sorry to those of you who are kind enough to check back for new postings. I know I've been M.I.A. I'm teaching high school again and while I love it, planning and grading occupy most of my time. This little delicious dip has been waiting to be posted for the last three weeks.

I made this tequila jalapeno crab dip for my first Pinterest party. Everyone had to bring some grub and something crafty to make that they had pinned. I've had this dip pinned for awhile and finally pulled the trigger. Result = pure deliciousness!

I made a few changes to the original recipe. I'm not a fan of mayo, so I used sour cream instead. I also added some red bell pepper, doubled the garlic, and used green salsa instead of the Tabasco. It ended up being so damn tasty! My Pinterest craft of bedazzling my iPhone charger however... a bust. You win some, you lose some.

I might consider nixing the sugar next time. The crab meat is sweet and the red bell pepper added an additional sweetness. I'm not sure the sugar is necessary...either way this dip is too good to pass up. Kick ass really.

To make the dip, start by seeding the peppers. Throw some jalapeno, Anaheim, red bell pepper, roma tomato, onion, and garlic into the food processor.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Do they look incredibly pretty? No. In fact, they kind of look like giant cocoons. But don't let their sad and frumpy appearance fool you. These zucchini blossoms, filled with a creamy mixture of goat cheese, cream cheese and herbs, are rich and delicious!

Ryan and I like to go to the local farmer's market in Chico as often as we can. Our most recent visit resulted in a bag of zucchini blossoms, some purple Chinese long beans, and a purple basil plant. The basil is now growing at warp speed in my back yard, waiting to be used for purple pesto (so cool). The Chinese long beans shriveled in the veggie drawer of my fridge before I could think of a way to use them. That's a dollar I'll never get back. And the zucchini blossoms...well we decided to stuff 'em with  cheese and fry 'em.

We decided to try out Giada De Laurentiis' recipe. A few things we did differently: we used herb flavored goat cheese instead of plain, we used milk instead of cream, and we left out the green onions (only because they were forgotten on the grocery list).

They went from delicate flowers to little deep-fried torpedoes of gooey goat cheese. The marinara was the perfect compliment for me. Ryan mixed up some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for his dip of choice.

Holy Monkey Bread!

Saturday morning I sat starving, as usual, and wished that I had a sweet little chef in my kitchen that I could summon to make pure breakfasty deliciousness. Unfortunately, I had no tiny chef, but I did have refrigerated biscuits in the fridge. It hit me - monkey bread!

I remember my mom making monkey bread once or twice when I was a kid. I also remember thinking what did I ever do to deserve this plate of heaven? So if you want your kids (or hubby) on their best behavior, just throw out two little words: monkey bread. 

Not sure who came up with the monkey title. I'm thinking of renaming it to Stop My Heart Bread, both from the insane deliciousness and the overload of calories. Either way, it's an incredibly special breakfast that should only make a grand appearance every few months.

A Very Polished Thank You {Free Printable}

I know I've been a little M.I.A. from the blog for the last week or so. Reason: I've been moving. Was it planned? No. Was it fun? No. Do I have 500 ugly bruises scattered all over my legs? Yes! Was I reminded of how much crap I have that I don't need, that tends to weigh a ton? Yes!

So through some enormous miscommunication, our property management company thought that we were moving out and we...thought that we were renewing our lease for another year.

They called us on a Friday, wondering why we had dropped off a rent check, since we were supposed to be out of the house the following Tuesday. The house had been rented to someone else. WHAT?! That was news to us.

After the initial anxiety and shock factor, and visions of us living out of storage unit, we decided to roll with it. I mean, we weren't really in love with the location of our house anyway.

The property management, being very apologetic, was willing to show us a new house immediately. We ended up signing a lease for a new place that night. The house is a little bit smaller, but in a much better location. It also has a huge fenced in backyard for our puppy, complete with kiddy pool, which Stella loves.

You just never know what life is going to hand you. One thing I do know - I have amazing friends. Family and friends, who I know had much better things to do, rallied together to help us move on such short notice. I will be cooking many thank-you dinners in the near future.

Coconut Lime Macaroons

These lime macaroons are the perfect baked good for summer. They require only a few ingredients and are super easy to make. The tartness of the lime pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the coconut. I had originally planned to dip the bottoms in dark chocolate...but why mess with a good thing? 

Perhaps, in the future I'll bathe them in chocolate, but for now I love these macaroons just the way they are.

Start with one can of sweetened condensed milk.

Road Trip Kit {Tutorial}

My parents are currently on a very long road trip and my house was the first stop. Knowing my mom's tendency to crave snacks and my step-dad's affinity for pop-rock mixed CDs, I wanted to make them a road trip kit, to take with them the rest of the way.

This six-pack case had been hanging out in my craft room for awhile, waiting for the perfect occasion to be used. This was it. And just like the robot baby shower favors, this kit uses Starbucks Frappaccino bottles. They're piling up in my garage, so the more crafty ways to reuse them the better.  

This kit is cute, portable, full of tasty snacks and road trip tunes - it's the perfect road trip companion. Best of all it's cheap. This easy gift was made from things I had laying around the house. The only thing I went out and bought specifically were the snacks (tailored to my parents tastes, of course).