This decadent brownie pie recipe combines Oreo pie crust, Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough, and Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie mix for an over-the-top chocolate experience. And it only takes minutes to put together! If necessity is the mother of invention, then surely chocolate cravings are the mother of all things good and holy. This pie recipe came from the beautiful union of a family of picky eaters and a chocoholic mom, and resulted in a dessert that’s taking my little circle of friends by storm. Here’s how it all started. A Little Family History Our church does this event every fall called “The Feast of Pies” which is basically… Keep Reading
Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free and Vegan)
This Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is really more of a public service announcement than a recipe post. I’m not a food blogger by any stretch, but when I find a recipe this good, I feel it would be selfish not to share it with the world. The fact that they’re gluten free and vegan means I know they will make someone’s day. Back to school means getting organized about everything, not the least of which is lunch-packing and after-school-snacking. When my kids get home from school they turn into ravenous vultures. It’s like they haven’t eaten anything all day. Never mind the lunch and snack they already had… Keep Reading
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Sure, this blog is usually about color, design, and DIY projects, but apparently a good portion of my life behind the scenes revolves around ice cream. So, you get to share in my obsession (because if I don’t write down these creations somewhere, I’ll never remember how to make them again)! The last time I shared my favorite Dairy-Free Vanilla ice cream recipe, one of my blogging friends, Andy, challenged me to come up with a good recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Never one to back down from a challenge, or a bowl of ice cream, I accepted, and today I’m proud to bring you my new recipe! This one… Keep Reading
Whipped Cream in a Jar
Did you know you can make whipped cream in a jar? Maybe everyone knows this except for me, but I was blown away by this idea when visiting my parents’ house last weekend. My mom handed my daughter a jar of what looked like mayonnaise and asked her to shake it. I asked if she was making her own dressing these days, and she looked confused for a minute, then said, “No, it’s whipped cream.” “Wait, what?” Then I noticed the huge bowl of berries on the table, and immediately my mouth started watering. As I was trying to politely wait for dinner to be served, my mind started reeling… Keep Reading
My Favorite Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream
Last weekend I was chatting with a friend who just bought an ice cream maker. When I mentioned I use mine all the time, she asked for some recipes and like the boring friend that I sometimes am, I replied, “I only have one recipe and I use it every time.” I get really serious about ice cream. I like it a lot. Maybe more than I should. My family knows not to try to steal a bite of my ice cream or they’ll get a spoon to the hand. While not an ice cream snob (I’ll pretty much eat any ice cream offered to me), I was born and raised… Keep Reading
Spring Green Smoothie
I don’t love vegetables. I mean, in a perfect world I know I should, but in reality they end up way down the list of priorities. Unless you count cocoa beans. Those are a vegetable, right? And coffee beans? My hubby, on the other hand, is a health nut. He loves all things protein- and micronutrient-rich, and he starts everyday with a workout or a run, while I’m still asleep. So recently, when I mentioned I might want to get a Vitamix blender so that I could start adding more veggies into my diet, he was completely supportive. Then we did a little research into how much they cost, and… Keep Reading
Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding
I love leftovers. I love the satisfaction of knowing nothing has gone to waste, and the way the flavors mellow and develop after a night or so in the fridge. The other night, I bought a loaf of French bread to go with dinner. It was the perfect complement to the spaghetti I was making, but we only ate about half the loaf, and it seemed a shame to let such delicious bread dry out, only to be tossed like a giant brick into the trash after few days. So the next day, I looked around my mostly-empty cupboards and came up with a few other leftovers. Voila! (That’s the extent… Keep Reading
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are some things in life that are just non-negotiable. Try as I might, I cannot live without chocolate chip cookies. That’s why, when I recently embarked on a soul-crushing elimination diet to try and determine whether I have some food intolerances, I started having withdrawal. I mean, I got a serious jonesin’ for a pastry of any kind. (Y’all who read my recent anti-dieting post have my permission to ridicule me now.) To make a long story short, I’m temporarily (hopefully) off wheat, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, coffee (ouch!), nuts, and probably some other things I can’t think of at the moment. What else is there, you may ask? Well,… Keep Reading
“Summer in a Glass” Lemon Iced Green Tea
It’s summer, it’s hot, and it’s swimsuit season. Groan. Here’s how my yearly diet cycle breaks down: January 1 – May 31. Think I should be doing something to get ready for swimsuit season. Do nothing. June 1 – September 30. Wish I had done something to get ready for swimsuit season. Try to play catch up. October 1 – December 31. Eat like I’m going to hibernate with the bears. So this is the time of year when I’m looking for refreshing recipes that don’t inflict any more damage than necessary on my self esteem. Although I kissed the bikini-ready body goodbye after two pregnancies and c-sections (and don’t… Keep Reading
Asian Chicken Slaw – Allergy Friendly!
OK, I know this is an art and design blog, but as a mom of two kids with allergies, I feel morally obligated to share new recipes when I find good ones. This is one I modified from an old favorite. A few years ago, a friend introduced to me “Soccer Salad” with Ramen noodles and almond slivers, and I was immediately hooked on the slightly sweet, tangy flavor, and wonderful crunch from the broccoli and ramen noodles. Fast forward a few years to kids who can’t eat nuts, but love to eat anything with chopsticks, and I’ve modified an old favorite side dish into a new allergy-friendly and kid-friendly… Keep Reading