Banana Crumb Cake

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Once, I my friends and I decided (as we do) that it would be a great idea to take on our local creamery’s famous ice cream challenge.

15 minutes, one sundae. Doesn’t sound that bad, right?

Wrong. Three pounds of ice cream and a quarter-hour later found each of us sunken into a comatose stupor–something between sugary crash-and-burn and uncontrollable (but lackadaisical) giddiness. I vaguely recall laughing a lot about cherry stems, but that’s about it.

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Of the twelve of us there, I was third to finish. Weirdly, as I looked around at my struggling companions, I had the strangest … Read more

Apple Cheddar Veggie Meatball Skewers

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameTimeClean#CollectiveBias

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Everyone in my family has an obsession. My dad and brother are obsessed with football; I’m crazy about cooking (obviously); and my mom–well, she loves puzzle games and…paper towels.

I kid you not.When we went out for some quality grocery shopping time a few weeks ago while my dad and brother were at home watching the football game, she said to me: “Now where’s Viva?”

“What?”

“Viva. You know, Viva.

I had just begun to look around in bewilderment for … Read more

The Fluffiest Little Pancakes {secret ingredient!}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplySparkling#CollectiveBias

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It feels like food bloggers are always on a quest to find the perfect something. Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, donuts………pancakes?

Well today you can call me Frodo, because I think I’ve nailed this quest. Without further ado, I give you: the fluffiest little pancakes!!!

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There are a lot of theories out there about what makes the “perfect” pancake. Some folks are of the buttermilk & baking soda camp; others use baking powder as leavening. When the Humanities grind gets … Read more

No-Churn Cake Batter Ice Cream

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurelySimple #CollectiveBias

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Every time my friends and I visit the ice cream parlor, there are a few flavors I will always avoid as a matter of principle. Bubble gum. Cotton candy. Cake Batter.

GUYS, DO NOT AVOID THE CAKE BATTER.

Granted, I don’t know if I would order it at an ice cream shop even now–to be honest, all the preservatives and artificial flavors in storebought cake batter ice cream kind of creep me out. I mean, eating baked cake is one thing–raw, … Read more

4-Layer Everything Bars

4-Layer Nougat Caramel Cookie Ganache Krispies Bars

Before I begin, I just want to say that I’m not at all sorry for sharing this dessert with you. Yes, it’s a crazy dessert–yes, it’s so insanely good that I nearly picked through half of the pan before I managed to pry my paws off of these layered bars long enough to package them and ship them off. But will I say sorry?

Certainly not!

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The thing is, I’m a chronic sorry-sayer. If you’re not one yourself, you know one: that friend who, even when she is doing you a favor, will say “sorry” out of instinct more than … Read more

Healthy Spiced Apple Granola

This shop has been compensated by Vons. All opinions are mine alone. #AStockUpSale #Vons #CollectiveBias

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Whenever I get stressed, I go on these epic grocery store raids. They wouldn’t really be a problem, either–I mean, who doesn’t need 15 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch sitting around, right?–…IF I had a car for transporting all of my crazy impulse buys back to my place.

As it turns out, I don’t have a car, and with the first week of school upon us (FINALLY) stress levels are at simmering somewhere around a pleasant 7 out of 10. Apart from spending way too … Read more

When a Food Blogger Gets Hangry….

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EatASNICKERS #CollectiveBias

Have a ever seen a food blogger get HANGRY?

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You’d figure that, for people who spend the majority of their days around food–making it, tasting it, styling it, photographing it–hanger isn’t a problem. Let me make this clear: HANGER IS REAL. YES. EVEN FOR FOOD BLOGGERS.

“But how is this possible when you spend all of your time around food?” you ask. Excellent question. Before I launch into my self-righteous explanation, however, I want to make sure we’re all on … Read more

Pecan Pie M&M’s®-Loaded Applesauce Cake Bars

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias

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One of the strangest things about being on the quarter system is that although the rest of the world has signed this tacit contract that says yes, the end of August is the perfect time for everyone to be back at school and we should all probably cooperate to coordinate this educational effort, over here we just do jazz hands or something until one day we look at the calendar again and summer is officially over and we’re all like, OK, … Read more

Honey Walnut Tofu with Long Grain and Wild Rice

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #justaddrice #CollectiveBias

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Growing up, rice was a staple at home. If it was mealtime and there wasn’t rice on the table, either you had read the clock wrong and it wasn’t dinnertime, or you were eating out. Or the house was on fire but even then, there was probably rice…

I think I can count on both hands the number of times our family partook in a dinner without rice–because yes, even when it was lasagna night, the rice cooker would still be … Read more

Mexican Wedding Cookies { + writing about difficult issues }

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While I never intended for this blog to be a space for me to share and sort through difficult emotions, it’s funny how much I’ve come to rely on WG as that kind of outlet in a few short years. I’ve never been able to sustain a trusting relationship for more than a few months, yet here I am pouring out my soul to hundreds and thousands of readers whom I have never met–many of whom will never meet me. I have always loved writing, and writing about these issues offers relief and newfound clarity, more often and not in … Read more