It is always a nice surprise when digging through the freezer to find a huge stash of frozen, ripe bananas. We gobble treats like banana bread up so fast that I usually bake two or three loaves, most often with the intention to freeze at least one extra.

That extra loaf almost never even makes it into the freezer.

Banana bread is one of those things where everyone is convinced that their recipe is the absolute best. I won’t claim that this is the best, but it is most definitely one of the best in our...

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We have made this Cheesecake Mousse with Lemon Curd and Strawberries a few times recently. Once for our Easter dessert, and again (minus the lemon curd) with a group of second graders at Logan’s school during “Mentor Day.”

I had the opportunity to share a little bit about food blogging with a group of second graders (Logan included) in the morning and another in the afternoon after lunch. As part of our lesson we prepared a batch of Cheesecake Mousse topped with...

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This is one of the most flavorful, moist quick breads I’ve ever made. Not only is the batter full of wonderful ingredients such as blueberries, butter and lemon zest, the lemon flavor is enhanced by a lemon syrup AND a lemon glaze. And the syrup doesn’t just sit on top of the bread – first you jab many holes into the bread with a skewer (I used the end of a paint brush), then brush the top with all that good lemonyness and let it seep into the bread. Heavenly.

“You should never make cake again – when you want to make cake, you should make this instead. It’s way better,” Reuben informed me after gobbling down a slice or two of this bread.

“I’ll take TWO pieces,” he requested as I buttered a slice...

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I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction – I plowed through most of the Dear America series when I was a child and went on to study history as an undergraduate. Now, I find that I absolutely love young adult historical fiction. I love the combination of coming-of-age stories and fascinating periods of history around the world (although, I generally enjoy historical fiction set in the US the most).

These five titles are ones that completely sucked me in, and when I closed the last page, I wanted to know more about the time period, the real people from the era, and anything else there was to know.

1.  Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson – This is the young adult version of Caddie Woodlawn or Little House on the...

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Even thought our weather has been pretty mild, I still have summer on the brain. There are only a few weeks of school left and before we know it, the pool will be open and we’ll be busting out our shorts and flip flops for good…not until the next snow.

With summer comes the fun of lazy days and get togethers with family and friends. My favorite no-fuss unofficial summer get together was taking Logan and Madeline to the neighborhood pool and meeting up with our friends for a day...

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“I think anytime you can get away with calling chocolate a breakfast food, you should.”

Though I hardly need an excuse to make muffins, one of life’s greatest simple pleasures, I am happy my sweet sister-in-law gave me a good reason to pull out the chocolate and muffin tins. She is a devoted mother to a little blonde angel and a supportive, patient, loving wife to my brother. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister!

If we lived closer, I would make a batch of these and deliver them for Mother’s Day this week. Muffins always make the nicest gifts. 

I adapted this muffin...

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She planned a sisters special spa day for us during the day while the kids were at school on a Friday. We enjoyed facials at JLounge and Spa in Boulder, pedicures, and a delicious lunch out at Pizzeria Da Lupo (YUM!).

Allie asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner for our family party and immediately my mind went to Mexican.

It was always a tradition growing up to celebrate birthdays at Pappasito’s. With no Pappasito’s within a reasonable driving distance, we decided to come up with our own Mexican menu.

Stuffed Roasted Poblanos, Shredded Beef Enchiladas, Tomato and Avocado Salad with...

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Raise your hand if you actually knew it was chocolate parfait day. I had no idea, but I’m certainly happy to celebrate! Who wants a spoon?

Written by: Caroline Edwards of Chocolate & Carrots

The pudding is made with either low fat or no fat milk, low sugar and is thick and creamy just as if there was cream, making it a deliciously lower calorie treat!

But, if you’re like me, you like to decorate that chocolate pudding with some homemade whipping cream and chocolate cookies. You could even take it to the next level with these Triple Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Parfaits.

The beautiful thing about these parfaits is you can customize them with any cookie or candy that you’d like, making these healthier chocolate parfaits...

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Lasagna rolls are attractive, simple to prepare, and so much easier to dish up and serve than a massive layer of lasagna that requires cutting into.

I have been wanting to make a chicken lasagna with white sauce for a while, but I only recently got around to experimenting and developing a recipe.

Rich, meat sauce lasagna smothered in thick tomato sauce and cheese feels more like fall and winter. With spring here I thought a fresher, lighter casserole was more in order.

These lasagna rolls are stuffed with chicken,...

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My latest salad creation, Balsamic Berry Salad Lettuce Cups, was inspired by the flavor combination of berries and balsamic vinegar. If you haven’t tried that yet, give it a try. I know it might sound a little odd, but balsamic vinegar is great drizzled over strawberries

Simply Dressed® salad dressings are my go-to when it comes to store-bought salad dressings because they are made with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and canola oil. They don’t contain preservatives, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or artificial flavors.

I love Marzetti’s new Simply Dressed® Balsamic Salad Dressings. They are really convenient to have on...

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