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So what is checca sauce anyways? It’s a traditional fresh tomato sauce used in the Italian preparation Pasta alla Checca, and it’s sort of like a beefed up tomato sauce. If you’re like me and love things that taste both fresh and rich at the same time with a little addition of cheese, well then… you’ve just planned dinner for many wonderful summer nights to come! Fresh tomatoes get tossed into the blender with basil, minced garlic, olive oil, and freshly grated parmesan....

I’m having what they call ‘a minute’ with brussels sprouts right now! Although to be more specific that ‘minute’ has been going on for about a year now. Last fall when they started arriving at the supermarket, I started getting pounds and pounds of them to take home and roast. They’re so good roasted with any number of seasonings, but these bacon balsamic ones really stand out. Which thinking about it now is kind of obvious, I mean… they have bacon bits in them – that’s an automatic win!...

I used cacao butter for this recipe because it enhances the chocolate flavor and keeps the frosting nice and thick. You can substitue coconut oil, but your frosting will be slightly thinner with a hint of coconut (not much of a problem really). I bought my cacao butter at a local health food store. You should be looking for one that says it’s ‘food grade’ on the label, not just cosmetic use....

This ice cream… it’s silky smooth and so delicious. It reminds me of my childhood days getting strawberry sundaes with soft serve at a certain popular chain restaurant. This recipe is also my all-time most popular dessert recipe on the blog. I’ll admit I was a little shocked this is the case considering how many chocolate recipes I’ve made. (But I guess everyone likes ice cream as much as I do!...

This coconut lime combination has become one of our favorites. It’s one of those combinations you don’t expect to fall head over heels for when you’re a ‘dyed in the wool’ chocoholic, but what can you do!?! It all started with my Coconut Lime Ice Cream which has become Tyler’s most requested dessert. And from there I started using the combination in so many different ways. For lots more coconut lime inspiration, be sure to check out the recipes at the end of the post....

Over the years, we’ve moved from occasional date nights at home to pretty much every single week. And we’ve figured out a few ways to make it more fun with easy recipes for easy cleanup! Mostly we stick to the simplest dishes so we can enjoy our night. But there’s also room for a little extra effort classics like homemade lasagna. We both have our roles, with me doing the cooking and Tyler doing some prep work and cleanup....

This has been my family’s go-to recipe for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure exactly who came up with the combination of herbs, garlic, and lemon. But I have a hunch we each had a little something to do with this full flavored roast chicken. Learning how to roast a chicken is an invaluable skill because it’s one of those recipes that will never fail you, and it can be paired with so many interesting side dishes....

I grew up eating blueberry pancakes as a special ‘weekend treat’ type of breakfast. Most of the time they were actually huckleberry pancakes since they grow here in Montana. They have a indescribably wild and wonderful flavor since you have to forage them straight from the forest. But a close second is wild blueberries if you can find them in the freezer section at your grocery store. My absolute favorite was when mom would make them for breakfast on a camping trip....

Preparing food ahead of time goes against my grain, I just can’t seem to commit to 4 days in a row of the same salad – or whatever it might be! I love winging it day by day, and just going with whatever I’m craving – sounds good right? Well… in theory anyways – what actually happens is more like this: coffee and water until 7:00 pm at night when I eat a huge dinner (and I mean huge)....

Does anyone else feel like summer is simply flying by? As in if I’m not careful it’ll be fall, and there will still be so many things left on my summer list! Luckily we were able to do all sorts of fantastic summer things during our vacation, and I pretty much crossed off most of my summer bucket list items. (Still haven’t had a campfire though.) Taking a vacation in the summer seems like a no brainer, but for the last several years we’ve been having trouble getting days off....

This Homemade Maple Ice Cream is my first choice to pair with my favorite holiday desserts. It’s so perfect with apple pie or crisp, pecan pie, or the traditional pumpkin pie. The only dessert that I prefer vanilla over maple is of course with cherry pie. But, overall maple ice cream definitely wins in my book. I absolutely love the combination of the creamy maple flavor with the flavors of fall, particularly apple desserts....

This breakfast has quickly become a new go-to in our house! It’s the kind of meal that fills you up just right to power through your day, yet it doesn’t bog you down by making you overly full! I’m not usually one for a big breakfast because I don’t feel very good when I eat them – just an overall sluggishness and lack of energy. But… this one is truly a powerhouse – I could eat it before sitting down to hours of desk work or I can eat it and hit the trail for a workout – it’s perfect either way....

I received a grill pan for a gift this summer and I’ve been stir-frying all summer long! It’s been great because while I love stir-fried vegetables, I don’t like to turn the stove on much in the summer. This pan is great because it enables you to have the caramelized seared flavor without heating up the house. I like to make any number of variations of this recipe. It’s great with Mexican inspired spices and served with Guacamole and Roasted Sweet Potatoes (the sweet potatoes can go on the grill as well), for a completely meatless meal!...

I often find myself craving something sweet for breakfast, so I’m always working on new recipes to satisfy this craving and still be healthy. Nice cream is always a good place to start because it has the texture of ice cream and satisfies my need for something sweet, but it’s completely made from fruit. And really who doesn’t want ice cream for breakfast, or is that just my particular fascination?...

Blueberry has been my favorite muffin flavor since I was little. My mom used to make those boxed muffin mixes sometimes on the weekends. (Yes, you read that right, I grew up in a roller rink! As a funny side note, my parents towed me around on skates before I could even walk!) So let’s jump in and make some healthier muffins to enjoy with your morning coffee that tastes even better than regular blueberry muffins....

The minute I heard about hazelnut flour, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it. It’s totally predictable and not at all unexpected, but chocolate chip cookies have just been begging for this Nutella like upgrade. And… since chocolate and sea salt is absolutely unbeatable, I sprinkled the cookie tops with a little salty goodness as well. It only took me 3 months of off and on testing before I finally got them right....

I saw this idea floating around the internet a while ago. But… like most things that I pin, I forgot about it until recently. I just made one small change to the original idea: I put mine in a decorative container because I wasn’t crazy about seeing a bowl of baking soda hanging out in my living room. This air freshener is perfect because it’s cheap and easy. I like that it’s so easy to change your scents with the seasons, or from one room to another....

A couple weeks ago I put together a list of our 15 Easy and Affordable Date Night Ideas. One of our favorite go-to’s from that list is #7 the cheese party, which can either be for 2, or also for epic entertaining. We average a cheese party date every couple of months, and it simply never gets old. They’re so easy to put together, there’s virtually no clean-up, and they’re just so much fun....

I’ve been making this Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream for just over 7 years now. And so I knew it was time for an update with all the different tips I’ve learned along the way. So if you’re looking for a super tasty dairy-free whipped cream, this recipe is the answer! I use this recipe for whipped cream to go with so many other desserts, and it’s always a hit. So be sure and check out my favorite dessert recipes below to pair with this whipped cream....

The idea for this Meat Lover’s Pizza Burger formed in my head while standing in line at Costco. A couple of us started talking about what we were going to make with the gigantic packages of 6 portabello mushrooms we were buying. One woman said that she likes to use them instead of buns for her hamburger and the other woman said that she likes to make mini pizzas. On my way out the door, the light bulb finally popped on, and I thought “why not have both?...