St. Mary and Virginia Falls is one of the best short hikes I’ve been on in Glacier National Park. It’s pretty much just one long waterfall for miles! As you hike along through the forest, little openings appear with so many sets of falls that I lost count. The main attraction is obviously the 2 big falls that the trail is named after, but the falls in between were really nice too....
This recipe is actually a mash up of two different ideas I’ve had floating around for a while. First off I’ve been wanting to do something with sticky bun topping. You know the one that’s a super addictive caramel pecan combination that tops the cousins to cinnamon rolls! And secondly, it’s pumpkin season, so I knew I wanted to make some type of easy to make pumpkin cake. So as I was perusing over my recipe notes, I had the idea to combine these two concepts together....
First off, I just want to tell you that these pictures aren’t fake or color enhanced at all – not even one bit! There is a secret to the crazy beautiful color though – I used frozen strawberries from our garden last year, so they’re intensely colored because they were ripe when we picked them. A few months ago, we upgraded to a new camera system and new lenses. While it was incredibly expensive, you can see the results in these photos – they’re not edited at all – no contrast or color enhancement – this is exactly how they came out of the camera!...
Yellowstone National Park is thought to be the very first National Park in the world, and it’s also the home of the biggest super volcano on this continent! The whole area is a true wonderland from 10,000′ peaks to erupting geysers, and everything in between! There’s a little something for everyone in Yellowstone, and it’s the most diverse in terms of scenery that I’ve ever seen. We did a fair bit of research before our trip, but we still ran into some knowledge gaps once we were there, so I thought I’d write to tell you about our experience in the hopes that you’ll have the best visit possible when you come!...
Frittatas have quickly become a staple in our house since I made this Roasted Red Pepper Feta Frittata. They’re just so easy and delicious! They’re also one of those rare dishes where you can easily use up odd ends from the fridge, and somehow it still tastes awesome. Emptying the fridge is exactly how this frittata came about. I had half a bunch of asparagus, some leftover fontina, and a little basil that needed to go immediately before it turned into yet another science experiment....
We’re pretty big into Caesar Salad around here, in fact, it’s one of the only things that we eat on a regular basis! It’s also our favorite date-night recipe to make because it’s so easy, and we never get tired of it! After you make a recipe with someone many times, it starts to become easy enough to do in your sleep – which is perfect for those nights when you’re completely exhausted at the end of the week but still wanting something healthy and ultimately satisfying!...
Even the super sour unripe blackberries we get imported here taste so good baked into a semblance of sweetness with ripe peaches. In fact they add a note of tartness to the overall crisp that I’m rather fond of. If you’re part of the lucky group that has ripe blackberries, you may not want to add any sweetener to the fruit at all – that’s the beauty of summer-ripe! This crisp topping is much wetter than a normal topping, but don’t worry it bakes up perfectly....
We hiked into Bow Glacier Falls, and then scrambled to Iceberg Lake above it on September 26th, (2019). We knew it was getting late in the season to reach this location, but we were there just after the first skiff of snow fell. It was lucky timing because the scenery was incredible. But just 2 days later it would have been near impossible to get in to this lake until the next season....
As I started to write this, it occurred to me that Burlap Mason Jars probably have been done a few times already. So…I googled it, and… I found about a billion different versions of them. Should have known, I’m never really on top of trends. Anyways I’m joining in, and today I have my own version for you (just in time for sunflower season)! Let’s talk about how to make these Burlap Mason Jars!...
Circumstances can get interesting while you’re traveling, and we’ve been craving fresh veggies like crazy since coming home. We ate lots of cooked veggies in the last few weeks, but not a single salad. And I’ll have to say I came home extra grateful for the simple things like a stove that doesn’t run out of fuel. Or for a kitchen sink to easily wash veggies and make a salad!...
This ice cream is the perfect partner for abundant summer berries, or pretty much anytime all year long! It’s smooth and creamy without being at all heavy like ice creams can sometimes be. It’s also one of those desserts that’s both light and refreshing, yet oddly decadent at the same time. The bright zesty note of citrus combined with the creamy coconut is all I could ever want in an ice cream....
Do you ever look at the label on the back of your bathroom products? I feel like my strategy used to be along the lines of ‘if is says natural or organic, I’m probably alright’! But we’re beginning to find out, that’s really not the case. As it would happen, there’s this thing happening called ‘green washing‘. This is where some companies use buzzwords like ‘natural‘ to make their product more appealing, even though they’re anything but natural....
I really love making noodles out of veggies, and I think sweet potato noodles might be at the top of my list. They’re just so versatile, and their mildly sweet flavor works well with so many things. So far on the blog I’ve made them into a version of Pad Thai along with these really addictive Cajun Noodles. Then there was the sweet potato noodles with chorizo, spinach, and roasted red pepper that has been the biggest hit yet....
Celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in a more relaxed way with my make-ahead tips. Or if you’re looking for super simple, I have you covered for that too. It’s taken years to get all our family favorites written down and made gluten-free. But I hope these recipes will help you to have the best Thanksgiving too. No one wants to feel like they’re left out with dietary restrictions of course. So I hope these recipes will help you to have the perfect holiday without feeling like you need to make a million things!...
It’s the perfect time of year for all things gooey and decadent. I’ve been testing out lots of deliciously sweet things lately, and my friends and family are loving the recipe testing right now! The recipe for this Gooey Cranberry Orange Skillet Cookie started off with white chocolate chunks. But after doing some testing, I found that chocolate chips were preferred by pretty much everyone. White chocolate does make a fun variation though, so I’d recommend it after you’ve tried the chocolate version....
And ever since I’ve been finding ways to adding these little flavor gems into my recipes. Today’s recipe actually started out just being freeze dried berries added to my Maple Cinnamon Granola. But then I tweaked it just slightly to make the berry flavor really pop with a hint of lemon and almond extract. So even though this recipe isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel or anything, it’s addictive enough to deserve it’s own little spot here on the blog....
There’s nothing like homemade soup made completely from scratch, and it’s not nearly as difficult as you might expect. I usually make it in several steps so that it doesn’t take too much time all at once. You start with a perfectly roasted chicken (or turkey) for dinner, and with whatever is leftover you create your stock. From there all sorts of delicious options open up from soup (of course) to a delectably creamy risotto!...
It might still be pretty cold around here, winter temperatures are hanging on with hail one minute, and pouring rain the next. But the grass is slowly turning green, the trees are budding, and I’m in full force Spring mode! I’m so predictable because I do this every year, I jump in full speed ahead into all the nice new produce, even though most of it won’t be in season for us for another few months....
I love making hummus out of ingredients that are beyond the ordinary. I know it’s technically not hummus if there’s no chickpeas in it. But for those of us that can’t have beans, those types of technicalities don’t matter all that much. I figure if it tastes like hummus, and has a hummus texture, that’s good enough for me! So today I have a fall/winter inspired version for you. I also have a Avocado Zucchini Hummus you can check out that’s a favorite of the warmer seasons....
My mom used to make zucchini pancakes often in the summer for us growing up. They’re a great way to add some extra veggies to dinner and use up the abundance of zucchini in mid-summer. We used to eat them for dinner with savory toppings, and sometimes with homemade sausage too. Somewhere along the line, I forgot about this simple recipe for a quick and easy dinner. But I came across it again and knew I had to remake it....
