pb + chocolate pudding parfaits

May flew by, it is hard to believe the start of a new month begins this weekend. With the start of this upcoming month comes warmer weather, growing gardens and lazy weekends (keeping my fingers crossed for all three!). June also kicks off the start of summer farmers markets, lake swimming & finalizing summer plans. I for one am looking forward to this summer- my garden has been started, the seedlings that have been babied throughout the cold early spring months are almost ready to make their garden debut . I am especially ready for the kitchen inspiration summer brings. Truthfully, inspiration has been hard to find these last few months - rather motivation, my focus has been on the garden and all things to do with the outside. 

virtual vegan potluck: hot spinach & artichoke dip

Oh man, I am so excited for today! So many of my favorite bloggers coming together& sharing amazing vegan food. What's better than that you ask? Getting to meet a whole slew of new to me bloggers through the potluck- so awesome. A huge thank you to Annie, Somer and Jason for all your hard work organizing the potluck - you all amazing!

I knew immediately what I wanted to contribute to the potluck - this recipe was in my pre vegan binder of tried and true recipes. This dip has been made for Superbowl Parties, Birthday's, Celebrations & Neighborhood Dinners and has never let me down -always a crowd pleaser. 

DIY kitchen series: chocolate hazelnut spread "nutella"

Before going vegan, Justin loved his nutella. He was a little crushed when he found out nutella is not, in fact vegan. Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter just didn't cut it. There are loads of "make your own" nutella recipes on the web, I would like to share with you my version, well actually 2 versions. One of which is raw and the other not. Both are a tad healthier than your traditional nutella recipe- no need to feel guilty going back for seconds!

Welcome to the #5 in the DIY Kitchen Series: Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka "nutella"

sourdough date bread

As promised, the best sourdough bread I have ever made - dare I say it may be the best bread I have ever baked. Really, this bread was perfect - super thick crunchy crust on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside with a bit of sweetness from the dates. 

Absolute perfection.

DIY kitchen series: sourdough starter

Plain and simple - I love bread. Bread of all shapes, sizes, tastes and textures have a place in my heart. Hot out of the oven, grilled or toasted with butter & jam or dipped in olive oil - no matter how it's served you will never find me passing up the bread basket.

Truth is, sourdough starters intimidated me - in my mind starters seemed finicky and time consuming. There is a dizzying amount of information about how to create the perfect starter- some methods are really basic (like mine!) and others are really scientific...honestly my mind doesn't do science or math, it overwhelms me.

One of the reasons I am lucky to have Justin, he is blessed with a science/math/music mind (lucky boy he is!). Last week I set my sourdough scardy pants aside and put on "I am going to Conquer a Sourdough Starter!" pants on, and you know what? Making a Sourdough Starter is super easy!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of the DIY Kitchen Series : Make your own Sourdough Starter