lemon filled vanilla cupcakes + strawberry frosting

i make cupcakes for those that i love- get a cupcake from me, you know you are loved. cupcakes can make a bad day a little better, a celebration a little sweeter; cupcakes put a smile on almost anyones' face.

dark chocolate dipped orange + cashew biscotti

ever think you have enough time to accomplish a new recipe aka a recipe you have never tried and have no clue how much time it is going to take to complete, in a short amount of time? you carefully calculate every move you are going to make only to come up about 20 minutes short on time...

kale + white bean soup

what's not to love about soup, it is a weekly occurrence in our home - toss a few ingredients in a pot and simmer away. i had slow cooked great northern beans in the crock pot during the day with a bit of thyme, bay leaf and garlic- the smell was infectious, it hit you hard as you walked through the door. a smell that only meant one thing in that moment; soup was in order.

chocolate chip banana pancakes

This past weekend was definitely a "sunday morning banana pancakes" type of weekend- I had one perfectly ripe banana looking oh so lonely on the counter, throw in some chocolate chips to keep him company and I was on my way to pure pancake awesomeness.