Search Results for: butternut squash

Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes of 2015

Can you believe that it’s almost Thanksgiving?

I feel like fall just arrived and all of a sudden, we’re coming to an end.

But I’m super excited for Thanksgiving! There’s always plenty of food.

With my family, we always spend the morning and early afternoon cooking all the sides and desserts,then we set them at a long table so that we can grab food, buffet style. Sometimes we invite friends to come over. Other times, not. It just really varies. And we never make the turkey at home. At first, it was because we didn’t have a working oven, and later, it’s too much of a hassle. There’s just no room to defrost the turkey. And that’s fine for us. It means we have plenty more time to make all the sides and desserts.

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Recommendations Wallflower Weekly Faves

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 38

My sister has been into cheese so we’ve been going to Cow Girl Creamery to sample different cheeses. They have a weekly grab bag filled with three different cheeses and a cheese spreader. It’s a great way to try something new.

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Recommendations Wallflower Weekly Faves

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 37

Oh my gosh! Earlier this week, I took a sushi making class with my coworkers from one of my dental offices as part of our team building exercises.

I’ve attempted to make California rolls on my own before, but they always came out a little disappointing. Something was always off, the rice always stuck to my hands, the rolls smushed, and it was soo time consuming. So I sort of gave up on it. Lol. Until now.

I wasn’t really sure what this class would be like, but it turned out to be so much fun. We learned how to make California rolls, Rainbow Rolls, and hand rolls. Plus, we got to work on our knife skills and how to cut fish for sushi. A fun and informative class.

Plus, we had to face a sushi challenge to create a Halloween themed sushi in 15 minutes.

If you get the chance, you try taking this class with Breakthrough Sushi.

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Wallflower Weekly Faves

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 35

Back in college, I was addicted to these coffee granola bars from Caribou Coffee, but after a couple years, they discontinued it. I was so disappointed. It was my breakfast on the go.

But! I stumbled across these Caramel Macchiato Granola Bars from Kind Bars and fell in love. They’re so good. Seriously. Lol.

I’m so obsessed with all things fall. From the gorgeous leaves to the smell of cinnamon. You really need to try this Fresh Apple Cider.

Baked Maple Purple Yam Fries

Purple yam sliced into thin pieces and baked until crispy, then seasoned with a little bit of salt and maple syrup. Sweet and savory, these Baked Maple Purple Yam Fries are the perfect snacks and appetizers.

Don’t you just love the color? I am so obsessed with that deep purple.

My parents made a trip to Chinatown and brought two vegetable bags full of these purple yams home. When I saw the gorgeous color hiding inside, I knew I had to use them for a recipe. And I just couldn’t resist making them into fries.

Have you had purple yam before? It’s sweet, slightly starchy, and moist. The texture and flavor is very similar to sweet potatoes. Or Butternut Squash Fries. But it’s really the color that’s soo attractive.

These purple yam fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Just the way fries should be. Purple yams are already slightly sweet on their own, so you’re welcome to serve these fries without any seasoning. But! With a pinch of salt and a light coat of maple syrup, the flavors of these purple yam fries are amplified. I could sit there and munch on these all day.

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Recipe Disasters

2014 Recipe Disasters

My last post listed some of my most popular recipes in 2014. As a change in pace, I thought I’d share with you some of the recipe disasters that took place in my kitchen this past year.

Every post (or at least, almost every post) on this blog contains my best photos as well as tested recipes. But not everything comes out perfect, and sometimes, it’s an absolute disaster.

I want to share with you all my fails so that you know that not everything comes out right the first time, that it takes practice and many tries before it looks anything like the photos on the blog.

Let me show you some of the fails that happened in my kitchen.

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Holidays Recommendations

2014 Last Minute Gift Guide

I’ve been cooped up at home all day because it’s pouring outside.

Schools are closed, roads are blocked, cars abandoned and flooded, trees have fallen, roofs collapsed. Not the typical San Francisco Bay Area weather, I assure you. In all my life, I don’t think we’ve ever had schools closed due to severe weather. Snow days are normal in other parts of the country, but we don’t get that here, so imagine our surprise when we heard that schools will close and finals are postponed due to the wind and rain. We’re speechless and skeptical because the weatherman has been wrong many times before.

Except, apparently, this time.

I’m soo glad I didn’t have to venture outside today. Instead, I get to lounge around in PJs and sip on peppermint hot chocolate (upcoming recipe!).

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Fall Cravings Recipes Roundup

Fall Favorites 2014

With November coming to an end, and winter just around the corner, I thought I’d wrap up the season with a compilation of some of my favorite fall recipes. From appetizers to entrees to desserts, these are the best dishes that embody the essence of autumn.

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Blogging Tips Uncategorized

Blogging Tips: Styling Photos

Welcome back to my Blogging Tips series!

In today’s post, I wanted to talk about styling photos. My pictures are all food based, of course, since I run a food blog. But it doesn’t matter what kind of blog you have. Because photos are super important to any blog. What attracts people to a blog through social media (Pinterest, Facebook, etc), emails, and blog readers (BlogLovin, RSS feeds) are the photos. The better the photos, the more likely people are going to visit.

I’ll be honest. I know many of you have been waiting for me to talk more about photography, how I go about taking photos, and what camera I use. And I’m super nervous about writing this because I don’t think what I’m about to say is what you’re expecting.

If you’ve asked me about photography before, then I think you already know what I’m about to say.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin puree blended with pumpkin pie spice, banana, and vanilla almond milk to create a deliciously creamy fall beverage. Simple to make with less than five ingredients, this pumpkin pie smoothie is perfect for those who love the taste of pumpkin pie.

Happy November!

I should have waited another day to post, but I’m way too excited for the start of November!

There are so many things to look forward to: fall foliage (there is zilch in San Francisco!), more pumpkin in everything, roasted butternut squash (my fave!), turkey (which I really only get to eat once a year!), Black Friday shopping, and Christmas movies!

Um…. Yes. I’m not at all embarrassed to admit that I’m obsessed with Christmas movies. I don’t care how cheesy some of these movies can be. I love watching them for those warm fuzzy feelings and the happily-ever-afters. If I could, I’d curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, wrap myself in a warm blanket, and binge watch Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas movies with my sisters all day long. We do this every single year. I’ve even studied for finals with a Christmas movie playing in the background.

Now, before I continue to ramble about all things fall, let’s talk Pumpkin Pie Smoothies.

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