Chocolate Cherry Granola

I love to make my own granola, using all the best ingredients, eating it straight from the pan warm, mixing and matching nuts and seeds and dried fruit to create exactly what I want at that moment. I’ve shared my granola go-to with you before. But here’s another recipe, sure to cheer those dark, coldContinue reading “Chocolate Cherry Granola”

Chicken Wings With Honey Yogurt Sauce

Wings are fun, festive, quick to make and delicious. Perfect as apps before your holiday party or as a simple dinner paired with mashed potatoes and salad. When my family last bought a batch of local chicken, we picked up six fresh whole chickens and cut them into parts before we froze them — ziplockContinue reading “Chicken Wings With Honey Yogurt Sauce”

Black Bean Raspberry Dip

When your job entails writing for a lifestyle magazine, sometimes a local caterer will “spill the beans” and send a great recipe your way. So was the case with this tasty dip, which marries flavors I would never have thought to bring together. Roanoke’s Tracy Hamilton seeks out a special raspberry salsa to make thisContinue reading “Black Bean Raspberry Dip”

Appetizing Apple Chips

Need a garnish to make your table look pretty? Looking for something new to do with all those apples you brought home from the pick-your-own orchard? Want to transform your apples into the perfect backpacking food? Well, here you go. This method of slowly baking sliced apples in your oven is simple and fun. PlusContinue reading “Appetizing Apple Chips”

Broccoli and Burrata Arancini

Score another one for the kids! My son picked an arancini recipe out of a cookbook this summer when it was his turn to make dinner. Turns out, we all love Italian rice balls. Who knew? But really, what could be better than transforming cheese sticks into dinner! I used that basic recipe as aContinue reading “Broccoli and Burrata Arancini”

Ginger Berry Smoothie Bowl

Smoothies are most often an after-school snack at our house. But these smoothie bowls combine the best of a smoothie and a bowl of cereal. They could be a great snack, but make an even better power breakfast. Feel free to mix and match both smoothie ingredients and toppings to keep things exciting and toContinue reading “Ginger Berry Smoothie Bowl”

Kale: It’s What’s for Dinner

It is kale season in our garden. I mean big time. We often have a little stand that grows throughout the fall and might stay strong in a mild winter. But spring is when the kale takes off. Which, of course, means it’s kale season at our table. This is not a beloved season at the dinnerContinue reading “Kale: It’s What’s for Dinner”

Spinach Artichoke Dip

There’s nothing like a great app — it keeps the dinner hunger at bay, it’s great for a party, heck, sometimes we even make a meal out of a couple apps and some fruit. I’ve made my fair share of artichoke dips over the years but when I started experimenting this time around, I wanted lessContinue reading “Spinach Artichoke Dip”

Chex Muddy Buddies

I’ve come late to the Baking With Cereal Party, but as my kids get older, they are making more and more of the snacks and treats they eat. Chex mix and Chex Muddy Buddies are recipes they can own that are relatively healthy for them. So, if someone says they’re looking to stir up a snackContinue reading “Chex Muddy Buddies”

Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix

My mother is an incredibly generous cook. When I was growing up, I swear at least once a week she made her signature Tollhouse Cookies to give away. At Christmastime, our kitchen became a veritable cookie factory. These days, she lives 3,000 miles away. But when she flies in, she always arrives with a batchContinue reading “Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix”