spinach pasta with loukanika and sun-dried tomatoes

Sometimes when you’re at the grocery store, one or two ingredients look so good that you’re inspired to plan a meal around them… and just like that, a dish is born. Case in point:

Spinach Pasta with Loukanika and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

rosalie’s taco dip

This taco dip is the perfect Friday evening snack when you’re looking for a way to kick off a zesty weekend! You can basically transform it to meet your wildest Mexican-influenced desires, too – I’ve posted the original recipe as well as my own version.

Rosalie’s Taco Dip

vanilla cupcakes with bailey’s irish buttercream

There was a birthday yesterday and I was out of Funfetti mix, which is usually my go-to cheat method for such occasions. So I found a simple recipe for vanilla cupcakes (delicious!) and jazzed up a basic buttercream frosting recipe with Bailey’s Irish Cream flavored coffee creamer, which is a fairly new addition to supermarket shelves. Here’s the result!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Buttercream

pasta with summer squash & jalapeno pesto

I like working at the farmer’s markets for H&F Bread Co. because I always come home with a bag full of fresh/local/organic stuff that I’ve acquired through the croissant trading system we are famous for. The good people at Hope’s Garden make some awesome pestos – for this dish I used the jalapeno kind, along with some summer squash from one of the many farmers at the Peachtree Road Market.

Pasta with Summer Squash & Jalapeno Pesto

spicy egg white omelet

It’s pretty important to know how to make an omelet correctly, I think. You can use this fairly basic recipe as your base and go crazy with whatever vegetables, spices, etc. suit your fancy.

Spicy Egg White Omelet

blueberry muffins

I love muffins, but they tend to be all sugary and carby and never really fill me up, so I don’t eat nearly as many as I would like to (which is approximately 2 per day). I’m constantly looking for/working on healthier muffin recipes, and good news! I found the most delicious, guiltless blueberry muffins ever designed by mankind!

Blueberry Muffins

basil-walnut pesto

I’ve finally gotten settled enough in my new apartment to cook something, and I had a ton of fresh basil, so here it is:

Basil-Walnut Pesto

fudgy mocha brownies

WHOA.  These are outta control.  They portion-control themselves because they’re so rich and dense, but only to a certain extent — in five minutes you’ll be back for another one.  After I tried my first bite, I immediately packed up the pan and headed over to Alex’s house to donate them to his belly because I was terrified of what might happen to my physique if the whole 9×13-inch pan stayed on my counter much longer.  Of course, I kept some for myself.  How could I not?

Fudgy Mocha Brownies

poached eggs & pasta

This recipe sounded pretty crazy when I first found it.  I mean, eggs are for breakfast, and pasta is for dinner, right?  But then I remembered how much I have always loved breakfast-for-dinner night, so I gave this uncanny hybridization a try… and it was excellent!

Poached Eggs and Pasta

uncle pete’s peanut butter cookies

You know, you could just tack “Uncle ____’s” or “Aunt _____’s” on to the front of just about any recipe to make it sound better (and I’m sure that I’m not the first person to think of this).  However, these are really, truly, honestly my great Uncle Pete’s peanut butter cookies (or so I’m told).

Uncle Pete’s Peanut Butter Cookies