One of my finer skills in life is coming up with great excuses for mixing up a fancy cocktail, and with the Oscars coming up next Sunday, an awards show libation was just too easy of an excuse to pass up. I have been craving a drink that’s got a bit of a summer-y flavor to it, a Salty Dog, which combines some of my favorite flavors: sea salt and tangy grapefruit. With some IZZE sparkling grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary I think this is a cocktail I can easily enjoy all year round. Full recipe below, and cheers to great excuses for tasty cocktails! 
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I’m a mission to bring more funfetti-flavored carbs into the world. It’s a noble quest, and one I decided to invest some time in this weekend as a mini-celebration to ring in 7 years of blogging. If this blog is going to have a birthday treat, you better believe it’s going to get a funfetti-waffle. This idea is so simple, it doesn’t even need a recipe. Just whip up your favorite waffle or pancake mix, and fold in a few handfuls of sprinkles right before popping them in the griddle or waffle iron. For good measure, top with homemade whipped cream and extra sprinkles (I served mine with some salted caramel syrup, yum!).
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I keep scrawling little notes on my to do list to post about a few things I’m loving lately, some of our house updates, and other little tidbits on my mind, so it’s an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ kind of blog post today.
Last weekend when Alison and I stayed at the Lark Hotels property in Narragansett, RI — The Break Hotel — we got the opportunity to meet their Chef Basil Yu at Chair 5 and partake in a little cooking class. We walked in not knowing what we were making, but were greeted by Basil and some fresh Narragansett Lobsters chilling out in the kitchen. He let us know we were going to be making their creamy Narragansett Lobster Fettucini with homemade pasta, and my eyes lit up. Give me all the cheesy, creamy pasta and top it off with some buttery fresh lobster plucked right out of the water down the street and I am a happy girl. Basil was awesome, he walked us through making the pasta by hand, we learned how to break down the lobsters (I’m going to be so much more confident ripping into a lobster this summer!) and went step by step through the recipe to create this gorgeous dish. It was ah-mazing, like I couldn’t stop eating it. And lucky us, he gave us the recipe to share with you so you can make it at home!
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One of the best things about this blog is that I’ve made some really amazing ‘blogger buddies’ and get to do fun things with them. Alison of Long Distance Loving and I got the chance to have a little Boston Bloggers ‘pow-wow’ at The Break Hotel in Narragansett last weekend to kick back, relax, enjoy the amazing (and unseasonably warm) weather, and do a little planning for our Boston Bloggers group. The folks at Lark Hotels know how to make a girl feel special, and treated us to some spa-time (manicure for me!), beyond delicious food at their restaurant Chair 5 (um, s’mores ice cream sandwiches, do I need to say more?) and even hooked us up with a cooking lesson with Chef Basil Yu (more on that in another post!). It was a perfect girls getaway in one of the prettiest places I’ve ever stayed — if you’re ever looking for a weekend near the water check this cute spot out! 
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I said to my husband this weekend, “Well at least now that the Patriot’s aren’t in the SuperBowl, it’ll just be easier to relax and enjoy the snacks, and not be stressed out about them winning” — word of advice: don’t say this to a still-grieving Patriot’s fan. The truth is that regardless of the outcome, I never would have been stressed about the game, and would have been 100% focused on the snacks, because I’m a girl with priorities. In preparation for the big game, I tackled a spin on one of my favorite party-food staples: onion dip! I made my own and used caramelized shallots and leeks in lieu of the traditional onion flavor, topped with tons of fresh herbs and served with flavorful Food Should Taste Good Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (which are all-natural and gluten-free, so it’s like I’ve helped you make a healthy SuperBowl snack, right?). It’s going to a mainstay for Sunday football watching in the future.
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I got a julienne peeler for my birthday (it’s the same brand as my garlic press that I’m obsessed with — I love their tools) and have been so excited to use it. It’s a tiny littler alternative to some of those giant spiralizer tools, which I’ve tried and returned — am I the only one that’s had trouble with getting zoodles to work?! So I put my new kitchen gadget to the test and made these sweet potato corn cakes and have been eating them as a side dish, in the morning with eggs, and snacking on them too! It took a couple of tries to get them to stay together, so make sure you follow this trick in the recipe: squeeze the moisture out of them when you’re packing them into patties to help them hold their shape, and don’t flip them in the pan until one side is fully caramelized — it seals the pieces together. Full recipe below!
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How’s everyone doing with their New Year’s resolutions? I have a practice of not starting my resolutions until Mid-January because that first week back after the holidays is just too much of a bummer to stick a diet on top of; and then my birthday rolls in on the 10th (which is usually a long-weekend of celebrations, I like to drag that baby out), so around the 14th-17th I start to feel that urge to ‘start the year off right’ — two weeks late of course! So while I’m getting my head around goals for the year I figured I could at least start the week with some healthier eating. I made a big batch of these turkey-taco stuffed peppers over the weekend and they’ve been easy to reheat after work for a quick dinner. The lean protein and veggies are a pretty-good-for-you option — I also drizzled a little bit of chipotle sour cream on top — but you can opt to leave it out if you’re watching calories extra closely. Full recipe below!
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When I’m gathering snacks for a lazy Sunday at home I’ve tossed that pre-made pub cheese in my shopping basket on a few occasions, and it occurred to me how simple the stuff would be to make on my own with some fun mix-ins to create new flavors. I worked with Hidden Valley Ranch and Family Circle Magazine on a homemade version of pub cheese in the February issue on stands now, made with lots of sharp cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Fresh chives and Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix give the spreadable cheese dip a bright and tangy flavor that pairs well with rustic crackers and other game-day snacks. I highly encourage whipping up your own batch for Sunday Football viewing sessions! Full recipe below:
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I had such a good weekend — it was my birthday and I had the best time relaxing, celebrating with friends and family, and of course indulging in some birthday treats. I have been craving Thin Mints lately, some subliminal Girl Scout messaging must have seeped into my brain and sure enough the Girl Scouts were waiting at the top of the subway platform on my way home from work last week and the cookie gods had given me a sign that it was time for Thin Mints. Now serving a bowl of Girl Scout cookies would probably have been a welcomed dessert by my family that came over to celebrate my birthday, but you know I don’t roll that way. So I crushed up the cookies and layered them in glasses with brownies and whipped cream, the flavors melded together into a minty, chocolatey sweet treat — it was delicious! Full recipe below:
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