It never ceases to amaze me that our culture makes so many simple foods so dang complicated by adding all kinds of chemicals and crap. Boxed mac and cheese with artificial flavors and colors? It’s just as easy to boil some noodles, shred some cheese and make homemade mac and cheese. Taco seasoning with MSG?…
You know those moments when you see someone doing something and it makes you cringe because you know there is a better way to do it and all you want to do is jump in and do it for them (and it doesn’t matter if they are a stranger)? Yeah, that’s how I feel with…
I don’t think I’d ever say this but… I think I’m over cupcakes and anything sweet for a while. In the past 7 days I’ve made a cake, chocolately pillow cake bliss bars and these moist vanilla cupcakes with vanilla-maple buttercream frosting (as a side note, the reason I’ve been baking so much is because…
Have you ever eaten something so dreamy and delicious that you just wanted to stay in that moment forever? Hopefully I’m not the only one that gets passionately intimate with food. Wait, what? I dubbed these “Chocolate Pillow Cake Bliss Bars” because they are somewhat of a souffle type dessert but have the consistency of…
Fancy is not my middle name. Like, at all. Especially now- being a stay-at-home mom to a little rambunctious almost three year old. What is this fancy word you speak of again? I envision fancy meaning the ability to dress up in nice clothes, wear some bling bling, actually putting on makeup and possibly even…
This is a continuation of the basil butter story. You can read that by clicking here. …. Then, a light bulb lit up in her head. She knew exactly what would taste amazing cooked up in some basil butter: omelets. She tried to make one and although it tasted better than she thought, it…
Two words: Basil Butter. But first, a short story with lots of fun photos! Once upon a time there was a girl named Loriel who had aspirations to be an urban farmer… She dreamed of having a huge garden and chickens to tend to. Chickens had to wait so her first step was to make…
Once I understood the importance of specific nutrients needed for repairing bone, I was on a mission to concoct a bone-healing, anti-inflammatory smoothie. The key was finding ingredients that melded well together and was kid-approved! I found that turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory foods but because it is not readily bio-available, it…
You know those specific foods in your life that once they come in contact with any of your senses, it brings you back to your childhood? Well, rosemary and russian tea cakes do that for me. I know, I know, such a weird combo! When I was about 1.5-2ish (I know, super young! especially considering…
I may be a little late to the leftover turkey party. Doesn’t surprise me — I’m always late when it comes to seasonal things. I post pumpkin recipes when people are so sick of pumpkins that the thought of putting another piece of pumpkin flavored anything in their mouth makes them want to vomit a…
I love rosemary… such a sweet smell. Rosemary has a special place in my heart because every time the aroma hits my senses, I am reminded of my childhood. We had a huge rosemary bush in our backyard when I was kid — I’m talking five feet tall and three feet wide. Yeah, huge. It…
If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you probably have noticed I use the term “real food” quite often. If you are new to this whole real food thing, you’ve probably asking yourself “What’s this “real” food everyone talks about? Don’t I already eat it?” In short, probably not. Although Bisquick and Hamburger…
You know, just the other day, I realized I had only written a post on how to make chicken stock using the odds and ends of a chicken (I’m talking about the heads, necks and feet). I think to some people, it may turn them “off” from making chicken stock because the idea of buying…
Nothing beats walking into your home and having a comforting smell fill your nose and soothe your soul. Do you know what smell I’m talking about? If you guessed homemade bone broth, you’re totally right. Just yesterday I was making a batch of homemade broth and my husband came into the kitchen. “Man, that smells…
You know those moments when you feel like you need to just break-free and step out of your comfort zone? Yup, that was me with this recipe. I felt so liberated afterwards! Before we go any further, can I let you in on a honest, little secret? I’ve never cooked Thai food, I’ve never really…
Top cuts of pastured beef are pretty pricey and not something everyone can afford all the time. Please do not let this deter you away from buying organic and/or beyond organic (no certifications) and pastured meats! If you haven’t heard already, contrary to what mainstream media and diet dictrocrats tell us, red meat is almost…
This real food version of a fudge sauce is not as thick as regular fudge sauce but it tastes just as good. With no refined sugars, GMO’s, artificial flavors or the such, this is a great alternative to drizzle over your favorite treats. Heck, you could even put it in a tall, cold glass of…
Who doesn’t want a little zucchini with their muffin? I was inspired by this recipe to make these delicious zucchini muffins. I decided to use less sugar; change it from brown sugar to honey and of course I real foodified the rest of the ingredients to fit my style. I was very pleased with these…
Out of all the fish in the sea, hogfish are definitely the ones for me! Hogfish belong to the second largest family of marine fishes, the wrasses, but instead of having a long, cigar shaped body like most wrasses, it’s body is laterally compressed and round. They are mostly found in the western Atlantic Ocean,…
There’s nothing more fun than getting breakfast shaped in cute, festive and kid-friendly Halloween cut outs - even for the big kids (aka hubby). I tested this theory out on my toddler and he loved it - especially the mini witch hat cut outs. I used the base for my baked and soaked apple cinnamon…