But like they say…necessity is the mother of invention…which came true for me in this case! Now I know Oats Haleem is a thing and I’ve had it. But I wanted something devoid of Animal Protein and still be filling. What started off as an experiment, has now become a regular part of our meal plans in the house. And has given birth to multiple different versions! This version is quite popular hence sharing this one first....

Mango Pineapple Smoothie When the weather heats up, all I want for breakfast is a cold, creamy smoothie! Specifically, this mango pineapple smoothie in a tall glass garnished with more fruit and a beautiful sprig of mint. I love how creamy it is, because it uses frozen fruit and coconut milk. If you keep a can of coconut milk in your pantry, and frozen mango and frozen pineapple in your freezer, you are well on your way to this smoothie!...

I can’t be sure of where everyone lives, but I do know that if you’re in the South, you are nodding and smiling at the mention of mini cakes this time of year. Mini cakes, or petit fours as we call them, are oh-so-appropriate for Springtime. We make them for bridal showers, baby showers, Spring parties, and any other happy occasion we can think of once the weather warms and the birds start chirping....

Summer means it’s strawberry season, and if you can’t tell, I’m quite excited about it. They are one of our favorite fruits! I love eating strawberries, and I also love making strawberry desserts to enjoy them in new ways. Strawberry ice cream is one of my favorite flavors, so I wanted to put together a homemade version that’s easy enough to make with the kids. This easy strawberry ice cream recipe only takes 5 minutes to put together, then your freezer does all the hard work!...

There are some days when you just need a triple chocolate cupcake. Today’s craving fix features a cake that is soft, crumbly and rich with cocoa powder. The filling is a mixture of Nutella with a small amount of sour cream to make it gooey and soft. The frosting is my chocolate whipped cream recipe, which is great on almost any chocolate dessert. (However, I did omit the chocolate shavings from the original recipe so that I could pipe the frosting for the photos, but the choice is yours)....

Enjoy more of your favorite meatballs with easy recipes like Swedish Meatballs, Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs and Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs! One pan Swedish Meatballs and Noodles is a recipe that I can’t seem to stop making! It just checks all the right boxes – it’s quick, easy, homemade and comes together in just one pan. There are three elements of this dish that make it so incredible. The filling beef meatballs, the tender egg noodles and the beefy, creamy sauce....

There is just nothing better than a make-ahead breakfast. Ever. Any day of the week. But, they are even more awesome around the holidays — right?! You’ve got guests staying over, or a holiday brunch party, and who wants to get up early and slave over 10 different skillets, griddles and casserole dishes?? Not I. I actually don’t really ever want to get up early and slave over breakfast, which is why we often do breakfast for lunch or dinner when we want something a little more special....

What is Chicken Karahi Karahi or Kadai means “wok” in Urdu/Hindi. The dish got its name from the wok it’s cooked in. These South Asian woks are usually cast iron and heavy bottom and the chicken is traditionally cooked in enough oil and tomatoes to not stick to the pan. The chicken karahi originates from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly Northwest Frontier) province of Pakistan. The OG chicken karahi is essentially a “dry curry” cooked with minimal spices and soft, tender tomatoes....

Peanut Butter Lasagna This is the summer dessert that everyone loves, and honestly, what’s not to love? It’s a sweet and crunchy Oreo cookie crust on the bottom, topped with a layer of creamy peanut butter pudding, chocolate pudding, and homemade whipped cream. Every forkful is a testament to the love match of chocolate and peanut butter. If you like my peanut butter truffles dipped in chocolate, then this peanut butter lasagna should be next on your baking list!...

See the step by step video down in the recipe card. Everyone needs a perfect, easy pie crust recipe, and it’s time to share this one! I’ve been using this pie crust recipe for years now (in this Coconut Cream Pie, this Banana Cream Pie and this Chocolate Cream Pie to start!), and it’s never failed me. With a simple combination of flour, butter, sugar, salt and water, it’s easy to throw together and really makes those homemade pies stand out!...

Coconut cake is really common around the holidays in the South. I’m not sure if it’s just because not much else is in season, and a bag of sweetened coconut flakes lasts for a long time in the pantry. Regardless, my Christmas dessert table always had plenty of coconut flakes on it. My grandmother bought frozen shredded coconut that had quite a bit of moisture to it, but that item isn’t popular anymore; the blue bag of sweetened dried flakes in the baking aisle is much more common....

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER Happy March, friends! We have a number of things to celebrate today: Say whaaaat?!? Can it be? Let me say first that it feels like forever. It’s like any long term relationship, I think. In one way, it’s hard to think back to your life without that person/animal/thing, and at the same time, life seems to be moving at warp speed. Forgive me as a get a little weepy here....

Tikka flavored chicken Nugget is basically a chicken mix seasoned with Indian / Pakistani Tikka spices to give you this awesome kick in the regular nugget scene. And If I may recommend, pair it with mint chutney instead of ketchup and see the fireworks happen! And don’t you worry, it’s kid friendly too! You guys already know my obsession with the Chicken tikka in general. Which gave birth to fusions like The famous Chicken Tikka Biryani, Chicken tikka sandwiches, chicken tikka nachos and now this....

It’s Friday! You deserve a cupcake. I know it’s the Friday before Thanksgiving week, and you’re probably starting your salad diet (or, ordering stretchy pants (or both)), and a cupcake might be the last thing you need. But, I shared a teaser photo of these tiramisu cupcakes on my instagram, and you guys demanded them. And I’m totally cool with that. I love the flavor profile of tiramisu. I love the soft ladyfingers dunked in an espresso syrup made with Kahlua, and I especially love the creamy mascarpone filling....

My endeavors to get my toddler to eat protein are never-ending. Mamas, are you with me? If you’re new, let me fill you in: my kid struggles to eat any source of protein beyond eggs. However, she will eat salmon (have you seen my kid-friendly salmon fish sticks in my 3-ingredient recipe collection for toddlers?), and she adores shrimp for one reason: they’re PINK! But that’s where it ends. Remember my protein smoothies for kids?...

Oh, wine slushies. Back when I first downloaded Instagram, one of the first photos I snapped was of my then-boyfriend drinking a wine slushy at the California state fair. I had never heard of the glorious thing that is called ‘wine slushy,’ and so I stood in line over and over again to try all of the flavors. It was so quintessential California, and so perfect on that hot day....

I know that casserole recipes sometimes get a bad rep. I know that some of us have visions of bland, tasteless mush piled high in a vintage casserole dish and served for dinner every night or brought to neighbors or church potlucks. But casseroles don’t have to be that way! There are so many things to love about a good, easy casserole recipe, that I figured it was worth sharing this list here today!...

I don’t know what it is about fresh green beans, but I think I could eat them with any meal. This Air Fryer Green Beans recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook up a bag of fresh green beans. This recipe is made with just four ingredients and takes under 15 minutes to whip up. It’s the perfect quick and easy way to incorporate veggies into any meal!...

So I love lemon desserts. I’m all for the sweet and tangy combination! On the other hand, I’ve actually never really been a fan of lemon in savory dishes. I think that it’s really, really easy to do badly. But I was browsing one of the cookbooks I got from my Grandma’s house after she passed away (the same cookbook that these amazing Fudge Puddles are from!) and I saw this Honey Lemon Chicken recipe....

I made these chocolate banana muffins for my toddler, and I had every intention of posting them in the Baby Food section on this site. But, I made the mistake of eating one. I ate it hot, right out of the oven. Oh, Mama. The warm, tender chocolatey muffin with two types of chocolate were just too good. This recipe is based on my vegan banana muffins recipe. I received a question last week about a substitute for the flaxseed....