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Brown Sugar Blondies (Organic/GMO-Free)
I’ve loved almost every dense, chewy dessert bar that has ever crossed my luscious lips. There is something about a good dessert bar that brings out the inner Preschooler in me who believes everything is “mine” and refuses to share. A pan of Blondies (and brownies for that matter) is just what the doctor ordered to comfort and console a broken heart. Lord knows I ate plenty of these anytime some “Y” Chromosome ripped my heart out and stomped on it. They also came in handy on nights when I had to cram for an exam. Heck, these bars come in handy no matter what your mood or occasion may be. You might…
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Citrus Kale Couscous Salad
Today’s recipe is one of my all-time favorite deli-type salads. I typically enjoy this salad for lunch, or as part of a light dinner on those days where it’s too dang hot to turn on the oven. It’s not heavy, doesn’t contain mayo, it’s fresh, bright, clean and delightful. There are different textures going on in this salad so it’s not just soft, mushy, bland ingredients. I believe you’re going to enjoy this. I first tried this salad when I worked for a high-end gourmet grocery store. During our training they gave us several deli salads to taste test. Being the INFJ that I am, I…
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Easy No-Knead Rustic Bread
Food Hippies, I have the easiest, no-knead bread recipe and I’m super excited to share it with you! Ya know what else? It’s SO good. I love to cut a couple of thick slices, and wrap it in some foil and toss it in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes and then slather on some nummy, organic, grass-fed butter from a local dairy. The smells wafting through my house and the warm, buttery bread making happiness in my mouth are almost too much to handle, but I do manage. I manage for the greater good, y’all. I know that wheat has been getting a really bad rap lately, but like I’ve…
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Easy Baked Penne with Italian Sausage
The Stud Muffin (TSM) is Italian. It’s not pronounced Eyetalian. It’s ITalian. I felt I needed to clear that up. I love when people say Eyetalian. Um, it’s not Eye-taly, it’s ITaly, but I digress. Being married to an Italian has its perks. One of them is that we eat a fair amount of pasta with cheese–melted cheese. I prefer to make it myself, but I don’t own any fancy pasta shape cutters so when we want penne, I buy a good organic brand. I admit I was a little apprehensive about posting this recipe because I’m using a jarred sauce. That’s a no-no in our household, but I’ve gotten requests for a…
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Caramelized Onion Burgers with Gruyere
It’s been very warm here in MN this summer. We had a miserably long winter–as in measurable snowstorms in May. Once summer hit, it’s been hot and humid ever since. I’m not complaining. When you have 6 months of winter, you welcome the heat, humidity, and the sun. But not the mosquitoes. I don’t welcome those at all. I’ve been working for the past 4 days in this 90-degree weather, organizing my garage for the moving sale I’m having later this week. I spend about 6-10 hours in the garage each day and by the time I’m finished, I’m spent. The last thing I want to do is spend eternity in the kitchen…
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Ghee Whiz!
In keeping with my theme of easy recipes–if you can even call them recipes, I realized I have never taught you guys how to make ghee, also known as clarified butter. Ghee whiz! What kind of Real Food Blogger/Chef do I think I am? Talk about dropping the ball. Hopefully you’ll forgive me this teensy transgression because I feel terrible that it’s taken me so long to share this little gem of a kitchen staple with you. I’ve been using clarified butter since my favorite French chef-instructor taught us how to make it in culinary school. I think I made it once, years before I ever went to school, back when I was…
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Homemade Organic Brown Sugar
I refuse to give up sugar. I realize that puts me in a moderately small minority. There aren’t many Real Food Foodies/Bloggers that are advocates of real cane sugar, but I am. I also believe it can be enjoyed in moderation and that our bodies need sugar to function properly. This post however isn’t going to be a lesson on why this Real Food Girl isn’t riding on the ‘sugar is evil bandwagon‘. Instead, I’m going to save you a few coins and teach you how to make your own homemade brown sugar. The Brown Sugar 411 Brown sugar is so easy to make. You need only two ingredients. Organic cane sugar…
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Makin’ Bacon
It’s official. I’m bored out of my mind. This means I’m totally ready to get back to blogging, and I think everyone in my house, pets included are very happy about this. I know I am. I honestly cannot take one more night of mindlessly flipping through a poor selection of available Netflix movies to entertain me. I’m going to lose my mind. My surgery went well. I sincerely thank you for all the prayers and well-wishes. They removed one tumorous parathyroid gland and sent me home about 8 hours after the surgery was over. I proceeded to develop a moderately severe allergic reaction to the surgical tape holding the gauze over the…
