Raspberry Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Cream Puffs

February has been a busy, busy month. A list of all the events that have gone by so far: a company party, my parents' wedding anniversary, Jon's class Valentine's Day party (Jon's birthday is next week too!), my mom's birthday, and now...my birthday. How old am I turning, you ask? Mmm...let's just say, mid-twenties. ;)

Over the last few years, I've found that I'm not particularly crazy about big birthday cakes anymore. I had a fruit tart last year, chocolate souffles the year before that, and a pie the year before that. So I've decided to continue this No-Birthday-Cake tradition...with cream puffs!

If I had to come up with my dream dessert, it would have...fruit (duh), chocolate, something creamy, and something baked. Basically, these Raspberry Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Cream Puffs are pretty close to my idea of perfection! I also love that they're easy to make and it's easy to make A LOT of them. Because who wants to get stuck with complicated and time-consuming on their birthday...

Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of Christmas, I think of cookies...gingerbread, decorated sugar, ones to serve Santa Claus on Christmas Eve...'Tis the season for cookies! (Jon's kindergarten class just had their Christmas party, and you know what there was plenty of???)

This recipe is a fun, simple "holiday dress-up" for my favorite cookie of all-time. Warm, always-comforting chocolate chips are festively paired with red, tart cranberries and rich, crunchy pecans! Not only is this an easy dough to whip up, the recipe makes a lot of petite-sized cookies. They're perfect for swap/exchange parties this weekend, nibbling on with tea or hot cocoa, and (of course) sharing with the kids!

Almond Butter-Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Coconut Granola Crust (A No-Bake Filling made with Chobani!)

I've made waffles with beer for breakfast, and I've paired ice cream with grilled fruit for breakfast. Let's just say, I like to make "The Most Important Meal of the Day" a little interesting. So...

Who wants some cheesecake for breakfast???

Yes. Cheesecake. It all starts with one of the ultimate morning foods: granola. I made a crust out of crunchy coconut granola, honey graham crackers, and just a touch of melted butter. Then, for a no-bake and Summer-heat-wave-friendly filling, I used almond butter, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt. Chobani was nice enough to send over samples of their wonderful products for me to play with in the kitchen, and their Greek yogurt was a perfect way to make a rich, thick cheesecake...without turning on a single oven or boiling up a water bath!

Yogurt and granola are a classic pairing for breakfast, but sometimes, having a bowl of it the same way every time can get a little...well...monotonous. Turning them into a cheesecake is a great way to switch things up and to bring some fun to the breakfast table! Everything is also made the day before, so waking up and serving breakfast is extremely easy!

Macadamia Nut Ice Cream ( & How to Make Raw Macadamia Nut Milk!)

Vanilla with chopped macadamia nuts? Not exactly. White chocolate and macadamia nut cookie dough? Hmm. Maybe some other time. 

I've been looking for a Macadamia Nut Ice Cream recipe for awhile, and those flavors that I just mentioned were all that I could really find. What I want, though, is macadamia nut infused ice cream. Rich, buttery flavor, but smooth texture. No bits and pieces or chunks.

That's how I finally came across raw macadamia nut milk. Once I carefully revised my search keywords, I was linked to plenty of vegan and special-diet blogs. It was interesting to read about so many different kinds of nut milks...Cashew, hazelnut, and even pistachio! (This practice of turning nuts into milk is hardly new, but I've never had a need to make any myself.) Since I recently took a liking to almond milk, I was feeling adventurous. I thought, "THIS! I can make my own nut milk, and turn it into ice cream!"

Blueberry Macadamia Muffins

My calendar says that summer technically arrives on June 21st, but these heat waves and the strawberry stands up & down the road are telling me otherwise. It's warm enough to jump into a perfectly cold pool with reckless abandon, and for my life to be semi-overtaken by fruity, umbrella-worthy refreshments. It is summer.

And it's berry season.

I've been longing to venture out to the farmers markets and see the rows and rows of freshly-picked fruit all lined up in their little baskets. I became determined to make blueberry muffins as a simple, easy way of appeasing yet another one of my super-cravings.

Muffins also remind me of waking up at dawn before long road trips and sunrise hikes, a grab-and-go breakfast from Starbucks or (yes...) 7-Eleven. Muffins are the kind of thing that makes a 6 1/2 hour drive to Disneyland with two rambunctious boys...in a packed minivan...manageable. They make you feel like a multi-tasking queen, while you have a muffin in one hand and the steering wheel/map/stereo dial in the other...or yelling at your malfunctioning GPS with a mouthful of muffin, if you're that kind of road rager. Like me. (Please, eat and drive responsibly.) So, for all of you summer-road trip-hike-berry lovers out there, how about we skip the stop at Starbucks, go straight to putting on your ultimate cruising-down-the-highway playlist, and bake some Blueberry Macadamia Muffins? Bursts of sweet and tart blueberry, crunch from toasted macadamia nuts, and rich vanilla bean in every bite!

Hummingbird Cheesecakes

I bought apple bananas a week ago, and the few that I have leftover are now super ripe and starting to brown. While looking up cake and bread recipes to remedy my banana-surplus situation, I found out about Hummingbird Cake. I must confess: I had never even heard of this cake before, let alone tried it.


Hummingbird Cake apparently originated in the Caribbean, but flourished in the South. (A recipe in a 1978 issue of Southern Living Magazine gets most of the credit.) Pineapple, bananas, spices, and pecans are all packed into this tasty cake, which then gets covered in cream cheese frosting...similar to its layer-cake cousins Red Velvet and Carrot, but with a bit of a tropical flare! 

Now, when I hear the word "hummingbird", I immediately think of tiny, brightly colored birds gracefully flying from flower to flower and feeding on the blossoms' sweet nectar...Ahh, happy thoughts...So, when I first read the words "hummingbird cake", I had grand visions of a garden tea party and dainty finger foods. Seriously. This dessert just screamed at me, "SPRINGTIME!" With all of the Easter family gatherings coming up, it made perfect sense to fit it right into the dessert rotation. Here's how to make my twist on Hummingbird Cake: miniature Hummingbird Cheesecakes!

Coco-Mac Waffles with Banana-Jackfruit Rum Sauce

A lot of my recipes are inspired by Filipino and Hawaiian dishes (this is me being Captain Obvious...), and these Coco-Mac Waffles are no exception. I added toasted coconut and macadamia nuts to the waffle batter, and I used apple bananas (sound familiar?!) and fresh jackfruit from the farmers' market to make a buttery rum sauce.

Aside from the recipe, this post is also about my first encounter with breaking down a fresh jackfruit! And it was just a six-pound hunk of jackfruit...No big deal...

Here's how to put a fun, tropical twist on a classic breakfast item!