Getting to Know Us

I do have a real name.
And a real family who also have names.
I just sometimes forget that we need to introduce ourselves.
It only takes a few people saying, “hey, oh sweet basil!” When we are out and about to remind me🤣
So hiiiiii! We love love love meeting you and what better chance than right here, right now!
So!

Cade is from all over but we claim #SouthCarolina since that was the last place he lived. He works as an administrator in #healthcare and loves the #gym, #sushi and #traveling with all of us.

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Crisp tortillas filled with tender bites of steak and plenty of melting cheese create this easy-as-can-be Steak Quesadilla.

Steak Quesadilla

My whole crew loves quesadillas so much, I tend to set aside a bit of whatever meat we are cooking for dinner, so we can make quesadillas the next day.

I made these with leftover buttered steak bites, just slice the cold steak bites as thin as possible and layer them into the quesadillas. (If you’re lucky enough to have mushrooms leftover, definitely add them too!)

Steak quesadillas are great made with Southwest steak bites, Cajun steak bites, and these Asian steak bites too.

Set aside some steak bites next time you make them. Then slice those leftover steak bites thin and pile the strips of beef onto the tortillas.

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these quesadillas:

• flour tortillas
• butter
• freshly shredded cheese Mozzarella, cheddar, Colby jack, Pepper jack all work well
• cooked steak sliced very thin and chopped bite-size
• sauteed bell peppers and onions OPTIONAL

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Chocolate Chip Blondies with the texture of a brownie and loaded with chocolate chips and pecans have become a favorite treat.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

These bars are my immediate thought when I haven’t planned dessert in advance or when we have unexpected company. The brownie-like bite with a soft chewy center and crispy browned edges are always a crowd-pleaser.

Brownies get their flavor from cocoa powder and chocolate. Their close cousin the blondie gets its flavor from brown sugar and vanilla. Brown sugar and butter are a rich backdrop to the chocolate chips and pecans.

I often find myself making blondies when I need a quick treat to take to an event or a snack when the kids have friends over. The easy batter mixes quickly and baking them in one pan instead of sheet after sheet of cookies is so handy.

Using this as your base recipe you can create all sorts of versions from what you have on hand. Dried fruit, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, other nuts, and coconut. The possibilities are endless.

I’ve been making this recipe for years now and we all love it. When I started adapting it for gluten-free flours, I played with a few different options. You could also use a store-bought gluten-free blend in a 1:1 scenario.

The combination of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch works extremely well in this recipe. This is my favorite version and I’ve made these at least six times now. I made a triple batch for a recent trip and they were a huge hit.

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!

Chocolate Chip Blondie Recipe

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Sweet bites of oranges are tossed with crisp lettuce and parsley and then topped with caramelized almonds to create a refreshing salad.

I can not thank my sister enough for telling me about this salad so many years ago. Jenny called to tell me about this parsley salad with oranges one night after a party with her book club.

I made this salad every single day for weeks after that call. And no, I’m not exaggerating at all. Years later and this salad still makes a regular appearance on our table.

I first shared this recipe on the site more than five years ago. I shot new photos for this recipe a few years ago while my friend Rebecca was visiting.

Knowing it have been over seven years since I created this version. It is definitely time to re-share it on the site for those of you who might have missed it initially, you now have a second chance to fall in love with it.

The odds are good that once you’ve tasted it, you will be making this salad on repeat as well, or at least until the very last of the clementines disappear from the stores.

Parsley Salad

My friends, I am begging you not to let the name of this salad turn you away. If you haven’t tried a salad with an abundance of fresh parsley in it, you are truly missing out.

The fresh parsley brightens the savory flavors similar to the way that lemon will brighten a dish and simply make it taste better.

This is one of my all-time favorite salad side dishes and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

This parsley salad is dressed with a simple White Balsamic Vinaigrette. I love that dressing so much; I gave it a full post of its own.

I keep the vinaigrette in my pantry now and use it on almost every salad I make with fruit or a sweet note to the salad.

Light,

Jewish Apple Cake

Jewish apple cake is a moist, dense cake brimming with chunks of cinnamon sugar coated apple. It is the perfect fall dessert!

Ok, I feel like I have no business writing about a tradition that belongs to another, but every year my instagram starts filling with posts about an apple or honey cake for Shabbat or other Jewish gatherings and celebrations and my curiosity was piqued. What was this glorious dessert and do I dare make my own?

I have spent all year testing recipes and I have to say, a cake filled with layers of apples, HECK YES. You need it in your life!!! It’s such a sweet and simple cake and my goodness does it hit the spot! It’s moist and flavorful, but it’s especially unique in that there’s no frosting! I love a cake that can stand on its own!!

What is Jewish Apple Cake?

Jewish apple cake is a simple, dense cake believe to have originated in Poland.

Ingredients for Jewish Apple Cake

All you need is simple pantry ingredients for this cake which is why I love it! I can make it anytime because I always have these ingredients on hand. Here is what you will need:

Cake

• Apples
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Brown Sugar
• Canola Oil
• Vanilla
• Eggs
• Orange Juice

Topping

• Brown Sugar
• Flour
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar

The measurements for each ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.

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