Carrot Cake Pancakes topped with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup, just the name is enough to make me grin. This was a real breakfast treat.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

These pancakes truly deserve their decadent name. With spicy notes from cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, these taste surprisingly like carrot cake. I didn’t expect that much of the carrot flavor to shine through, but it does.

They’re fantastic with the cream cheese syrup included in the recipe below and they’re also wonderful when topped with my grandmother’s waffle sauce.

I enjoy these pancakes every bit as much as I enjoy the Zucchini Waffles we make all summer. These pancakes have been a win for the entire family.

My baby managed to eat three of these pancakes while I was making the rest of our breakfast. (Edited to add: That little baby will be turning 13 in a few months, so you can tell these are a LONG time favorite.)

When I first made these, I was doing a lot of baking with whole wheat flour. And while I enjoyed the pancakes when we made with wheat flour, if I’m being honest, I like them even better now when they’re made a little bit lighter and fluffier with all-purpose flour.

You could even split the difference and make them 50/50 with half whole wheat flour. Whether you choose to make them with regular flour, whole wheat, or a mix of both, I can promise you they’ll be delicious.

Carrot Cake Pancake

Pancake making is a pretty straightforward process. It has become so routine for me I do the same basic steps every time. Whisk together your dry ingredien

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry is a skillet full of sautéed shrimp tossed in a spicy barbecue sauce with sweet chunks of pineapple and red peppers.

This quick and easy meal earns two thumbs up from my whole family every time I make it.

My favorite part of this meal? This whole recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes. Start some rice cooking before you start the shrimp and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time at all.

Like so many of our meals, the first time I made this recipe, it was inspired by the ingredients we had on hand, plus a craving or two.

Pineapple Shrimp

Pineapple and shrimp are a huge favorite around here. My middle son had been asking for shrimp, there was a sale on pineapple, and I had a jar of Sweet and Spicy Homemade Barbecue Sauce just waiting to be used. The combination of flavors was even better than I had hoped and it quickly became a family favorite.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry. Every time shrimp is on sale, I start craving this recipe. It’s a 15-minute dinner that is a guaranteed win every time.

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Mexican Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This isn’t your average grilled cheese sandwich! We are combining 4 different cheeses with a flavored butter spread and an irresistible mayo to create a grilled Mexican cheese sandwich.

We live right by the mountains and have been loving grabbing the kids and heading up to the mountains to eat and hike or watch a movie. A full-of-flavor soup, like taco stew, is one of those hit-the-spot soups that warms you from the inside out but don’t stop there! Why not go crazy with a Mexican style grilled cheese full of cheese, a killer roasted jalapeno mayo and you guys, the cheesy butter spread on top… I may never leave my kitchen again!

What is soup if you don’t have something to sop up all that deliciousness with?! Taco stew, meet Mexican Grilled Cheese. Let’s fall in love.

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Quick and Healthy Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl

Tender chunks of teriyaki glazed salmon over a bed of fluffy rice topped with a sweet chili mayo, and you can add whatever toppings you want! These Quick and Healthy teriyaki salmon rice bowls will be your new favorite dinner!

Our daughter is really trying to learn to like fish and I’m secretly trying to as well. I rarely tell our kids that I don’t like something because I don’t want to hold them back, but seeing as how some seafood is hard for me to gag down, well it’s pretty obvious how I feel about it. The other day I was checking out Oshen Salmon and trying to decide if I should give it a whirl when the image of teriyaki salmon burst into my mind.

If ever you don’t like something, put a sauce on it.

And the funny thing is, I’m actually really starting to love salmon!!

So, friends, yay or nay to more salmon recipes?

I’ve mentioned before that I am not a sushi lover. Cade loves it, but I just can’t get behind it. If you’re like me, then this bowl is a great compromise! It has a lot of the signature sushi flavors (rice, salmon, a sweet chili mayo, sesame seeds, cucumber), but without the fish being raw and no seaweed. Winning! Though you can add seaweed on the side if you’re into that sort of thing! 🤢

When all is said and done, this salmon rice bowl is perfect for lunch or dinner and hey, maybe it will even sway you into the world of seafood like it is for me. Kind of, I’m still not behind oysters!

What is a Salmon Rice Bowl?

We love rice bowls in our family! Have you tried our cilantro lime chicken burrito bowl?? Or our Read more

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m writing this from Santa Fe, where the weather is slightly warmer than Ohio and the sunshine is lovely. (I’m choosing to ignore the fact that snow is in the forecast here tomorrow.) Nothing makes me appreciate the awesomeness of living somewhere with four glorious seasons as much as a sunny day in winter.

We had dinner at La Boca last night and plan to check out Clafoutis and El Nido as well. Thanks for the great recommendations, friends. La Boca is a long-time favorite, but the other two are new to me.

ON THE BLOG this week: Green Chile Carnitas are the perfect combination of two of my favorite savory things. It’s tough to find a combo that beats pork and green chile in my mind. Carnitas are cooked until melt in your mouth tender; then roasted at high temperature until the edges caramelize.

Oh, my sweet HEAVEN. Cornbread waffles piled high with BBQ pulled pork and tangy coleslaw are something you need to taste to really understand their greatness.

Tangy, sweet Honey Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette delivers a hint of lingering heat that few can resist. It’s perfect on salads or drizzled over street tacos or burrito bowls.

Sweet and juicy, loaded with fresh apples, and just the right hint of spices, this apple cobbler is a fall and winter dessert favorite that we enjoy throughout the entire year.

Roasted butternut squash with pasta is tossed with plenty of butter, garlic, sage, and red pepper for a flavorful take on this classic pasta dish.

With a rich ham flavor and a balanced combination of potatoes, leeks, and split peas, this slow cooker split pea soup is a very pleasant surprise.

Fresh greens, spicy red onions, crunchy walnuts, chewy sweet raisins and cranberries, salty Parmesan, and roasted Acorn squash come together with a tangy sweet maple vinaigrette in this winter squash salad.

Tender pears tossed with cinnamon sugar are topped with a buttery brown sugar crisp topping to create this delicious pear crisp.

What I’m CRAVING: Have you he