No one eats kale right out of the bag.  

Carrots maybe, kale no.  

If you do, kudos to you.  I generally have trouble eating the stuff unless it's drowning in Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette.  But, lately it's become part of my morning routine.  Somewhere between exercise and getting dolled up for the day, I typically down a Superfood Smoothie. And, what's more, I actually look forward to this smoothie. Packed with kale, spinach, carrots, berries, and bananas, this little number has more fruits and vegetables than most people eat in a day and it's not really too hard to make.  If fact, you probably have all the ingredients on hand. 

Not hard at all, right? I add greek yogurt for a bit of protein, but you could always use coconut milk, nut butter, or protein powder if you are avoiding dairy. I like a bit of a thick consistency, but if it's too thick for your taste, thin it by adding extra oj. 

This smoothie will certainly get you're morning off to a good start and it is great if you take your vitamins in powder form like me.  I usually just dump a scoop in right before the final puree. :) As for taste, even Jason approves and that's kind of a big deal. He rarely approves health food. 

Man food.  Delicious, hearty, and savory, but it doesn't have to be barbaric.  It can be cozy and comforting too, which is entirely appropriate for a frosty, February night in. This stew is my brother, Steve's, absolute favorite winter meal.  Chunks of potatoes, carrots, and celery swimming in a rich, beef broth would win anyone's heart, so I was happy to make a big pot for his starving, stressed out, last semester of pre-med little self. And, getting to hang out with him for a bit made it taste even better. 

Let's talk comfort food.  Hearty, southern, one-pot meal kinda comfort food. 

We're just settling into that long stretch between January and spring where everything seems to get all out of sorts. In January, everyone is ready for a fresh start, but February brings the evitable crash of our hopes and ambitions.

For the for one thing, the weather is a mess here in the Southeast. One day is bright and cheery with a high of 62, the next is drizzly and 32. Back and forth, up and down. Not helping things... People seem to be a bit of a mess too... moving, job changes, impending weddings, the flu, mid-semester blues... anything and everything stress.

I'm right there with them.  One fine January day, I was up at the crack of dawn and tackling my to-dos, the next thing I know I'm waking up at 7:30 with only have fifteen minutes to toss my hair into a ponytail and rush out the door.  Those "off" days (or weeks... or months), fraught with disaster, matted hair, and grim skies, can be brightened with a little bit of Louisiana cooking.    

Black-eyed peas, olive oil, and diced onions transform sleek, plain grains of basmati rice like a touch of sun livens up pale cheeks.  Warm chicken coated in Old Bay seasoning and baked quickly lends both flavor and heartiness to these saucy bowls of rice. The best part... This meal only takes 30 minutes to throw together. It's quick, nourishing, and simple... just the thing for an achy day.

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Jason calls it the hostile takeover.

I call it cute.

We recently gave some bookcases dating back to Jason's college dorm days a facelift. We're both English majors and avid readers, so we have a ridiculous amount of GOOD books. The kinda books you wanna meet on a rainy Saturday afternoon.  Books like Peace like a River, 'Til We Have Faces, A Tree Grows in Brooklynn... I could go on and on...

Such good reads deserve cutes shelves, right?  Enter paint, primer, and a free afternoon.

Better huh?  I can't decided if the color is too Canary... So, I may be reattacking these shelves soon, but I do think it is an improvement. 

These are my favorite muffins in the world.  Jason and I first had them on our honeymoon in the cute little breakfast room at Stone Manor.  They were so good that I couldn't leave without the recipe. I like to whip them up on especially cozy mornings. So of course, this Valentine's Day, I was sure to have these warm and ready before he headed off to work a few minutes ago. Crisp, golden tops and soft fluffy, berry-filled insides just say iloveyouwithmyentireheartjasonkneisler, which is precisely what I am trying to get across.  They are the perfect start to a slightly cheesy, but wonderfully romantic holiday. 

Jason and I at Stone Manor... One of the prettiest, most peaceful places I've ever been. You can see the estate in the back ground. 

Hello there!! I'm happy to introduce you to my mother, Cindy.  :)  I've been trying to get her on the blog for a while and she finally emailed me this recipe last week.  It was a blast to spend yesterday afternoon baking, chatting, drinking coffee, and staging this delicious recipe. She taught me everything I know about food and quite a bit about life, but she's here today to share these ridiculous, moist peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars. 

Hi! Cindy here!  For over a year now gluten has been banned from our home, so we've had to come up with tasty modifications of our favorite foods.  It's been a lot of trial and error.  Some gf recipes just need love (and tweaking) to pass my kids' taste test. Baked goods are especially challenging, but not impossible.  These gluten-free cookie bars taste like classic peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and have a way of disappearing almost as soon as I pull them out of the oven. 

For this recipe, I developed a flour mixture of 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, and 1/2 cup potato starch.  Unlike brown rice flour, sorghum creates a slightly chewier texture.  This flour mixture is great for any cookie or brownie recipe you want to make gluten-free. 

There is really something to be said for chocolate cake. Some foods are for health, like spinach smoothies and strawberry-banana bites.  Others for comfort, like red potato soup and coffee.  But, this cake is certainly for company. These rich layers of moist, spongy expresso-fused cake top with creamy buttercream frosting were meant to impress.  

The best part?  It's entirely gluten-free!  It may not exactly look gluten-free, or taste gluten-free, but it is!  (If you are jumping up and down right, it's ok.  I did when my mom told me about this incredible recipe.) Whip this delight up for your party guests or better yet for your sweetie this Valentine's Day. 

I really should have some fan-freakintasic finger food for you to just oooggle and aaawww  over before whipping it up for the big game, but my life kinda exploded this week and it just didn't happen.

No buffalo wings.

No spinach artichoke dip. 

No guac. 

I've got nothing.  

So instead... to make good and all... Here are my party picks.   My dream superbowl, where Green Bay is playing Pittsburgh, and all the Steelers fans leave crying (*sigh* last year), would have this incredulous, gluten-free spread. 

I'm clearly on a pie kick.  But, aren't you glad?

Glorious.  So much more glorious than my late salad kick. This pie has berries covered. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, so many berries. This bunch of berries brings sweet and tart to the table, creating a fresh, saucy pie filling oozing in a buttery (gluten-free!) pie crust. 

Oh laudy. Pair a slice with cup o coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself one heart-stopping result for your valentine.  Go ahead, make his heart skip a beat... 

I am a little excited about this pie.  Not going to lie. But first a tinsy confessional...

Well, the horrid truth is that, after being on an elimination diet for 5 weeks and trying to get reacquainted with wheat thrice (yes, thrice), I have a gluten allergy.  I feel so much better; no headaches, stomach aches, or back spasms. 

But this has lead to a series of "fits". 

These fits are usually triggered by some gorgeous picture of some decadent dessert or breakfast food and they go something like this... "Jason! I want real cake, waffles, bread, cupcakes, cookies, biscuits. I don't want to bake cookies out of chick peas or almonds. I DON'T care about oat pancakes."  Then, I stomp around our apartment and try to get Jason to take me to Cracker Barrel as I can "just eat myself to death!" (CB serves breakfast and pie all day.  That's right, pie. all. day. with. pancakes.)  Thankfully, my wise husband rarely listens to anything I say during a fit and my body has been spared the reaction that would follow an onslught of pie, french toast, and waffles.

Well, a fit followed seeing this post for deep dish salted chocolate chip cookie pie on ELR and I knew that this pie was something I needed. Not wanted, NEEDED. So instead of making a mad dash for Cracker Barrel, I started researching how to make it allergy friendly.

This pie is outrageous. Like a super gooey, super cute slice of chocolate-chip cookie heaven. And no gluten. That's right!!! Zero gluten!!! My apartment even smelled like vanilla and butter while it was baking.  Glory!

Ladies and gents, please give a a warm welcome to salted mini chocolate chip pies. (Also known as sanity/allergy acceptance in pie form.)