Category: Food

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Trader Joe’s Products for Chocolate Lovers

Posted on by Joy

Trader Joe’s sells thousands of amazing products, but my favorite things to buy there are sweet treats. They have an abundance of goodies for chocolate lovers, including cookies, candies, frozen treats, and more!  I’ve rounded up a list of my favorite Trader Joe’s chocolate treats to share with you today. Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies – These crunchy, bite-sized cookies are so yummy and addictive, they’re likely to cause a snack-cident. You’ve been warned. Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Dunkers – If you love to dunk cookies in milk, coffee, or hot chocolate, these are for you!   Milk Chocolate S’mashing S’mores Read more…

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Soft & Chewy Date Squares

Posted on by Joy

When I want to make a quick and tasty dessert, I often pull out this recipe. These yummy date squares are easy to serve to a crowd, and always get rave reviews. Often called matrimonial cake or matrimony bars, this dessert originated in Canada. No one seems to know the reason for the name. Perhaps these little squares were first served at weddings, or the name refers to the layers “married” together to form a cake. I don’t know the answer, but I do know that making them for your spouse can improve your marriage! Soft & Chewy Date Squares Read more…

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Cheesy Garlic Spinach Orzo

Posted on by Joy

Most of the recipes I post here are desserts, but today I have an amazing orzo dish to share with you! This Cheesy Garlic Spinach Orzo is a favorite at my house. Let’s face it – no one in my family is a huge fan of spinach, but this is a delicious way to sneak it into our diet. This dish convinced my kids that they like to eat spinach! You can serve this as a main course or a side dish. I like to pair it with a piece of fish, chicken, or steak. The recipe below makes enough Read more…

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Pumpkin Pancakes

Posted on by Joy

Confession: I’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte. I haven’t tried pumpkin spice Oreos, Pringles, or M&M’s either. (Yes, those are real products.) You don’t have to jump on the pumpkin spice consumer bandwagon to enjoy everyone’s favorite fall flavor. All you need is a can of pumpkin, two or three spices, and a few minutes in the kitchen. I often make pumpkin muffins or cookies this time of year, but the easiest way for me to get that pumpkin spice fix is with these delicious pumpkin pancakes. Pumpkin Pancakes 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 Read more…

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Oatmeal Mix-ins for Picky Eaters (Like Me)

Posted on by Joy

  I’ve always been a picky eater. When I was a kid, my favorite substitute for food I didn’t like was cereal. “Mom’s making halibut for dinner? No, thanks, I’ll just get myself a bowl of cereal.” As an adult, I eat a variety of healthy foods, but I still love my sugary cereals (mostly as a late-night snack rather than a breakfast). According to an article in the New York Times last year, cereal enjoyed popularity among baby boomers and Generation X, but started losing its appeal in the 1990s. Millennials seem to prefer healthier options like oatmeal, yogurt, Read more…

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Orange Blueberry Bread

Posted on by Joy

Blueberries are one of my favorite summer treats. When I was a little girl, I would follow my mom next door to my grandparents’ yard to pick from their blueberry bushes. I definitely ate more than I ever put in my mom’s basket! These days, we don’t have any bushes in the yard,  but blueberries are still a summertime staple. When I visit my parents in July, my mom always makes this scrumptious blueberry bread. I like to eat it with eggs for breakfast, or have a slice with a cup of coffee for an afternoon snack. Add a little Read more…

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Charleston Restaurant Guide

Posted on by Joy

Let Charleston charm you with its amazing lowcountry cuisine! I’ve visited and enjoyed every restaurant on this list. I’ll continue to add new favorites as I discover them. My restaurant guide is arranged by geographic area, so you won’t have to travel far when you’re hungry. I’ve indicated restaurants that I consider “kid friendly,” which means I would take my two squirmy little boys there. I always recommend calling ahead to verify hours and make a reservation. Enjoy! Downtown Charleston – Lower Peninsula (south of Calhoun St.) Miller’s All Day – 120 King St., Charleston. $$ Breakfast, Lunch. I recommend: Read more…

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Pineapple Rhubarb Pie

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When I was a little girl, I lived next door to my grandparents. My grandfather had huge vegetable gardens full of all the summertime yumminess you can handle. He grew everything from asparagus to zucchini. My favorites were his sugar snap peas and corn on the cob. He even had rhubarb, which my grandmother would bake into delicious pies. In our little hometown, she was known for her scrumptious desserts, including the pineapple rhubarb pie I’m sharing with you today. Many people aren’t familiar with rhubarb. The best place to get it is a farmers’ market or roadside produce stand. Read more…

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Strawberry Shortcake

Posted on by Joy

It’s strawberry season in Charleston! And you know what that means…time for some strawberry shortcake! In our family, the strawberry shortcake recipe starts with strawberry picking, which we like to do at Wabi Sabi Farm in Cordesville, SC. I rounded up a couple of friends,  we packed the mom-mobiles with our best strawberry pickers (otherwise known as our kids), and made the trip to our favorite strawberry patch. What a gorgeous day! We couldn’t have asked for anything better.   We came home with quite a haul! We could hardly keep our hands off these deliciously sweet berries. It’s hard to Read more…

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Five Favorite Charleston Restaurants

Posted on by Joy

Before I moved to Charleston three years ago, I began looking at local restaurant menus online. I knew I would fall in love with lowcountry cuisine when I read Hominy Grill’s menu, where deep fried cheese grits are listed under the heading “Vegetables.” I’ve visited more than 30 restaurants in the Charleston area, and I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface. I could dine out once a week for years without visiting the same place twice. Here are a few of my favorite places to experience Charleston’s delightful cuisine: Hominy Grill – This is a great place to taste Read more…