I can't rave enough about how great this chicken was. I feel like I can brag on this one a little harder because I can't actually take the credit for it. For those of you new to my blog I participate in a recipe swap club where I partner with another blogger each month to trade recipes (of our choice) to try and write about. This month I partnered up with Payal from Don't Give A Fork. Payal lives in Mumbai and has a fab collection of Indian recipes as well as some others that she has picked up on her world travels. I mean she takes cooking classes all over the world when she travels - how amazing is that?! It is so neat to me that I get to connect with other food bloggers not only locally but all over the world. I had so much fun chatting with the gal behind Don't Give A Fork, learning her story, and feeling like I now have a friend in Mumbai. 

hi guys! This recipe was so much fun to work on. I was challenged to create a fusion dish with flavors inspired by Latin and Italian cuisine so I decided to make a slightly spicy penne pasta tossed with chorizo and Alfredo sauce topped with fresh Parmesan, diced tomatoes and cilantro. Chorizo meat as well as cilantro are both ingredients that get a lot of love in traditional Latin dishes while Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, and roma tomatoes are often found in Italian dishes. The flavor combination here is SO good y'all. Just make sure you give this dish a try when you're planning on having a cheat meal, ha!  I mean we all deserve to splurge a little (or a lot) right?! Oh, and did I mention that this whole dish is prepared using  one pan? Little dishes with lots of flavor is a winner in my household! I hope y'all enjoy this dish as much as we did! 

Where to even begin with this post. It covers so many things I love, all for very different reasons- hurricane relief support, a new way to discover cleaner dairy, and a really effin' cheesy sandwich. For those of you not so familiar with me or my blog I currently reside in California, but my heart is always at least halfway in Texas where I moved here from. Going about my normal routine during these hurricane's (especially Harvey) felt awful. I know I should be so lucky to be away from the crazy storms, and don't misunderstand me - I am SO grateful I stayed dry and my home and belongings are safe, but being away from what feels like home and watching the devastation left me feeling absolutely helpless. I cried every night seeing updates from friends and family affected. It didn't feel right just going to work and being social and enjoying life, I felt like I should be doing something, anything to help. 

I did my part sharing helpful information and news with social media friends, I donated to a children's hospital, I provided moral support but it just didn't feel like enough. But what am I supposed to do if I can't leave work and don't have the means to support in a big way? I know I can't be the only one who felt like this.

I am so excited and so proud to have partnered up with Real California Milk to bring relief to families in Texas and Florida. See that "Real California Milk" stamp on the below dairy products? If you spot it in your grocery store between today and December 31, 2017 snap a photo and share it on any social media channel tagging @RealCaliforniaMilk and hashtagging #SealsForGood and Real California Milk will donate $5 to the national milk drive to support families affected by the hurricane, up to $20,000. Best part? This is free for you to do! 

Easy weeknight meals are the best, am I right?! Especially ones that taste like a delicious box of pasta-roni but are fresh, not from a box, and take you the same amount of time to make. Thanks to my new friends over @ Pop & Cook that is! Seriously guys, this company is my new easy weeknight best friend. They make frozen cubes of fresh herbs, minced garlic, and glazed onions that you can just pop out of a tray right into your recipe making adding some fresh & healthy flavor SO much easier! Not only that but using their cubes means less dishes (no chopping or pulling out the cutting board for you) AND less waste, because if you only need 1 garlic clove per week, you can use just that! 

hey there! I apologize for the couple week hiatus in posting new recipes for y'all, but considering the reason is I was on a much needed vacation I am not that sorry ;) I spent the last week on a road trip exploring some great national parks, breweries, and coastal towns through Oregon & northern California. It was beyond beautiful and relaxing and I would highly recommend. Feel free to E-mail me for any recs, as much as I love talking food all the time I am also a total travel bug! Now I'm back to reality...unpacking, laundry, work, and the realization that it's time to work off all the great vacation meals. It would be nice if we could just go on vacation without having to worry about all that aftermath, am I right?! With all that fun stuff going on this week a nice and easy crockpot meal was necessary. These light turkey tacos were not only super easy but also got a "you should make our tacos like this every time you make tacos" from Jas.... easy, light, delicious, and a meal we can both enjoy?! WIN, WIN!  Oh and then there's the beer, that was for the hundreds of work E-mails I had waiting for me post vacation, plus, what's a taco Tuesday without a good margarita or Mexican beer pairing?! After all our Oregon brew tastings we were inspired to try something new this week. I proudly partnered up with Estrella Jalisco to bring this taco Tuesday to life! 

hey there! This is one of my favorite posts to date so I'm so glad you are here checking it out! This month I've partnered up withLa Victoria Brand to celebrate their 100th anniversary, that's right, 100 years! How cool is that?! To celebrate they are doing pop-up dinners with tacos unique to that cities style, so be sure to check out the link above to see if they are coming to a city near you! These duck tacos were the special 100 year San Francisco edition and now that they have hosted their bay area dinner it's time to share the west coast style recipe off. You know the saying if you've got it, flaunt it? Well these tacos got it, and at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, they deserve to flaunt it. You go, La Victoria. I mean just look at that salsa!  I'm so excited to share the recipe with you because not only were they outstanding and like really pretty, but they were super easy to make and will help you impress whoever you're cooking for. I mean, I was even proud of myself on these ones, like looked at them after and thought to myself "wow, I made those?!" Damn right I did. ​Now it's your turn, yes you... have fun and enjoy!

hey there! this recipe is the latest and greatest from my recipe swap club. This month I partnered with The Culinary Taste to bring you this oh so summer perfect ribs with a Jack & Coke marinade. This particular collaboration was extra fun because I got to interview the chef behind the recipe as well as see one of my recipes come to life on his blog. For those of you who may be new to my blog the recipe swap club is a group in which I collaborate with a new blogger each month to try out one of their recipes and vice versa - I love it because it helps me learn and try new things, which in turn I get to share with you! 

No exaggeration this may be my favorite dish I have ever made. I make a lot of simple recipes here, because well for the most part that is what I make. I'm busy working full time, trying to maintain my relationship, social life, taking care of my pups, keeping up with this blog, and trying to get some down time here and there... so decadent dishes are few and far between at home, but that doesn't mean I don't absolutely love them. When I go out to eat I am all about the "foodie" items on the menu, mixing flavors, fancy dishes, you get the drill. I love sharing my day to day recipes because that is what a lot of you like to make as well, I know I'm not the only busy one, but every now and then you need to treat. yo. self. 

I present to you yet another recipe that was the result of "how can I use up what I have in the fridge for dinner tonight?" I'm telling you that is seriously how I come up with some of my favorite recipes, forced creativity! I made this and loved it so much i made it again two nights later so I could photograph and share it with you, ha. It takes less than 15 minutes to have on the table, is all cooked in one pan, is packed with veggies and lean protein, and is absolutely delicious. Anyone else reading that saying "win, win"? Seriously give me something easy, healthy AND tasty and I am a happy camper. This is a perfect easy weeknight meal, and makes taste test and approved leftovers. I brought a bowl for lunch the next day and really enjoyed it, although I probably wouldn't heat up after more than a day or two as the cabbage will get a little soggy. This recipe will feed 2-3 as a meal. Enjoy!