Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Super Foods + Miso Carrot Soup

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Super Bowl, that is.

 

Do you know what you’re bringing to the par-tay on Sunday?  Dips and finger foods are king on game day, many of which are not exactly health foods.  Even if the party isn’t at your house, you can be sure to have a non-fried item or two to munch on if you contribute a clean item or two.

 

Here are a few game day-worthy ideas:

Chipotle Corn Hummus

 

Indian-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas (They’re like bar nuts!)

 

Baked Rutabaga Fries with Cheesy Vegan Non-Cheese Sauce (This works well with sweet potatoes and parsnips too!)

 

Roasted Red Pepper & Asparagus Mini Quiches

 

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Black Bean Burgers

 

Annnnnd… a dessert.  Not so healthy as yesterday’s Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, but OMG they are GOOD…

S’Mores Brownies

 

I should admit that I’m only in this thing for the snacks and the commercials.  If you’re like me (or not) these snacks won’t disappoint!

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Now that the football talk is out of the way, it’s time for some more orange food.  Seriously – 90% of everything I’ve eaten this week is orange – Sweet Potato Pie Smoothies, Sweet Potato Fry Nachos, Pumpkin Protein Bars, this soup…

 

 

It may be a little early for carrot soup.  The orange would be perfect for Easter!  After making it, I couldn’t wait 2 months to share it.

 

Rich miso with lots of ginger and cumin make this soup something special.  I loved the bold flavors against the sweetness from the carrot.  Add a bit of cinnamon to give it a little more depth and highlight the cumin.

 

 

This will be making another appearance for the Easter Bunny.

Like many great recipes, this one is based on a soup by Smitten Kitchen.

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Miso Carrot Soup

  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 T finely chopped ginger
  • 2 C vegetable broth
  • 2 T white miso paste
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Optional garnish: cilantro, freshly ground pepper, red pepper flakes, squeeze of lime juice


Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until onion is beginning to turn translucent (~5 mins). Add carrots and continue to sauté until carrot softens a bit (to a “steamed” softness).  Stir in broth. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender when pierced (~30 mins).

Remove fro heat and puree soup with an immersion blender (or in rounds using a regular blender). In a small bowl, whisk together the miso 1/3 C of the soup.  Stir the mixture back into soup.  Taste the soup and season with cumin and cinnamon.

Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.  I loved mine with cilantro, freshly ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Makes 4 sides or 2 mains.

***

I’m really excited for a certain non-football event this weekend – Lee is hosting an Atlanta bloggers potluck!

What is your favorite food to bring to a party?

What are you doing other than Super Bowl-watching this weekend?

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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These Chocolate Zucchini Muffin sound a little strange, but you’d never guess the sneaky zucchini add.  Best of all, these 100 calorie bites are vegan, gluten-free, and almost sugar-free.

This deliciousness took me a week to get right.  But when I did… oh lawd they were good!

Judging from the reaction these chocolate muffins got at this week’s dinner party, I found the right combination of ingredients.

Chocolate-y and moist, these are muffins you could chow on for breakfast without guilt.

Why guiltless?  Because you would be starting out your day with veggies!

The “secret” ingredient in these is zucchini!  Fool your kids, your partner, your co-workers… yourself… you cannot detect a trace of the veggie.  I’d put money on it.

I love making these as mini muffins.  It makes them perfect for snacking, and they remind me of those trashy-but-delicious brownie bites from  the grocery store.

These zucchini-filled treats please basically everyone.  They’re vegan, gluten-free, almost sugar-free, and a mere 100 calories!  Unicorn brownie bites! 

I realize the ingredient list is long, but it doesn’t take much time to throw it together and the end result is well worth it!

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

  • 1/4 C cocoa powder
  • 1/4 C coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum (or cornstarch)
  • 2 T Xylitol
  • 2 T NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend (or other sweetener)
  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee
  • Shake of salt
  • 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water)
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk substance)
  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 2 T unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 T almond butter (or other nut butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C shredded zucchini
  • 1/4 C chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.

In a small bowl mix egg, milk, oil, nut butter, and vanilla until well-combined.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.

Squeeze out zucchini to remove excess moisture, then add to batter along with chocolate chips.  Gently fold to combine – don’t over-mix!

Place 12 muffin liners in a muffin pan (or lightly grease a mini muffin pan) and spoon the mixture into each tin so they are about 1/2 full.

Bake on the middle rack for 10-15 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes 12 small muffins or 24 minis.

Approximate Nutrition for small muffin: 100 calories, 7.4g fat, 9.5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 1.5g protein

Notes:

  • I have tried this with a full 1/4 C of coconut oil (rather than 2 T oil and 2 T apple sauce) and found it to be too greasy, but you could try it either way
  • You could also leave out the guar gum; however, it helps the muffins to stay together better (coconut flour can result in crumbly baked goods)
  • If you can’t find Xylitol or the Baking Blend, you can use any sugar/sugar-replacer

***

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the Buzz… my “Beefy” TVP Chili made the FoodBuzz Top 9 today!

How do you sneak veggies in?

If you have worked with coconut flour, what’s your favorite recipe?

Pop Quiz

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My inner high schooler is showing.

 

I used to LOVE taking quizzes.  The ones people would pass around in school or MySpace or email… I took them all.  To the point where it probably annoyed people.  

When I was tagged for this quiz on Claire’s blog, I got unnaturally excited.  Thanks Claire!

 

The rules:

  1. You must post these rules
  2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog
  3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

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11 Things About Me

1. I sit on a Swiss ball at work.  The desk chair hurts my hips!


2. My co-workers think I’m weird – for the Swiss ball and for the random foods I bring for lunch.  Sorry, no Big Macs for me.

3. I haven’t had more than a few bites of meat in 2012.  I’m not a vegetarian because I love to try new things and don’t want to feel restricted… but I do have a plant-based diet.

4. 2 years ago I ate about 3-4 burgers and 1 steak a week.  Since the end of 2010 I haven’t had more than half of a burger or a bite of steak (with the exception of my 2 weeks in Italy… when in Rome Florence!).

 

5. I have the a terrible memory when it come to names or events, but I can rattle off recipes and statistics like nobody’s business.

6. In high school I went through a phase where I only work men’s XL shirts and Birkenstocks.  Those pictures have been burned.

7. I’ve been going to the same hair stylist since I was 15… despite the fact that I now have to drive an hour to see her.  Karen and Lava Hair Studio are the best!

 

8. If I could have any job, I would develop recipes/new concepts for restaurants.

9. Yes, I really do 100 push-ups nearly every day.  No, I don’t do them at once – sets of 3!

10. Red wine is my weakness kryptonite.   Specifically, Italian reds.  I would even choose it over cookies.

Which leads me to #11…

11. Just like Claire, if I had no other ties or commitments and unlimited funds I would move to Italy and never look back.  I might do it anyway.

 

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Claire’s 11 questions were in list form: “Tell me about your 11 favorite foods (restaurant, grocery store, or homemade).”

 

This is actually really hard for me – it’s like choosing a favorite child!  In no particular order, here’s what comes to mind…

  1. These Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies
  2. Sweet potatoes protein shakes like this one
  3. The hummus from Top Flr.  It’s the best I’ve ever had.
  4. My mom’s Carrot Cake (made from my grandmother’s recipe)
  5. Flourless chocolate cake with sea salt and olive oil from La Tavola (with a glass of Amarone)
  6. This Zucchini Bread Oatmeal
  7. Sriracha (a.k.a. Rooster Sauce)
  8. Guacamole – extra jalapenos
  9. Indian food – I don’t care what it is, just pass it this way with extra spice on the side
  10. Gnocchi with shaved black truffles from one of Italy’s first Slow Food restaurants – Osteria dell’ Arco in Alba
  11. Pizza – specifically authentic Italian pizza from places like Antico Pizza

 

Now I get to tag!  It doesn’t say how many people, so I’ll choose 5 because I like prime numbers.

 

For my 11 questions, I would love to know:

  • What are your 5 favorite foods?
  • What are the 3 best things you cook/bake/concoct in the kitchen?
  • What 3 things you would do first if you were President of the United States?

***

This weekend I’m going to the Atlanta Underground Market again.  The theme is Bruch… which I think should always be the theme. 🙂

What are you getting into this weekend?

What are some of your favorite foods?  Do we share any of the same?

 

Raw-ish Vegan Jerky + WIAW

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All day yesterday I thought it was Monday.

Funny how now that it’s Wednesday, I’m feeling like Friday is not so far away.

This week has really been awesome – tons of cooking, which means I have LOTS to share with you.  More to come!

For now, lets cheers to chalkboard wine glasses, kick-ass workouts, being half way to Friday, and my friend Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

 

Breakfast:

After last week’s hotel oatmeal ick, this more than made up for it:

Overnight oats in an almond butter jar.  Pure bliss.

  • Oatmeal
  • Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Chia seeds
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Almond butter jar remnants
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • 4-5 drops of vanilla liquid Stevia
  • A little TBA chocolate something crumbled in. 🙂

Lunch:

Another bit of amazingness.  Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad  with carrots atop an eggplant patty.

Recipe for this deliciousness coming tomorrow! 

Dinner:

You may be familiar with a little problem I have.  When I go out I sometimes get so excited about the meal that I forget to take pics.  This is all that remained of my post-workout dinner last night:

That WAS a side salad, 2 veggie tacos, a chips and salsa trio, and a Patron Silver margarita.  Whoops.

More proof that Taqueria del Sol remains my favorite intown taco joint.

Snacks:

Continuing with last week’s blogger recipes, I tried Gena @ Choosing Raw’s Portabello Jerky.  It was a fantastically salty, satisfyingly chewy afternoon snack.  Seriously – Gena is a genius.

My raw-sih version of Gena’s raw jerky is at the bottom of this post!

Lucky me was asked to taste-test a new cookie recipe for Cookie Underground.  I mentioned trying these veggie-based cookies at the Atlanta Underground Market here.

My test-kit included an original recipe and 4 alternatives for their Parsnip Vanilla flavor.  In my mind there was a clear winner.  Check them out on Facebook to read more!

Apparently I need to rename this blog dessert underground because my pre-workout snack was on of these vegan Granola Cookies:

At just 3g of sugar and over 1g of protein, can you blame me?  P.S. They freeze perfectly.

Last, there was a vegan, gluten-free post-workout dessert.

I promise to share next week – I want to make one more batch to test with more soda.  Let’s just say they are silky in texture, impossibly chocolate-y, and inspired by a Cookie Underground concept. 😉

Raw-ish Portabello Jerky

  • 1 large Portabello mushroom
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 3 drops liquid Stevia
  • 3-4 twist of freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients.  Slice ‘shroom into 1/2 inch thick sticks and marinate overnight in refrigerator overnight.

Place on foil-lined baking sheet and cook in 170 degree oven* for ~3 hours.

*Note: Gena had a dehydrator – check out her instructions for raw jerky details.  For those of us without… just set your oven at it’s lowest temp (mine is 170 degrees).  It’s raw-ish. 🙂

***

I’m really into vegan/low-sugar cooking and baking lately!  It’s fun to try different style and I love feeling so clean.

Have you tried vegan jerky?  Have you tried “real” jerky?

Do you feel a little the-end-is-near relief on Wednesday?

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: A Tribute

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Today is a tribute.

Friday seems like the perfect time to celebrate some fantastic bloggers who have inspired some of the best meals I’ve had.  This list is not at all exhaustive, but it’s what I’ve had lately for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast:

These fluffy, lemon-flavored chia muffins were based on this Lemon Chia Cake created by Lisa @ Healthful Sense.  I’ve made several of Lisa’s recipes and have never been disappointed.  She’s also the only person more obsessed with sweet potatoes and peanut flour than I am.

They are gluten-free and vegan – great for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  Next time I make them I’ll add some poppy seeds too, as that’s what the chia bites reminded me of.  Who doesn’t need a little opium first thing in the morning?

My modifications:

  • Used brown rice flour rather than millet
  • Replaced Stevia with NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend
  • Reduced vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp
  • Added 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • Used a full 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • Made 6 muffins rather than cake (baking time = 15 mins)

 

You should try these.  Like now.

 

 

Lunch:

When I can work from home, lunch is my favorite meal of the day.  I can cook something fresh AND use the daylight for picture-taking.  Even though I was too lazy to whip out the good camera for this pic.

 

 

Sweet potatoes.  Smashed and coated with goodness.  I took the idea from Pinterest – this recipe for Hot Crash Sweet Potatoes pinned from Donalyn @ DLYNZ.

 

My modifications:

  • Rather than her spice mix, I used this one created for use in my Babaganoush Soup… fitting because the blend was from another blogger, Cara @ Cara’s Cravings
  • Brushed sweet potato slices with a mix of olive oil and rice wine vinegar.  
  • Skipped the boiling step (increased baking time to 20 mins on each side using convection bake)

 

These “crashed” sweet potatoes tuned out beautifully, and my Middle-Eastern spice blend went perfectly with the Coconut Curry Marinated Tempeh by Turtle Mountain I had in the fridge.  Nom.

 

 

Dinner:

After an orange lunch, I needed a green dinner.

Janet @ The Taste Space created a Spinach Dal Palak that couldn’t be any greener if it tried.  If you don’t already follow Taste Space, check it out.  There isn’t a day where I don’t drool over a post.

 

 

My modifications:

  • Short on spinach, I reduced the recipe to make a single serving
  • Increased cumin
  • Used ground ginger (I’m out of fresh – use it if you have it on hand!)
  • Added more red pepper flakes (because I’m not happy ’til my nose is running)

 

Served with sriracha and an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla.  Pinned and will be making again soon!

 

Dessert:

I have a bajillion blogger desserts marked to try… but tonight was my own.

 

 

These Chewy Granola Cookies (not limited to dessert – momma texted me to say she had 2 for breakfast with Greek yogurt) with a glass of “Chocolate Milk.”

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“Chocolate Milk”

 

Mix in cocktail glass and serve with ice.

***

Yes, I realize such a simple drink shouldn’t count as a recipe… but it was good, so I’m going to milk it.  (Tee hee… milk it… get it?)

What blogger recipe have you made lately and loved?

What do you use to bookmark recipes?  Pinterest?  Reader?  Delicious?

 

What I Ate in Maryland

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Travel can be an adventure in eating.

 

It can also be an adventure in finding workspaces with outlets, tables, cell phone signals… yesterday I worked all afternoon in a flatbread pizza place.

Barnes & Noble was closed for MLK (WTF?!  That’s like Starbucks closing – it just doesn’t happen!).  This meant that Starbucks was even more crowded than usual.  Flatbread it was.  I left the store having been cured of craving pizza for a while and smelling like an Italian mamma.

At least I had a wonderful dinner recommendation from Kimberly @ Grubarazzi to look forward to – Woodberry Kitchen.  They even celebrate Meatless Monday!

Side note: check out her blog – she makes some rockstar dishes!  

Goldeneye

 

Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore is incredible.  It was a little dark for pics (I was ill-prepared in the camera department), but everything was delicious.  Don’t skip the Goldeneye drink.  It was stellar.  Say hi to Conner the bartender for me.

If you ever go, DO NOT skimp the CMP for dessert.  Malted ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallow fluff, and wet peanuts.  All house-made.  It was one of those “moment of silence” desserts.

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This is What I Ate Wednesday, not what I drank Monday.

 

 

Breakfast:

An adventure in hotel icky oatmeal.

 

I grabbed some of the hotel’s runny, mucus-like oatmeal and made it edible with a few mix-ins:

  • Double vanilla ice cream-flavored protein powder from home (really good, btw)
  • Peanut butter
  • Apple
  • Coffee

It was not Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal, but by the time I got done with it these oats were not too shabby!

 

Lunch:

We ate at a burger place.  I had a salad and a sweet potato.  It was underwhelming… this is what was left when I remembered to take a pic:

 

Dinner:

I don’t care what Hollywood says, the Grubarazzi won’t lead you astray.  Thanks to another of her recommendations we dined like A-listers in a Vietnamese restaurant located in a strip mall.

 

The Saigon Noodle House doesn’t look like much from the outside, but their summer rolls and pho were ah-mazing.

Tofu Summer Role with peanut sauce and sriracha

Tofu Pho with Thai basil, jalapenos, and bean sprouts to garnish

Shrimp Curry (I picked around the shrimp)

Chicken and Rice Clay Pot… in an aluminum pot

 

Verdict:  Do NOT miss the summer rolls and the pho.  I could to skipped the other two dishes, but – to be fair – I picked around all the seafood/meat and didn’t get the full effect.

 

Snacks:

B&N-Starbucks-style.  Raspberry Oolong tea and the best KIND bar I’ve had to date – Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew.

 

There was also some late-night chocolate that had to be eaten. 😉

***

I made the FoodBuzz Top 9 today with these Chewy (Vegan) Granola Cookies!!!  Thanks to everyone for the BUZZ and welcome to any new visitors!  Check out the Top 9 by clicking here.

Have you ever had pho?

What’s the best “bar” you’ve tried lately?  Have you had a KIND bar?

 

Chewy Granola Cookies

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Some might call these Oatmeal Cookies.

Yup – I’m finally posting the recipe for these lovelies I mentioned last week.

These Granola Cookies aren’t as sweet as yer mamma’s cookie, and the goji berries makes me think of granola rather than oatmeal.

You can call them whatever you want.  At under under 100 calories, I call them awesome.

These chewy cookies have a hint of molasses-y sweetness from the brown sugar.  Walnuts add a great crunch, and I loved the punch of cinnamon.  The whole wheat flour and oatmeal make them more filling than a “typical” cookie.

If you use the flax egg and Earth balance, these make a terrific vegan treat.  Plus, you can eat the batter without fear of Salmonella (as if that’s ever stopped me before…).

These cookies are great crumbled atop Greek yogurt for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or dipped in milk for dessert. They also freeze really well!

[Tweet “Chewy Granola Cookies – a healthier #vegan take on oatmeal cookies!”]

Chewy Granola Cookies - healthy enough to eat for breakfast!

Chewy Granola Cookies

  • 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/3 C light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 C xylitol (or other sugar-substitute)
  • 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water), or 1 regular egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C rolled oats
  • 1/4 C goji berries (or raisins)
  • 1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, goji berries and walnuts.

Scoop cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheet leaving ~2 inches between. Bake them for 10-12 mins, until golden. Let sit on baking sheet for ~5 mins before transferring to a rack to cool.

Makes 24 cookies.

Approximate nutrition: 74 calories, 2.6g fat, 12.2g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 3.1g sugar, 1.3g protein.

***

It’s another week of travel – very conducive to rockin’ out some Body Rock.

Do you like super-sweet desserts or something more savory?

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Top 11 in 2011

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2011 was a big year.

 

 

I began this blog at the end of 2010 (yes, I missed my blogiversary), and I cannot believe how much my life has evolved since.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers out there.  You have inspired me in so many ways – introducing me to new foods, pushing me to think of new flavor combinations, motivating fitness and healthy living by example and through kind comments.

 

Resolutions aren’t my cup ‘o tea – I like to tackle goals as I think of them throughout the year.

In lieu of posting those and in honor of a rockin’ 2011, I decided to list the top 11 posts for the year.

 

Often I see bloggers comment that they don’t necessarily agree with the top posts… but in this case I largely agree.  There are a couple of soups/stews not on the list – but you guys apparently like breakfast and dessert (and I have no room to judge)!  Out of these 11 my top 3 are #1, 2, and 7.

 

Top 11 in 2011

1. Sparkling (Champagne) Cake Balls (these would be great to bring to a NYE party – toast with balls!)

 

2. Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding (with an overview on the benefits of chia)

 

3.  Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal

 

4. Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies

 

5. Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (with an overview on the benefits of coconut flour)

 

6. Coconut Milk Greek Yogurt (with PBJ Vegan Yogurt recipe)

 

7. Cherry Balsamic Chickpea Salad (this was one of my favorite meals of the year)

 

8. Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls

 

9. Liquid Sweet Potato Pie

 

10. Garam Masala Daal (this post also includes my favorite Banana Cashew Chia Pudding recipe!)

 

11. PB&J Pancakes (gluten-free and vegan!)

Thank you to everyone who has read this blog, left a comment, passed along my link, written an inspiring blog… I am honored to have you all in my life and wish nothing but the best for us all in 2012!

***

I stopped posting on weekends… but check back tomorrow for a special Saturday post that might come in handy this weekend.

If you are a blogger, are your “most viewed” recipes the one you like the most?

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2012?

 

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