Category: Fruit

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Grilled Cheese and Dark Chocolate Sandwich with Strawberry Dipping Sauce


Last week, I read on The Huffington Post that dark chocolate and Parmesan cheese make a great pairing. Well, their exact words were “scientific pairing.”

However, we didn’t have any Parmesan. We usually don’t have ANY cheese in the fridge. I’m lactose-intolerant for the most part with the exception of little bits of goat cheese and butter. To make matters worse, I LOVE cheese. So, having cheese in our fridge would be akin to torture for me. And when I do have any substantial amounts of cheese, it better be worth it.

But for reasons too long to explain, we had Gruyère, Havarti, and Cheddar in our fridge. If dark chocolate pairs well with parmesan, why not with other types of cheese? I decided to put that to the test by making grilled cheese with the existing cheese I had in the fridge. It is grilled cheese month after all.

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GF Dark Chocolate and Walnut Banana Bread Snack Bars


I would be remiss if I didn’t post some photos of the snacks bars I baked from the Dark Chocolate and Walnut Banana Bread leftover batter. These cook up very quickly and can be enjoyed after a very quick cooling. Sometimes, my husband wants me to just bake the bars because he’s not very good at waiting for the loaf of bread to cool.

Just make sure to line the pan with parchment paper. It makes life easier when you remove the bread from the pan – especially since it’s thin. You can forgo the loaf all together and just make a larger batch of the snack bars. And of course, you can make it thicker than the snack bars pictured in this post; just bake them a little bit longer.

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Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chunk and Walnut Banana Bread


Banana bread is a staple in our household. It’s like a food group all onto itself. I love the smell, the texture, the taste, and the versatility of the humble banana bread. I’ve made it in many different shapes and with many different stir-ins. But my favorite is the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Walnut Banana Bread.

I love dark chocolate. And I love nuts. I eat both EVERY single day. It’s a safe bet you will find them in my pantry on any given day. And it’s also a safe bet that one or both will end up in my baked goods. So it’s only natural that this would be my favorite.

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Ham, Cheddar, and Caramelized Apple Sandwich


My mom declared ham, cheddar, and apple sandwich her favorite sandwich ever.

That’s saying a lot. I grew up near Pasadena, arguably the cute café capital of Southern California. During my teenage years, my mom and I used to visit various cafés to partake in the atmosphere and gourmet sandwiches. It was our mother and daughter weekend routine. I felt so sophisticated sipping cappuccinos and nibbling on pretty sandwiches. Little did I know, my mom didn’t really like the sandwiches. She just liked our time together.

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Caramelized Apple Slices


My husband always NEEDS to have something sweet. If I let him, he would finish a gallon of ice cream in a single sitting. Usually, I have to close the carton and put it away for him to stop. So I’m always looking for ways to reduce his intake of sweets or, at the very least, make healthier versions of them.

My caramelized apple slices are one of my attempts to “healthify” my husband’s sweet tooth. No butter. No granulated sugar. But they taste so sweet, rich, and decadent. These caramelized apple slices are husband-friendly and kid-friendly. For adults, you can add liqueurs or liquors to spice up the flavor.

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