Author Archives | Amy Bates

I’ve got my big girl pants on …

To me, the ultimate grown up meal to make is roasted chicken. I first starting making this meal over a year ago and every time I take that bird out of the oven I can’t help but beam with pride. The golden crust and moist interior is such an accomplishment to me. I like to […]

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Where’s the beef? Not here! :) …

Tofu sometimes gets a bad rap. On its own there really isn’t a ton of flavor, but the magical thing about tofu is that it is like a sponge. It takes on the flavors that it is exposed to so perfectly. I don’t eat beef and sometimes I get a little bored with chicken so […]

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Yummy in my tummy…

I love a good sandwich. Quick and easy to construct and the various masterpieces you can come up with are endless. It’s like a blank canvas. You are free to be as creative as you want to be. There is a basic framework to sandwiches that needs to be followed in order to classify your […]

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Chopped…

A few years ago I learned how to make some delicious Middle Eastern dishes. One of my favorite dishes is tabbouleh. Tabbouleh is a traditional Arabic salad that most often consists of tiny chopped pieces of parsley, mint, onion, garlic, tomato, TONS of lemon juice, and bulgur. Bulgur is a tiny dried whole grain that […]

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Makes everything better…

Nothing is easier nor more delicious than fresh hummus. It can be served with or on anything and always makes things so much better, i.e. veggies. Hummus only consists of 5 ingredients, most of these ingredients you might already have in your pantry. The one ingredient you might not already have in your pantry is […]

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Just like peas and carrots…

I was craving something sweet over the weekend but I didn’t want chocolate, shocker right? 🙂 I wanted something fruity, but with an earthy vibe. When I was at the market this weekend I spotted the perfect thing to satisfy my sweet craving, the delicious golden gems we refer to as dried apricots. Mmmm… there […]

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A healthier Sunday morning…

It’s January and every year at this time I, like many others, tend to jump on the whole “I should be healthier” bandwagon. In January, I start frequenting the gym more, run further and longer, reevaluate my vitamin regimen, try to choose healthier food options when eating out, and try to make healthier dishes at […]

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From hardship comes enlightenment…

I was trying to think of fun recipes to try to post on the blog and one day after eating a delicious Western Bagel with cream cheese I exclaimed to a co-worker “Oh! I can make bagels!” She looked at me like “Thanks for sharing,” Hahaha, but I had a moment of inspiration and I couldn’t help but exclaim […]

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A lil’ something for Jolly Ole’ St. Nick…

Do you hear what I hear???? 🙂 It’s the sound of shopping bags jam packed with gifts, crackling fire from fireplaces, “oohs” and “awws” from the neighbors as they drive from house to house looking at Christmas lights, and my exhilarated cry at 5pm on December 23rd because  I have 10 days off from work in […]

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Something for everyone…

I’ve spoken of my love for chocolate, but you also know from reading my previous blog entries that I love warm spicy flavors too! Sometimes there is nothing like a good oatmeal cookie. Yummmm… Most oatmeal cookies I find has raisins in it, which are definitely tasty, but I substitute dried cranberries in my oatmeal […]

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