Simon’s Pseudo Mole Beef will satisfy anyone’s craving for a rich, meaty serving of mole. On his blog, Grub Noise, Simon explains the complexity of this dish, and how traditional mole recipes often call for a variety of spices and ingredients. So what do you do when you have a hankering for mole but don’t have all the ingredients at home to make it? You follow Simon’s Pseudo Mole Beef recipe; he used the ingredients he did have to create his own version of this yummy Mexican dish!

If you’re like me, then you’ll probably use this recipe on a lazy Saturday afternoon, when the grocery store is packed. Any recipe that allows me to skip a trip to the grocery store during grocery cart rush hour is worth holding onto, and this one just happens to be pretty delicious, too!

One simple way to tell if your meal is balanced is by noticing how colorful the foods on your plate are; this is a truth my mom ingrained into my little head at a young age, it’s stuck with me ever since. The Baking Beauties certainly know how to serve up a well-balanced meal using a healthy side dish with a fun name. Their Copper Penny Salad includes everything from tomato soup to green pepper.

Dawn, from Baking Beauties, says this is one of her favorite salads to make during the summer months. Potato salad pales in comparison to this bright and colorful carrot salad. So if you’re not a fan of lettuce, but still want something cool and tasty to eat with your sandwich, then this is the healthy alternative for you.

One of Rita’s many Gifts from the Kitchen is a recipe for Sweet Peanut Soup. Beautifully photographed, Rita’s soup is just as sweet as it looks. She explains that the peanuts in the soup will literally melt in your mouth once they’ve been cooked with ginger and a pinch of salt. For those of us who haven’t had much luck with pressure cookers (or don’t own one), Rita offers instructions on how to make this dessert with a simple pot and stove. I think the secret to this soup is the texture and flavor of the peanuts.

Try Rita’s Peanut Soup the next time you’re having a craving for comfort food that’s a bit more exciting milk and cookies. Rita’s blog, Gifts from the Kitchen, also features many other deliciously presented sweet and savory foods. We guarantee that your mouth will water with every post!

Though I’m not pursuing a PhD in Molecular Biology like Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen, I do agree with her when she says that a kitchen is like a lab. Sometimes I even feel like a mad scientist, when I’m on the verge of blowing up my kitchen for the sake of creating a tasty dish! But it seems Gay has mastered the art, or science, I should say. Her hearty Chicken Paella recipe will only cause a variety of flavors to explode in your mouth…she keeps her kitchen intact, though!

Gay’s Chicken Paella is a dish that’s to die for, but it definitely won’t send you to an early grave. Just take a look at all the ingredients she used to create this healthy meal; it’s loaded with veggies! All the food groups get crammed into this recipe to create a well-balanced meal that’s packed full of flavor.

We’re all going to need something to cool us off as we sweat away before a barbecue pit this Memorial Day, savoring the delicious aroma of brisket or kabobs. I wouldn’t mind sipping on a nice cool glass of leejaywv’s Coconut Lemonade. Before diving into cdieter’s Barbecue Beef Brisket, I’d probably munch on something like egreco’s Mangolian Beef Kebabs with Chile Jam. She uses New York strip steaks to make these juicy kebabs that are lathered in a peppery jelly or jam.

After eating such a heavy but satisfying meal, you’re probably going to want something smooth to wash it all down. Eliorakiah’s Cucumber Sake Shots might be what you need. Lime juice, watermelon rum, and sake combine to make the perfect summer drink. Stephaniekim’s Lemon Drop Shakes offer the sweetness of ice cream and the fresh tartness of lemonade to yield a yummy, alcohol free beverage.

Whether you’re roasting in the sun, or relaxing by the pool, we hope you all have a delicious Memorial Day weekend :)!

Sometimes when I follow a recipe, I just can’t seem to make the dish or dessert look quite like the picture in the cookbook. Even if I follow the instructions to the T, there are those few recipes that require a lot of skill to recreate. This isn’t the case with Tarah, though. She was able to beautifully recreate Dorie Greenspan’s Peanut Butter Torte. Offering a variety of textures and rich sweet flavors, this is a Dessert that deserves a capital “D”. Not only does it include Oreo cookies and espresso powder, but it also calls for a few sprinkles of nutmeg and cinnamon; they add dimension with their spice.

Tarah’s blog, Genesis of a Cook, features other beautifully photographed desserts and savory dishes.

Great job on this Peanut Butter Torte, Tarah!

Strawberries are the quintessential summer fruit. They’re refreshing berries that taste delicious on their own or combined with other fruits in a smoothie or a salad. But I have to admit that I’ve never thought of incorporating them into something like dbrandt’s Strawberry Spinach Salad. This clever recipe brings together a variety of flavors that work because they each bring their own unique flavors to the table, pun intended. Bettye’s Pico de Strawberries uses strawberries in a similar way. Except, she throws in jalapeños, cilantro, and lime to make this savory chip dip.

As for desserts, Eliorakiah’s Double-Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake looks and sounds amazing. Strawberries, chocolate, and putting go into this dessert, making every bite of it delicious. This recipe is perfect for those of us who can never have just one strawberry shortcake!

It’s rich and thick. It used to get stuck to the roof of your mouth as a kiddo, after taking a big bite of a sandwich made with this particular kind of magical gooey substance. Peanut Butter: It’s the next best thing to chocolate, in my opinion. So, obviously, combining chocolate and peanut butter is ingenious!

Rhonda’s recipe for Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies successfully combines both of these ingredients to create a heavenly dessert. Stephaniekim’s Peanut Butter Fudge Cake is equally divine. These are the kind of desserts that never get the chance to go stale in my house; they’d get devoured in minutes…or maybe less :).

If you’re a fan of the simpler desserts that remind you of the good ol’ days, then read on. This classic peanut butter cookie recipe is certainly worth holding on to. I baked them a few weeks ago; they disappeared without a trace just minutes after coming out of the oven. Even the crumbs vanished!

Denise, I agree with you; I do wish you could insert a clip that would allow us to inhale the amazing aroma of fresh baked muffins, especially your black and white muffins! These warm, yummy treats sound like a chocolate chip cookie in muffin form, who can say no to that? Thanks to the tempting picture you provided, I can already taste the white and milk chocolate melting together in my mouth! I will definitely make these soon and let you know how they turned out. Thanks for sharing this recipe that you originally posted on your blog, Bake Anything. We look forward to savoring more of your muffin recipes in the future!

This Week, Melissa from Alosha’s Kitchen posted a tasty recipe for Braised Short Ribs. To give the ribs flavor, Melissa used a variety of spices to create a homemade version of Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning. Similar to a stew, the meal includes hearty vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery. Because the meat cooks for a about 2 hours over low heat, the ribs will melt in your mouth upon the first bite. This recipe captures comfort food at its best; it’s a great dinner for a family of four…or a very hungry group of friends!

Melissa’s blog features other savory meals like this one, along with many more delicious pictures that will make your mouth water! Be sure to visit her blog and say hello!

Thanks for sharing this recipe with us, Melissa! We can’t wait to see what other incredible recipes you’ll cook up next!