On her blog Rolling in the Dough, Jennifer claims that she’s making the world a better place, one happy stomach at a time. With recipes like her very own Do-It-Your-Way Date Bars, it’s easy to see why. If Jennifer can’t find the perfect recipe to cure her craving for a sweet and spicy date bar, she’ll come up with one by combining two different recipes and throwing a little bit of her own ideas into the batch. The end result is a treat that will make more than your tummy happy.

The filling and streusel are quite low in sugar compared to most dessert recipes. And the crust? Though slightly more on the sweet side (and who says that’s ever a bad thing?!), it’s made with whole wheat flour, which is a delicious alternative to bleached all-purpose flour–especially when paired with the cinnamon and crystallized ginger. Jennifer’s bars double as a fruity dessert and breakfast bar. You can eat these on the go, or served warm, with a bowl of ice cream!

And remember, Jennifer’s inviting you to do it your way! She offers a few different ingredient options, so don’t be afraid to experiment with each and every one of them :).

If you are like me, your lucky to have enough time to pour yourself a cup of coffee before sprinting out the door in the mornings. My breakfasts usually consist of coffee and a banana; quick and easy. Breakfast is my favorite meal, I just don’t have time for it, but Robin has come up with a simple make-ahead breakfast cookie to assist all of us “morning runners.”

On her blog, The Saucy Bird, Robin claims, “These cookies have become one of my favorite things to keep around. Not only are they good for breakfast, they are also good for lunch, or for that much needed 3:00 boost, or for an after dinner desert, or a midnight snack.” Combining her husband’s love for oatmeal raisin cookies and her love for carrot cake, Robin created the perfect breakfast cookie…. or shall I say the perfect “whenever” cookie! Can there really ever be a bad time for cookies?!

I’ve never tried anything from anyone’s grandma that didn’t taste good. Grandmas have a way of coming up with recipes that are unbeatable! Other than the few years of experience they have ahead of us, I know the secret ingredient in all of their recipes really is love…I guess it’s not so much of a secret anymore, though :).

I’m so glad Melanie shared her grandma’s recipe for Sweet Muffins on her blog The Vintage Vegan Potter. She says they’re a ‘perfect morning muffin or midafternoon snack,’ I say they’re delicious any time! And, with the simple and easy-to-follow instructions that Melanie offers, you really can make them any time.

I especially like all the berries Melanie used to make her muffins…and I bet you’d get so overwhelmed by the fresh taste of the berries, that you wouldn’t even notice that the muffins are dairy free :). Yep, Melanie uses soymilk and canola oil to moisten up the muffins!

There is an art to ordering at Starbucks. No matter how I say it, the barista will always repeat my order back to me in a different order. I’ve tried to figure out their methods, but have at last given up. Honestly, coffee shops have become a little too complex and a lot too expensive! For the price of one small cup of coffee you could make an entire pitcher of Lorie’s Iced Mocha Latte… she even provides the “skinny” recipe option! So, when you hit your four-o-clock wall today and desperately need that caffeine pick-me-up, but can’t bear the thought of sipping hot coffee when it’s 100 degrees outside, stop by Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things for step-by-step instructions (with photos) on how to whip up this refreshing summer beverage!

I have to admit, when I was a kid, I secretly wished someone would dunk my face in my birthday cake, especially if it was a chocolate cake! Why? Subconsciously, it was probably because I didn’t want anyone else to have any of it :). But, if you asked me then, it’s likely I would’ve just admitted to loving the thrill and excitement of having chocolate cake and frosting all over my face. Who can resist the gooeyness of chocolate?

Now that I’m older, I’ve come to appreciate the finer desserts, like Chocolate Puddle Pudding :)! The name of the dessert makes me think of jumping into a puddle of sweetness, after getting covered in chocolate raindrops. Liz’s Chocolate Puddle Pudding, however, brings to mind a volcano of chocolate covered in self-saucing lava! Just take a look at the photo she has on her blog Gastronomy Domine and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Kate says this recipe is so easy to make, that even her cat’s could get together and whip up this dessert after a long day of chasing mice and rolling around in the kitty litter! I think the description she puts on her digital recipe card is hilarious :)! Doesn’t that look like a dessert you want to dive right into, face first? Forget the chocolate cake, I want this for my birthday this year!

I have a confession to make. I used to hate tabbouleh. I had no bias towards this dish until a friend of mine suddenly hopped on a tabbouleh-making train and tried to serve it as often as possible. To be very blunt and honest, she is not a good cook. Since that time I have avoided tabbouleh all together. When I stumbled across Karen’s Summer Tabbouleh with Fresh Basil my interest suddenly peeked and I felt inspired to revisit this abandoned dish.

It seems tabbouleh has fallen on hard times. Similarly, Karen had abandoned this old friend as well, though not intentionally. Having fallen into a couscous and pasta rut, Karen was searching for the perfect side-dish to complete her summer party menu. And then she found it, lying within the pages of “Spice” by Ana Sortun, was good old tabbouleh just waiting to be rediscovered. This particular recipe strays from the traditional parsley, mint, tomato combination, and instead freshens things up with basil and walnuts.

Sometimes all we need is a little reminder or a fresh take on an old dish. For more inspirational ideas check out Karen’s blog, FamilyStyleFood.

I just moved to Boston and have been wanting to come across a great baked beans recipe since I arrived here a few weeks ago (it is Beantown, after all!). Thankfully, I found out about Vanessa’s Glorified Baked Beans just in the knick of time! Not only did the CEO of Key Ingredient give them rave reviews because of how delicious they turned out, but I just so happen to have most of the ingredients in my kitchen to put ‘em together.

It’s uncomplicated but unarguably mouthwatering recipes like these that I love on busy days like today, when I don’t really feel like cutting up too many ingredients but really want something savory, filling, and even nutritious for dinner. Rich in protein and fiber, this is a nutritious and hearty meal that will easily become a family tradition in your home, as it has in Vanessa’s :).

Thanks to TV Land, every time I hear the word meatball, I imagine an old Italian man loudly chanting “That is one spicy meatball!” right before I hear the alka seltzer tablets sizzling and popping as they disintegrate in a glass of water :). Funny that I associate them with a commercial for an indigestion remedy, but we promise not to post any meatball recipes on here that’ll leave you chanting in pain and asking for antacids. In fact, Antti’s Finnish Meatballs in Cognac Sauce will only have you pleading for seconds.

Creamy, buttery, and meaty, the flavor of these meatballs bathed in their special sauce will coat your tongue with rich and delicious flavors. By combining ground pork and beef, Antti cooks up a bold and complex meatball that’s tender to the bite. You’ll find the brandy in the sauce, which has a smooth texture and deep flavor that complements the meatballs nicely without overpowering them.

In his blog Doughboy, Antti talks about the brandy that goes into the sauce, he says “Jaloviina or Jallu is a legendary Finnish cut brandy, which is made by blending cognac with grain liquor.” It’s true, I guess the secret’s in the sauce; it’s what makes these meatballs far from ordinary.

Q. Where do I paste the recipe card code?

A. The digital recipe card can be pasted onto the entry that matches the recipe post, not the right or left column of your blog.

Q. What if I want to use the recipe card for my other recipes?

A. Every recipe you upload to Key Ingredient will come with its own digital recipe card embed code (you can find it on the recipe page)

Q. How do my readers benefit from my use of the digital recipe card?

A. The recipe card makes printing your recipes easier for your blog readers :);
they can just click the print button at the bottom of the recipe card and get a printer-friendly version of the recipe, without having to copy and paste the recipe onto a word document.

Q. What if my readers just want to save my recipe and not print it?

A. If the reader is a member of Key Ingredient, they can easily save the recipe to their account by clicking the ’save’ link located on the bottom edge of your recipe card.

Q. I don’t like the green header of the recipe card, can I change it?

A. Yes

Q. How do I change the recipe card’s header?

1. Create a cookbook: Click the “Collect” tab and select “Cookbooks”
2. Scroll down to the bottom left of the “Cookbooks” Section and click the (+) sign
3. Type in the desired name of your cookbook.
4. Click the fourth button to the left, it will say “Cookbook Header” when your mouse glides over it.
5. Either upload an image from your computer (370 x 40 px) or select a color for your cookbook header.
6. Add the recipe you’d like to display with this header into your newly created cookbook.

Q. How do I add the recipe to my cookbook?

1. Find the recipe by clicking “My Recipes” under “Cookbooks”
2. Click ‘Add to Cookbook’ under ‘Save this Recipe’
3. That selected recipe will now have the header of your newly created cookbook.

If you find that you’re question hasn’t been answered after reading the following, please click here for more information or email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com for further assistance:

I want to start this post out by saying happy birthday to my mom! I love you!

The smell of freshly baked bread is one of those hypnotic scents. The aroma wraps itself around you like a warm hug and settles you into a place a comfort and ease. There are certain scents that the brain connects with and suddenly sends you into a state of nostalgia. The smell of warm bread swarms my mind with memories of holiday baking with my mom and waking up to the scent of fresh biscuits for breakfast. The smell as well as the process of making bread is therapeutic. Kneading your aggression into the bread can be relaxing and cathartic.

Stephanie’s recipe for Italian Herbed Tomato Bread looks like a slice of heaven. On her blog, Fun Foods on a Budget, she gives a “universal recipe” formula for yeast bread, and shows how she added the ingredients to create this tasty Italian loaf. She also suggests using this recipe for a pizza crust! So, let your creativity flow, give your shrink a day off, and bake up a loaf of your favorite flavors!