The Candid Appetite

Where Cooking Meets Photography

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Easy Dinner Recipes

Jalapeño Popper Pasta Bake

I'm always on the lookout for simple weeknight meals that I can make after a long day of working. And for me that means a long day of already being in the kitchen cooking all day long. So by the end of a work day, the last thing I really want to do is get back into the kitchen and cook some elaborate meal that'll take way too long. I realize I'm not the only person who feels like this, and instead of pulling up to the drive-thru window, why not try your hand at a few simple weeknight meals that ...

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30 Minute Red Beans and Rice Soup

I returned this week from my monthly work trip to New Orleans, and came back to even more rain and chilly weather in Los Angeles. We're all complaining about it because we're just not used to this weather and so the only way to get through it is to stay indoors and make some soup. No one knows how to drive in this city when it rains. This hearty and delicious 30 minute red beans and rice soup gets the job done. Inspired by the classic Cajun dish without all of that time and effort to make. All ...

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Dinner for Two: Chicken Roulade

I have said it time and time again, and I'll continue to say it until I'm blue in the face, but a gift from the heart that you make at home, will always mean much more than something you can buy in any store. On Valentine's Day especially, you should get in the kitchen and make your special someone, or your friends or just yourself, a delicious meal at home. Going out to a restaurant on February 14th is completely overrated and adds too much pressure on everyone involved. And I'm saying this as ...

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Chili Cheese Dog Hotdish

My family doesn't know a single thing about football, nor do we really care about the Super Bowl, yet somehow year after year, we manage to come together on Super Bowl Sunday and pretend to watch the game. We're all really just there for the food. I'll make a few snacks to get us through the earlier part of the day, and you'd think that would be enough for all of us, but no of course not.  I still end up making dinner because all of those finger foods just make us hungrier. I've teamed up ...

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Breakfasts To Start Your Day

Slow-Roasted Poblanos with Sweet Potatoes

Slow-Roasted Poblanos with Sweet Potatoes + GIVEAWAY

Today I’m sharing a simple and yet, super delicious recipe from Ashley Rodriguez’s (Not Without Salt) new cookbook “Let’s Stay In.” As I flipped through the pages of this beautiful book, many of the recipes called out to me, but one in particular just kept staring me right in the face, wanting me to make…

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Kimchi Chilaquiles

I grew up eating chilaquiles all the time! It was one of my favorite things my mom made us on the weekends. I still go to her house and request them. She’d serve them with chorizo scrambled eggs and black beans and some breakfast potatoes. Talk about heaven on earth. They always remind me of…

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Cheers to the Weekend: Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake

It’s not like I need an excuse to eat cake in the morning, because I’m an adult and I can do what I want, but I just feel so much better when I have a legitimate reason to eat sweets for breakfast. Does that make sense? I feel like this Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake is…

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Shakshuka Bread Bowls

I just recently got into making (and eating) shakshuka. I’ve been seeing it all over the internets and social medias for a while now, and definitely all of last year, and yet I never tried it because I’m the type of person that goes against the things that seem like they’re being pushed down my…

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The Classics: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

My thought is that you can never have too many coffee cake recipes. It’s that ultimate breakfast cake that you can get away with eating first thing in the morning. It always reminds me of elementary school. Getting a giant square slice of crumb cake with a carton of milk. It’s what dreams are made…

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Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Shortcake

Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Shortcake

Last year, I made this Raspberry Lemon Poppy Seed Snacking Cake, which is a whole lot of title for a small piece of cake that you’re supposed to snack on. Either way, it was a delicious treat that I still highly recommend. If you haven’t made it yet, you should definitely get on it. This…

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Blueberry Cornbread Madeleines

Blueberry Cornbread Madeleines

I’m normally not the biggest fan of sweet and savory mixing together in the same dish. To the point where if I’m eating breakfast, my pancakes have to be on a separate plate and I’ll need a new fork thank you very much. There are a few instances however, where I’m willing to break that…

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No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

I’ve said time and time again on here that gifts that you make, from the heart, mean so much more than something you can buy online or in a store. On Valentine’s Day especially, you should get in the kitchen and make your certain someone (or your family or yourself) a sweet treat. It doesn’t…

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Cinnamon Toast Crunch Squares

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Squares

Sometimes you’re in dire need of something sweet, but you’re feeling somewhat lazy and all you really want to do is open a package of cookies and devour them on the couch while watching TV. Is that just so wrong? Can’t we all just live? We deserve it, but before you rush over to the…

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

When I was a little kid I’d go to the grocery store with my mother and when we’d go down the cereal aisle, I’d BEG and PLEAD her for that mini chocolate chip cookie cereal. You know the one. Every kid’s dream come true. I’d grab the box and say, “please please please please please,…

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Churro Madeleines

Churro Madeleines

If you were to offer me a choice between another helping of dinner, such as a second order of fries, or a dessert after the meal, I would always choose the fries. I tend to lean more towards savory rather than sweets—I get that from my mom. With that being said though, whenever I do…

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Let’s Cheers to the Weekend!

Cheers to the Weekend: Roasted Sheet Pan Lomo Saltado

It’s time for another installment of my favorite ongoing series on the blog, Cheers to the Weekend! A) because it’s the weekend (finally) and B) because it’s been a while since the last one went up and that just won’t do. It’s also time for another much needed sheet pan dinner recipe. If you recall,…

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Cheers to the Weekend: Chocolate Walnut Tart

Everyone is always going on and on about pecans and chocolate or peanuts and chocolate or almonds and chocolate, but I think it’s high time we give walnuts their time to shine in the spotlight with chocolate. I’ve always been a fan of that combination, and I’ll admit it’s because my all-time favorite thing at…

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Cheers to the Weekend: Black Forest Fudge

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve made and shared a fudge recipe on here, and quite honestly I think this is my biggest regret in life. I figured the only respectable thing I can do to remedy this tragic situation is to share another decadent and delicious fudge recipe ASAP. If you recall, the…

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Cheers to the Weekend: One Skillet Cuban Chicken and Rice

Do you know how sometimes you just really don’t feel like washing dishes? Mostly because you’ve been working all day, but also because you’ve just slaved away for hours cooking dinner, and so the last thing you want to do is stand in front of the sink scrubbing away at the mess you just made….

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Cheers to the Weekend: Caramel Apple Slab Pie

The last slab pie I made on the blog, S’mores Slab Pie, was such a big hit that I decided I needed to try my hand on another variation. It just had to be done (but I’m most definitely not complaining about it). If there’s one thing I’ve learned through the years of blogging, it’s…

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Cheers to the Weekend: Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

I’m always so adamant and a firm believer that we all need a weekend cooking and/or baking project that’s a bit more labor intensive. Something that we wouldn’t really try during the week because we don’t have the time or patience after a long day’s work. The weekend is for trying out those new recipes…

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