Original Recipes

Even if it has been two decades since you've made or eaten chocolate chip pancakes, there's no reason you can't resurrect the breakfast of your childhood dreams. In fact, I encourage you to go all out and top the stack with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

The base is a golden-hued buttermilk pancake with plenty of melted butter to make the batter moist and rich.

Right before the batter hits the griddle, fold in chocolate chips.

Once the cakes come off the grill, don't be shy with the toppings. I used the MarieBelle chocolates from my Must Have box.

The whipped cream and melted chocolate chips make these pancakes so sweet and moist, I don't think they need any other adornments (like maple syrup), but I'll let you be the judge! Are you ready to be a kid again? See the recipe.

Part of the fun of making homemade buttermilk pancakes is adding mix-ins, and these banana walnut pancakes are a delicious way to start your morning.

A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a dollop of crème fraiche make them extra special.

Fluffy and moist, with a nice crunch from the walnuts, these banana nut pancakes will get even the grumpiest morning person to skip happily out of bed.

Keep reading to see the recipe.

No, there are no insects involved in grasshopper pie. We're not sure why this mint-chocolate pie obtained the name it did, but we do know that these mint-green miniature pies are a festive way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The mason jars make it easy to transport the pie; simply screw on the tops and garnish the pies with whipped cream when you're ready to serve.

Crush Oreo cookies to create the chocolate pie crust, and top each jar with a hefty scoop of minty, marshmallowy filling. Garnish the mason jars with a tall peak of whipped cream, a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips, and a mint leaf.

Click here to view the recipe.

The beginning of March is a funny fruit season. Despite living in Northern California, where produce is typically bountiful, the fruit section seems pretty dismal lately, save for the large triangular stacks of citrus fruit. Here's a fruit salad to satiate you until Spring officially begins and brings in apricots and fragrant strawberries.

Your taste buds will delight in the textural roller coaster: first, you'll crunch into the pomegranate seeds and pistachios, which pave the way for velvety goat cheese, and finally burst into the juicy pockets of the citrus fruit and kiwi. This sweet-sour salad is like nature's most succulent bowl of SweeTarts.

See the simple fruit salad recipe.

Hostess may have shut down last year, but that doesn't mean you can't still get your chocolate cream-filled cupcake fix!

Start by making an easy, classic chocolate cupcake that's fluffy and moist.

Build a surprise on the inside of each cupcake with a vanilla marshmallow filling using marshmallow fluff as a base. If you have any leftovers, make a fluffernutter sandwich with the marshmallow cream and peanut butter.

To fill the cupcakes, simply dive the star tip of the pastry bag into each cupcake's center. To fill each cupcake with the same amount, twist off a small section of the pastry bag (toward the tip) and only squeeze that amount (or less) into the cupcake. This little technique allows you to keep everything consistent, since you can't see how much marshmallow filling is actually in the center of each cupcake.

Take your time when icing the curlicue pattern: try to pipe the circles so that the edges touch each other.

OK, enough already! Time to dive in to discover that always-exciting cream center. See the Hostess-inspired cupcake recipe.

Look, I'm all for making traditional homemade-dough cinnamon rolls, but sometimes you just want the piping hot buns, dripping with butter and brown sugar, ASAP. When you're experiencing an uncontrollable jonesing for a homemade batch, but don't want to go through the whole trouble of making the dough, you'll want this easy cinnamon roll recipe that gets the job done in 30 minutes.

The secret's in the refrigerated crescent roll dough, which is the perfect cocoon for your cinnamon-brown sugar filling.

That — and drizzling lots of melted butter to ensure the filling will stay in place as you tightly roll the dough into a swirled log. Are you dizzy with desire yet?

Once you've cut the eight slices, the buns will fit snugly in the pan.

The cinnamon rolls will emerge from the oven sizzling and cracking, and that's when you should immediately cover them in a tangy vanilla, lemon, and cream cheese glaze.

I'll bet these cinnamon rolls will be eaten so quickly, the glaze won't even have a chance to ooze onto the napkin.

Keep reading for the quick cinnamon roll recipe.

In our daily process of ripping open package after package, nothing brightens our eyes more than fresh produce. Most recently, Stokes Purple sweet potatoes enticed me with their vibrancy, and I snatched them up like precious jewels. I had a plan for these purple beauties: they had french fries written all over their future. Baked french fries, to be more specific.

While I'll never pass up deep-fried sweet-potato french fries at a burger joint, it's rare for me to make them homemade, which involves slopping half of my oil supply in a saucepan for just one batch of fries. Thanks to my mom and the '90s low-fat rage, I know a way to get my french fry fix without the oily mess: please meet the baked french fry.

These sweet-potato french fries crisp up thanks to being tossed in oil, then whipped egg whites. I recommend dipping the french fries in homemade ketchup or ranch dressing seasoned with spicy cayenne pepper.

Take a look at the recipe.

We may still be in the throes of wool coat and tights weather, but I'm already eagerly anticipating warmer days for one frivolous but fantastic reason: with Spring weather comes picnic season. Generally, these blissful afternoons spent relaxing in the park are fueled by a stop at my favorite specialty foods shop to pick up some cheese, bread, wine, and fruit, but occasionally I prepare a slightly more involved, less spontaneous spread. Often this centers around a portable, low-fuss, room-temperature-friendly, and — most importantly — delicious dish: the frittata.

This bulked-up, bacon-studded iteration will be no exception. I can already picture it: me, a few friends, a bottle of rosé, hearty slices of this frittata, a basket of berries, and, ultimately, sun-drenched bliss. Until then I'll have to satisfy my craving table-side, but hey, with a dish as lovely as the one at hand, I'm hardly complaining.

Keep reading for the picnic- and brunch-friendly recipe.

It is often said some of the most delicious dishes are prepared simply; such is the case for this roasted brussels sprouts recipe. Sometimes, when I feel up to it, I'll also dress the sprouts with honey and soy sauce, and on rarer occasions, I'll throw in some bacon pieces. But most of the time, I'm just dousing them in peanut oil and a heavy hand of red pepper flakes. The peanut oil amplifies the roasted flavor, and the Texan in me thinks everything tastes better with heat, hence the chili flakes. Once you learn the easy, breezy technique, you'll want to put brussels sprouts on the table every night.

From Anna Monette Roberts, PopSugar Food

Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe Notes

I do not flip the brussels sprouts — that way they achieve that beautiful charred color — but feel free to do so halfway through the baking time if they begin to color too fast.

Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts, cut in half
2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high-heat oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts, peanut oil, red pepper flakes, and salt until evenly coated.

Scatter brussels sprouts around lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and golden on the edges.

Serves 4.

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