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​While scrolling through TikTok the other day, I came upon this video showing how to make creamy lemonade. It looked really delicious and I wanted to try it, but I put my own twist on it. Cherries were on sale and I had just bought a bunch I was wanting to get rid of, so I thought, why not make cherry limeade? And since I don't eat dairy, I switched out the sweetened condensed milk for sweetened condensed coconut milk.

I'm so glad I tried it! It came out delicious and it's the perfect drink for summer. Try the recipe below and be sure to read the tips I have afterwards for making it come out perfect.

If you're like me you love fresh salsa. But it can be intimidating to know how much of everything needs to go in it. You don't want it too tomatoey or too spicy (unless you like that). So I experimented and came up with this recipe. It has been a favorite everytime I share it with others. It's for sure a game changer and you will love it.

My recipe is based on the delicious fresh salsa my mom would make us growing up. And also based on watching my roommate Shirley make amazing salsas in college. She is of Mexican and Guatemalan heritage and always made the most delicious food. I don't claim that mine is authentic or anything like that, I just picked up some ideas from watching her methods.

I love salsa made from fresh ingredients and I include only one canned ingredient in this recipe: canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It helps add a smokiness that I think is the key to its addictive flavor. It also is very easy to make because, after charring my veggies, I just chuck everything in the food processor and blend.

I hope you give this recipe a try! I'm making some today to share with some people from church and I don't expect to take any home with me.

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This blog post was originally published 7/9/2018. It is being republished on 1/25/2021 with updated photos, notes, and recipe instructions. Thanks!

     I truly admire my daughter, Maddy, for her ability to choose a vegan lifestyle and stick to it the way that she does.  We have a lot of family dinners around here and there are sometimes very few choices for her to eat, even though I try to make sure there are some vegan choices.  Also, there are a lot of temptations!

​Just yesterday we had a big dinner and there was delicious Texas Sheet Cake! Definitely not vegan and Maddy had to pass on it as she ate her rice and fruit choices.  I felt bad for her, even though she was uncomplaining.  I know that I do not have that kind of will power.  Well, while I searched for my Texas Sheet Cake recipe, I came across another old recipe that I had forgotten about.  It is this Goofy Chocolate Cake that has no eggs, no milk and can easily be sweetened in a vegan way. Since there were many people here yesterday and the Texas Cake is just about gone, I decided to make up this cake this morning as a surprise for Madalynn! She deserves a reward. 

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 Drummers Drumming... so I made breadstick drumsticks! Garlic Sesame Grissini in fact.

Actually Maddy made them for me because my original plan didn't work out. Sometimes recipe testing is just like that, nothing turns out the way you want, but it helps to have a great team around you who can help you out and come up with something even better in the end. Well I'm so glad she took over because her breadsticks came out much more beautiful and tasty than mine. And we're sharing the recipe with you now!

Grissini is a long, crunchy breadstick that originated in Italy. They're great for appetizers, snacks, or eating with soups. They're also beautiful and would be a great addition to a charcuterie board or a table spread. 

​Because Maddy made these that means they're actually vegan friendly (just substitute agave for the honey), which means all your friends and family can happily munch away on these tasty treats. Make sure to make extra because these are sure to go fast! 

You want to get these nice and long (at least 16 inches) so having even portions of dough is helpful. I love to use my bench scraper to help me cut and shape dough easily. Plus it has a little ruler on it which is helpful for measuring out portions of dough! And when it comes time to clean up, the scraper easily scrapes up any dough stuck to my counter (just be careful not to scratch your countertop if you don't have stone countertops).

This concludes our 12 Days of Christmas Recipes series, but don't worry we have more fun posts planned for this week. If you're wondering what we made for the other 11 days I'll link them below.