Willow Bird Baking - Page 37 of 127 - lessons in life & kitchen confidence

Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

This post is going to be a midweek sob fest, so let me reassure you before we begin: there’s a taco recipe at the end! And the tacos are super quick and so delicious that Mike and I have eaten them for dinner four nights in a row! It’s all gonna be okay!

Now for the depressing story. I love Susie’s Senior Dogs, an organization that advertises senior rescue dogs on social media to increase their chances of getting adopted. Yesterday they shared Kooper, a deformed dog with many health issues at the overwhelmed and underfunded high-kill Miami-Dade Animal Shelter. Kooper immediately won my heart because of how sweet he seemed despite his unhappy circumstances.

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February 10, 2015 by Julie Ruble | 39 Comments

other

Lemon Cheesecake Kuchen Bars

Lemon Cheesecake Kuchen Bars

My 9th graders complete a year-long travel project where they research and plan a trip to three European cities, embark on an in-depth study of travel writing, and then actually take their trip and travel write for themselves. It’s an incredible capstone project for their last year at our school, which currently ends at 9th grade.

This year they’ve chosen to travel to Barcelona, Venice, and Florence. Last year’s group also chose Florence (along with Rome and Paris), so this will be my second time there. I’m tremendously grateful that this year’s group is taking me back, because I have a loose end to tie up: I have to climb Il Duomo.

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February 8, 2015 by Julie Ruble | 20 Comments

cakes

9 Extremely Chocolatey Ways to Treat Yoself on Valentine’s Day

Thanks, Foodie, for sponsoring this post.

Mike’s absolute favorite kind of dessert is CHOCOLATE. I’m not a huge chocoholic, though, so we just have it every now and then. I mean, I have to get my 85 bajillion coconut recipes per year in, right? But on Valentine’s Day, I have to cave and create a chocolate masterpiece to show my love. Is your partner the same way? Or are you the chocolate-lover in your family? Either way, I’ve got you covered. Here are 9 Extremely Chocolatey Ways to Treat Yoself on Valentine’s Day! Below each photo, I’ve included the recipe difficulty level. This way you can choose what best fits your time and skill level. I also included 14 chocolatey recipes from some of my favorite bloggers in the slideshow above as an added bonus. Enjoy!

1. SUPER FANCY CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE.

9 Extremely Chocolatey Ways to Treat Yoself on Valentine's Day: SUPER FANCY CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE
cooking difficulty: intermediate

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February 6, 2015 by Julie Ruble | 7 Comments

other

Hot Crab Dip in a Lemon-Garlic Baguette

Hot Crab Dip in a Lemon-Garlic Baguette

You guys, HOT YOGA.

Remember how I told you I was trying out hot yoga? Well it’s time for an update, because it turns out hot yoga is amazing. And listen, I know that usually when you hear someone say a workout is amazing, you just dismiss it ’cause that person also likes running and burpees and other horrible things, so what if they’re trying to trick you?! But I ate queso for dinner and am stuck at the “couch” phase of the Couch-to-5K program, so you can trust me.*

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February 4, 2015 by Julie Ruble | 16 Comments

other

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Braid

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Braid

I’ve had a terrible day. Even those Super Bowl macarena sharks only helped for a hot minute. So let me tell you a story about an island of joy.

The island happens to be my classroom. At 1:05pm on the dot every Friday afternoon, two of my students bounce through my door. They’re not running in because they’re excited about P.E. or lunch (although they love those things, too). Instead, they’re running in to grab up their crochet hooks.

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February 2, 2015 by Julie Ruble | 13 Comments