Guys, have you ever tried making homemade sushi rolls? ♡

It’s actually much easier than you might think. And of course, the best part of making your own sushi rolls is that you get to decide exactly what goes in them. Yyyyyum.

Since all of our favorite sushi restaurants have been closed these past three months, Barclay and I have gotten in a rhythm of making ourselves a big batch of homemade maki rolls here once a week. (Sushi Sundays!)  And I have to say — it has been so fun! We prefer to keep things super no-frills around here, and usually just make our sushi with a few simple fillings plus a drizzle of spicy mayo. But holy yum, these simple rolls have totally satisfied our sushi cravings during these weeks of staying at home. And now that we have our assembly-line routine down, the two of us have found that we can make a big batch in just 30 minutes or so. Not bad!

Now I will be the first to admit that our techniques for making maki rolls are not 100% authentic or traditional. But that’s kind of the point — we just use the equipment that we already have and keep our ingredient list super-minimal, and this recipe works really well for us! And best of all, it yields so much delicious sushi. ♡♡♡

So if you are also missing your favorite restaurant sushi right now, I thought I would offer a quick tutorial on how we make homemade sushi here in our house! This recipe itself is not hard, but it does require a bit of extra time to prep all of those ingredients and make the maki rolls. If you have a buddy (or in my case, a very enthusiastic sushi-loving husband) in the kitchen to help, the process can go much faster. But however you make them, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly, easily and affordably you can make your very own homemade maki rolls. Plus, it’s just fun!

Here’s everything you need to know…

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Getting ready to make a recipe that calls for taco seasoning, but don’t have a jar on hand?

No worries — just mix up a quick batch of this homemade taco seasoning! ♡

All you need is a handful of spices that you likely already have in your pantry. Simply whisk them all together, store in a sealed spice jar, and use whenever you are ready!

This homemade taco seasoning is — of course — fantastic when used to season the meat, seafood, veggies or beans in your favorite taco recipe. But don’t forget that it can also be used a million other ways as well! I’m especially partial to using taco seasoning to flavor Mexican rice or a side of black beans. It works great as a rub for steak, chicken, fish or shrimp, especially during summertime grilling season. I also often sprinkle it in soups or add it to a vinaigrette when I’m craving a zesty salad. And if you’re feeling adventurous — trust me on this one — it’s actually surprisingly delicious when sprinkled on popcorn too!

However you use it, this homemade taco seasoning recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket. So go raid your spice drawer, and let’s make a quick batch together!

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Our series on pantry staples continues today with my all-time favorite whole grain — farro!

Guys, are you already doing lots of cooking with farro? If not, I sincerely can’t recommend it enough. Farro has long been a staple in my pantry and one of my favorite whole grains to toss into soups, salads, grain bowls, stuffed peppers, fried “farro” rice, risottos, porriges, and so much more.

I’m especially partial to farro because of its oh-so-satisfyingly chewy texture and toasty, nutty flavor. But I also really love that this whole grain is packed with nutrients, including lots of fiber and protein, plus a generous serving of vitamins and minerals. It’s easy to substitute farro in any of your favorite recipes that call for rice, quinoa or other grains. It’s quick and easy to cook, and also keeps well in the refrigerator or the freezer. And if you happen to have an Instant Pot at home, you can also pressure cook it too!

Seriously, there are so many good reasons to incorporate this whole grain into your diet. So here are all of my best tips on how to cook farro — including various options for how to season it, if you would like — as well as some of my favorite farro recipes to give you some inspiration.

Let’s cook some farro! ♡

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For too many years, I cooked my quinoa the way that everyone else on the internet seemed to recommend it — with a 1:2 quinoa to water ratio, simmered with the lid on, then drained and briefly steamed. And for too many years, I found myself dealing with unpredictable and far-too-often mushy batches of quinoa — which simply will not do! I tried experimenting with the amount of water, I tried cooking my quinoa both covered and uncovered, and I tried a dozen other ideas that the internet recommended. But still, I couldn’t quite seem to figure out the elusive formula for consistently perfect light and fluffy quinoa.

Enter Bon Appetit. ♡

About a year ago, I happened upon an article from their Basically team for how to cook quinoa and popular grains “perfectly, every time.” I was officially intrigued, and dove in ready to memorize yet a new round of ratios and cooking instructions. But as it turns out, their solution was incredibly simple — just cook quinoa like pasta!

It’s as easy as it sounds and it actually works. Simply bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook until it is perfectly tender, drain and let the quinoa steam for a few minutes, then enjoy! No more crossing your fingers that the quinoa will be perfectly cooked, no more overly-dry or overly-mushy quinoa, no more having to memorize different ratios for differently-sized batches. All you’ll need is a fine-mesh strainer to drain the quinoa once it has been cooked, and you’re ready to go. Brilliant.

If you are interested in boosting the flavor of your quinoa, I have also included a bunch of different options below for various aromatics you can add to the water. (Or if you have an extra 3 minutes, I highly recommend toasting the dry quinoa before it is cooked.)  Plus, I’ve also included lots of tips for how to store or freeze quinoa, as well as lots of my favorite easy quinoa recipes to put this superfood to delicious use.

Alright friends, let’s make some perfectly-cooked quinoa!

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For all of you fellow cookie bakers out there, I thought I would pop in with a quick tutorial today on how to freeze cookie dough. Because in my opinion, frozen cookie dough is pretty much the best. ♡  Why?

• It’s easy to make.  It hardly takes any extra time to double the ingredients in your favorite cookie recipe and make a double batch! Then you can freeze the extras for later and keep the cookie goodness going and going.
• It’s great for small-batch baking. With individually frozen cookie dough balls, it’s easy to bake just a few cookies (versus a dozen) at a time. It’s super helpful for portion control, and also works especially well when you are just serving one or a few people at a time.
• It’s super-convenient. Especially when you are in the midst of a busy season (hello, holidays!), or have unexpected visitors stop by, or are hosting a dinner party and don’t want to leave the table long to fuss with dessert, it’s always so helpful to have pre-made cookie dough ready and waiting in your freezer.
• It makes for a great gift. Oh my word, people love receiving homemade frozen cookie dough as a gift. I regularly bring a small bag over to friends’ houses as a hostess gift or as my contribution to a girls night, which is always very happily and eagerly received. Or frozen cookie dough can also be a really lovely gift to bring to friends who have just had a baby, or who are home sick, or who just may be going through any kind of hard stretch. It’s a simple gift that always seems to bring a smile to people’s faces, especially when they get to bake up a batch of warm cookies from the comfort of their own home whenever they would like.

There are so many good reasons to freeze cookie dough. So whether you are freezing individual dough balls (like for chocolate chip cookies or molasses cookies), large dough discs (like for roll-out sugar cookies), or cut-out dough shapes (like for gingerbread cookies), here are a few of my best tips for how to freeze cookie dough properly. Plus everything you need to know about what types of cookie dough do/don’t freeze well, the one scooping tool I highly recommend, and how to bake frozen cookie dough.

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Looking for a fun DIY gift to give to your loved ones this holiday season? Or if you happen to be a baker, are you perhaps looking to cut your costs a bit on price store-bought vanilla extract?

Consider making your own homemade vanilla extract! ♡

It’s just about the easiest thing in the world to make in just 5 minutes with 2 easy ingredients. And the taste of homemade vanilla extract is extra rich and flavorful, especially when you get to choose the types of ingredients and strength ratio that you prefer. I’ve also long been a fan of making my own homemade vanilla extract because it tends to be considerably cheaper than its store-bought alternative, especially when you are making a big batch in bulk. You can even re-use the beans in a jar of homemade vanilla extract, which will make it even more affordable!

So for anyone interested in giving it a try, here is my go-to homemade vanilla recipe and how-to video. I have also included a supply list if you would like to package your vanilla extract up in cute little bottles for gifting, plus a free printable label PDF (designed by my talented friend, Kelly) that you are welcome to download too. And for those of you looking for a non-alcoholic vanilla extract, I have included an option for you below as well.

Ok, let’s make some vanilla!
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I hope that your holiday baking seasons are off to a delicious start! I have two new (naturally-sweetened) pie recipes coming your way later this week that I’m pretty excited about. But before we get to those, I thought it might be helpful to go back to the basics today with a quick refresher on how to make pie crust…

…featuring my go-to, all-butter, perfectly-flaky, easy-to-make, always-delicious homemade pie crust recipe. ♡

As someone who used to be 100% intimidated by the art of making pie crust from scratch, I’m here today to assure you that homemade pie crust is genuinely much simpler than you might think! All you need are 5 easy ingredients to make pie crust — flour, butter, salt, sugar (optional) and ice water — plus about 15 minutes of active prep time if you would like to make this recipe completely by hand. (Or less than 10 if you happen to own a food processor, which makes this recipe even easier.)  Then after just a few simple steps, the most delicious, golden, buttery, flaky homemade pie crust will be ready to bake up in no time.

I initially shared this classic pie crust recipe here on the blog six years ago when I was first venturing into the world of pie crust baking. But now, dozens and dozens of pies later, I’m back today with a big update on this post, including some of the best tips and tricks I’ve learned in these past few years of pie baking, plus new step-by-step photos for how to make this recipe either with a food processor or completely by hand. So whether this is your very first time making pie crust or your fiftieth, my hope is that there will be a little something helpful here for everyone today, and that this recipe might make your holiday season all the more delicious and bright.

Alright, grab your rolling pins and let’s make some homemade pie crust!

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Do you have a jar of pumpkin pie spice ready to go for the season?

If not, let’s make a quick batch! ♡

All you need are 5 easy ingredients to make your own homemade pumpkin spice blend — ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Then just stir the spices all together, pop them in a sealed spice jar, and you’ll be all set to go whenever a recipe calls for pumpkin spice!

As I’m sure you well know, there are countless ways to put pumpkin pie spice to use. From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin cream cold brew, my favorite healthy pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin granola, and of course, pumpkin pie — this classic blend of warming spices adds the essential “spice” to all things pumpkin spice that we love this time of year. And always tastes so delicious.

So the next time you find yourself in need of pumpkin pie spice for your next recipe, here’s my go-to recipe for how to make a quick jar yourself!

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It’s butternut squash season again!

And because I care about us and our sanity and the preservation of all ten of our precious fingers, I thought we could all use a quick refresher this season on how to cut butternut squash…the safe way. ♡

Because let’s be real, as delicious as butternut squash may be, it is approximately zero fun to cut and peel. And if done the wrong way, it can put the safety of those fingers holding the squash in serious jeopardy. But if done the right way, I promise that you can peel and cut butternut squash much more easily, quickly and safely. And before you know it, you will be cooking it up in no time.

So let’s get to it! Here are my best tips for how to select, cut, peel, cook and store butternut squash!

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Ever since we moved to Barcelona, I’ve had a hard time tracking down some of the cute tulip parchment baking liners that I used to love back in the States. So a few months ago, I grabbed my roll of parchment paper and decided to just improvise a batch of my own. And turns out — they’re super-easy to make!

Also — much cheaper than the store-bought parchment baking cups.

So since I keep getting requests about how to make these, I thought I would pop in today with a quick tutorial. All you’ll need is a roll of parchment paper and scissors. Then in just about ten minutes, you can have a dozen of these cute little liners ready to fill with your favorite cupcake or muffin batter. They’re so easy!

Let’s make some.

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