Chocolate Lava Cake Fake-Outs

So The Mr.'s favorite dessert is Chocolate Lava Cake, and let's be honest, who can blame him! It's sweet, warm, delicious...he obviously has the same preference in desserts as he does in women ;-)

Since I don't have the patience to make the real deal ( as some of you may know, I don't boast my baking abilities... because they are pretty nil ) I tried a simpler concoction. My experiment was a smashing success! Here's the recipe for you to try!

Ingredients:

1 box of Devil's Food cake mix

1 c Chocolate Chips

1 c Caramel Dip

1 tsp Sea Salt (I used Hepp's Pink Sea Salt)

Cooking Spray

Cupcake Pan

See quick video instructions here - http://vine.co/v/brvO65iFezl

Caprese Pasta Salad

It's no secret that one of my favorite ingredient combinations is fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil. Add a little balsamic glaze to that, and now we're in business! Oh, it's also a well known fact that I am a serious "pasta-holic", so when I was asked by The Mr. (last minute, of course) to whip up a dish for one of his office cookouts, I decided to stick to my faves!

This recipe can be put together in 30 minutes, tops. Yes, even including the pasta!

Orange Chicken and Coconut Rice Recipe

Do you ever have those cravings that you just can't shake? The other night I had a hankering for Chinese Orange Chicken. You know, that thick battered, super sweet, clog your artery kind of dish?

Yup, that's what I was craving but then I thought of all the beach-bods here in Southern California and how they surely wouldn't be caught dead shoveling that sort of dish in their mouths came to mind. Light-bulb! What if I came up with a healthier, non-fried, non-artery clogging version?? Well, if you're thinking "OMG I HOPE SHE DID"... you're in luck! Scroll down and don't miss the recipe for Coconut Rice at the bottom!

No-Fail Banana Bread

You can ask The Mr. , banana bread is not my strong suit. I always want to make it because I have a habit of letting my bananas go bad... whoops. However, in all my attempts it always seems to come out too doughy, too dry, too sticky, or too blah. But guess what? Last night, I did it. I finally came up with the easiest banana bread recipe that actually tasted good! 

Ingredients

1/2 c butter, softened

1 c sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, mashed

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used fresh beans from Wild Bean Vanilla Co.)