Carrot cake is a family favorite over here and this recipe from Susan Branch is the ultimate. It’s incredibly moist and makes such a statement– I love to make it for my husband on his birthday. This time, I swapped the vegetable oil for coconut oil and it worked beautifully. Sharing the recipe below as well as the image from her book because it’s too cute not to! If you don’t have a food processor, now is the time to get one. It’s one of my favorite kitchen products, and a game changer for shredding all those carrots!

4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup shredded coconut
1 8oz. can crushed pineapple
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. box powdered sugar
3 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil 3 8″ cake pans (these are my favorite). Set out butter and cream cheese to soften for the frosting. Put pineapple into a sieve to drain liquid. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add oil and mix well. Put in the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into the oiled cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of cake. Cool and frost.

Frosting: mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Frost between layers and on top of the cake.

I absolutely love this spaghetti– not only is it delicious, but it’s incredibly quick and easy to prepare. Asparagus is the perfect addition for spring and pairs wonderfully with parmesan and lemon, but the options are endless– any roasted veg added in would be delicious.

I use a lentil and chickpea pasta that I really love. I’ve tried more kinds than I can count and this brand has remained my favorite. Of course, any kind of spaghetti works, but I love that this offers more protein and fiber than most.

Directions: Lay asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 until tender.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta per the directions on the box. Once drained, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese and some more salt & pepper. Add in asparagus, plate up and enjoy. I often also add in a couple handfuls of fresh arugula. Anything goes! The perfect dinner in a pinch!

This is my go-to, tried-and-true classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. There are a few key things that make these chocolate chip cookies extra delicious– the addition of sea salt, setting the dough overnight, and giving the cookies a good fall on the stovetop mid-bake. Let me know how yours turn out!

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted + 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces dark chocolate chips
Sea salt (to sprinkle on top)

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. 
Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla until combined.
Slowly beat in dry ingredients.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough overnight
Bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Midway through baking, give the sheet pan a good drop on the stovetop to flatten them.
Sprinkle sea salt on top, let sit on sheet pan for a minute or two, and then transfer to a cookie rack.

Enjoy!