Green Tea & Coconut Donuts

Aren't donuts just the cutest? They are such happy little morsels, and it makes me really happy to bake them. Watching them puff up in the pan, and then decorating them with frosting and toppings...yep, I love donuts.

These green tea donuts are incredibly moist, and full of green tea flavor. The toasted coconut on top gives them a little texture. I have been trying to incorporate more coconut oil in my cooking/baking, and it really gives these donuts some extra coconut taste.

Crispy Garlic Eggplant Fries

Burgers just aren't the same without crispy french fries nearby. While making burgers last night, I realized I had no potatoes. Crisis! So, I went for a healthier, lighter, fry-route. Incredibly easy to make (and even easier to eat) these eggplant fries are my new favorite burger companion.

Blueberry Lemon Bars + Spring Picnic Giveaway

I hope you all had a great Easter! Mine was pretty basic; I visited family, ate some ham and relaxed. I also made these monstrous blueberry lemon bars. When I say monstrous, I mean it in the best way! With a incredibly thick, creamy and tart filling, these lemon bars are the ultimate spring dessert.

I'm especially excited about this recipe, because it's part of a picnic menu put together by the awesome Lauren, of Love Lola. Below are four delicious recipes perfect for your next (and maybe first!) spring picnic.

Picnic Menu

• Appetizer: Avocado and Feta Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips  - Emily at Sweet to the Soul
• Beverage: Sparkling Cherry Limeade - Mary Beth at Annapolis & Co       
• Side Salad: Super Spring Salad - Meghan at Stir and Scribble
• Sandwich: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich - Lauren at Love Lola        

This Spring Picnic series not only features awesome recipe, but also includes a fun giveaway! Enter below to win your very own picnic basket, so you can safely transfer these lemon bars and other goodies to your picnic :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Strawberry Balsamic Cheesecake Bars

While I'm an autumn person through and through, it's hard to deny the beauty and warmth of spring. Flowers are blooming, temperatures are rising, allergies are thriving and my heat bill is going down. Also, berries are in season. Yay spring!

With berries becoming sweeter (and cheaper!) I was inspired to bake these bars. Balsamic vinegar and strawberries might seem strange to some, but it's a flavor combination that I love (example: this sandwich). Cooking fruit with a little sugar and vinegar brings out the sweet and tart flavors all at the same time. Throw in some cream cheese and a buttery crust...yup, it's good.

Really good.

Banana Oat Donuts with Chocolate Ganache

Sometimes I feel really guilty for wishing time away. You know, when you're sitting at work and think, "God I can't wait for the week to be over." Or, "I just want it to be summer." These feelings are often valid because the future has the possibility to be better than the present. Sometimes it is better, sometimes it's not.

Instead of pining for the theoretical future, I need to start embracing the present. Because when embraced, the here and now can be pretty damn awesome. This thought dawned on me while outside on a sunny afternoon, dipping donuts in chocolate while my cat and curious neighbor watched from the window. That moment was small, it was silly and it was great.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Sometimes when attempting a new dish, magic happens. The planets align, you get in your groove, and the dinner gods smile upon you. This is what happened when I made this macaroni and cheese. Then again, when a dish is full of blue cheese, buffalo sauce and macaroni pasta...you're setting yourself up for success.

Iceland via Instagram

Hi all, I hope you're having an awesome Sunday so far. Mine has been full of coffee and catching up on some blogs. So far so good.

Tommy and I returned from Iceland on the 8th, and it was honestly the best trip ever. Returning to real life was tough because we both had so much fun. Iceland has always been a destination I wanted to visit, and I'm so glad we made it happen. The country is beautiful, the people are incredibly nice and the food was amazing.

I will make a larger update about Iceland soon (I have about 500 pictures to go through, ahh) but in the meantime, here is a peak at our trip via Instagram! You can find me on Instagram @Amandakerz

Guest Post: Chocolate Chip Donuts with Blueberry Glaze

Today I'm really excited to have Lauren from Love Lola here to share with you this amazing recipe for Chocolate Chip Donuts with Blueberry Glaze. Holy yum! As you may know, I'm a huge fan of blueberries and love throwing them in my recipes (ie: Balsamic Blueberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Blueberry & Peanut Butter Green Smoothie, and Red Velvet and Blueberry Ice Cream), so these donuts are right up my alley.

If you haven't checked out Lauren's blog before, what are you waiting for? Not only do her recipes look awesome, Lauren is an expert when it comes to sneaking healthy ingredients into a dish! This Blackberry and Beet Chocolate Cake looks incredible, and she even has a whole collection of tasty gluten-free recipes.

Take it away, Lauren!

Lazy Sunday Links

While I love a good lazy Sunday, that is not in the cards for me today and I couldn't be happier! This afternoon I'm boarding a plane to go to ICELAND! Ahhhhhh, I'm so excited. I have never been overseas before, and Iceland has always been one of my top travel destinations.

It's amazing how easy it is to travel when you simply decide to do it. You just decide to save your money, buy a plane ticket, then hop on that plane. Sure, it's a little more complicated than that...but not by much. So after you check out all these fun links, go make some travel plans! :)

• This Earl Grey Tea Cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting looks auh-mazing. 
• Iceland is magical, and this video is adorable.
• These proposed changes to nutrition labels are pretty awesome. They give you a more realistic look at serving sizes, and calories. 
• Traveling is awesome, but your skin might argue otherwise. Here are some products to save your skin post-flight. 
• Speaking of skin, have you heard this trick to get rid of a pimple? Might have to try it!
• Melyssa has some great tips for filing your taxes as a blogger.
• I'm getting excited for Wes Anderson's new movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel. I love these behind the scenes videos! 
• Watching Kate Moss age "20 years in 10 seconds" is amazingly underwhelming.
• How accurate are the expiration dates on your food? I usually depend on my nose to find out if my food has gone bad. The former president of Trader Joes has an awesome idea to sell this "expired" food at a low cost. 
• I always have a few lemons on hand. Here is a handy trick for making them last four times as long. 
• 10 Ways to Do Everything Faster. I seriously need to type faster. Confession: I only type with two fingers. 
• Kitties and ice cream artwork? Yes please!