Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

I tend to make the same salad 95% of the time. The veggies might change, but I don't stray from my "house" dressing too often. It's my family's favorite that my mom and grandma make. However, it's sometime fun to mix it up and serve a different salad. I have always loved poppy seed dressing, but had never made it in the past. I was looking for a new, colorful salad to make for guests and decided to try this recipe. It was a hit and I enjoyed the crunch from the nuts combined with the other elements.

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German Style Hazelnut Cookies

It's cookie season, which means some new recipes have been tried, along with some of the old classics. I had a bag of hazelnuts in my pantry that I wanted to use and started looking for a hazelnut cookie recipe. This one turned out to be a delicious, crumbly cookie that everyone in the extended family loved. These lasted about 4 days in an airtight container on my kitchen counter before they were all eaten.

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Persian Eggplant Dip (Kashke Bademjan)

Persian food has always been one of my favorite cuisines. Over the years I have tried a handful of recipes, like Jujeh Kabobs and Persian Barley Soup and they are always delicious. I decided to try this recipe after having a handful of eggplants at home and needing to use them. I loved this dip and it was a hit with everyone who tried it. I simplified the original recipe so the ingredients listed are easier to find.

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Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts

Years ago my friend told me about his Brussels sprouts recipe and I finally got around to making it last month. I love this side dish and you can modify the recipe to suit your flavor preferences. The first time I made this I didn't add any garnishes and it was still delicious. It does get very spicy very fast, so keep that in mind when adding hot sauce.

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No Fail Banana Bread

I was having one of my lazy weekend days when I decided I wanted to bake some banana bread, but also not have to go to the grocery store. I was out of butter and milk, so I started looking for options that didn't require any of these. I came across this recipe and was very skeptical. All the reviews said the banana bread was great and I eventually decided I would give it a try and see how it turned out. This is such an easy bread to make and it has turned out wonderfully each time I've made it. I brought a loaf to work and it was gone by the afternoon. I made 3 of these loves in a month and each has turned out delicious. Don't be scared off by the slightly odd ingredient list. This banana bread freezes really well too. I could hardly tell the difference between the loaf I thawed from the freezer and the fresh loaf.

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