Sobremesa Stories

Letting stories unfold around the table

5 Delicious Red, White, And Blue Recipes

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With Memorial Day and the 4th of July coming up, I’ve been dreaming of warm nights, cookouts, and cool summer recipes.  These red white and blue recipes below are some of my favorites and I can’t wait to make them this summer.  Make sure to check them out if you’re looking for something yummy to bring to your next summer celebration!

5 Delicious Red, White, And Blue Recipes

Five delicious and easy patriotic recipes - perfect for Memorial Day or 4th of July parties!

1) Berry Almond Tart

This is one of my favorite family recipes and we made it for the 4th of July every year when I was growing up.  The cream cheese combined with the graham cracker and berry is ah-maaaaaazing!

Berry Almond Tart

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Mocha Pecan Pie Recipe

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As a kid, I was about as shy as they come.  Family gatherings like Thanksgiving and Christmas were actually introvert heaven for my younger self because I would sit around the table with the adults for hours, quietly listening and observing as their glasses clinked, they scraped plates of mocha pecan pie, and they shared well-loved stories with punch lines and innuendos that were just one step above my little blonde head.

That time spent around the table after a meal, laughing, sharing, and scraping crumbs off sticky plates actually has a name in Spanish – la sobremesa.   I love the idea of that time around the table so much that I named my blog after it (you can read about that here)! And Thanksgiving around my Aunt Bess’s table will always be what comes to mind when I think of that image of la sobremesa.

This delicious mocha pecan pie is SO easy to make and full of chocolate, pecan, and coffee flavors. A must-try for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

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Easy Pumpkin Spice Brownies Recipe

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I know some people are so hipster and anti-everything pumpkin spice, but y’all, I am ALL about it.  I love the coffee, the pie, the creamers, and just about everything that has those warm, cozy flavors of fall.  In this post a few weeks back on ten of my favorite pumpkin-chocolate recipes, I shared some of my fall favorites (like these amazing pumpkin-chocolate brownies).  Cinnamon and nutmeg actually combine really well with dark chocolate flavors and I’ve loved just about everything I’ve ever tasted with that combo!

The only issue? Some of these recipes take WORK.  Box mix brownies are my dessert go-to because they take about 5 minutes to mix and 40 minutes to bake, so they’re an easy thing to pop in the oven when guests get here and then enjoy the gooey goodness just as we’re all finishing dinner.  I knew there must be some way to make box mix brownies into pumpkin-spice deliciousness, so I set to doing some research.

These pumpkin spice brownies are easy, delicious, and perfect for any fall gathering!

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Fall Inspiration: 10 Delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Recipes

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I know this has been said by pretty much everyone, but I’ve got to say it too: I LOVE fall.  Despite growing up in southern California, I am not a summer girl and hate pretty much everything about the heat.  I love a good day or so at the beach and love the freedom of summer, but nothing puts me in a worse mood than constant, muggy heat (just ask my husband…he can verify that I am an absolute delight to be around in high temperatures, especially while pregnant!).

That being said…fall is one of my favorite seasons.  Not only do I love the pretty rustic decor and all the other things everyone else loves about fall, I love that it means the transition into winter.  It’s such a sweet reminder that all things come in seasons, that hard seasons always fade into sweet seasons and vice versa.  For a million and one reasons, this Californian-turned Midwestern girl loves everything about the season from September to November.

Pumpkin Chocolate Recipes Fall Picture

Take me back to fall days like this from our first year of dating!

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10 Delicious Spaghetti Squash Recipes

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Back when we first got married, Jordan and I toyed with the idea of following the Paleo diet (click here for more information about Paleo eating if you aren’t familiar with it!).  As I grew more confident in my cooking skills, I tried to make Paleo meals, desserts, and all sorts of other goodies.  While we’ve since moved away from being strictly Paleo, we do still eat a diet with more proteins, fruits, and veggies and try to limit grains and such.

But there is one thing from our brief Paleo stint that has stuck with us and still makes its way into our dinners a few times a month. It’s one of my husband’s favorites, and when a friend recently asked him his favorite thing about marriage, he responded with when I cook this item.  What is this mystery item we love so much?

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Berry Almond Tart – A Fourth of July Favorite

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If I had to choose one recipe that reminds me of my childhood summers, it’s this one.  My neighborhood threw EPIC 4th of July parties complete with a full-out bike parade through the neighborhood, hours of pool time, delicious cookout food of all types, and an hour of (probably) illegal fireworks while all of us sunburned kids ooh-ed and aah-ed in the cul-de-sac.

Berry Almond Tart

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Easy Mocha Brownies Recipe

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At the risk of sounding cliché….this girl LOVES chocolate.  I am at my happiest when I have a bowl of something sweet, especially if that something sweet involves ice cream of any kind. When we traveled through Europe last summer, I made it my personal goal to have at least one ice cream cone per day (quite an easy goal to accomplish, I might add).

Ice Cream Cone in Ireland

Eating a “99” ice cream cone in Ireland

I especially love having dessert after a meal.  It’s the perfect way to keep people at the table, to ensure that conversation lingers long until all that’s left on the table are crumbs, sticky plates, and almost-empty wine glasses.

I love baking sweet treats and trying new recipes, but this twist on a boxed brownie mix is one of my favorites. A pan of these babies has yet to last more than 24 hours in our house, and seems to be one of my husband’s favorite breakfast snacks.  When I’m having people over last minute or don’t want to take the time to bake a dessert that requires more time, I almost always throw these in the oven.  They take less than 5 minutes to prepare and comes out gooey and delicious (especially if you are a chronic under-baker like me).

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