Maybe you've never had a fig. If you haven't and I handed you one you'd say: "I don't even know how to eat this!" 

Well here we are: I've made a whole list, complete with pictures, for how to eat figs. Your first fig should be fresh, right from the tree. You can eat it all, the skin and the inside, just not top of the stem. There's no seed inside. Just take a BIG OLE BITE. Then, once you're in love, use this list to get creative with your new favorite fruit. 
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I love figs, clearly, as I've named my blog in honor of them. It all started in the backyard of  my Pap Pap (that's Pittsburgh-speak for Grandfather) when I was a kid. He'd pull fresh figs right off of the tree and he'd let me eat as many as I wanted! The hard part, back then, was waiting for the figs to be in season. The hard part, still, is waiting for the figs to be in season! 

Pap sold that house when I was in second grade and went to the eternal fig tree in the sky when I was in college. Good news, though, I grew up and bought a house that came complete with a yard and a fig tree! I never feel my Pap's spirit more than when I'm back there picking figs and eating them without a care in the world (see photo of me IN the tree).

​Those of you who've been reading my blogs since the old days might remember my older blog and "The House with the Fig Tree" stories from when we'd just moved in to our house.

This trail mix is so good, it doesn’t make sense. The coconut pieces make it feel fancy and the chocolate chunks provide more chocolate than the average chip. I’ve taken this mix camping, on weekend trips, and even on flights. It’s great for sharing with friends, especially when you make this huge batch.

You don’t need a Trader Joe’s store, or these exact ingredients to make trail mix. Certainly you can make some form of this mixture with any type of nut, variation of coconut, variety of chocolate or candy, and/or dried fruit. I like the contrast of some almonds with salt and some without.

Breakfast is a struggle for me. I want coffee followed by more coffee. Food is good but I want a huge glass of water, maybe a smoothie and yes, more coffee. I’ll often take a banana to go and I can always eat peanut butter (or almond butter, cashew butter, etc).

This recipe idea came to me when a (hot) cappuccino I'd been drinking was left alone and turned cold. I threw it into the blender with these other breakfast items and now I give you the Daybreak Smoothie. Coffee is included and encouraged, although not necessary!

Cookies are my favorite sweet treat. I love them all, Girl Scout cookies, grocery store cookies, and freshly baked cookies alike. I do not, however, love to bake. 

Over the years I've learned that I CAN bake, I just have to do a few things to prepare.

• Remember that with baking you must follow all of the rules
• Read the recipe in its entirety a few times before getting started
• Measure out 100% of the ingredients before even turning on the oven

While summer is always and forever my favorite season I've recently been forcing myself to embrace fall. Spending more time indoors, enjoying warm and comforting foods, drinking hot coffee and tea, snuggling up with soft blankets, and Halloween are my favorite parts of this season. Yesterday I threw a baby shower at my house and, rather than grilling and relaxing in the backyard as we did all summer, the party remained indoors while hot dishes and crock pots were scattered around the kitchen and dining room.

​I knew that Buffalo Chicken Dip would be a crowd favorite and I was right! Buffalo chicken dip is an old favorite of mine. It's one of the most popular recipes (and funniest stories) on my previous blog Aloha Yinz Mangia. While I haven't talked about it much I actually quit eating meat last summer. (To clarify: I don't eat meat or poultry while I do eat seafood, dairy, and eggs. This classifies me as  a Pescatarian.) Overall the transition from being a meat eater into the world without it has been so much easier than I expected. Every so often a favorite meal or recipe will come along and really stump me. How would I recreate buffalo chicken dip without chicken? 

To make the recipe with out chicken would leave hot sauce, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and blue cheese dressing which seems a bit too rich for my liking. Replacing the chicken with shrimp also didn't seem right. I got creative with a buffalo hummus with blue cheese crumbles that was delicious and totally different! The two buffalo dips were served simultaneously with dipping options including rainbow carrots, celery, crackers, and little baguette toasts.