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Recipes

Honey and Balsamic Roasted Heirloom Carrots

April 5, 2015

I planned to make lamb for Easter, but didn’t have a solid idea for side dishes — so I went to the market to inspect their produce for inspiration. As soon as I noticed they’d received some beautiful heirloom carrots, I knew I had to use them. I opened up my phone, googled for a few ideas, and landed on this simple, delicious recipe.

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Recipes

Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese

April 4, 2015

We were staying in the countryside of northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula when an impending snowstorm threatened travel for several days. Knowing we’d be stuck inside the farmhouse for a prolonged period of time, we decided to make a ton of snacks to keep ourselves busy, fat and happy. Our first project was my favorite soft pretzel bites.

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Recipes

Irish Stout Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings

March 15, 2015

Smartmouth Brewing just released its very first Dry Irish Stout. The special St. Patrick’s Day brew was great to drink, and I knew it would be fun to incorporate into a cooking project, so I grabbed a two-pint and brought some home for the kitchen.

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Recipes

St. Patrick’s Day Macarons

March 8, 2015

St. Patrick’s Day is on the horizon, so I whipped up some macarons in Irish-themed flavors for the occasion. I decided to flavor them with coffee and Irish whiskey after stumbling upon Irish coffee mugs at a local consignment shop. But as is usual with most good alcohol adventures, one drink led to another, and my project snowballed into three boozy flavors: coffee macarons filled with Jameson whiskey buttercream, plain almond macarons filled with Bailey’s buttercream, and chocolate macarons filled with Guinness stout buttercream.

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Events

2015 Traverse City Winter Comedy Festival

March 3, 2015

I just returned from the 2015 Winter Comedy Arts Festival up in Traverse City, Michigan. To celebrate the festival’s fifth anniversary, and with perfect comedic timing, Mother Nature delivered a winter punch of terrific proportions, with temperatures down to -20°F, wind chills down to -40°F, and wind gusts pushing 60 mph. Guffaw!

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Sports

Kill Devil Hills Derby Brigade’s Inaugural Bout

January 21, 2015

Here are some images from the Kill Devil Hills Derby Brigade’s very first home teams bout. I’ve been volunteering for Virginia Beach’s Dominion Derby Girls for several years, and was totally flattered when the up and coming Kill Devil Hills ladies asked me to come out and document their own first bout. Congratulations on all your hard work, KDH!

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Writing

Farewell, Facebook

September 5, 2013

Hello Facebook BFFs! Last month marked the eighth anniversary of my joining Facebook. And like all big milestones, this occasion offered an opportunity to ruminate and reflect. Many of you have noticed I rarely participate in Facebook for personal use anymore. In fact, I only use it as a proxy to update my business page. Therefore, this shouldn’t be any surprise… It may be difficult to hear, but I want you to hear it directly from me: I’m leaving. Forever.

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Sports

Dominion Derby Girls: 4th Annual Army vs. Navy Bout

September 2, 2013

Can’t believe it’s been over a year since I last photographed the Dominion Derby Girls. Such a treat to see everyone again at the annual Army vs. Navy bout. It was a close battle all night, but Army ultimately prevailed: 151 to 132.

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Writing

Another walk around the garden…

August 10, 2013

Well, here we are once again. My… don’t make me say it… blog. Although seemingly “new” or out of the blue, my online writing history actually predates everything associated with my current professional life (witty snark, excluded). In fact, it just dawned on me my first adventures in writing for the web began 14 years ago to this month, back when I first registered JustinHankins.com and spent more energy than I’ll admit opining about stupid web-related nonsense that, at the time, seemed like the most important stuff in the world. (And, who knows, in retrospect a lot of it may have been.)

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