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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
You guys, what a week. What an up and down, crazy, emotional week. A week later, my heart is still raw and aching from the events in Newtown. Then, in a nearby town, two police officers lost their lives in the line of duty. And I sat at home, watching it all, with my young daughters (one of which is a 1st grader), and my police-officer husband. And I cried. A lot.
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Easy Cherry Turnovers
Ok, you caught me. As you know, I’m usually a pretty big advocate for home cooking with organic and non-processed ingredients. But sometimes, I make exceptions. I know, you can buy these in a convenient little box, straight from your grocery store. You can assemble, bake and eat them in under 30 minutes, but my version is just a little bit better.
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Lentil & Vegetable Stew
Do you know what’s awesome? Lentils.
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A Family Birthday Party
My oldest daughter turned seven years old yesterday. I realize that every year, I find myself lamenting that it’s just not possible that another birthday has come and gone, but it really does amaze me just how quickly time flies.
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Lemon Pudding Cake
Now that St. Patrick’s Day is behind us, I feel like spring is in full swing. The warmer-than-normal winter has our yard turning green, our daffodils blooming and our trees budding a few weeks ahead of schedule. This time of year I want to be outside with my hands in the dirt – planing, pruning and trying my best to remove all signs of winter. And while I spent a good part of my weekend outside, I think you all know me well enough by…
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Baby Shower Cupcakes
I’m making cupcakes tomorrow for my dear sister-in-law, who’s hosting a baby shower on Friday night. I still haven’t decided what I want to make yet, so tonight I thought I’d play around with some fondant and try to get some good ideas. Instead, I came up with these. I also discovered that fondant and I don’t play well together. I think I’m going to need a lot more practice before I am good enough to make anything fancy. Plus, I totally hate the taste…
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
I’ve been struggling with this post since I started this blog. Why, you may ask? This is just a basic red velvet cupcake, no? No. This cupcake is special. You see, a little over two years ago, my very tight-knit extended family lost one of our own. My dear cousin Molly passed away suddenly. She was a year younger than me, a triplet, an aunt, a sister and a daughter. And smart. Beautiful. Young, kind, and soft-spoken. Molly collapsed immediately after finishing a half-marathon and didn’t…
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Share It Saturday: Week #3
I’m so impressed by the amazing recipes shared last week! I had a hard time choosing the features for this week – a REALLY hard time. Please do yourself a favor and check them out. Claudia at The Story shared her broccoli souffle. Doesn’t this look amazing? I’ve admittedly never made a souffle, but I’m going to have to try now. Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate & More Chocolate came through, as always, with a fabulous dessert. Honey Buns are probably my favorite pre-made bakery item,…
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Chocolate Chip Love Muffins
I’m one of those people who thinks Valentine’s Day is silly. Sure, I can appreciate a day that’s dedicated to making the loves in your life feel special and adored. But to me it conjures up images of people waiting in line to buy overpriced flowers, cards and chocolates with only half-hearted intent. I’ve always told my husband that flowers on a random Tuesday in August, or a card for no reason will always be more appreciated than forcing it on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps that…
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Cannoli Poke Cake
There is a darling little restaurant in Kansas City called Cupini’s that I just adore – it’s cute, authentic, family-owned and operated and has some of the best pasta in the city. The pasta is all homemade and totally delicious, but I think my favorite part of visiting the restaurant is the FABULOUS dessert case. It’s full of beautiful pastries, cakes, tiramisu, creme brulee – you name it. And the cannoli – oh, the cannoli. The shell is delicate and crispy, and the filling is…
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Peach Cobbler
Well, I’m back! I’ve been “offline” for about 3 weeks now. My husband and I took a wonderful, relaxing and much-need vacation to Puerto Morelos, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. And while I missed my girls terribly, we still had a great time. For the first time in nearly six years, we got to enjoy just being a couple again. No dirty diapers, spilled apple juice or Dora the Explorer wake up calls. We ate, drank, laid by the pool, played in the waves…
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Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole
The list of things I’ve heard approximately nine billion times today includes: “I’m bored. I’m hungry. Can we have hot chocolate now? Can we go outside yet? Where’s Daddy? Can we put our princess stickers on our wall yet? Can I go to Jordan’s house tomorrow? Can I have a treat? Will you paint my fingernails? Where are my tap shoes?” Welcome to my snow day. We got about ten inches of snow today, which means my boss was kind enough to allow us to…
