-
Creamy Baked Pasta
I love pasta. I really, really love pasta. I seriously think I could eat it every day and never tire of it. Since my husband doesn’t really share my obsession, we don’t eat it as often as I would like, so I tend to save it for the nights he’s working and I’m just cooking for myself and the girls. However, I made this earlier in the week and JR really liked it too, so I guess that says something! The best thing about it…
-
Champagne Brunch with KORBEL
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of KORBEL California Champagne for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Last week I hosted a small brunch for some friends who were passing through town for the holidays. Nothing big, but I wanted to have a few dishes for them to nibble on and some delish champagne cocktails to go with. I kept it simple with a fruit tray, a few pastries from a local bakery and then added in a couple of my…
-
Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes
For those of you who have followed this blog for any time at all, you know that I have a pretty snobby aversion to boxed cake mix and pretty much any and all convenience food. That’s not to say that I don’t still have my favorites (Rotel dip, Dean’s French Onion Dip, store-bought Hawaiian bread, etc.) but generally speaking I’m of the opinion that anything you can make from scratch is not only better for you, but it almost always tastes better. Way better. Once…
-
S’mores Rice Krispies Treats
So, tomorrow is my birthday. I’m going to spend the day making a birthday cake for myself. How exciting is that? Actually, I’m pretty excited. I love making big obnoxious layer cakes, and I’m sure tomorrow’s cake will be as big and obnoxious as they come. And then I’m going to put a candle on it and make my family sing me happy birthday. I wonder if they’re as excited about this as I am? Ha! I usually do all of my baking for the…
-
Tropical Kahlua & Cream
It’s hot outside. And not just summer-in-the-Midwest-is-always-hot-and-humid-so-deal-with-it-hot, it’s REALLY hot. It’s so hot that just walking outside will take your breath away, getting in a car with leather seats will literally burn your legs, and swimming pool water feels like bath water. Blech. Needless to say, I have no desire to turn my oven on lately. In fact, we don’t want to do much of anything lately. I feel bad for those folks who have to work outside in this – it seems like cruel and unusual punishment. Since I…
-
Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins
Well, today I have a second grader. And today, I am torn between being sad and being proud, wanting time to slow down and the eagerness to watch my baby girl grow up. Last night we took her supplies up to the school and met her teacher, and I let her show me around “her” school, introduce me to the librarian, show me her music classroom, her computer lab, the nurse’s office – I waited patiently as she stopped to visit with friends in the…
-
Homemade Crescent Rolls
I come from a family of nappers. Well, I should rephrase that a bit. My Mom and sisters could win a napping competition against the best nappers in the whole wide universe. I guess I wouldn’t call my Dad a napper, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brothers nap. But whatever. I come from half a family of nappers. I, though, am not a napper. Napping makes me feel worse than if I didn’t take a nap at all. I know there…
-
Easy (Like, Really Easy) Cheese Danish
I’ve made exactly eleventy-bazillion things in the past couple of weeks that my darling children absolutely refuse to eat. Now, some of the dishes – Coconut Curry Lentils over Jasmin Rice, and Bruschetta with Avocado and Garlic Tomato Salsa, and even a couple of new varieties of Hummus – ok, I can understand those might be a little much for their young taste palates. But seriously, if I have to make one more peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a dinner time alternative, I might…
-
Peanut Butter & Oreo Stuffed Brownie Cupcakes
I don’t even know what to say about this one except that this is what happens when I ask my brother what he wants for his birthday dessert. First, he says he has to think about it, and then I get a random text at 3pm one day that says “I saw a peanut butter Oreo brownie thing on the internet. Make it happen.”
-
Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Buttermilk Glaze
It seems like the minute the calendar turns from August to September I start craving fall flavors like pumpkin, apple, maple and sweet potato. And since before we know it there will be snow on the ground and pumpkin will be replaced with peppermint, I feel like it’s my duty to cram as many of these flavors into September and October as possible. About a year ago I found a recipe for pumpkin donuts but never got around to making them. I was not going…
-
A Pantry Makeover Part 4: Glidden Paint
Several weeks ago, we took on the daunting task of updating and renovating our walk-in pantry. When we built our house five years ago, pantry functionality and design was, unfortunately, not high on our priority list. Given how frequently we use that little room, it’s really a shame we put it off so long. My friends over at Glidden® paint made the process so much easier. After submitting a few of my inspiration photos to their online My Image Inspiration tool , I was actually able…
-
Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas
I don’t know about you, but we tend to get into a food rut during the summertime. We grill a lot, eat a lot of sandwiches, fruits and vegetables, and other generally “quick and easy” meals. It’s rare that we want to turn on the oven or heat up the kitchen, and the thought of eating anything hot is pretty unappealing. Because this dish not only requires me to turn on my oven, but also to actually eat something hot and mildly spicy in the…
