• Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Butter Cream

    It was a year ago today that I first made this cake.  Well, not this cake exactly – I can’t remember the exact flavor combination, but it was a big, heavy three-layer cake with fluffy frosting and glitter sprinkles everywhere.

  • Superbowl Recipe Roundup

    Can you believe we’re already gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday?   My team is nowhere near Super Bowl status (ever), but it’s really about the parties and the commercials anyway, isn’t it?

  • 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.

  • Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

    Shhh… Do you hear that?  Silence. It’s 9pm on a Friday night, my girls are in bed, my husband is at work and I am watching the season finale of Revenge for the bazillionth time.  I made myself a big glass of sweet tea, grabbed my favorite fuzzy afghan and set up camp on my couch. I’m not baking like a crazy person, I’m not making lists of last-minute things I need to do for an upcoming event, and I’m not even stressing about my…

  • A Princess Party

    Two of my favorite little princesses just turned three years old.  My niece, Ruby Jane and my youngest daughter, Mia Kate, were born just 17 hours apart and have grown to be best buds.  Well, usually.  They get along when sharing isn’t involved.  But that’s just a phase, right? When my sister and I asked the girls what kind of party they wanted, they barely skipped a beat before they decided it should be a princess party.  And who are we to argue?  This meant…

  • Is It Summer Yet?

    Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.  Sometimes, when it pours, it doesn’t stop.  Even if you’re hosting a barbecue for your family.  Even when the linens are pressed, groceries are bought, cupcakes are made and the twinkle lights are hung. We have had an unseasonably warm spring in my part of the world.  Our trees bloomed early, tulips and daffodils poked out of the ground weeks ahead of schedule and people are just itching to get their gardens started.  Mother Nature, though – she’s got…

  • Pretzel Dogs

    I generally don’t care for hot dogs.  I won’t go into detail, but I pretty much find them to be wrong on many, many levels.  That being said, there are moments in life when a hot dog sounds like a fantastic idea. For instance – sporting events.  Hot dogs always taste good at baseball games, soccer games, basketball games, football games…well – I suppose they are always better when they come from a concession stand. My Dad makes an amazing grilled hot dog.  He cooks…

  • Baked Tex-Mex Cheese Dip

    This is my new favorite casual party appetizer.  I’ve been on a roasted red pepper kick lately, so when I saw this recipe last month I knew I had to have it.  I brought it to my nephew’s first birthday party last weekend and it was a hit – I was actually kind of sad that I had to share it with everyone.  I was even more sad when there were no leftovers to take home with me. My sister makes a delicious spinach dip, and…

  • Mickey Mouse Party

    My little nephew turned one year old yesterday.  He’s just the cutest, cuddliest, happiest kid ever.  He’s the result of my {Lemon Drop Cupcakes} from a year ago, the first time we experimented with the secret lemon-juice-theory recipe.  Who knows if it worked, or if this little guy was just ready to come into the world, but I can’t imagine my life without my favorite bald-headed monster. My sister hosted a big Mickey Mouse party and we all had a great time.  I thought you…

  • Orange-Yogurt Muffins with Marmalade Glaze & Brunch

    Recently, I was chosen by Foodbuzz and Dannon to review and blog about a new product:  Dannon Activia Harvest Picks Yogurt.  I hosted a small, light brunch for my sisters and we really enjoyed ourselves, and the food!  Since spring has made an early arrival this year, I put together a little table outside so we could soak in the fabulous weather. The great thing about yogurt is that it is extremely versatile.  You can eat it alone, of course, or add a topping, use it as…

  • Reuben Sliders with Homemade Thousand Island

    I’m pretty excited to share this recipe with you.  It’s a good one.  I love sandwiches, and I especially love warm, ooey-gooey slider sandwiches.  And I really love a good Reuben.  This is like, the nexus of the sandwich universe.  Or something. My family isn’t doing our annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner until next week sometime, so I know that tomorrow (on the actual holiday) I will want something corn-beefy to tide me over until next week when we can celebrate.  Since there is an…

  • Peanut Butter Cup Cookies & A Party!

    I made these cute little cookies for a friend of mine who was hosting a Stella & Dot Jewelry Party last week.  She wanted some cute treats in the Stella & Dot colors, which are green and turquoise.  Now, if you follow my {Facebook Page}, you’ve been listening to me complain about my broken stand mixer – it broke while making treats for this party.  It was a bad day.  I nearly cried.  And I’m not kidding.  I had to stop and re-think everything I…