-
Maddie’s 6th Birthday Party
My oldest daughter turned six this past week. It’s been a big year for us – she’s started playing T-ball, she started Kindergarten, we’ve lost three teeth so far and we’ve gone from reading her bedtime stories to her reading us bedtime stories. She’s changed so much in the past few months – most noticeably she’s turned into quite the social butterfly. Her world now revolves around her friends – so much so that she invited everyone in her class to her birthday party. And…
-
Hi-Hat Cupcakes
I don’t know if I even have words for this one. I think this is hands-down my favorite cupcake I’ve ever made. It’s beyond amazing. For me, it’s the perfect combination of moist chocolate cake and fluffy, gooey marshmallow frosting. They are definitely best served cold, and I’m finding that they are practically irresistible when they come right out of the freezer. My willpower around desserts is usually very, very high – especially considering the number of deserts that come out of my kitchen. But these? …
-
Soft Pretzels
I am in love with these. I want to marry them and buy a house on the beach with them, and grow old with them. They are soft, buttery, salty, chewy…completely conducive to and encouraging of addictive behaviors. Don’t even try to be well-behaved and take just “one bite” of these. I made the mistake of delivering these to some low-carb dieters and let’s just say they weren’t very happy with me. But, I make no apologies for these. They are quite possibly my favorite recipe…
-
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…
-
Funfetti Scotcharoos
I honestly can’t remember the first time I had scotcharoos. I know it was at least a decade ago. My mother-in-law sent them home with my husband and I’m pretty sure I ate the entire box of them before my husband even realized what was going on. They’re yumzos. Scotcharoos seem to be a pretty common Midwestern potluck/picnic/party food. I’ve had them prepared a gazillion different ways, cut into different shapes, sizes, some with too much chocolate, some with not enough, etc. etc. Of course, everyone’s…
-
Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites
I think I have a new favorite party food. Seriously, these are amazing. As usual, my husband was my taste-tester, and his review was, “Um, yeah – I could eat like, 500 of those.” And I have to agree. If I wasn’t saving them to serve at my brother’s graduation party, we might have polished off the whole tray. I just made them again to serve at our family 4th of July bash, and they went VERY quickly. They taste like the best soft-pretzel you’ve ever…
-
Devil’s Fudge Cupcakes
These cupcakes have possibly the longest name ever. They are actually Devil’s Fudge Cupcakes, filled with Whipped Chocolate Ganache and frosted with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream. Holy Cow. They’re deserving of the long title. They earned it. They’re magnificent. The cupcake is moist and has a really wonderful chocolate flavor. The whipped ganache is light but rich, and pairs really nicely with the white chocolate cream cheese buttercream. Yes, you read that correctly. White Chocolate. Cream Cheese. Butter. What could possibly be wrong with…
-
Ham & Cheese Sliders
This quick and easy party food has become one of my most-requested dishes lately. Which is completely fine by me, because there’s nothing better than a party food that goes together in no time, makes virtually no mess and can be made in advance. And, they’re fabulous. This picture does not do these sandwiches justice because I had to photograph them before they were finished so I wasn’t taking pictures of my food during the party=). They are gooey, melty, buttery little bites of yumminess. …
