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Double Chocolate Cupcakes
This year, Halloween snuck up on me. One minute it was my birthday and mid-September, the next minute I realized I had less than a week to come up with costumes for the girls. I had the best intentions this year, too – I was going to make them both really cute tulle-ghost costumes, order white leotards and buy white tights – it was going to be adorable. Instead, I recycled a bumblebee costume for my youngest and bought my oldest a tacky, chintzy mermaid-princess…
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Blueberry Muffins with Maple Butter
Isn’t it funny how food can take you back in time? My freshman year in college, my husband and I still lived at home with our parents and traveled back and forth to the neighboring town to attend classes together every morning. (Yes, we were super cool.) On our way to class, we frequently stopped at our local convenience store/gas station and grabbed something to eat and drink for breakfast. I used to get a blueberry muffin and chocolate milk, warming the muffin up in the microwave and trying…
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Butternut Squash & Potato Gratin
I am a Thanksgiving traditionalist. I want the same dishes on my Thanksgiving table, year after year. And for me, it’s not even about the turkey – it’s about the sides. Mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade noodles, dressing (not stuffing), homemade rolls, sweet potatoes, real cranberries, my Grandma’s salad, green bean casserole and, if we have time, scalloped corn. I know there are tons of fabulous recipes out there and amazing Thanksgiving dishes that would make a great addition to my table, but dang it, our…
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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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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…
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Cherry Chocolate Coconut Granola
Much to my kids’ dismay, we haven’t been down the cereal aisle at our grocery store for a long time. Last week, when I had to buy some cereal to make S’mores Rice Krispies Treats, their little eyes lit up and they got so excited at the thought that maybe I was going to cave and let them buy something. Nope. We do buy the occasional organic cereal at our local co-op, but it’s a rare treat. Mostly, the girls eat granola in lieu of…
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Chocolate & Coconut Cream Cupcakes
My days as a morning person are numbered. Every year about this time, when the overnight temperature starts to drop and it’s still dark in the morning when I get out of bed – that’s about the time I that stop jumping up eager to face the day. My girls are the same way, it seems. My mornings are slowly shifting from wide-eyed, happy, smiling little girls to grumpy, piddling, sleepy-heads who have to be prodded along every step of the way. By the time we…
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Oatmeal Cake Cupcakes
Today is my Dad’s Birthday! The whole family is headed out to celebrate with an early dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. And though I know we’ll have dessert at the restaurant, I couldn’t let his birthday go by without baking for him, could I? =) Dad’s favorite cake is a recipe of his mom’s, her amazing Oatmeal Cake. That cake is awesome, it’s a spicy, coarse-crumbed cake with an ooey-gooey boiled coconut frosting. For some reason, it didn’t work as a cupcake. I tried, but it…
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Castello Moments: Potato Gratin
There’s just not much better than this. Warm, gooey potatoes, oozing with cheese? You guys, come on. This is the ultimate comfort food. My friends at Castello were kind enough to send me some generous wedges of two varieties of their cheese, Hirten and Classic. I have to admit that we’ve enjoyed cuts of the Hirten with crackers and a full-bodied red wine on a few occasions lately, but once I settled down to cook with it, I was glad I did. You can…
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Lemon Love: April Wrap-Up
Don’t you just love Roald Dahl? April was just a blur around here, it was such a busy month that I’m not sure how I kept up! Here’s a quick wrap up of my month:
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Baked Cinnamon French Toast
Welp, the Christmas Tree is packed away, decorations are down, the Christmas music is over until next year, and the girls go back to school tomorrow. The days of staying up too late and sleeping in are in the past, and the countdown to summer has started. Seriously, is it summer yet? I’m over the cold. It’s all fun and games until the Christmas decorations come down, and then it’s just cold. And cold without Christmas is no fun AT. ALL. But – bright side…
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Black Tie Cupcakes
This cupcake was a creation of mine that was born out of the need to clean out my pantry. I had several almost-empty boxes, bags and bottles of pantry items, and their replacements were crowding things. So, what to do but make some goodies? I didn’t really have an excuse for these except that Mom made Sunday dinner and my brother and his girlfriend were going to be there – which means more people to eat and fewer leftovers! I knew I needed to…
