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Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
When I worked at my previous job, I would occasionally ‘treat’ myself to a trip to a little bakery down the road from my office. They have a MAGNIFICENT, seasonal cranberry chicken salad on cranberry nut bread. Oh my goodness, it is the best thing ever, in fact it’s so good that I must find a recipe and replicate it. Soon. And then I’ll post it. But, even better, they also have a wonderful assortment of desserts to choose from. My favorite is a peanut…
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Oatmeal Cream Pies
I am embarrassed to say that I have eaten an entire box of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies in one sitting. It was a long time ago, but it was not one of my finer moments. These days, I won’t even buy them because they’re full of preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and sugar…I won’t keep them in the house in hopes of keeping that junk away from my girls as long as I can. Instead, I like to make treats at home so I can…
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Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
I have been eyeing* this recipe on Pinterest for a couple of months now. I think it called to me because it reminds me of a bakery-type lemon bar, which I love. Well, I usually love them. I don’t like the ones that taste like egg yolk. Have you had those before? Ugh. They almost give lemon bars a bad name, but if you have a really good one, you’ll forever be in search of another really good one. Or maybe that’s just me… So,…
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Deep Dish Pizza
When I was growing up, my Mom owned a newspaper and publishing company. This was an awesome job for her because it gave her the flexibility to be home with the kids when she needed to. However, it also meant that once or twice a week she had to work later in the evening to cover city council meetings or hang out until the paper was ready to go to press. This meant that my Dad was responsible for dinner for 5 kids once or…
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Sweet Cherry Salsa
There are some things on this planet that were just meant to be together. Peanut butter and jelly. Wasabi and soy sauce. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Sweet cherry salsa and salty tortilla chips. Sweet. Cherry. Salsa. It’s sweet. It makes me happy. And with salty, crispy tortilla chips? Holy cow you guys. This recipe came my way via my lovely sister-in-law. She’s like, the queen of dips. And parties. She throws the best family parties and she makes the best dips. AND, she actually…
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Easy Entertaining for Last-Minute Guests
We do a lot of last-minute entertaining at our house. While I am always one to go overboard when it comes to birthday parties and other celebrations, over the years I’ve figured out how to entertain guests on a much smaller scale. My kitchen is right in the middle of my house, and it’s open to EVERYTHING. This is good, because my intention was to make the kitchen the heart of our home, and it really is. On the flip side, however – it’s open…
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Black & White Cake
I’ve taken to a bad habit of staying up late at night after my husband and kids have gone to bed. The hubs has to get up really early in the mornings, so he usually calls it a night before 10pm. After 10pm, my house is quiet. I can watch whatever I want on television without judgement. (Cough, *Big Brother,* cough.) I can write blog posts, work on recipes, even bake in complete peace and quiet. My dog sleeps next to my feet, my phone…
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Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Fillo Shells
So, how many social events have YOU been to this month? Weddings, showers, graduations, anniversary parties, end of school year parties – holy cow, it’s a busy time of year! We’ve hosted a few events at our home lately, and since we’ve been pulled a million different directions, it’s nice to have some quick and easy appetizer options at my fingertips. These little Fillo cups from my friends at Athens are amazing, and have saved me in an entertaining-pinch many, many times. Fillo (or Phyllo…
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Baked Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl
I am one of those people who can’t wait for fall to get here. I really love the summertime but truth be told, August in the Midwest gets really old, really fast. So, I have to admit that when we turned the calendar to September and then I saw the forecast for today and it included both rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, I was pretty excited. The first thing I did was look through my saved recipes for a nice, hearty cool-weather dish. This one totally…
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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?
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Turkey & Havarti Croissant Sliders
Oven-baked slider sandwiches are among my favorite party foods. For one, they are SUPER easy to make. Additionally, you can make them ahead of time and pop them in the oven when your guests arrive, so you aren’t left frantically prepping and finishing last-minute details. After a mere ten minutes in the oven, these are warmed through and the cheese is melty and bubbly. They’re awesome. I like Havarti with deli turkey because it’s a smooth, mild cheese and works really well with the pesto. I’ve…
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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…
