• Out and About: Eureka Springs

    Last weekend, my husband and I made the quick drive down to the Eureka Springs/Little Rock Arkansas area for a long weekend.  We originally had grandiose plans to recreate our honeymoon for our ten year wedding anniversary, but it didn’t work out with our kids’ schedules and childcare and all of those other grown-up responsibilities that we have these days.  So – Arkansas it was. I’m actually kind of glad that things worked out the way they did.  A week on the beach in Mexico…

  • Cannoli Poke Cake

    There is a darling little restaurant in Kansas City called Cupini’s that I just adore – it’s cute, authentic, family-owned and operated and has some of the best pasta in the city.   The pasta is all homemade and totally delicious, but I think my favorite part of visiting the restaurant is the FABULOUS dessert case.  It’s full of beautiful pastries, cakes, tiramisu, creme brulee – you name it. And the cannoli – oh, the cannoli. The shell is delicate and crispy, and the filling is…

  • 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…

  • Iced Oatmeal Cookies

    In my mind, there are only three excuses for a crispy cookie:  gingersnaps, Oreos, and a few that you can buy from the Girl Scouts. That’s it. Otherwise, cookies should be chewy.  It should be a law. Oh, I guess biscotti is ok too – but I don’t really consider that  a cookie, (even though it totally is a cookie) so I’m not going to count it.  But even so, out of all of the millions of cookies out there, only four should be crispy.…

  • Applesauce Doughnut Holes

    Ok, I promise I’ll get off the fall-flavor train soon. Yeah, not really.  I can’t promise that at all.  I know there are some of you out there who aren’t into pumpkin, apple and cinnamon EVERYTHING, but I can’t help myself.  I am very into pumpkin, apple and cinnamon everything. I’ll try to mix it up a bit.  However,  you should know that I still have 14 cans of pumpkin puree in my pantry, so I’m probably not going to keep my word on this…

  • Peppermint Bark Cookies

    I know, I know, it’s too early for Holiday cookies, right?  Of course, I’m not one of those who starts listening to Christmas music on Halloween, so it definitely seems early to me.  But, I had an awesome reason for dusting off my holiday cookie “must-make” list – I am participating in a bake along with some amazing bloggers.  Skip to my Lou, A Southern Fairytale and According to Kelly are hosting the event, and if you’re already making plans for the holidays, these ladies…

  • No Bake Cheesecake

    This recipe might not be new to you, because it’s one of those that’s been around for a long time. It was probably one of those “What can we make with Cool-Whip?” recipes that popped up back when it started hitting the grocery store freezer cases many years ago – 1967, just in case you were wondering… By now, you know how I feel about Cool-Whip. It’s full of chemicals, including both high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable (palm and coconut) oils. Knowing how easy it…

  • Spicy Chicken Hoagie

    I am a huge sandwich fan – a HUGE sandwich fan.  So much so that I could totally relate to Joey and his sandwich obsession on “Friends.”  Speaking of Friends, do you remember the episode where Ross freaked out because someone ate his sandwich?  The Moistmaker??  I do.  And come Thanksgiving, there will totally be a Moistmaker recipe on this blog.  You think I’m joking…I’m not. So yes, I love sandwiches.  I think it’s probably just that I love bread, and you can’t really have a…

  • Out and About: Wine and Sunflowers

    I am fortunate to live with a quick drive of two local gems:  Holy-Field Winery & Vineyard and Grinter’s Sunflower Farm.  Since we have the first week of school behind us now, and since the sunflowers are in their prime this week, a visit to our local winery and sunflower field were definitely in order. Holy-Field Winery & Vineyard is an award-winning Kansas winery.  They grow about ten different varieties of grapes, and offer about 18 different wines – from semi-sweet to dry.  It’s a…

  • New York Style Cheesecake

    If it were up to me, I probably wouldn’t post this recipe. I’ve made it twice now, and truth be told, I just didn’t like it that much.  But I’m pretty sure it was just me. My family loved it. They all looked at me like I was nuts and rolled their eyes (as they always do when they think I’m just been too critical of my treats) when I told them I didn’t love it.  My husband, who doesn’t like cheesecake all that much…

  • One Minute Chocolate Cake

    I’m sorry.  I know that it’s a new year, and I know that your resolution to eat healthier is already nagging at you, but I just couldn’t let this one pass.  One minute chocolate cake?  Yes.  I made it, topped it and ate it all under five minutes. I’m not ashamed. Now, if I’m really being honest, this actually took a little longer than one minute to make.  It took two and a half minutes.  I used a small glass bowl, a small whisk and…

  • 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…