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Pumpkin Kisses Muffins
I’ve had an extra box of spice cake mix in my pantry since last winter. I used it to make pumpkin cake balls, and it’s just been staring at me, taking up space since then. I had a vague recollection of a Pinterest recipe floating around the inter-webs that claimed to be the best ever pumpkin muffins, using just cake mix and pumpkin puree. So, I thought today would be a great time to try it out! Of course, a two-ingredient recipe wouldn’t cut it…
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Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole
The list of things I’ve heard approximately nine billion times today includes: “I’m bored. I’m hungry. Can we have hot chocolate now? Can we go outside yet? Where’s Daddy? Can we put our princess stickers on our wall yet? Can I go to Jordan’s house tomorrow? Can I have a treat? Will you paint my fingernails? Where are my tap shoes?” Welcome to my snow day. We got about ten inches of snow today, which means my boss was kind enough to allow us to…
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Chocolate. Strawberry. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Heaven. Have you ever had Swiss Meringue Buttercream? It’s amazeballs. It’s silky, buttery and not too sweet. This particular frosting tastes like strawberry ice cream. I’m telling you, it’s fabulous. Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) starts with eggwhites and sugar heated on the stovetop, and then whipped into a stiff meringue before adding butter and flavoring. It has a reputation for being difficult and finicky, but really I’ve never had any trouble with it. Once you add the butter to the…
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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…
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Lemon Pound Cake & A Giveaway
On most Saturday mornings, I take my oldest to dance class. During her class, my youngest daughter and I venture off to a nearby shopping center and take care of our weekly household shopping. We wander around, looking at toys, books, kitchen goodies and then pick up a few necessities before heading back to the dance studio. In this particular shopping center, there happens to be a Starbucks, which always seems like a fabulous idea on a busy Saturday morning. My youngest, who is three…
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Quick and Easy Doughnuts
I’ve never posted this recipe, but only because it isn’t really a recipe. You don’t have to mix anything. You don’t have to knead, proof or tip-toe around rising dough. These are totally no-sweat, easy-peasy doughnuts. You buy a can of biscuits. You pour some oil into a pan. You drop the biscuits into the oil, and watch them sizzle for a couple of minutes. Then you burn your tongue because you can’t wait 2 blessed minutes for them to cool. And then, you feel guilty for…
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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…
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
I’ve been struggling with this post since I started this blog. Why, you may ask? This is just a basic red velvet cupcake, no? No. This cupcake is special. You see, a little over two years ago, my very tight-knit extended family lost one of our own. My dear cousin Molly passed away suddenly. She was a year younger than me, a triplet, an aunt, a sister and a daughter. And smart. Beautiful. Young, kind, and soft-spoken. Molly collapsed immediately after finishing a half-marathon and didn’t…
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Sweet Dinner Rolls & A Giveaway!
*note: this giveaway is now closed. Over the last several months, we’ve drastically reduced the amount of bread that we buy at the grocery store. Now that I’ve become comfortable making yeast breads, there just isn’t a reason to buy it anymore. Working with yeast used to intimidate me. I have very vivid memories of my Grandma making rolls for Sunday dinner – not only was her dough the smoothest, most supple* bread dough I’ve ever seen, but the rolls themselves were fantastically amazing. And…
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Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
Let’s talk about pet peeves, shall we? Specifically, let’s talk about MY pet peeves. The list is short. Okay, the list is kind of short.
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Easy Creme Brulee
I won’t make you listen to any more stories about my rough week. If you remember from a recent post, my daughter starts 1st grade tomorrow. And since I don’t have a time machine or (apparently) the ability to will time to slow down, I have put on my best happy face and hopefully hold back tears until I’m out of the school parking lot. OK, one more story. But technically, this isn’t a story, it’s really just information that you need to know…
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Baby Shower Cupcakes
I’m making cupcakes tomorrow for my dear sister-in-law, who’s hosting a baby shower on Friday night. I still haven’t decided what I want to make yet, so tonight I thought I’d play around with some fondant and try to get some good ideas. Instead, I came up with these. I also discovered that fondant and I don’t play well together. I think I’m going to need a lot more practice before I am good enough to make anything fancy. Plus, I totally hate the taste…
