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Homemade Pop Tarts
Yep, I went there. I’m not sure what it was about this recipe that appealed to me so much, but I think it was probably the nostalgia of it all – I’ve been eating Pop-Tarts since I was in elementary school, mostly I think because my Dad loves them. My favorites were always the chocolate, brown sugar and other candy-bar varieties, but Dad likes the cherry and strawberry, so Dad – these are for you. If you’ve ever looked at the nutritional information on the…
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Peach Cobbler
Well, I’m back! I’ve been “offline” for about 3 weeks now. My husband and I took a wonderful, relaxing and much-need vacation to Puerto Morelos, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. And while I missed my girls terribly, we still had a great time. For the first time in nearly six years, we got to enjoy just being a couple again. No dirty diapers, spilled apple juice or Dora the Explorer wake up calls. We ate, drank, laid by the pool, played in the waves…
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Easy (Like, Really Easy) Cheese Danish
I’ve made exactly eleventy-bazillion things in the past couple of weeks that my darling children absolutely refuse to eat. Now, some of the dishes – Coconut Curry Lentils over Jasmin Rice, and Bruschetta with Avocado and Garlic Tomato Salsa, and even a couple of new varieties of Hummus – ok, I can understand those might be a little much for their young taste palates. But seriously, if I have to make one more peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a dinner time alternative, I might…
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Ranch Dressing
Those of you who know my husband and I know that we are borderline, wanna-be hippies when it comes to food and sustainability. We would eat all natural, all fresh food all the time if we could, and for the most part we try to avoid preservatives, chemical additives and processed food. That’s not to say that we don’t eat plenty of bad stuff, but we’ve definitely made a conscious decision to do the best we can for ourselves and our girls. Our beehives, chickens and expanding…
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Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Ganache Filling
Welcome to my most intimidating moment in the kitchen, the macaron. I’ve been reading about these little puppies forever in foodie-land, and was SO discouraged by the directions that I put it off. But, you know what? They aren’t that hard. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’re pretty darn easy – you just have to follow the directions. I would recommend a digital scale for these to measure the ingredients, although I just saw someone make them on the Food Network that…
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Cranberry Walnut Cream Cheese Muffins
Even though I have about fifteen billion pumpkin recipes that I’m dying to try out, I thought it best to pace myself and take a break from traditional fall flavors for a few days. Ok, honestly, I had some cranberries in my freezer that have been calling to me for weeks. Then, I found this recipe. Shortly after I found the recipe, they appeared in my kitchen. And while I’m being honest, I actually had really good intentions to deliver some of these to…
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Glazed Doughnut Muffins
I first saw this recipe on Pinterest several months ago. They claimed to taste exactly like a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. I pinned them and forgot about them (isn’t that what usually happens on Pinterest?) but came across them again recently and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. First of all, let me assure you that they taste absolutely NOTHING like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. They do, however, taste like a cinnamon and nutmeg infused cake doughnut. They are a wonderful morning treat,…
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Fauxstess Cupcakes
Since I’m in the midst of the lovely Weight Watchers lifestyle, I haven’t been baking as much as I would like lately. Even though I have a pretty strong willpower when it comes to avoiding and ignoring the sweets and treats in my house, I find it better to not even tempt myself. I’m going to save my baking for special occasions, and especially those that I can bring treats and leave them at someone else’s house. Today I am baking for my brother’s 27th…
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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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Tiramisu Cake
“What is tiramisu?” “You’ll find out.”“Well, what is it?”“You’ll see.” “Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her, and I’m not gonna know what it is!” Name that movie. Easy, right? Sleepless in Seattle – one of my all-time favorites. There are many reasons I love that movie, but mostly because I love Seattle, I love Tom Hanks, and I love Meg Ryan…plus, there’s nothing wrong with a good love story. I’m sure there aren’t many of you out there who haven’t…
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Butterfinger Poke Cake
So, I have a small confession to make. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks catching up on Pretty Little Liars. “Catching Up” = watching it from the beginning because I can’t remember where I left off. I’ve watched 32 episodes of PLL in 13 days. This does not make me proud. I’m kind of obsessed, though. It started when I was traveling on business, continued while I was recovering from an awful cold, and well, now I have no excuse. Today though, I…
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Cinnamon Roll Scones
These cinnamon “rolls” take 40 minutes from start to finish, including baking time. They don’t have to rise, and they don’t use yeast so they’re more like a cinnamon scone – they have a crumbly texture instead of a smooth bread texture. Nonetheless, when you’re craving cinnamon rolls but don’t have 4 hours to whip some up, these definitely will fit the bill. These are best eaten warm, but a quick zap in the microwave for 2 days after they’re made brings them right back…
