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Caramel Pecan Brownies
Chocolate. Caramel. Pecans. Oh, yes. See how they look all gooey and fudgy? That’s because they ARE gooey and fudgy. Don’t make these unless you have a large glass of cold milk nearby…you’ll need it. These are one of those treats that make you talk with your mouth full – you know, when you take a bite of something amazing and you automatically forget all about manners and mumble a garbled, “oh my gawd,” or “oh, wow…” Or is that just me? It’s probably just…
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
Helloooooo! Happy fall! Ok, I know it’s not “technically” fall yet, but it was so beautifully autumn-like today that I think it’s time to take the leap. It’s time to close up the pool, plant mums and start buying cans of pumpkin by the case. I usually try to wait until after my birthday (in mid-September) before I whip out the pumpkin recipes, but the chill in the air this morning just put me in the mood! This felt like a perfect transition recipe…
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Perfect Sweet Tea
Today was a good day. I was kind of expecting a quiet, boring day because it’s cold and dreary outside and I had tons of work to do. But as the day went along, it just kept getting better and better. A message out of the blue from an old friend. A super-cuddly three-year-old. Maddie brought home a kindness award from school. A late dinner with my family, at the table, talking about our day. Easy bedtimes. A clean house. A cute…
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Apple Frangipane Tart
I’m so fancy. Ok, not really. Not at all, actually. But if I was, this is tart that would prove it. Guys, this tart is amazing. Apples, almond filling, shortbread crust. So, so good. The apples are juicy and sweet, the frangipane apple custard is firm and creamy, and the crust is thick and soft. I’m not sure how it gets any better. Frangipane is a baked almond cream. It’s much like a custard – maybe a bit more firm, but it has that lovely…
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Apple Pie Cupcakes
One of my favorite things to make in the summertime is my skillet apple pie – the apple pie filling is made on the stove top in a skillet, then covered with pie crust and baked in the oven. I had some frozen pie crust in the freezer that I needed to use, so a little brainstorming brought me to this recipe – and voila! Apple Pie Cupcakes! Perfect portion sizes for everyone without the hassle of cutting into and trying to serve a pie…and…
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A Rainbow Party
Last weekend we celebrated my daughter’s and niece’s 4th birthday with a Rainbow party. They’ve been talking about it forever, pretty much since the day after their Princess Party last year. We were a bit hurried, especially after we ate dinner because the weather was supposed to get bad, and everyone kind of left in a mad rush to beat the storms. As usual, I focused the decoration for the party around my dessert table. A simple white table cloth allowed the rainbow colors to…
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Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes & A Bridal Shower
Last weekend my sisters and I hosted a bridal shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Abbey. Since it was a late afternoon, Sunday shower with impending bad weather, we kept the menu light and desserts simple. The theme was “From Miss to Mrs” and it turned out to be an adorable celebration!
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Zucchini Walnut Bread
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned our vegetable garden here before – we’ve lived in our house for just over three years now, and we had zero luck with our garden until this year. We decided, finally, to try raised beds and we’ve had some fantastic results this time around! I think raising the beds provides better drainage, and allowed us to start our beds earlier because the ground wasn’t as wet. We have six raised beds right now, but I have big plans to double…
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Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting
So, close your eyes for a minute, and imagine with me. Wait, don’t close your eyes yet. You have to read this first. Ok, in a minute, you’re going to close your eyes and imagine a soft, perfectly-chocolate cupcake. It peels away from the wrapper in one piece, and is just strong enough to hold the weight of the frosting without being too dense or heavy. You bite through a soft, sweet layer of peanut butter “cookie” nestled atop a generous layer of dark, slightly-sweet…
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Mini Peach Cobblers
While we were out and about yesterday, my husband and I both noticed that things are finally starting to turn green – the pastures are now more green than brown, the trees all have little buds on them, and daffodils and hyacinths are starting to poke out of the ground. SPRING! Spring is finally, finally, finally here. {I should note that I checked the weather earlier, and we actually have a slight chance of snow tomorrow morning, but I’m just going to pretend like that’s…
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Cookies & Cream Popcorn
So, I made this popcorn today, mostly to use up a half-empty package of Oreo cookies from some cupcakes I made last week. I brought a little bag of them for my daughter to snack on during the drive to gymnastics practice after school. Do you know what she said to me? And. I . Quote: “Momma, ohmygosh, this popcorn is the BOMB DOT COM.” I just stared at her. Ok you guys, she’s seven years old. SEVEN. She just used a phrase on me…
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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…
