• Baked Cinnamon French Toast

    Welp, the Christmas Tree is packed away, decorations are down, the Christmas music is over until next year, and the girls go back to school tomorrow. The days of staying up too late and sleeping in are in the past, and the countdown to summer has started. Seriously, is it summer yet?  I’m over the cold.  It’s all fun and games until the Christmas decorations come down, and then it’s just cold.  And cold without Christmas is no fun AT. ALL. But – bright side…

  • Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

    I feel like we are a couple of weeks behind everyone else, but it’s finally back-to-school week at my house.  We’re getting back into the swing of things, painfully shedding our summertime schedules and trying to remember what it’s like to set alarm clocks and adhere to bedtime routines.   Since I’m totally a creature of habit, I look forward to this time of year.  I love having my daughter home with me all summer long, but I thrive on schedules and routines. Plus, do…

  • Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

    I have to preface this post by noting that I don’t really care for vanilla cupcakes.  They’re just ok, in my book, kind of boring.  If I had to choose a cupcake, it would almost always be chocolate.  That being said, I am pretty in love with this little guy.  Vanilla-y, moist, and seriously, the creamiest batter you’ll ever whip up.  It’s really the perfect base for any frosting you have in mind.  One caveat – I think these are definitely best if eaten the…

  • Butterfinger Cheesecake

    Please enjoy this throw-back recipe.  One of my favorites! I might be a wee-bit obsessed.  With cheesecake, of all things. Which, actually is a GOOOOOD thing, but really, why can’t I be obsessed with Kale?  Or Flax Seed?  Or Chickpeas?  (I don’t know – those are the first three healthy-like things that popped into my cheesecake-obsessed head.) This cheesecake, you guys – it’s awesome.  It’s easy.  It goes together in no time, and you can change it up with your favorite add-ins, toppings, and crust.…

  • Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes

    It was nearly a year ago that I started seriously playing in the kitchen.  My daughter’s fifth birthday party was coming up and I wanted to do something special for her and our guests, but I really didn’t know where to begin.  I’m sure it started with my Googling “little girl birthday treats” or something of that nature, but I’m glad I did because it led me to the wonderful world of food bloggers.  It’s funny to me that it was just a year ago that…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Chocolate & Coconut Cream Cupcakes

    My days as a morning person are numbered.  Every year about this time, when the overnight temperature starts to drop and it’s still dark in the morning when I get out of bed – that’s about the time I that stop jumping up  eager to face the day. My girls are the same way, it seems.  My mornings are slowly shifting from wide-eyed, happy, smiling little girls to grumpy, piddling, sleepy-heads who have to be prodded along every step of the way. By the time we…

  • “Homemade” Honey

    Ok, ok.  This is the second blog post in a row that isn’t a real recipe.  But I just had to share our newest kitchen creation – our very first honey harvest!   Those of you that know me well have probably been subject to one of my beekeeping rants in the past year or so.  From the swarms to the missing queens to the urgent need for more honey supers, I now know way more that I ever thought any one person should know about bees.…

  • 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…

  • Mini Apple Crumb Sundaes

    I’m not sure that ANYTHING screams summertime dessert more than apple pie.  But even more, apple pie with ice cream?  Not much better than that.  And while I love a good pie, they can really be a major undertaking – from the crust to the filling to crossing your fingers that they set up like they’re supposed to – that’s a lot of dessert-stress that sometimes I just don’t want to deal with. I hosted my extended family gathering for the 4th of July this…

  • Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

    I have to say that I had very low expectations for this recipe.  It just didn’t really appeal to me at all for some reason.  It wasn’t until my brother requested these for this birthday dessert that I finally broke down and made them. They are actually quite delicious.  The chocolate chip cookie is firm but soft, and even the Oreo cookie softens up a little bit in the middle of the cookie.  I will now humbly admit that I should’ve tried these years ago.…