Making candy is one of those things that can be daunting. Working with boiling sugar is a little tricky, because the potential for 3rd degree burns and a hospital visit is a very real possibility. Making your own Peanut Brittle is a good way to get your feet wet with candy-making because you don't have...
Homemade Eggnog
Homemade Eggnog is the perfect, creamy holiday drink for your party guests. Hosting a gathering this holiday season? Pair your homemade eggnog with some spiced pecans and you've got yourself an amazing after-dinner beverage and snack to keep everyone happy all evening long. Plus, homemade is so much better than store-bought! I find the consistency of my...
Thankfulness and Everyday Blessings
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all are busy preparing to enjoy a lovely day surrounded with people you love and delicious food. Before I tie up my turkey-print apron and start cooking, and long before the guests arrive, I want to take a few moments to peacefully reflect on what I am thankful for this...
Spiced Pecans
Spiced pecans are the perfect holiday snack or homemade gift to share with those you love. Spiced pecans were sort of a happy accidental discovery for me. While finalizing my plan of attack for the Thanksgiving menu, I thought I would try to add a little extra kick to my pecan pie. Something to offset an...
Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies
Pure maple syrup and brown sugar are the reason these chewy oatmeal cookies are packed with flavor. Not a raisin in sight! I’ve been meaning to make an oatmeal cookie recipe for a while now. It needed to meet two requirements: 1. No raisins. 2. Flavorful. Mission accomplished. After many practices batches, I found that...
Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup 2014
Thanksgiving is only EIGHT days away! I hope you've started planning your menu. Here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes from the archives for you to enjoy this holiday season. 1. Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey…Tips for a Juicy Bird, and a Delicious Sandwich - My two cents on how to make your turkey a flavorful...
Don't Mess With The Sweet Potatoes {Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows}
Crushed pineapple and toasted marshmallows put the “sweet” in this family-favorite Sweet Potato Casserole. Some things are better left untouched. I’m all for innovation and trying new things and being open to different foods and traditions most of the time. The ultimate exception to that rule is Sweet Potato Casserole on Thanksgiving. It’s a crime...
Balsamic Glazed Baby Carrots
Planning ahead can make Thanksgiving much less hassle and more laid back for all to enjoy. If you would like to get ahead of the game a bit, making as many things ahead of time as possible is the way to go. I will be doing a few things ahead of time this year, and...
Cranberry Apple Slab Pie
Cranberry Apple Slab Pie is the answer to the predicament of choosing a dessert to feed a crowd at holiday parties, all the while avoiding being the eleventh person to show up with a normal apple pie. (Not that there’s anything wrong with having eleven apple pies to choose from. First world problems…) Cranberries add...
Apple Butter
Thanksgiving is upon us, my friends, and I am thrilled. By far, it is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving possesses all the characteristics of the perfect day. Tons of spectacular home-cooked food that brings back childhood memories. (Some food memories are better left in the past: Mincemeat cookies, I’m talking to you…) A big gathering of friends and...