If dip for dinner is wrong, then I'm definitely in trouble. This Hot Pizza Dip recipe is infinitely adaptable to suit your preferences. While I don't always order onions and green peppers on my pizza, I LOVE them in this dip. Why? They're sautéed at the beginning with the Italian sausage, so they add a...
Appetizers and Snacks
No-Bake Energy Bites
They look like cookie dough, taste better than a granola bar, and are incredibly simple to make. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, these No Bake Energy Bites are actually quite healthy too. Just don't tell my kids. As I get older, every year I enjoy the fresh start that a New Year...
How to Assemble Sushi Rolls + A Recipe for Eel Sauce
Tips, tricks, supplies, and all the steps for How To Assemble Sushi Rolls at home, plus a recipe for Eel Sauce!
Snow Day Treat! Maple Snow Taffy
Since the mitten state is pretty much shut down today, I figured it was time that I finally share my recipe for Maple Snow Taffy. It's so fun to make, and is VERY impressive to little kids. Making maple snow taffy is extremely easy, and super tasty on a beautiful, snowy day. The only actual...
Maple Cinnamon Chia Pudding
My daughter just turned ten months old, and she has more personality in her little finger than I could ever hope to have. She has an insatiable curiosity for the world, and a truly adventurous spirit when it comes to food. Introducing new foods to her is one of my very favorite things to do...
Everything Bagel Dip
Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week. You see, Wednesdays are my special day with the little lady. We get to go to swimming lessons and Trader Joe's. It's our ritual that we both look forward to every week. It's our only outing of the week that doesn't feel like a chore. It's therapeutic...
Cinnamon-Sugar Soft Pretzels with Warm Nutella Sauce (+ Kitchen Joy's 4th Birthday!)
Today is Kitchen Joy’s 4th birthday. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been that long since I began this project. While I hope that over the years I’ve been able to bring a little bit of joy to your kitchen, it is I who have benefited the most from this endeavor. I’ve learned so much...
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Marshmallows (Homemade Marshmallows)
Truth be told, I've never been a huge fan of marshmallows. I don’t ever use them except for on my favorite Thanksgiving sweet potatoes. I sometimes add them to my hot chocolate, if there is no whipped cream available. That was before I tried homemade marshmallows. They’re fantastic. The flavor and texture is so much...
Candied Bacon
You guys. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't share this with you sooner. I'm sorry that you need to go to the store right now just to buy a pound of bacon and dark brown sugar. I'm not sorry for how much you're going to enjoy this candied bacon. I first made this candied...
Peanut Brittle
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...
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...
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...
Churros
For me, churros will always be synonymous with high school final exams. Strange, right? My high school always served churros in between final exams at the end of every semester. The smell of cinnamon-sugar coated goodness would fill the halls and signal the arrival of sweet freedom. By the time I visited Spain after my...
Garlic Parmesan Kettle Chips
Sometimes when I'm having a bad day, I feel like I need to bake something. Other times, when I'm having a REALLY bad day, I feel like I need to pullout the big guns and deep fry something. Yesterday was one of those days. Believe me, if you were in month 8 of the deeply...
Homemade Pop Tarts
Before I tell you how amazing these Homemade Pop Tarts are and how you'll never want to buy store-bought again, let me make one thing clear: These are not a copycat version of Pop Tarts. They are what a Pop Tart should be. They're not at all difficult to make either, and with endless possibilities...
Salted Caramel Sauce
Growing up, my brother and I had a set of honorary grandparents who did not have any grandchildren of their own, so we were their "grandkids". I don't think I even understood that they weren't my actual grandparents until years later. Anyhow, one of our favorite activities with them was going to their house on...
Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs
Happy Easter Week! No bunny-shaped waffles, pastel-colored snacks, or cupcakes covered in Peeps around here. If there's one holiday to take seriously, it's Easter. I'm talking about the REAL Easter. The Jesus-Christ-died-on-the-cross-and-rose-again-on-the-third-day-to-save-me-for-my-sins Easter, and that is something to remember, and celebrate. I may not be an Easter Bunny super-fan, but I have been wanting to try...
Homemade Crackers
This post was updated to include new step-by-step photos on 2-25-2020. Homemade Crackers may sound complicated, but trust me, they're really not. Making these crackers at home is easy and well worth the effort. The perfectly flaky texture and the rich buttery flavor make these homemade crackers way better than store bought! Crackers don't need...
Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Dip
I'll be the first to admit that so far this year, my life has been...comical. A chain of events that would make for a decent storyline in a sitcom...like how my purse was stolen from a popular Canada-based donut/coffee chain by an employee, then the ridiculousness that followed was...well, it was something. Or how our...
Cinnamon Apple Rings
I am a self-proclaimed Olympic junkie. This is the only time that I even have a remote interest in watching sports on television. That being said, the events in the Olympics are so much more interesting than watching pro football or something. I have decided that since I always feel bad for the bronze medalists,...