Yesterday we had our first thick blanket of snowfall. The first snowfall of the year is so gorgeous. It never gets old. It signals that it's time for flannel, hot chocolate, Christmas shopping, and all the cookies. Our little lady is almost 6 months old now, and she is so curious about everything. She loves...
Dessert
Sweet Potato Pie
Our little lady has started dabbling with foods. Watching someone learn to eat and discovering food for the first time is so much fun! She is a particularly enthusiastic fan of sweet potatoes. The verdict is still out on peas, though. Not that I blame her. Anyhow, I've spent a lot of time preparing sweet potatoes...
Apple Cider Caramels
Halloween has come and gone, and now that we've all eaten our weight in mini Snickers bars it's time to step up our candy game. Homemade candy is in a whole other realm than store-bought candies. This recipe for Apple Cider Caramels is one you'll want to share, but might just find yourself hiding in...
Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream (No-Churn Method)
This past weekend may have marked the official end of Summer, but it's still warm outside and ice cream is never out of season. Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream was my tastiest accomplishment of a weekend filled with fun, food, and family. The flavor is incredible, and you don't need to have a fancy ice-cream...
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Happy Friday, Friends! Please excuse my absence. Life has gotten in the way lately. I'm so happy to be back to the blog after such a long break. I hope everyone has been enjoying summer to its fullest in the meantime. It seems like we have had one party or celebration after another this summer,...
Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
Let’s talk about cake. When nothing else in life makes any sort of sense, and you can’t manage to find the words to express your feelings, and no matter how out of control everything feels, there is something comforting about the familiarity and comfort that baking can bring. It feels so normal when nothing else does....
Butter Pecan Cookies
Spring has finally arrived, friends. I can't even begin to express my utter glee after a sunny weekend spent up north at our cabin the last few days. Sunshine + Cabin + Awesome Cookies = Best weekend in a VERY long time. I ate way more of these cookies than I would care to admit,...
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake. It sounds like such a strange concoction that must have a storied history that involved frugality and ingenuity on the part of the baker. I am not completely sure of its origins despite my research, so I will just continue to enjoy the perfect balance of spiced cake and sweet cream cheese frosting. Not to...
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
We're going retro today, and I'm loving it...canned fruit and all. Pineapple Upside Down Cake is bright and cheery, and just what I needed in my life to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Beside that, going more than a week or two without baking a cake makes me ache inside. I was inspired to make this cake...
Bread Pudding with Warm Vanilla Sauce
Before I tell you how utterly delicious this recipe is and how you should make it right away, I give you permission encouragement to serve this either for dessert or breakfast. Or both. On the same day. Bread Pudding with Warm Vanilla Sauce was something that for some reason I simply had to have on a daily...
Paczki (Fat Tuesday Donuts)
Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday here in the U.S., which means it's Paczki Day. What's a Paczki? Paczki (pronounced "poonch-key") are a yeast donut that usually have a filling and some sort of sweet coating or glaze. In Poland, I believe that rose jam is the most traditional filling. In Michigan, there are a lot of...
A Valentine's Day Menu for Guys to Cook & How To Pull It Off Flawlessly
Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly, and I can’t help but think that maybe there are some well-intending guys out there who would love to be able to pull together a romantic meal for their lovely lady. I am here to (hopefully) help. For Christmas this year, one of the ideas my husband had for...
Apple Turnovers
Considering that today is Super Bowl Sunday, one might wonder why I’m not sharing a recipe for buffalo wings or some sort of ultimate party dip. While those are great party foods, I am not what you might call a football fan. I won’t lose a wink of sleep tonight if I don’t know who reigned...
Merry Christmas + Red Velvet Cake
A very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope your day is filled with joy, peace, hope, and love. And desserts. Around our house, we don't make cookies for Santa. The reason that we celebrate this day is to rejoice in the birth of Jesus. If that doesn't call for birthday cake, then I don't...
Eggnog Rice Pudding
Christmas is one week from tomorrow! Yikes. If you’re getting ready for your annual holiday baking marathon like I am, it is nice to add a few no-bake treats to the menu. This year I am sort of craving creamy, sweet, spicy treats instead of lots of chocolate. Don’t ask me why. Eggnog rice pudding is...
Meringues
Meringues are a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treat. Impossibly light, airy, and oh so delicious. They're the fancy pants version of cotton candy, if you ask me. While living in Italy, I spent much of my time drooling at the windows of bakeries and pastry shops. There were always so many interesting things to try, and meringues...
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...
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...
American Apple Pie
While living in Italy, one must "do as the locals do" in a lot of ways. Embracing our surroundings was not only part of our goal while we were there, it was a matter of survival. If you didn't watch the people around you to see how they do things, you'll never figure out how...
All-Butter Pie Crust
Pie Crust is one of those things that can make or break a dessert. It can also turn the otherwise enjoyable act of baking a pie from scratch into a somewhat daunting experience. It seems that avid bakers tend to be quite loyal to their technique, especially when it comes to the butter vs. shortening ratio....