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The new year is upon us and as people are making and breaking their New Year resolutions, I’m trying to keep it real. I don’t need a new year to tell me to lose weight, eat healthy, or get to the gym. My pants already tell me those things after every holiday, Valentines, Easter, Halloween, [...]
One of my daughter’s favorite cookie recipes is the 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie. Peanut butter, sugar, and eggs are all stables in this household, and we are always ready (and willing), to whip up a fresh batch of delicious cookies. I made these festive cookies into spritz cookies because I wanted to play with [...]
I could eat scones everyday. There is just something about scones that brings an ordinary breakfast, treat, or even just a plane cup of coffee, to an extraordinary level. Scones take me to my happy place. They are magical, whimsical, proper, prudish, and oh so delicious. I love how they can be so enchanting, and [...]
***Surprise*** Happy Birthday Shelby!!! Today is the birthday of Grumpy’s honey bunch and we are throwing a virtual surprise birthday party. Shelby, who writes one of my favorite blogs, The Life And Loves Of Grumpy’s Honeybunch, is turning another year older and we’re here to celebrate! Katrina, of Baking And Boys is hosting this party, [...]
Peaches have been at their prime and I’ve been getting 10 lb flats almost every week through the month of August. I have a favorite lady at the Farmer’s Market that sells the most amazing peaches. I’ve never been disappointed. Every year at the end of peach season, I have to preserve the sweet taste [...]
When I was in my teens, I spent a week house-sitting for the parents of a coworker. I spent the nights at their house and had full access to a stocked fridge. I felt so grown up. I distinctly remember two things about that wonderful week (this was way before texting and Twitter), I [...]
This months “Baking With Julia” recipe was a Blueberry Nectarine Pie. I dont make to many fruit pies, so this was a nice opportunity to change that. I might have had a few bumps along the way, maybe. It might have been my fault, maybe. This is how it went down. To start, I thought [...]
Give me chocolate, caramel, or coconut and I’m walking on sunshine, but give me all three, on a brown sugar shortbread crust, and I’m walking on sunshine, over the moon! That’s exactly what you get with these Chocolate Carmel Coconut Shortbread Bars. Oozy, gooey caramel, sweet flaked coconut and crunchy pecans topped with chocolate all [...]
What do you get when you add one plane ticket, seven food blogging roommates, and a social media conference? You get inspired, connected, and lots of giggles! Last weekend I went to Evo’12 , a social media conference held at the Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. A couple of years ago I met Barbara [...]
It’s Secret Recipe Club time, and this month were making granola! I love eating homemade granola with Greek yogurt and any kind of berry for breakfast. Not only is it crazy delicious,, but it satisfies my inner shinny chick. I think tasty, she thinks healthy. Well… she says at least healthier then a pop tart. This is [...]
I like pickled beets. But I mentally associate them with salads. I find I only eat them when I see them on a salad bar or buy them for my salads at home. I never see them as an ingredient in a dish. I even tried to Google recipes using pickled beets, only to [...]
May be it’s the weather. Maybe it’s all the Hawaiian pictures my friend has been posting on Facebook lately. Or maybe it’s just because I love the Islands. What ever it is, I’ve been feeling very tropical and I’ve been craving all things coconut. It’s the long, lazy, hot days of Summer, and I just [...]
My friend’s son just turned 21 not long ago, and he asked me if I would make him a cheesecake for his birthday. How can I say no to that kind of request? So when he asked if I could make a cookies and cream cheesecake, I started looking for recipes. I couldn’t decide between [...]
It’s graduation time! I was asked to bring the cupcakes to a graduation BBQ and immediately said “OK, what kind?” The “graduate” asked for vanilla cupcake with a vanilla frosting. Nothing wrong with vanilla! But as I was looking through a few cake recipes, something was mentioned about a chocolate filling. Jist about that [...]
I was tickled when the Dan the Man from Moo Printing contacted me and asked if I was interested in in some business cards and doing a giveaway. I’m planning a trip to Utah this Summer to attend the EVO conference. New business cards, with pictures of my food on them, would be terrific! So [...]
There is something about a pinwheel that makes me smile. Maybe it’s the pretty colors, or the way they twirl in the wind. Or maybe it’s the memories from that little slice of my life called childhood where I was carefree and playfull. What ever it is about pinwheels, they make me happy. I recently [...]
One way I get my family to eat veggies is with my zucchini saute. Fresh zucchini (or green beans) and mushrooms sauteed in a little bacon fat with onions and garlic. It’s one of our favorites. So when I was cookin’ up this pie, I was thinking to myself, “The family is going to love [...]
I recently confessed about my love affair with citrus. The bright tangy taste and the fresh crisp smell is enough to melt my heart. Lemon treats can make me weak in the knees. I once thought chocolate was the love of my taste-buds, but as I get older and wiser, I’m beginning to question that relationship. [...]
This week our mission for the {TWD} Baking With Julia project was Pizza Rustica. There are many variations of this traditional Italian dish. Some recipes, use hard boiled eggs in the filling as well as ham. There is as many variations on this classic dish as there is names. I’ve seen it go by the [...]
These are my new favorite cookie! I think I will just refer to them as my crack cookies. They are addicting! Creamy, dreamy Nutella spread is sandwiched between two chewy chocolate chip Nutella Cookies! I’ve already made two batches. Once as written, using mini chocolate chips, and once using regular size chocolate chips and making [...]
I never thought I liked Irish Soda Bread, but you know what? I was wrong. I happen to love it. Go figure. It’s easy to make. tasty to eat, and you probably have everything you need to make it. You can really switch this up and add what ever you like. Currents are traditional, but [...]
I love treats made with lemon or lime. A few of my favorites are a Lemon Bar with White Chocolate Chips, the infamous Coco Cabana Bars, and the Lemon lime Tarts with a Biscotti Crust to just nane a few. Oh yea, and the Lemon Cream pie I made just a few weeks ago was [...]
I wasn’t going to make this recipe. I just wasn’t in the mood for a cookie chocked full of dried fruit and nuts. But sometimes when I make a recipe that doesn’t sound good to me in my head, they turn out to be some of the best recipes. This weeks Tuesdays With Dorie–Baking With [...]
I’ve always been a teriyaki sauce lover. Any kind of teriyaki marinaded meat, a couple slices of fresh pineapple, and a drink with a little umbrella is all I need to get my hula on. So when I saw Erika’s recipe for Pineapple Jalapeno Teriyaki Turkey burgers, I knew I had found my recipe for [...]
Todays March Photo-A-Day Food Edition picture is for something sweet and brought to you by One Perfect Bite. I found this recipe for a Lemon Sour Cream Pie on Mary’s Blog and fell in love with it. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it’s LEMON! You can make this as a pie, but I choose a [...]
I like to make danish. I like to make it for special occasions, like a hoiday or just for a lazy, rainy, weekend morning. The problem is, I don’t want to have to wait all morning as I made the dough, let it rise, shape, stuff, braid, and let it rise again. I want to [...]
My daughter got a new car today. Well… it’s new to her. She got a cute little 2002 Volkswagen Bug with all the bells and whistles and it fits her perfectly. The bonus? I get my car back! She’s been taking my car to school now for a while, because I got too lazy to [...]
I joined a new baking group! Well, I don’t know it you would call it brand new. It’s the sequel to the group Tuesdays with Dorie. They have already baked through Dorie Greenspans cookbook From My Home To Yous, and now we’re going to bake our way through another cookbook, Baking With Julia. This is [...]
When I got my assignment for this months Secret Recipe Club and I was pleasantly surprised to see I was hooked up with the blog, Swettie Pettiti. It’s ran by blogger, baker, crafter, cook Susie from Tennessee. She particularly loves to bake sugar cookies, which I was tempted to bake, but this Chocolate Pie caught [...]
Somethings just go together, like peanut butter and jelly, cake and ice cream, chocolate and cherries. This month I’m participating in the Kitchen PLAY Progressive Party featuring cherries from the Cherry Marketing Institute. Each month, Kitchen PLAY hosts a sponsored Progressive Party , featuring six different food bloggers. Each food blogger is assigned to one [...]
Let’s rewind, shall we. Yesterday was Martin Luther King day and I had the day off from work. It kind of messed with my schedule, making me forget to post my Martha Monday pick. So lets rewind to Monday and start this again. This weeks Martha Monday recipe was my pick and I choose Chicken [...]
The new year is almost here and it’s ready to smack us in the face. Personally, I couldn’t be happier. I’m ready for a clean slate, a fresh start, a new year! No resolutions, no fad diets, and no major overhauls. I’m sticking with clean living, clean food, and that gratitude attitude! I wanted to [...]
As we bring another year to a close, I have a perfect little bite to go with your New Years champagne or cider. These little grape and cheese balls are great if your going to a big celebration, or just having a little intimate gathering at home. They are just quite simply, fresh little grapes [...]
Recently I was selected to participate in the latest opportunity from Foodbuzz, Serve from American Express. Their web site explains it best, Serve is a next-generation digital payments platform that helps you organize your money, send and receive funds, and manage payment requests — all from a single, unified online account. Serve makes paying and [...]
I love a good candied nut. I can eat them by the handfuls and I always have them in my salads. I love my spiced nut recipe, but I think I just found a new favorite. This maple glazed nut has the flavors of Christmas and is perfect for the holidays. This month for the [...]
I’m a morning person. The hubby? He’s a night owl. So I have the coffee pot maker primed and set, ready to brew me a fresh pot at 6:00am. Sometimes 5-5:30! The hubby lazily wakes up hours later to coffee that’s been on the burner way too long, and it’s usually cold. Recently I was [...]
I was asked a few months back if I would be interested in doing a dessert bar for my co-worker’s daughters wedding. Was I interested? Heck ya! I quickly gathered the troops (thank you Michelle and Jennifer!) to help me out and the brainstorming began. The bride, Kymberly, was getting married on 11/11/11. Not very [...]
With Thanksgiving almost here, I wanted to add some glitter and cheer. I wanted some fun decorations to spruce up the home and sparkle up the holiday table . These mini pumpkins and pine cones did just that! This week, it was my turn to pick the Martha Monday project and I was [...]
Skirt Steak Tacos are a huge family favorite around here. So when I was invited to participate in the November side car series at Kitchen PLAY featuring Bush’s Beans, I knew exactly what to make. A delicious and simple dinner time favorite. Grilled skirt steak doesn’t last long when it comes off the bbq and [...]
After learning the basics of home brewing, Ken Grossman began brewing his own 5 gallon batches of beer, using homemade brewing supplies. In 1978, he supplied the town of Chico, CA with The Home Brewing Store, offering supplies, equipment, and advice. He began studying chemistry and physics at the local community college and then at [...]
Nancy G. Brinker made a promise to her dying sister, Susan. She would do everything she could, to end breast cancer. Susy was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 in 1977, and died three years later. Brinker felt that if there was an awareness of the cancer and it’s treatment, maybe people [...]
It was our first real rain of the season, and I had all the windows opened wide. My daughter had seven teeth (4 wisdom, 3 baby) pulled earlier in the morning, so it was one of those days when you know your not going any where. The candles were all lit, the cool breeze blowing, [...]
Recently I teamed up with Foodbuzz and American Express, sharing with you my six ingredient Chicken Fajita Nacho recipe as part of their Dinner@6 program. There was also a $100 American Express gift card up for grabs for one lucky commenter. And we have a winner! Using the random number generator, I got the number [...]
We have spent almost every Saturday this Summer watching the Outlaw Karts at Cycleland. We’ve packed the ice chest each week, braved the 100+ degree weather, and have been bitten by many a mosquitoes, to watch my daughter’s boyfriend/ friend’s son race his kart. It’s been a terrific family activity, as well as a hell [...]
A few weeks back, I was surfing some of my favorite blogs when I ran across this post from my sweet friend, Renee. She posted about this muffin in which she swirled some of her homemade jam into the batter. Well…that caught my interest and I followed a link which led me to her Awesome [...]
This recipe comes from when I was a single, full time working gal. After working a full day on my feet, I wanted something quick and easy for dinner that, would also please a man. Something hardy! A local grocery store that I use to shop, sold a pre-made fajita meat and I would pick [...]
A Zebra cake has been on my must make list for a long time. My assignment for the Secret recipe Club this month was the fabulous blog, Tangerine’s Kitchen. I was to find a recipe, make it, and blog about my results. Meanwhile, somewhere out in Cyberspace, some is making one of my recipes to [...]
I rolled out of bed just like any other day. I poured a cup of coffee and switched on the news. I saw visions of an airplane plowing into the World Trade Center. Destruction and despair. I sat there in disbelief, like the rest of America. Then the second airplane hit. I ran to the [...]
I love quinoa and it’s actually considered a super food. Thought of as a grain, quinoa is a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It’s a complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. It’s a very good source of manganese as well as magnesium, iron, lysine and [...]
It was at the end of this last school year, that I applied for a new job. With just three weeks left, I switched to a new position, at a new school. I knew when I saw these adorable turtle cupcakes and their royal icing toppers from Sweetopia, I had to give them a try. [...]
