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Holiday Cookie Swap & Cookie Cookbook Giveaway

December 8, 2011 by

I’m so excited to host this cookie swap with Liz from Hoosier Homemade and Melissa from Stockpiling Moms.

We love cookies at our house, but I have to admit that at Christmas I focus more on making candy rather than cookies.  This year, I want to change that up.  I can’t wait to see what kind of recipes you have for me to try.

Here are a few of our favorites:

CocoNot Cookies – Not a speck of coconut, but you’d never know it. Fun secret ingredient.

Aunt Gerry’s Pineapple Drop Cookies – A family favorite

Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies – Very Christmasy!

Amish Oatmeal Cookies – Brown sugary yum and rolled in powdered sugar.  [Read more...]

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Ingredient Spotlight: Cranberries

November 2, 2011 by

It’s cranberry season!  I love these little gems.  Not only do they taste wonderful, they also look so pretty in holiday desserts.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes with cranberries:  [Read more...]

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Top Ten Food to Have on 4th of July

June 30, 2011 by

berry shortcake

Doesn’t 4th of July seem like it should be the smack-dab middle of summer?  How is it that we’re already at this point?  Summer is going too fast!

Let’s savor it while we can.  Here’s my Top 10 list of July 4th food.

1.  BBQ Something

Burgers are classic.  Try the World’s Best Burger.  Or go for chicken instead.  BBQ Pepper Jack Chicken is delish.  Checkout my Secret to BBQing Chicken Legs on the Grill if you want to be able to hand everyone a drumstick.

2.  Potato Salad

There are a million ways to make it.  Here’s my version (which is really my mom’s version).

3.  Baked Beans

I love this slow cooker recipe for Homemade Baked Beans.

4.  Slaw

Slaw with Tomato, Red Onion and Jalepeno, Hawaiian Cole Slaw, or Quick Cole Slaw

5.  Berry Dessert

Blueberry Cobbler, Cherry Cobbler, Peach and Blackberry Pie, Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Pie

6.  Ice Cream

Oh, how I love ice cream.  Here are some Tips for Making Homemade Ice Cream, with links to some scrumptious recipes.  You might also try Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches or Buster Bars.

7.  Something Red, White and Blue

I don’t have anything like that on my blog, but here’s a great round-up of patriotic looking food on Living Locurto.

8.  Something Munchy

Try Butterscotch Snack Mix or Citrus Puppy Chow.

9.  Something S’more-ish

S’mores Pie, perchance?

10.  Watermelon

4th of July without watermelon is just wrong!  Try kicking it up a notch (or 3) with chili powder.

Happy Independence Day!  What are your plans for the long weekend?

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Chocolate Pretzel Fudge

June 16, 2011 by

Fudge + pretzels = Scrumptious!

This is an easy fudge to make.  It’s a variation of Mocha Fudge.  Just melt the ingredients together and throw in a handful of broken pretzel pieces.  Lick the pan.  Then wait.  And wait.  And wait a bit more.

About 3 hours in the fridge later and it’s ready to cut and eat.

Here’s what you’ll need:  [Read more...]

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Easter Story Cookies

April 19, 2011 by

This is a fun way to pull kids into the kitchen and share the Easter Story with them in a way that they will remember.  The cookies get made in the evening and then sit in the oven overnight.  It’s perfect to do the night before Easter, but any evening will work.

Before I get to the instructions, let me share a few helpful hints. [Read more...]

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Goat Cheese Biscuits

April 14, 2011 by

I have been so excited to share this recipe with you.  In early March, I visited a friend in Chicago and she took me to Table Fifty Two.  The food in that restaurant has a decidedly Southern flair.   Chef Art Smith has been a personal chef to Oprah.  Now he creates dishes such as Fried Green Tomatoes with Feta, Pancetta, Red Onion Marmalade and Kalamata Olive – Amazing!

We sat in the main room of the restaurant where Goat Cheese Biscuit dough was being poured into hot iron skillets and baked in a brick oven.  Our server brought us a serving of the biscuits to share.  Oh my!  They are light, with herbs and goat cheese inside and buttery Parmesan topping.

As my friend and I savored these biscuits and I watched the process of making them, I was pretty sure I could recreate the recipe at home.  And I was right.

These would be perfect for an Easter dinner or brunch.  And they are easy to make too.  The dough is similar to drop biscuits and it can be baked in an iron skillet, ramekins or muffins tins.   Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

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Western Omelette Casserole

January 7, 2011 by

For Christmas morning, I wanted to make a different type of breakfast casserole than the egg/sausage one I usually make.  We have to have some kind of protein to counteract the cinnamon rolls, frozen fruit cups, and hot cocoa.

I set out on a search to find a recipe that suited me, but since I’m picky, I couldn’t find the perfect casserole.  So, I created one based on several recipes.  I knew I wanted ham, peppers and onions.  And it needed to be something I could make the day before and pop in the oven on Christmas morning to bake.

The result was exactly what I hoped for.  The green and red pepper made it look Christmasy, but it would be good for any brunch.  It would also make a good breakfast-for-dinner meal.  I didn’t get a photo of the ingredients, but here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

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Recipes for Christmas – Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Sweets and Gifts to Share

December 17, 2010 by

If you’re still looking for recipes to make this season, this post is for you.  I’ve gathered Holiday recipes from this past year so you can quickly find inspiration.

If you want more Christmas recipes, see the 2009 Big List of Holiday Food.

Breakfast and Brunch

Dinner Side Dishes [Read more...]

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Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies

December 16, 2010 by

Last year, I saw recipes for cookies like this floating around the internet.  A friend brought some to my house and they were so good.  How can you go wrong with white chocolate chips and cranberries?

I decided to make them yesterday, but didn’t want to look up the recipe.  Googling is so hard, you know?

So I tweaked the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe from the back of the Walmart brand oat box.  As soon as I finished making them, I noticed the recipe on the back of the Craisin package.  Oh well.  My tweaked recipe tasted buttery, with the sweet-tart flavors of the white chips and cranberries.  And the recipe made a lot.  Enough to munch and freeze some for later.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

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Cranberry Pecan Sticky Rolls and My Trip to the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Test Kitchen

November 23, 2010 by

When I was contacted about the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Holiday Bake-Off trip, I quickly agreed to participate.  Then I realized I would need to come prepared to bake something. (Pictures from the trip are at the end of this post.)

Cranberries are a natural holiday food, so I created two recipes featuring these beautiful gems.  Cranberry Muffins with Orange Marmalade Glaze is the recipe I chose to enter, only because I was afraid the roll dough in this recipe would not have time to rise in the 2-hour time limit.

But the rolls are a cinch to make and have all the sticky-sweet goodness you expect from a sticky roll.  As a bonus, they’re studded with tart, red cranberries making them perfect for the Holidays. [Read more...]

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