I had big plans…. Summer is all about having fun, relaxing with your family, enjoying the weather, not having a to-do list. I, however, had big plans for the summer. It was gonna be my time to get back into blogging and baking, two of my favorite things. But summer had different plans for me,…
baking
pumpkin nutella cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Pumpkin spice and everything nice. I’m loving all the fall colors I see everywhere. And I love the smell of fall baking. This past weekend I made over 200 pumpkin Nutella cupcakes for a friend that was giving them to her clients. Yes – it’s as crazy as it sounds. And if you saw my…
dulce de leche sandwich cookies
Everyone is making pie and here I am making cookies. Because there’s no wrong time for cookies. Let me hear an “amen!” I don’t dislike pie, but when I want something fairly predictable and easy to make, my answer is always a cookie. These Dulce de Leche cookies come courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen. I…
italian apple cake
This is one of those recipes you look at and go “hmm. I doubt anything just as simple as apples in a cake is going to be anything great.” And then you make it and go “good lawd – how did I go this long without making this cake?!?” Sometimes it’s the simplest things that…
marionberry pop tarts
I keep seeing all these recipes floating around for homemade pop tarts. We never had them growing up. But I remember having them when I’d spend the night at a friend’s house. It was a foreign thing to me. I’ve had them as an adult and am surprised when people say how much they like…
baked pumpkin donuts
Does it feel like “baked doughnuts” are an oxymoron? How can something not fried be better than something baked? It IS possible. And its name is Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts. Pumpkin is such a love/hate flavor. I enjoy pumpkin-flavored treats. But know what I like better? The spices that make the pumpkin taste good. Look how…
fig and dark chocolate oatmeal bars
I’m smitten with Mr. Fig. I was a huge fan of those Fig Newton bars growing up. My tastes have changed, but my love for the fig has remained. You’d think with the giant fig trees in my yard that I would have an abundance of figs to experiment with. But sadly, the trees don’t…
speculaas
It still feels like summer here and I’m already craving the flavors of fall. I know some people go crazy for pumpkin lattes. Me? My newest obsession is a spice blend called speculaas, used in Dutch baking. I found this wonderful trio of flavors from King Arthur Flour and decided to splurge. And you see…
pita bread
I’ve always loved experimenting with new recipes. Sometimes I tweak recipes I know I already love. Sometimes I make a brand-new-to-me recipe. Today it was pita bread. I Love making chicken gyros for my family. The kids mostly eat the chicken in store bought pita or Mediterranean bread from Trader Joe’s. My husband and I…
look to the cookie
Look at that cookie. WHO wouldn’t want to eat that?? This is how the cookies turn out when baked straight from the freezer. I just HAD to show you how beautiful they are! Here’s a link to the recipe.This morning, after picking up my grocery shopping from Fred Meyer ClickList, I came home, unloaded everything,…
bakery style baguettes
I like to bake a lot of things. But probably one of my favorites is bread, like these bakery style baguettes. Such a simple thing to enjoy baking. But there are really good reasons to bake bread. Your house smells good. Your kids wander into the kitchen, wondering what you are making, and you are…
baguettes
Oh my word. Why do I love bread so much? No matter what type of food choices I make, I have a hard time staying away from really good bread. It’s those dang carbs. And the smell. And the crackly crust.