Carolina Reuben Pinwheels
Photo by Kim Byer Ever since I fell in love with the Carolina Reuben sandwich at a downtown shop in Columbia many moons ago, I try to incorporate this fantastic idea anywhere I can. If you’re wondering what a Carolina Reuben is, it’s a southern take on a classic Reuben. However, instead of sauerkraut and corned beef, it’s turkey and coleslaw with swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. […]
Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake
While brainstorming different cheesecake flavors with my in-laws one evening, we somehow got on the subject of Caramel Macchiato. My face lit up. I haven’t made that before!! What exactly qualifies as Caramel Macchiato?? So, I looked it up and immediately started formulating a recipe in my head. Vanilla, coffee, caramel…sounds simple enough. […]
Cookie Dough Dip
Eating raw cookie dough is one of life’s many pleasures, and I was always chased out of the kitchen as a kid while my mom was baking. Back then, I wasn’t interested in LEARNING how to bake, I was only interested in EATING everything I could get my hands on. […]
S’mores Candy Bars
Click HERE to watch the video tutorial of this recipe! One of my favorite things to do if there’s a fire pit within eyesight is to roast marshmallows and enjoy a good ole s’more. Unfortunately, that opportunity doesn’t present itself nearly as much as I’d like, so there has to be a good compromise. Well, here it is. […]
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Click HERE to watch the video of this recipe! Throwing together a quick and easy weeknight dinner has never been so simple…and delicious. […]
Oreo Cheesecake Tarts
One of the questions I get asked repeatedly is, “How do you NOT eat all of what you make?” This can be a trick question, but mainly the answer is because I’m so used to being around it. The irony of this response makes me chuckle, because this particular dessert had me standing in front of the fridge, holding the door open and staring at these like they were an oasis in the middle of the desert. […]
Boston Creme Trifle
Growing up with two older brothers and being the only girl has made life interesting and entertaining. The level of sarcasm used in every day conversations has always been above average, and is the norm. When I make a new dessert for a family gathering and take it to them to try out, my brothers are always reliable taste testers to let me know what they really think. […]
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Easter is quickly approaching, and I’m all about fruity cakes that are packed with flavor. This sparked the idea for a Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing, but here’s the catch…I wanted extra blueberry preserves WITH the lemon cream cheese icing in between the layers of cake. So, here we are. […]
S’mores Cheesecake
The first time I had S’mores Cheesecake was at Cheesecake Factory in Charlotte. The kids and I went up there to pick up my mother-in-law from the airport, and we headed over to the mall for some shopping therapy and cheesecake. We sat down and ate lunch while I studied the cheesecake menu. I am always looking for new cheesecake ideas, and S’mores anything makes my list of dessert experiments. […]
Frozen Strawberry Margarita
Cinco de Mayo is approaching very quickly, and I can’t wait for another excuse (besides Taco Tuesday, or the day ending in a Y) to enjoy Mexican food and margaritas. There’s a local Mexican restaurant that our family goes to on a regular basis, and the type of day I’ve had will determine what size Margarita will be ordered as soon as we sit down. It’s either a small or medium, because I honestly don’t think I’d be able to walk out of there after drinking a large. These things are the size of my head, and I’m not brave enough to order one. […]
Blueberry Crumb Cake
One night while I was flipping throughout one of my 347,822 cook books, I came across a New York crumb cake recipe. Since the pollen has made such a grand entrance to let everyone know that Spring is here, it’s time to make some baked goods with fruit. […]
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cookie Tarts
Every year for Easter, our day is packed with family activities. We start out at my in-laws’ house for lunch and Easter Egg Hunt in Aiken, then we come back home over to my brother’s house for dinner and another Easter Egg Hunt. By the time the day is done, I’m egged out with my belly sticking out and ready for bed. […]
Pina Colada Cheesecake
Growing up, I loved having the non-alcholic version of Pina Coladas. Even though I was 10 years old, it felt like I was an adult ordering a grown up drink when I smiled sweetly at the bartender, asking for a Pina Colada. They would usually grin at me, then prepare the frozen deliciousness without the rum. Oh, how the flood gates opened whenever I tasted a REAL Pina Colada for the first time with coconut rum. Oh. Em. Gee. […]
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
One of the biggest ordeals I face with making cupcakes is choosing just one flavor to make. Should I make chocolate? Vanilla? Fruit? Mocha? Peanut butter? What kind of crowd are serving? […]
Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs with Fruit Dip
If you’ve ever lived in the South, then you know how much we LOVE pollen (insert extreme sarcasm here). It’s already enough that we have to deal with the bipolar mood swings of Mother Nature and how she constantly changes her mind whether or not we’re ready for Spring, or if she’s just teasing us and throws SNOW at the beginning of April. […]
Bananas Foster Cheesecake
One of the regulars at Krafty Draft brought a friend of his over to meet me one evening while we were all there. He warned him, “Meeting her will be an experience, because the way she talks doesn’t match the way she looks.” I’m still scratching my head over that warning, […]
Buckeyes
It blows my mind how these little guys escaped my childhood memories…until I saw them again. That’s when the vivid memory of staring at the serving plate, wide-eyed and open mouthed, before grabbing as many as I possibly could and running off before my mom could see how many I snagged. […]
Grandma’s Cinnamon Bun Cake
My grandmother made this for us growing up, and you’d thought a bunch of puppies licked the pan clean after we got a hold of it. She loved to serve this with a cup of coffee as an afternoon snack, and it always hit the spot…followed by a nap. […]
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Salted Caramel Cheesecake is one of those universal flavors that most people like. […]
Coworker’s Going Away Cake
Since all of my baking madness started with a cake decorating class, it’s something that I still enjoy doing on occasion. One of my friends from Krafty Draft contacted me recently to make a cake for her husband, whose coworker was leaving for another job. He works in a male dominated profession with a lot of dry humor, and they found a cake they thought was hilarious and asked me to recreate it. […]