Best Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Pumpkin Spice season is here!!! To be honest though, I eat Pumpkin Spice muffins all year long because they are my absolute favorite. My freezer is typically packed with a variety of jumbo muffins, and they are perfect for our family on the weekends. I usually grab whatever flavors everyone wants the night before, set them on the counter, and breakfast is ready when we all wake up in the morning. All we have to do is turn on the coffee maker and I pop my muffin in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before making my belly incredibly happy. […]
Beer Bread with Spinach Dip
The first time I had Beer Bread, it was before I developed a taste for beer. So technically, it was before that one keg party in my early twenties when I was forced to start drinking beer if I didn’t want to be the only sober person there. What I’m saying is that the thought of this tasting good wasn’t exactly in my prediction, but it turned out amazing. Even better was how easy it is to throw together, and how the Spinach Dip is EVEN EASIER. […]
Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Tarts
Sometimes it’s hard to choose between peanut butter and Oreos…so why not have both?? You read my mind. These cupcake sized cheesecakes give you the best of both cheesecake and cupcake world when you sink your teeth in to this New York style peanut butter cheesecake packed with chunks of Peanut Butter Cups on top of a WHOLE Peanut Butter Oreo, then topped with a chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and a mini peanut butter cup. […]
Cookies ‘n Cream Cake
Every year for my birthday, I’m asked what kind of dessert I want someone to make for me. Typically, the answer is that I want to make it myself. “What? You can’t make your own birthday cake!” The thing is, I’m always so busy making desserts for other people that this gives me an opportunity to make something that I’ve been wanting to try, and having other people around to help me dispose of it is the perfect time. Plus, whatever gives me ANY excuse to have a social gathering is worth making a cake. […]
Chicken Cheese Ball
There are several appetizer staples that end up on the menu at my house for every single party, and this is definitely on the list. When I’m trying to simplify the menu for a party and choose three items, it’s at the top. This cheese ball and crackers, veggie tray, chips and dip along with some sort of dessert gives party guests enough to eat without overloading them. […]
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Cream Icing
The last few times I have run out of several different types of liquor, it was because I was using them in baked goods. […]
Double Dipped Oreo Truffles
Back in the stone ages before I started grinding Oreos with a food chopper or processor, I used to grind them by hand. First, I’d start out by putting the Oreos in a large plastic bag, sealing it, then beating the bag on the counter with my fist like it owed me money from ten years ago that forced me into eviction. […]
Buttery Nipple Cheesecake
The first time I heard the name of this cocktail, uncontrollable giggling erupted, and it still makes me chuckle. Since my original Irish Cream Cheesecake was so delicious and popular at Krafty Draft, I started experimenting with other cheesecakes I could use liquor in the recipe…which is what created my style of Happy Hour Cheesecakes. The cheesecake itself is very similar to the Irish Cream, but with a butterscotch ganache and a graham cracker crust. If you look at the topping of the cheesecake, you might understand why I started giggling again while putting it together. I’m terrible. […]
Grampy’s Hillbilly Chili
Over the weekend, my parents rented a cabin on the lake for our family to get together by the water. When our family gets together (no matter WHEN), there’s always more than enough food to feed a small army of Olympic training athletes on steroids. My parents always put out more food than they should, and everyone who shows up doesn’t come empty-handed. When everyone is leaving, my mom tries to send food home with them to get it out of the house, and she STILL ends up with way too many leftovers. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?? […]
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. […]