Homemade Strawberry Sauce
This delicious Homemade Strawberry Sauce post and the following scrumptious recipe was written by my daughter, Lauren Dezenski who was in Cuba in this photo. Lauren works in advertising, loves good food and wine and is always on the lookout for her next travel adventure!
I love ice cream. Love. Ice cream. While it’s popularity spikes during the warm months, we don’t have a seasonal relationship and I don’t discriminate on flavor. I do, however have a slight obsession with strawberry sundaes – something my dad and I have in common. When it comes to food my dad has a very traditional palate. I on the other hand tend be much more adventurous. Strawberry sundaes with Homemade Strawberry Sauce are one dish that continues to bond us.
Mini Baklava Cups
Happy National Baklava Day! I don’t know who makes up national food days, but I for one am grateful they do. I originally developed Mini Baklava Cups for Easter but when I started thinking about Thanksgiving desserts beyond pumpkin pie, Mini Baklava Cups kept popping up in my mind. Since my blog has seen an explosion of new traffic over the last few months ~ yay! ~ I decided it would be an ideal time to repost. Mini phyllo cups filled with a finely chopped nut mixture flavored with honey, butter and cinnamon. . .a miniature, quicker version of baklava, portion-controlled and every bite scrumptuous.
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
I was literally like a kid turned loose in the candy store today on the hunt for baking supplies for a virtual cookie swap I was invited to join. It’s basically a collection of cookie recipes from some amazing bloggers. What’s not to like, right? I was flattered that a non-baker like myself would be asked so I jumped ~ with both feet and accepted! After much internal debate about what kind of cookie to make ~ the cookie bar was high! ~ and almost wearing out the tile floor in the baking aisle, I decided on Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies and I’m so glad I did.
Key Lime Pie
Some of the best Key Lime Pie I’ve ever eaten is from Publix in Florida. Seriously. It’s made in their bakery and it’s smooth and creamy with just the right amount of tangy lime flavor, real whipped cream and slivered almonds around the edge. We escape to Florida every winter to relax with family, soak up some sun, swim in the Gulf and probably eat more Key Lime Pie than should be legal. Unfortunately, I don’t have a Publix within several states of me, but whenever I get the chance to have a slice, it reminds me of warm breezes, swaying palm trees, Jimmy Buffett music, salty air and the sun on my face.
Boozy Brownies
This post and the following scrumptious recipe was written by my daughter, Lauren Dezenski who was on her way to Peru in this photo. Lauren works in advertising, loves good food and wine and is always on the lookout for her next travel adventure!
Summer is my season, but I welcome fall and all that it brings: boots and scarves, all things pumpkin and tailgate season for those of us more interested in the social aspect of football. Which brings me to Boozy Brownies.
I’ll be the first to admit that I can get a little competitive when it comes to bringing food to a party because let’s be honest…Pinterest has me and the rest of the world in a frenzy about bringing THE best dish.
Everyone now has access to everything from cutting edge fashion to must-see travel destinations, ways to get fit and of course a recipe for every occasion.
Triple Berry Crisp
I love a good pie but I’m not ashamed to admit “good” pies do not come out of my kitchen. I’ve yet to master a tasty, flaky crust, even though sweetened and baked is my favorite way to eat fruit. I’ve mastered Apple Crisp though, a great fall dessert. This Triple Berry Crisp is Apple Crisp’s summer rendition featuring fresh summer berries, baked and served in a mini cast iron skillet and topped with whipped ricotta cheese flavored with vanilla and honey. It’s a recipe for two – because why should all the good recipes be saved for big gatherings? If you happen to have leftovers no one will judge you if they end up next to a big mug of coffee in the morning.
Fruit Tart Recipe
Do you remember the Zero Calorie Fruit Tart I told you I made for Easter? The Fruit Tart Recipe that became zero calorie the instant it slid off the cake platter onto the floor face down and no one was able to eat it = zero calories. This is the Fruit Tart Recipe I was talking about, but with calories this time. I know. It’s disappointing, but if I truly had that kind of magic, I would . . .
Pumpkin Monkey Bread Muffins
I don’t necessarily rely on a calendar tell me when it’s fall. Oh no. . .I lie in wait for my local grocery store to stock Nestle´ Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer. Now that may sound a little totally crazy to you, but when that yummy pumpkin creamer shows its gorgeous face I just know it won’t be long before I bust out snuggly warm sweaters, tall leather boots and scarves and eat warm donuts dipped in tangy cider at one of several nearby cider mills. I am only slightly ashamed of my behavior one day last fall when I couldn’t find the pumpkin creamer at my local market. It was only October — they couldn’t be phasing into Christmastime peppermint yet!! Hopefully that stock boy is no longer in therapy. But this whole pumpkin thing got me thinking — what else can I pumpkinize? Hmmm. . .how about. . .Pumpkin Monkey Bread Muffins? Hello? Can we really put two amaaaaazing fall flavors together — pumpkin AND monkey bread?
Easy Fried Ice Cream Cake
In my humble opinion this Easy Fried Ice Cream Cake can almost double as breakfast. It contains one of America’s longest running and most popular breakfast cereals, Corn Flakes. Okay maybe I’m playing fast and loose with the definition of breakfast, but if you love ice cream as much we we do in our house, you may too.
