Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~ soft, chewy loaded with oats and raisins and just the right about of sweetness. Lightly crisp bottoms perfect for dunking. An easy, classic recipe.
It’s about 17 degrees outside today with 8″ of snow on the ground. Translation: stay inside and bake instead of running the errands on my list.
Days with temps in the teens are meant for indoor activities – especially baking! It warms the house, makes it smell better than any candle and as an added bonus, you’ll end up with a tasty snack.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the win.
Smores Cookies
Smores Cookies ~ bite size graham cracker cups filled with toasted mini marshmallows and Hershey’s chocolate. The ultimate, easy summertime dessert treat.
For many of us summertime means going up North, swimming in icy cold lakes and toasting marshmallows in a blazing bonfire.
A batch of Smores Cookies means you can enjoy this nostalgic treat anytime ~ but make extra because they’ll almost disappear on sight.
Classic Smores are toasted (or burnt in my case) marshmallows and a piece of Hershey’s chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. Gooey, sticky marshmallow, sweet milk chocolate and crispy graham crackers. Mmmm.
Smores Cookies are a simple version of a campfire smore in a bite size cookie cup. This all American treat travels well making it the ultimate dessert for picnics, barbeques or any pot luck gathering.
Easy Key Lime Pie with Raspberry Sauce
Easy Key Lime Pie ~ the best, authentic recipe starts with fresh squeezed lime juice blended with a few other ingredients and baked in a simple graham cracker crust. Tangy-sweet with a little texture from slivered almonds. It doesn’t get much better . . . until a simple raspberry sauce is drizzled over the top.
Some of the best Key Lime Pie I’ve ever eaten is from Publix grocery store in Florida. No joke. We escape to Florida every winter to relax with family and soak up some sun. Publix pie is one of the first things we buy. Smooth and creamy ~ slightly sweet with just the right amount of tangy lime flavor.
Here in the Midwest, there isn’t a Publix within several states so when I get a craving for Key Lime Pie, I make this one. It reminds me of warm breezes, swaying palm trees, Jimmy Buffett music and the sun on my face. The raspberry sauce is my own spin that takes an already delicious pie to the next level.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting ~ easy Easter dessert recipe from scratch! Freshly grated carrots and applesauce make these cupcakes moist and delicious. Top with homemade cream cheese frosting and finely chopped pecans.
I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse when you learn to make your favorite dessert at home. The only thing I can say about these Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting right now is that latest batch is gone. Completely and totally gone because I didn’t trust myself to have so many of them in the house.
I sent some home with my daughter and donated the rest to the YMCA. After my workout, the only thing left was an empty container and I haven’t gotten them off my mind since.
They’re cupcakes that act like a muffin (at least in my book) because they contain fresh carrots. That gives us license to have one with our morning coffee without judgement. Boom.
Easy Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Easy Chocolate Raspberry Tart ~ simple, deliciously light rustic chocolate raspberry tart. Golden puffed pastry topped with Nutella, homemade raspberry sauce, fresh raspberries dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
Today I’m here with a Public Service Announcement: Do not make reservations this Valentine’s Day. For the record, I’m coming from experience(s) that include rushed meals, lost reservations, limited menus and a less than stellar meal.
Let’s shake things up this year and make dinner (heart-shaped pizza excluded) along with this luscious, decadent easy dessert for afterward. Or before . . . no judgement here. Because you’re guaranteed to have room for dessert if you start with it.
I’m not anti-Valentine’s Day. Or even Galentine’s Day. Celebrate to your heart’s content . . . with a dinner at home. Why you ask? Because it’s just a damn good idea. Granted you’ll have cleanup, but the meal will be infinitely better.
Boozy Brownies
This Boozy Brownies 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. Let’s be honest…Pinterest has me and the rest of the world in a frenzy about bringing THE best dish.
Now everyone 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.
Peach Galette Recipe
Peach Galette Recipe ~ rustic, free-form flaky crust baked with sweet fresh summer peaches.
Last week my friend Audrey called saying that I had to buy some peaches from Altermatt’s, one of the local farms. Oh my gosh she said emphatically ~ they’re soooo good.
She wanted to make a peach pie but was leaving for the weekend and didn’t have time. I was leaving for New Orleans for a food blogger conference so making peach anything wasn’t in my immediate future either.
That didn’t stop her from emphasizing ~ “you just have to get some”. Not only is Audrey a good friend and the single best gift receiver you’ll ever meet, but her enthusiasm for well, almost everything is contagious. By the time I got home I was having serious peach FOMO.
I never made it to Altermatt’s, but bought these beauties at the farmer’s market and whipped up a peach galette in under 15 minutes. No joke.
In full disclosure, I’m a fan of store made crust and used it in this recipe. It was every bite as flaky and delicious as it was in this savory pie. Haters don’t hate. This peach galette is delicious.
Snickers Cheesecake Bites
Snickers Cheesecake Bites ~ sweet and salty cheesecake bites with Snickers candy and a pretzel crust topped with chocolate ganache and gooey caramel.
I’m always looking for a little something sweet after a meal. These Snickers Cheesecake Bites are one of the best desserts around. I may have eaten one. . .or three today alone.
I used to make a full-size Snickers Cheesecake years ago that was a total show stopper but the days of full size anything in our house went by the wayside when we became empty-nesters.
It’s much easier to share extras of single-serve or bite size so I repurposed that cheesecake into these Snickers Cheesecake Bites. Every bite as delicious, but just because they’re mini doesn’t mean you have to stop at one.
Fruit Tart Recipe
Fruit Tart Recipe ~ sugar cookie crust topped with both a cheesecake-like and nutella layer then fresh, seasonal fruit.
If you’ve been following, you may remember the zero calorie Fruit Tart I made for Easter dinner. This Fruit Tart Recipe is actually it, but it only became zero calorie when the entire thing slid off the cake platter onto the floor face down and no one was able to eat it = zero calories.
I can no longer make the zero calorie claim ~ unless yours ends up on the floor too, which I don’t recommend because this Fruit Tart is worth every caloric bite.
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?
