Mayhem in the Kitchen!

Cardamom Citrus Salad

A few weeks ago my husband’s aunt and uncle were hosting a casual family dinner while my husband’s grandmother was in town to visit. They had all of the bases covered from salad, to sides, to beverages, to dessert, but we simply couldn’t arrive empty handed! Part of it might be that my husband and…

Chewy Brownie Cookies (accidentally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

When we were invited over to our friends’ place for dinner the other night, I was honestly going to bring that awesome salad and call it a day, but when I found out there wasn’t any dessert, I was forced to act. ^_^ One of our friends doesn’t eat gluten or dairy, so a lot…

Coconut Cream Pie

I gotta be honest with y’all – custard pies scare the heck outta me. There are a zillion ways to mess them up, and no way to know for sure whether you’re succeeded until someone cuts into them. This recipe from Martha Stewart gave me confidence – she lays out the steps as only Martha…

Boston Cream Cupcakes

Omigosh you guys, it feels like it has been an eternity since I’ve made cupcakes. In reality it has only been like two months, but, let’s be honest – that’s two months too long! I baked these for an office birthday when I felt the urge to do something a little different. Chocolate cupcakes are…

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

It’s a cold one here in Minneapolis, which makes it the perfect time for comfort food!! I’m a huge fan of macaroni and cheese, but as much as I hate to admit it, to me the ideal texture is closer to Velveeta Shells and Cheese than the typical dried-out baked version. I’m firmly a stovetop…

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overload Brownie Cake (Katherine Sabbath inspired)

I am SO excited to share this cake with you guys! Like everyone else in the food world, I am positively inspired by Katherine Sabbath and her incredible creations. If you’ve been living under a rock, Katherine Sabbath is an amazing cake artist who has been featured in magazines far and wide. She has a…

Homemade Waffle Toppings: Brandy Apple Compote, Coconut Whipped Cream, Sugared Strawberries, and Blueberry Compote

Some friends recently got married, and one of the things they registered for was a waffle iron. When my husband heard this, he expressed his envy to them, because he has always wanted one, but I just can’t justify adding another unitasker to our collection (yes, I’m familiar with Will it Waffle? :)) When our…

Sun-Dried Tomato and Rosemary Palmiers

The New Year is almost here, so I wanted to make sure I shared an *amazing* appetizer recipe that would be perfect for your New Year’s Eve celebration! We have made this recipe four times already this year – once for our Friends Thanksgiving, once for a Vikings game, and again for Christmas Eve and…

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

You’d be hard pressed to find a bad chocolate cupcake. Well, unless of course you’re talking about vegan cupcakes. Even those styrofoam Hostess ones are somewhat palatable, but vegan cupcakes taste like sawdust! 😉 …. just kidding, of course! I made these for a neighborhood dessert potluck, and was faced with a dilemma – they’re…

Peppermint Mocha French Silk Pie

Are you ready for Christmas? Less than two days to go! I’m not sure whether I’m super excited or super stressed, but for the purposes of happy blogging, we’re going to go with super excited. I made this French Silk Pie for a holiday party a few days ago, and although I’m crazy busy, I…

Caprese Skewers in a pinch

If you’re anything like me, mid-December is ridiculously over-the-top crazy hectic! Between parties, gift giving, shopping, cooking, and decorating, it feels like there’s seldom a single moment to spare. Last weekend it was another double party weekend for my husband and me – Friday was my office holiday party, and on Saturday our neighborhood threw…

Chocolate Amaretto Cookies

Oh my goodness you guys, it has been weeks! I have a pretty good excuse, though – we just got back from an amazing trip to Italy!! We had a fantastic time visiting Rome, Milan, Venice, and Florence. We saw awe-inspiring sights, enjoyed incredible food, and met some lovely people….but more on that later, let’s…

Rum Cake (Tortuga Copycat)

A couple of years ago my husband, his parents, and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. At one the ports, my in-laws came back with a Tortuga Rum Cake. I’d never had one before, but they promised me I was in for a treat. A few weeks later I got to sample it,…

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

So, you may remember that last year I crowned my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Frosting, like, the queens of fall. The end-all be-all of autumn related cupcakes. The autumnest of the autumn. The epitome of fall in a paper wrapper. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong. I know. How…

Big Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (#11)

As I mentioned yesterday, we’ve had 6 new families move into the neighborhood recently. Since I had put off getting welcome baskets out to them, I had to kick it into high gear and get some cookies baked while the weather was still cool enough to use the oven! The first batch of cookies made…