I did it. And now you’re going to have to do it, too. It’s a natural consequence for those of you who follow this blog. You may be asking yourself exactly what I did and because you want to know, I’m going to show you, step-by step. I apologize in advance if you find yourself unable to fit into those cute holiday skinny jeans you were hoping to wear. I’m sorry if you were planning on eating just one, but ate 12… in an hour. However, I’m not sorry if this ridiculously easy recipe makes you look like Martha Stewart. I’m also not sorry if people gush over you because you were able to share some holiday cheer with friends and family. Let’s get one thing clear… people will think you’re more awesome than you already are and that is a good thing.
So let’s get started. We are going to make homemade peppermint patties and you’re going to follow along at home. Got it? Good. [click to continue…]
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[donotprint] I wish the combination of chocolate and peanut butter wasn’t so perfect together. My life would be so much easier if I were not tempted by these peanut butter kiss cookies the girls and I made the other night. You know I have a problem when I’ve eaten so many, I bake another batch while the girls are at school so I won’t be interrogated for missing cookies later when they get home. The other issue I have with these cookies is how easy it is to eat one, grab another, and before you know it, I’m caught in an addictive cycle of eating these cookies! It’s ridiculous!
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Making these cookies are just beginning of our holiday baking. A cookie tray just isn’t complete without this classic cookie which for some reason seems to only appear around Christmas time. The girls and I love making these cookies because the dough only takes minutes to make and we always have fun pressing each Hershey’s Kiss down on each freshly baked peanut butter cookie right when they come out of the oven. The kids think I don’t know that they take a few Kisses plop them in their mouths when I’m not looking, but trust me… I know. It’s all good. [click to continue…]
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Praise the Lord for the gift of mashed potatoes! Can I get an Amen?! The only thing better than mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes made with lots of butter and cream and whipped into a creamy delicious side dish which can only be described as heavenly.
Thanksgiving Day wouldn’t be complete without plenty of mashed potatoes for everyone to enjoy, especially when we all know everyone likes to go back to the serving table for seconds and thirds. I’m convinced my kids believe my mashed potatoes are the main dish and the turkey is the side. In fact, when we serve mashed potatoes family style, I often need to remind them to only take one or two scoops so everyone gets at least one serving –otherwise the only thing they would ever eat is mashed potatoes.
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[donotprint] I vaguely remember the first time I made my first pumpkin pie. My father, a diabetic, commissioned me to bake him a sugar-free version so he wouldn’t be tempted by all the sugary desserts during Thanksgiving dinner. I was 11 years old without a mixer, pie plate, or a cookbook to guide me. What I decided to do was follow the pie recipe on the back of a Libby’s pumpkin can and use a frozen pre-made pie shell. I followed the instructions exactly as written and was excited when I saw there no were cracks on the baked custard surface and that my pumpkin pie actually looked just as I hoped it would. My excitement only lasted a brief moment and turned to disgust rather quickly. I took a bite and had to spit it out into a napkin. Pumpkin pie without any sweetener is so bland tasting I thought I was eating store-bought baby food in a jar -yuck!
Over the years I’ve experimented with different recipes and sweeteners in search of the perfect pumpkin pie. I know people have different qualifiers in what makes a good pie. For me, I like homemade pies to be dense with a tad bit more spices than the Costco pie variety. I also like my pumpkin pies not to be too sweet, otherwise I can only eat a sliver of a slice because the pie is so sweet it distracts the flavor of the spiced pumpkin custard. [click to continue…]
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With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I want to share my mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with you. She’s been making this for as long as I can remember and it’s one of the most anticipated dishes I look forward to eating Thanksgiving day. With every bite it takes me back to my childhood when I would watch her in the kitchen make her classic stuffing (or dressing ask she would call it). I would sneak small handfuls of dried croutons until she would cut me off because I would have eaten through the entire bag like potato chips if she hadn’t. Before she stuffed the bird, I would swipe a spoonful of the uncooked stuffing and turn to her making sure she knew I approved -this always made her smile.
To me her recipe is nostalgic, old-fashion, and oh so good. In years past I’ve made plenty of stuffing variations with dried fruit, nuts, apples, sausage, and different breads. As much as I enjoy these other types of stuffing, it’s my mom’s recipe I keep coming back to. It’s so simple, perhaps this is why I love it… [click to continue…]
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