French Macarons are one of my favorite cookies to make for Easter. They add such a beautiful array of colors to my dessert table. I usually make quite a few batches in different flavors/pastels two weeks before Easter, then freeze them until the day of the party. It is always nice to have one less…
Cookies
Brown Butter Nutella Stuffed Cookies
Before going on any trip, I research places to eat and things to do on my favorite travel blogs. Usually, if traveling within the US, good places are always easy to find. I am finding that information for the countries we are visiting this summer are a little more difficult, however. Even though I have…
Christmas Spritz Cookies
Christmas Spritz Cookies are a must have on your holiday cookie platter. They are easy to make, delicious, and add that much needed pop of color! A few years back, my neighbor brought me over a big plate of these cookies. After years of passing out holiday treats to my neighbors, this was the first…
Mini Chocolate Pound Cakes
One of my favorite Black Friday stops is World Market. They always have a killer deal on Guittard chocolate chips and champagne. They also had some great deals baking pans. I couldn’t resist the mini bundt pan, despite already owning like 10! Seeing as how I came home with yet another cake pan and about…
An International Christmas Cookie Platter
For years I would try to continue my mother in law’s cookie tradition during the holidays for the sake of my husband, and every year I would hear the same thing, “These are good, but not quite as good as Mom’s.” After hearing this for about 5 years, I gave up and decided to create…
Cannoli Cake
Having been raised in an Italian household, Cannolis are essential. I remember my grandfather making them for any and every special occasion. You knew that if you woke up to the smell of hot oil, you were going to have the perfect dessert later in the day. Although I love the traditional cannoli, I also…
At-Home Tailgating Party
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareYourSpirit #CollectiveBias It is football season, and while I don’t understand every call of the game, I do understand football food, which is more important anyway right? And because we only have soccer players (so far) in my…
Orange Spiced Madeleines
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias Since school has started, life has been hectic. I knew that this was going to happen, I just haven’t fallen into the right groove yet. School, extracurricular activities for all three kids, and a family wide…
Ice Cream Sandwich Bar
Last month I turned the big 3-0. I had originally planned on throwing a huge Flamingo party, but in the end I realized I just didn’t have the energy. Instead, I invited everyone over for a fun backyard BBQ. Since ice cream sandwiches are my favorite dessert, I had to have them at my birthday…
Fig and Mascarpone Cracker Appetizers
When the ridiculously short fig season rolls around, I try to buy as many as possible. We absolutely love fresh figs in our home, and I also love baking and cooking with them. They definitely add a WOW factor to dishes. Take these Fig and Mascarpone Cracker Appetizers for instance. Aren’t they pretty? These garnished…
Star Wars Rebels Party
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BDayOnBudget #CollectiveBias Last month we had the amazing opportunity to attend ComicCon for the first time. Baby Ben was absolutely mesmerized by all of the Star Wars characters and has since been playing/sleeping with his light saber that…
The Ultimate S’mOREO
Yesterday we spent the entire day at the beach, ending the night with a magnificent bonfire. Summer bonfires almost always consist of s’more making, however sand and marshmallows can sometimes make for a messy treat. Not yesterday, though, because I came up with these adorable S’mOREO packs. I combined a package of 2-Pack OREO, two…
Sweet Corn and Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
A few weeks ago I was invited to visit the Safeway Culinary Kitchens in Pleasanton, CA. The other bloggers and I got a behind the scenes tour of just how recipes are developed and tested. It was really interesting to meet the people responsible for the Open Nature brand. Safeway is debuting their new Open…
Strawberry Rhubarb Sugar Cookie Crumb Bars
Last year upon moving into our home, the first order of business was to plant a rhubarb plant. Priorities right!? It has been a long year to wait for my first harvest, but when I did, I was ready! I had been jotting down recipe ideas and this one was at the top of my…
Gluten Free Party Cookie Mix
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending my first Camp Blogaway. This camp is set in the San Bernardino mountains. Unlike many food blogging conferences that I have attended, this is more like a retreat than a conference. One of the things that I really enjoyed was the Networking table. This is a…
Lemon Lime Coconut Cookies
About a month ago I attended a Blogger event at Specialty Produce in San Diego. I have been a long time fan of theirs, visiting regularly before events to get the freshest produce. Therefore learning about their blogger program was seriously an added bonus. After giving us a tour and a produce taste testing, they…
Garden Pudding Cups
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackPackMixins #CollectiveBias Last weekend my family and I were invited to a Potluck Easter Egg Hunt at the park. I wanted to bring something that celebrated spring and was easy to eat and transport. The easy open Snack…
Thick and Chewy M&M’S Cookies
If you are looking for a thick, giant, chewy, soft M&M’S cookies, this is your recipe! The Oscars are coming up tomorrow and I can’t wait to watch them. In a perfect world, I would be creating a menu with each dish or course reflecting the nominated movies. However with three kids and a long…
Heart Apple Pies
It has become quite the tradition in our home that my daughter and I make something special for Valentine’s Day to pass out to her friends. My older son was never really into it, and also opted to hand out a piece of candy and store-bought card. My daughter however is 100% me. She absolutely…
Valentine’s Day Italian 7 layer Cookies
Valentine’s Day is in 11 days. Normally I don’t really care about the whole romantic part of this holiday, and I usually focus on the kid part. This year however, I am counting down the days. You see, this will be the first year that I have actually procured a babysitter and my husband and…