We absolutely adore our children's teachers and the other wonderful personnel at their school so the kids helped me whip up these Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Sticks for them, then I created these "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" gift tags to decorate them with. Now the kids are super excited to hand deliver them at school tomorrow! Feel free to download the gift … [Read more...]
Hot Chocolate Mix Gifts Your Kids Can Make!
Just four ingredients. Plus one or more children equal a fun time making hot chocolate mix for gifts. At our house we abandoned store-bought individual hot chocolate packets long ago. Only because we needed more. When the temperature dipped outside, we went through about a box in a day. With this recipe and warehouse-sized containers, we make a frugal, homemade version in … [Read more...]
Carrot Cake with Spiced Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
There's just something about sour cream mixed into a cake batter. The added moisture and texture makes it so-so-so fluff-ilicious! And then the frosting…sneaking in a little Breakstone’s sour cream into this cake’s frosting for a perfect balance of sweet and tangy with every bite. This cake is the perfect end to any holiday meal…it’s light, … [Read more...]
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
I always make too many mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. I assume everybody will want to eat as large of a serving of mashed potatoes as I do. Shockingly, that is not the case and I am left with a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes. I don't mind though because that means I have enough mashed potatoes to make Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole. This is a fast and easy way to … [Read more...]
Chive Crusted Beef Roast with Red Potatoes and Creamy Horseradish-Chive Sauce
Can I tell you a secret!? Promise not to tell anyone. Will you pinky swear?! Because if you'll pinky swear, then I'll tell you. Okay - come here, because I'll only whisper it. Ready. Shhh. I really don't like turkey. Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone, K?! Yes. It's true. I sorta like turkey. But not really. But I know it's such a tradition to serve it as a … [Read more...]
Greek Sour Cream Dip with Crudites
I have partnered again with Breakstone’s Sour Cream…this time for the “Taste Test, Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers”. This challenge is lots of fun with lots of great prizes. For this “battle”, I’m up against 2 other amazing bloggers…so I’m gonna need your help! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of our favorite holiday recipes (this being the … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Chai Latte
As I killed sugar from my diet in August, and continue to keep it at a minimum, I found myself missing out on my occasional latte and Chai tea. These are splurges for me, but even still...I was missing them. Since getting them without sugar at Starbucks wouldn't be an option, I'd just have to make my own. Better and cheaper! I've shared my favorite version of the Pumpkin … [Read more...]
Roasted Broccoli with Golden Raisins and Peanuts
Broccoli Raisin Salad. Quite possibly my favorite "cold vegetable" salad. When thinking about trying a new way to fix broccoli, I kept going back to my favorite cold version of broccoli raisin salad. But it didn't sound right as I thought about it. Maybe it's the chili weather, or mourning the loss of summer (yes, I am in mourning. Not a winter person here.), or all the … [Read more...]
Apple Pie Filling for the Freezer
So over Labor Day weekend, we picked almost 30 pounds of apples. There remain about 5 apples in the fridge, that we will snack on this week. But our surplus is not gone! Much of it is packed away nicely in the freezer. After making 3 big batches of slow cooker applesauce (2 of which are in the freezer, and the other long gone!), I also made 2 pies worth of filling for the … [Read more...]
July 4th Recipe Round-Up
Food. Sparklers. Pools. Fireworkds. More food. Family. Friends. Fun. More and more food. If you're looking for a few new recipes or ideas for your July 4th weekend, try one of these... Toss It In Pasta Salad Almond, Raspberry, Blueberry Muffins Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas Double Bean Stuffed Green Peppers Grilled Mushroom Burgers Grilled Pineapple … [Read more...]