Eggnog Fudge

Drumroll please...it's time to unveil a seasonal treat.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

Today I bring you a tale of two loaf pans and the accidental discovery of our new favorite snack.  A few years ago when I was on a mission to find the world's best banana bread I was cooking both at my own house and the house of my beloved.  We both owned loaf pans.

Oreo Cupcakes

My special someone and I are in charge of dessert for family dinners and we've gotten into a comfortable routine.  In the morning, I mix up a batch of cookie dough and set it aside in the fridge to chill out for the day.  When it's time to leave, I grab the dough and cookie sheets to take with us.  When we all sit down to dinner, I slide the dough in the oven and by the time dinner is done, fresh baked cookies await.

Souvlaki

Let's continue our tale of awesome beach condo meals from where we left it last time.  Our second cooking adventure of the journey was a beloved family recipe.

Chili Mac

Today's post comes to you from vacation land.  From an oceanfront condo with a fully equipped kitchen.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Burgers

My special someone and I have a designated weeknight set aside for date night.  The first item on the agenda is always a home cooked meal.  What do I make?  Well, Shepherd's Pie, Burritos, Penne alla Vodka,  General Tso's Chicken, and Chicken Marsala are a few of the frequent hitters.  The rest of the time I turn to the internet in search of new dinners.  As with all first time recipes, some are hits, some are misses.  And some just knock it out of the park. 

Deviled Eggs

Picture the scene.  It's Memorial Day and I'm planning to make guac for a party.  Head into the grocery store and find nothing but rock hard avocados.  It's time for Plan B. Ok, what can I whip up that will be just as popular as guac?  Aha, deviled eggs.  Brilliant.  Look up a few recipes on my phone, come up with the consensus on an ingredient list, and head home.  And then I remember that as much as I love eating them, I hate making deviled eggs.  I always get the timing wrong on boiling them, ending up either too hard or too soft.  And I have bad luck with peeling them, scared for life by the time I made a batch of 18 and spent hours picking off shells piece by piece.  I knew that I needed to find a rock solid recipe to back up my endeavors.

Sweet Potato Hash

I have sweet potato guilt.  I know they are off the charts healthy, they are beautiful, they are delicious, they are easy to prepare...but in spite of good intentions, they rarely make it onto my shopping list.  I spent months dreaming up a super veggie breakfast.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bananas aren't just for banana bread.  They make a fantastic cake, nestled under a blanket of cream cheese frosting and topped with fun sprinkles.

Chicken Marsala

My history with Chicken Marsala is similar to my history with Penne alla Vodka: never had it, wasn't sure what it was, but the named sounded cool so I decided to seek it out.  Unlike Penne alla Vodka, I didn't realize that alcohol was involved until I got hold of the recipe.  On the day that I first made it, I headed up to the grocery store on my lunch break.  I went through the wine section but there was no Marsala wine to be had and no one around to ask.  The clock was running out, so I turned to google for help.  No one had a good suggestion for a Marsala substitute, but someone mentioned that in their grocery store Marsala was in the vinegar section.  And so it was in mine.  Since using up that first bottle of "vinegar" Marsala, I've always been able to find it in the wine section.  "Wine" Marsala is less salty than "vinegar Marsala", but both are fantastic.

Bailey's Cheesecake Brownies

A while back, I stumbled onto a Bailey's cheesecake brownies recipe.  I knew it would be good, I just didn't know how good.  A deeply chocolate cakey brownie hugging a layer of Bailey's infused cheesecake.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

This is a recipe that brings a smile to my face every time I make it.  It's a lightish version of spinach artichoke dip bundled up into a pasta dish, the perfect thing to make for company or for yourself, and the leftovers are freezer friendly.  Reason enough to smile, but there's more to the story.  The first time I made it was girls' night a few years ago.  My best buddy and I scoured the internet for the perfect dinner, and after much back and forth, settled on this.  We stopped at the store on the way home for frozen spinach and wine and headed to her place.  Dinner came together quickly and kicked back with happy bellies and settled in for the movie of the night.