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Gluten Free has never been so fun
Chocolate is a must have in my house at all times. I usually have a chocolate bar, a brownie, peanut butter cup or a cookie to satisfy my daily chocolate need. For brownies and cookies the fudgier and richer the better for me. My sea salt caramel brownies are super fudgy but finding a cookie to meet that criteria has been difficult, and I never imagined a gluten free option would give me the perfect chocolate cookie…but I am so glad it did. I have been making gift baskets and I wanted to have a gluten free option in each basket and so I went on the hunt for a…
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a little naughty (and nice) snack mix…
Ok I have to admit something…I have a secret love for snack mix, the sweet and salty snack mixes. I love the mix of sweet and salt in each bite in really anything but for snack mix I am especially a fan, and this particular mix is a FAVORITE of mine for sure. Now I know when you look at the ingredient list it may seem a little strange, but trust me when you take your first bite you will totally understand why I love it. The oatmeal cereal mixed with the cheetos, peanuts and pretzels all by themselves make for a great mix but when you add in…
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a new Holiday treat…yes it’s fudge
Do you have a favorite treat that you only have at Christmas? For me family it was always my MeeMaw’s sugar cookies and english toffee, for my mom is is white chocolate peppermint candy, for The Hubby it is a broccoli & cheese casserole that his mom makes and for my dad it is fudge. Now I am pretty good in the kitchen and can handle most everyones favorites but fudge has always been a little intimidating. There is just something about candy thermometers that scare me just a little bit…but this year I was determined to find a fudge that he would love and that did not require any…
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A perfect winter muffin
The Holiday are a perfect time to break out a fun new muffin for your family and friends and these muffins are definitely a treat. Anytime The Hubby and I have family or friends stay with us I want to have a a special breakfast treat for them in the morning and muffins are a go to for me. I love muffins because you can make a couple different varieties without much time or effort but they are filling and can look pretty impressive. For a special holiday treat I decided to bring together two of my favorites…cranberry and white chocolate. I love this combo is pretty much…
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an unexpected sweet bundt treat
Now I know that when you think of Holiday desserts pumpkin is at the top of the list . As crazy as this might sound, my family are not big pumpkin lovers so we have always had several additional options besides the traditional pumpkin pie….one always being a bundt cake. We love the traditional bundts but we also love this chocolate, chocolate chip bundt cake for chocolate lovers. A new favorite is this butter bundt. It is lighter than a more dense cream cheese bundt cake but still super rich and full of butter love in each bite. When my brother and sis-in-law were down a month or so ago we had a big…
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traditional makes a great roast
Not too long ago The Hubby and I went on one of our infamous shopping trips to Costco. You know one of those trips where you not only get the essentials such as endless amounts of toilet paper and paper towels but you also end up with way too much cubed cheese and some chicken pot pies that The Hubby swears are “SO GOOD!” As part of this trip we had some steaks, chicken breasts and string cheese on the list and then we saw the roasts…and immediately The Hubby and I both decided roast had to be on the menu ASAP. Now over the years I have had…
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potato soup…a must have comfort
Are you still surrounded by all the goodness of Thanksgiving, or have you eaten all the turkey you can handle and are ready to move on and embrace all the warm comfort foods of winter…well for The Hubby and I we are ready to move on and this potato soup is a must make. After all the craziness of Thanksgiving, the endless eating & deal shopping I found it was time to settle into some decorating and a warm bowl of soup. Anytime I ask The Hubby what soup he would like he immediately goes to potato soup or enchilada soup and this time potato won (only because I had everything on…
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dreams are made of this new pumpkin love…
Obviously pumpkin is on everyone’s brain this week…and my brain is defiantly no exception. Really to be honest pumpkin is all I can think about…I just love pumpkin everything. Now the traditional pumpkin desserts are perfect for your Thanksgiving table but this year I wanted to change things up a bit and create a lighter dessert but with all the best it had to offer. The first layer is a delicious graham cracker crust, it is buttery and a little crunchy. Next there is a cheesecake layer that is light with the added whipped cream but still very rich. Next comes the pumpkin layer that is a wonderful pudding like layer loaded…
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whipped cream for days
I LOVE HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM!! Ok there I admit it…I LOVE homemade whipped cream. The first step is admitting it right?? Well there you go…I admit it…I not only love it but I am kinda obsessed with it a little bit. My mom would always make homemade whipped cream for special occasions and I was always so excited. The problem was she would always have to leave the gathering and pull out the mixer and whip it up while her guests were enjoying their drinks because it would deflate if she made it before they arrived…so over the years I have been experimenting with several different stabilizing options to…
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a little something sweet for (almost) everyone
A sweet potato casserole is a MUST HAVE on all of our Holiday tables. There is just something so wonderful about the rich, creamy and fluffy casserole that makes the Holiday’s something super special. In the past most of our casseroles have just had a brown sugar crumb topping because some of my family likes marshmallows and some like pecans and some like both and even a few that don’t like any so it was just easier to keep it minimal…well this year I decided to try and make (almost) everyone happy. I made a traditional sweet potato casserole loaded with brown sugar, butter, half & half and then topped with…
