Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

I confess...my least favorite Christmas activity is frosting sugar cookies.    By the time I get the cookies mixed, rolled, cut and baked I am done with the kitchen.   I know that it is a tradition for most families and out of obligation I will eventually give in and make them with my kids.  I would much rather be relaxing by the tree listening to my Bing Crosby.

White Chocolate Butter Cookies with Peppermint Cream Filling

It isn't Christmas without baking.  The Christmas season is the perfect time to tryout new festive recipes.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We have a list of family traditions that my husband and I are very strict to follow each Christmas season.   As a young married couple we sat down and wrote all our memories about Christmas time that made it so magical for us.  Our list is growing and is always a work in process as we make our own traditions.   Here is our list:

Egg Free Dinner Rolls

What is a holiday meal without fresh hot rolls?  This was the question I had when I got out my favorite homemade roll recipe last Thanksgiving only to see that it had eggs.   I was bummed out because it was about the same time we discovered my son had an egg allergy.

Peppermint Butter Toffee

THANKSGIVING 2013

This will be our first Thanksgiving in our new home.   This is exciting for me since this is our first home that has enough space to use the leaf in our dinning table.  We will be having my sister and her family over for dinner, which means there will be five children under 6 years old.   I have had a lot of fun searching the internet and creating some fun actives for these kids to keep them entertained (and out of trouble).

Activity #1

Homemade Butter

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Rather than making the regular white or wheat bread,  make this seasonal pumpkin bread and get in the fall spirit.

Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower

It is a tough job to get kids to eat vegetables, but it can be an even tougher job for a wife to get  her husband to eat his vegetables as well.   This is the case in our house.   Every time I make a vegetable as a side dish, I feel like I am the only one eating them.

Pumpkin Cream Swirl Cookies

This is one of our favorite cookies to make each fall.   It has the classic pumpkin chocolate chip cookie taste with the added bonus of a creamy cream cheese filling.

Favorite Roasted Carrots

I get a little sentimental when I make these carrots.  My husband and I made this recipe a lot when we were first married, living in a small dumpy basement apartment.   We were both busy working and going to school, so between homework and preparing for the next day we would cook together.   Roasted carrots were usually our side dish or occasionally our main dish about twice a week.  

Homemade Gummy Candy (Zucchini Candy)

Extra zucchini? Tired of trying to sneak it in casseroles or breads?

Yes!

Perfect Pumpkin Waffles with Pumpkin Spice Syrup

I am not crazy about the Halloween holiday (really because I am a giant scaredy cat).  However I do enjoy all the creative treats and foods that are made during this season.    Making pumpkin food is a tradition during fall; and these pumpkin waffles are always on the top of our list to make.   We made these waffles for dinner the night before Halloween.  I think it is now one of our ways to celebrate halloween eve from now on.

Halloween Tradition Check List

Fall Tradition Check List

Apple Cider Ice Cream

Nothing sweeter than tasting an apple in season.   My husband and I were amazed when we tasted a apple I had just bought from the grocery store.  The sugar in the apple made our mouths water and my husband truthfully said, "this is how a apple should taste".

Mama's Cinnamon Zucchini Bread

The scent of warm zucchini bread means one thing... Welcome FALL.      I wish I could bottle the smell in our house while this bread is cooking. The smell of cinnamon and sweet brown sugar makes me want to wrap myself in a blanket and forget about my responsibilities.  

Peaches Peaches Peaches

I come from a long line of "canners".   My mom and grandma and great grandma and so on until who knows when have all been amazing food preservers.   I have seen pictures of my grandmother's cold cellar with shelves full of bottled food that grew in their own gardens.   I can't even imagine the amount of work and time it took for them to grow a successful garden, pick and bottle the food, and yet still take care of a family and a house.  This makes me feel so lazy.

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Peaches are in the top five for my favorite fruits.   There is nothing more delicious than eating a freshly picked peach with its juice running down your chin.   We live close to a city known for growing peaches the size of grapefruits that are always sweet and ready to be eaten.  If fact they even have a weekend festival called Peach Days just to celebrate there bountiful crop.  We go every year just to buy homemade peach cobbler.  

Lemonhead Cookies

Well,  it is here.  The official last few days of summer.  I wait all winter to bath in the warmth of the sun and it is over in a blink.

Lemon Pizza

I love the freshness of lemon and I loved this pizza.  It had such a burst of citrus that is so unique to pizza! 

Firework Oreo Chex Mix

For the 4th of July this year, we celebrated by going to the annual city parade, barbequing with family, and to top it off.... fireworks!   Not only did we end the night watching fireworks, we also experienced "fireworks" in our mouths.

Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges

We love sweet potato fries.   I usually bake them in the oven, but I decided use our grill to make them more "summery"  with grill marks.   This is now my favorite method to cook them. The texture was slightly crispy yet smooth and almost creamy on the inside. 

The Fluffernutter Cookie

Peanut butter and marshmallow are not strangers.  They are deliciously paired together in the classic sandwich from my childhood, the Fluffernutter. 

Lemon Meringue Pie Ice Cream

The only dessert that I want to make in the summer is ice cream.  It is easy, refreshing and the flavor combinations are endless.  The best part is that there is no oven to turn on.

Vegetable Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

102 degrees outside = no oven inside.    We are now into the summer heat (which I still prefer over the negative 10 degrees we had this past winter).  In this heat, I have no desire use the stove or oven, so this recipe is a perfect no cook meal.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Syrup

The first thing my son asks for when he wakes up in the morning is pancakes.  The word pancake was one of the first words he learned to speak.  So, I am always on the lookout for inspiration to make ordinary pancakes a little more special.

Bruschetta Burger with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Fire up your grill!  This is a juicy and flavorful burger that will satisfy any carnivore's appetite.

Summer Fun Advent

I love summertime, and of course, it always goes by too quickly.  This summer I want to make sure my family and I enjoy everyday doing something that promotes quality time.  After searching my brain and the internet, I have compiled a list of summer activities to do together.

Chocolate Brownie Pancakes

Brownies for breakfast?  Anything goes as long as a two year old will eat it.   These pancakes are chocolatey, moist, and perfect with strawberries. 

Cookie Dough Cream Cheese Ice Cream

This is our all time favorite vanilla ice cream recipe.  It is incredibly smooth and creamy; the cream cheese adds a unique spin on the classic vanilla flavor.

Cranberry Avocado Salad with Candied Sunflower Seeds

Creamy avocado, chewy dried cranberries, and crunchy candied sunflower seeds combine to make a bowl full of texture and flavor.   This is the perfect summer salad to serve as a side dish or for a light main dish.

Favorite Sweet Granola

We discovered how easy it was to make homemade granola about a year ago and now always have some in the pantry.  One batch usually lasts us two weeks.  We love eating it with milk or yogurt and fruit.

Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Candy

Peanut butter filling, a crunchy bottom and a dusting of  Fleur De Sel.

Creamy Lemon Butter Cake

My dad LOVES anything lemon.  I remember him requesting  lemon bars after most Sunday meals.   Now with his kids out of the house and my mom retired from baking, he only gets lemon treats either on his birthday or on Father's Day.  For his birthday this year, I decided to make him a rich lemon cake marbled with creamy cheesecake.  Yes... he had a big smile on his face when he smelled that lemon in the air. 

Waffles with Butterscotch Banana Syrup

The  best way to spend a Saturday morning is making a special breakfast together.   Butterscotch Banana Syrup is the perfect accompaniment  to waffles that will take them to the next level of yummy.

Strawberry Shortcake Truffles

Happy Mother's Day

This year I made these little delicious bites.  They were SO easy and were the perfect size to put in homemade paper matchboxes.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls with Pudding

Anything with cinnamon is a big hit at our house and cinnamon rolls are requested at least once a month.

Creamy Green Chili Soup

Soup is the easiest and in my opinion the yummiest dinner!  I love that I can throw everything and anything into one pot and you get your protein and vegetables in one bite!

Cream cheese works perfectly in this soup- it adds a nice coolness to the heat from the green chilies.

Insanely Good Frosting

I have learned something about myself today.... I can never have enough sugar in one bite.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

Making cookies is my go to activity with my son when boredom hits.   (which happens more often than is healthy).

Lemon Chicken Soup

Our family has been sick with colds for the past two weeks and I was in desperate need of a warm chicken soup.  Of course I couldn't just make the normal chicken noodle-  so I made my own variation which turned out to be my favorite variation!

Aebleskiver (Danish Pancakes)

Aebleskivers...or yummy donut balls!

Monte Cristo Casserole

April Fools Day came too fast this year, therefore the traditional prank was not planed and executed.  So I decided to make a quick dinner that had a sweet surprise in it.

Cheesy Burger Soup

We love everything about this soup... except its name.   The original title was Cheeseburger Soup- every time I read the name it reminded of a greasy fast food hamburger, which then makes me think...ugh.  So I changed the name into really the same name but some how I feel better about the separation of cheese and burger.

Homemade "Peanut butter" Candy

I love making homemade candy-  and Easter is my second favorite holiday because of the yummy treats. (Christmas is when the mother load of goodies are made in my kitchen).

Egg Free Pancakes

As soon as we found out our boy had food allergies to tree nuts and eggs,  I was on the hunt for safe recipes for him.   I came across this amazing food blog that has tons of yummy allergy friendly recipes!