Coconut Syrup

 A lot of years back, A few years back, when I was in college I went to school in Hawaii for a summer.  You know, taking a serious course-load like Tennis and Principles of Education. (The tests were crossword puzzles.  Yes, there was a word box.  And we got cookies for finishing. Probably the most rigorous semester of my life.) 

Besides for going to the beach everyday, and legitimate Shave Ice, coconut syrup was one of the best things about living there.

Although I haven't found a dead ringer for real Hawaiian coconut syrup, this stuff is pretty darn close. We use it over french toast and pancakes, and I'm sure it would be great on waffles as well.  This is a great way to welcome summer.

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for visiting me today!

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S'more Brownies

My mom has been making these brownies for as long as I can remember.  She has always been a S'mores lover.  Also she regularly bought Rice Krispy Treat cereal when I was a kid, so Mom of the Universe award goes to her.

My oldest graduated from preschool this last week.  There were more tears than I imagined there would be...  Turns out I'm not going to be the mom that doesn't cry on the first day of Kindergarten. When I looked at this picture (far Right looking straight at ya), I just saw a big 18 year old kid who had grown up in an instant and was graduating high school.  Is it wrong to never ever want that day to come?

Other things we did this week include Frankenweenifying our cat:

Because normal people do that.


These S'more Brownies are our HELLO to Summer!  We have a lot planned to keep us busy and we can't wait to get started.

Have a happy memorial day weekend friends!

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Spiced Brown Sugar Carrot Bread

So, I get that this makes me a total technology fail, but I finally figured out how to get my scheduled posts to go out on time.  I'm hoping this is going to make me a much more consistent blogger, which is a great thing.

In other news, JT has finally managed to bring sexy back.

Just kidding.  That hasn't happened yet. 

Excuse my carbaholic tendencies while I post another bread recipe, will you?

This bread is lightly sweetened and perfectly appropriate for breakfast.  It's not one of those "cake" loafs; it really is more of a sweet bread.  Go heavy on the spices if you like a strong spice flavor.  I like to heap mine.

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Lemon Glazed Bread

One thing I hate about living in the tundra is that you can't grow citrus trees outside.  I dream about retiring on a big orchard someday, and diving into pools of freshly picked citrus fruit.

One of these days I'm going to get me a little indoor dwarf lemon tree but until then I still have to go to the store every time I want to make this bread.

This  recipe is really versatile. You can  add blueberries* if you want. I also don't see any reason you couldn't make an orange version of this bread.

The glaze on this bread is SO yummy. It tastes like lemonade and gives this bread a tart bang of flavor.  Don't skip the glaze.

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Creamy Coconut Fruit Dip

This week I've had the MOTHER of all colds.  I can't currently speak, smell, or taste, which is great except for when I want to eat, communicate, or check whether or not I actually washed the clothes in the washer.  My kids told me my birthday cake and cupcakes were super good so I mean, who really needs to be able to taste anyways?

I spent most of yesterday reading Matched, which was great, except there are 3 people in line ahead of me for Crossed and like, not to be rude, but I really need to know what happens and if I can read a whole book in one day, you should be able to too.  Unfortunately, other people apparently have lives?

I bought a flat of strawberries at Costco last week so my kids aren't even starving.

That of course brings us to fruit dip.  This stuff is amazing on bananas.  It tastes like cream pie, and I'm hoping it's an appropriate substitute for children to have for lunch.

This girl ain't winning mommy of the year award today.

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Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Just because I like you.  Happy Tuesday!

I have also made this cheesecake with chopped up Reese's cups decorating the top instead of peanut butter chips, and I prefer that version!

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Double Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake {Basic Chocolate Cheesecake}

If this picture doesn't make your tummy grumble, you're probably an alien.

Just sayin.


I honestly had problems writing this because I was so distracted by this staring me in the face. It really is as good as it looks.  Creamy & chocolatey.

This is my very favorite recipe for basic chocolate cheesecake as well- just omit the Oreos and you can adapt it any way you choose.  Some day I'm swirling caramel into this baby.

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Moist Carrot Cake

I am picky about carrot cake.  Raisins are not acceptable in carrot cake.* Pineapple is SO not acceptable in carrot cake!  Pecans however, are necessary.  (This is where me and my husband disagree.)

Not too many pecans, just enough to add a little bit of texture, you know?

I like to go a little heavy on the spices and to slather the whole thing in cream cheese frosting.  This cake is totally worth the 20 minutes it takes to finely grate the carrots!  (Anybody else have an aversion to grating things?  Seriously, I would rather swallow staples.)

What's your favorite way to enjoy carrot cake?

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Chocolate-dipped Strawberry "Carrots"

Let this day be known in history, as the day I got my 3 year old to eat a vegetable.

It was actually like a month ago, but we can still celebrate right?

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Coconut Cream Cake

Ok.  See?  Freaky pictures.

Pretend to ignore and we can be friends.   It gets better, I promise.


I'm feeling a little bit lost with no holidays to prepare for.  Halloween through Easter has been a whirlwind of baking and trying to cram in everything I want to make and now my baking schedule is completely free until the 4th of July comes around.  It's a nice feeling actually.  I get to wrack my brain for delicious treats to invent instead of plowing through the 3 pages of bookmarked recipes on my computer.

This baby is a cake I make every year around Easter and it is the moistest cake everr.  It is a poke cake, drizzled with cream of coconut and has a fantastic coconut flavor.  It needs to be eaten within 2 days because it is so moist, but you shouldn't have problems getting rid of it.

Just to be clear, Cream of Coconut is that sweet syrupy stuff, often found in a can, over on the mixers aisle  (by the soda).  Look for Margarita mix and it's probably sitting on the shelf next to that.  I have yet to find a store that doesn't carry it, sometimes you just have to poke around a little bit.  Coconut milk, or Coconut Cream (non-sweetened) are NOT the same and will not yield the same results.  The brand I buy is Coco Lopez.  Check the back.   If there are a bazillion-ty calories in 2 Tbsp, and sugar is one of the first ingredients, you've got the right stuff.  Cream of Coconut is a great way to add a strong coconut flavor without adding gritty chunks of coconut to whatever you are baking!

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