Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

A few weeks ago I made a bunch of pumpkin treats for the kids in Chase's class to sample.  These cookies were by far the hit.  They are soft and fluffy and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting puts them over the top. 

Read More

Apple Pie Bread

The perfect way to celebrate the onset of the Thanksgiving season?  

Apple pie masquerading as bread. 

Usually I am weird about apples in baked goods, but they are amazing in this bread.  The caveat is that it needs to be eaten the day it's made.  Day-old baked goods made with apples taste like tin cans.

Sorry.  It's a fact.

Eating the loaf in one day won't be a problem, I promise. 

I love to use Braeburn apples for baking because they have a nice crisp apple flavor that really comes through.

Happy November!

Read More

Caramel Apple Freeze

Happy Halloween!!

My kiddos are out of school today, so we are spending the day playing Halloween games, getting free Jamba juice and cupcakes, trick-or-treating at daddy's work, and generally causing havoc. 

Wish I could send them to school tomorrrrrrow...  (Dude.  Seriously the one day of the year I do NOT miss teaching.)

Since I am genuinely concerned you may not consume enough sugar today, I thought I'd introduce you to my friend, the caramel apple freeze today.  These taste just like those Caramel Apple lollipops that are popular this time of year.

Are you doing anything fun to celebrate Halloween today?

Read More

Graveyard Grub

How is Halloween week treating everyone? We have been having a lot of fun carving pumpkins, watching Halloween movies, telling scary stories, and eating candy.  Last week I did a Fear Factor night with the youth at our church and it was awe.some. They bobbed for strawberries in a tub of water filled with live fish, dug through piles of worms in dirt, transported dog food with their mouths, ate sardines, and licked Nutella out of diapers. 

I LOVE teenagers.  Seriously they are hilarious.  Also they do chores for their parents which is kind of awesome.  I need to get me one of those.

In the meantime I am loving my little boys. This graveyard grub is a spooky spin-off of regular old muddy buddies, and my boys LOVE it.  It's creepy and gross, and looks like it came from underneath the ground.  Immediate hit, for sure.
  
{For regular old muddy buddies, you can omit the candies, and substitute 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the Oreo crumbs.}

Hope you love it as much as we do!

Read More

Peach Crisp

 

It's not peach season.  It's pumpkin season.  I get it.  But this recipe can't go unposted.  This is one of those recipes that I've made 3 times intending to photograph it, but it always disappears before I can get my camera on it.  The bottom crust has a buttery toffee-like taste to it, and the peach layer is gooey and peachy and sweet.  Top this with vanilla bean ice cream and you have pretty much the perfect dessert.

This crisp is SWEET. I love it the way it is, if I just have a small bowl, but you can also cut the sugar down a bit if you prefer.

Read More

Pooh Corner Peanut Butter Chocolate-dipped Sandwiches

October always makes me pine for Disneyland. Disneyland is just magical in October, completely decked out for Halloween and full of villains, pumpkins, and yummy treats.

I love Disneyland so much that our retirement plan currently consists of moving to a tiny house near the beach, hubby working the Jungle Cruise, and me working at Marceline's or Pooh Corner (my life's ambition, if we're being honest).

If you don't know these places of which I speak- click the links above.  And get a napkin for your drool.

Since we can't be at Disneyland right this second, I made this copycat of Pooh Corner's Peanut Butter Sandwiches.  I get one of these every time we visit and they are worth the 5 or 6 dollars they cost.

Looking for other Disneyland treats?  Check out these Tigger Tails or these Mickey Pops. 

Read More

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

The weather here has finally turned rainy and cold.  I hate the cold by itself, but I LOVE rainy days.  They remind me of living in Brussels and they make me so nostalgic for Europe.  Plus they are the best excuse for curling up by the fireplace with cocoa and a good book. 

And a cookie or two of course.

Read More

Blueberry Pie Muffins

The other day I bought my 3 year old boy a knight costume for Halloween.  This is a huge victory because his top two costume choices were:

a) corn

and

b) a ladybug.

Corn.  Seriously.

And while ladybugs are cute and all, I'm not sure he would ever live it down if that picture got shown to his prom date in 13 years.

My 5 year old on the other hand just wants whichever costume comes with the most weapons.

Go figure.

I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it is October.  In my mind it's still summer.  And so, we eat muffins.

These are made with blueberry pie filling which makes them SO moist. I have tried 3 blueberry muffin recipes this month (including an incredibly popular one on pinterest), and this one is still my favorite. Frozen berries work great so you can make these year-round.

Read More

Sweet Orange Butter

Ever crave an orange roll but you don't have hours to make them? This butter is orangey and perfect on a hot white roll. You can whip it up in 5 minutes!  I bet you could even mix in some mini chocolate chips if you love the combination of chocolate and orange as much as I do.

Knowing Walmart those Terry's chocolate oranges will probably be in stores any day now anyways.

Happy Wednesday!

Read More

Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies

 

Awhile back I made thebestbrowniesever.  And then I made them even better.  And today I'm doing it again.  If you love peanut butter and chocolate you'll definitely want to try these. 

The frosting is not super peanut-buttery, but it complements these brownies perfectly.  They are pretty rich so you really can cut them into "small squares".

None of this "half-the-pan-qualifies-as-one-brownie, right?", necessary. 


Tell me you've done that too.

Read More