butterscotch brownies

These little golden bites of heaven were born out of desperation and necessity. Like all good treats, right?

My daughter needed to bring a treat for a youth group activity. . .at the last minute (literally, it was an hour before the activity). . .we didn't have any special ingredients. . .and there was no time to run to the store . . .

These chewy butterscotch brownies fulfilled all those circumstances deliciously.

 

texas sheet cake

I was first introduced to Texas sheet cake in Indiana by a dear friend, however

Texas sheet cake is a national favorite.

Everyone loves Texas sheet cake! And why not? Its moist chocolately cake and almost fudge-like frosting combination is a winner. Plus, it's just so easy to make. It's a great dessert for large crowds or the casual potluck. And for good reason, one recipe make a lot of cake!

 

I don't always have buttermilk in the fridge, but the vinegar/milk substitute works so good, there's no reason to make an extra trip to the store.

This is also a great recipe to make with kids.

{chocolate} gingerbread bars

My littles love gingerbread -almost to a fault. On more than one occasion I have caught one of them nibbling on the annual gingerbread houses we make and decorate at Christmastime. Lots of times, the houses are created from my mother-in-laws yummy homemade gingerbread, but other rushed years, we have relied on the store bought kit-in-a-box. That's where the 'almost to a fault' incidents come into play -nibbling on the gross, cement like ginger grossness.

 

So that's why I was so happy to discover these chocolate gingerbread bars. The littles can nibble on these gingerbread bars, sparing the store-bought manufactured house variety.

seasonal snickerdoodles

Alright, these are in honor of my newest sister-in-law, Jen, the Jenerator. She loves snickerdoodles. According to her, she could eat the whole batch! She loves 'em.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a well-loved classic and adapt it up for the season. That's exactly what these seasonal snickerdoodles provide -a taste of the holidays.

With just a simple swap of cinnamon to pumpkin pie spice, these cookies are ready to hold their own against any fall and winter treat. . .

and leave you wondering why you never thought of this tiny tweak before.

chewy caramel butter bars

My mother-in-law understands my long-standing love of baking. A few years back she gave me this  recipe book which is wholly dedicated to baking ooey-gooey, yummy treats -and this little guy's number finally came up.

If you don't like caramel, shortbread, or nuts, this butter bar is not for you.

I love these  Gooey Chewy Caramel Butter Bars. They were easy to make and man, they were good!

cookies and cream cheesecakes

It was my babysitter's birthday this week and we wanted to let her know how much we appreciate her. Seriously, she's the best babysitter! The kids are always in bed when we get back and the house is spotless. And she's spills the scoop on everything that happened while I was away. She's the best! So, the kids and I made and delivered these little treats for her.

These little cupcakes are for Oreo and cheesecake lovers only!

I love how you can read the Oreo imprint right through the paper cupcake liner of these cookies and cream cheesecakes.

lemon bars

Ok, I've been making these for years. They are that good! and I know its not just me -they've had the endorsement of my professional baking buddies.

secret- it's the salt that makes these so good!

Lemon Bar Cookies

{no-bake} cheesecake

I have to thank my wonderful professional baking buddy Angie for this one -she lent her spring form pan last minute. And I'm so glad she did, because this cheesecake was super yummy. My daughter spotted it in my latest issue of Everyday Food, and insisted we try it.

Unlike the baked variety, this cheesecake chills in the fridge to set up, giving it a light, mousse-like consistency perfect for summer!

no bake cheesecake

 

danish apple pie

While my sweet mother-in-law was visiting last month, she was reading Susan Wigg's The Apple Orchard. At the beginning of the book was the following recipe for aeble kage or Danish Apple Pie. My mother-in-law, who loves to cook and to bake, whipped this up for us one night. It was so good! And you know I love a good apple pie. This would be a great week night alternative to my classic apple pie, posted here.

A great week night alternative to classic apple pie!

strawberry shortcakes a la mode

OK, I have to post this recipe. Handyman made these for my Mother's Day dessert and I just made them again last night to accompany our Sunday night dinner.

This strawberry shortcake was the perfect combination of yummy to easy-to-make ratio.

{new} old fashion oatmeal cookies

Looking for a packable treat for your Memorial day picnic? These fit the bill!

I got this recipe from a friend and I just had to try it. Handyman was out town, the kids in bed, the kitchen clean, and I without any book to read. So what else to do? Bake, of course. And good thing, because the next day one of my friends was sick and this was the perfect dessert to go with the dinner that I took her. Let's face it, I didn't want these sweet little treasures sitting around my house -my kids ate one after lunch and then I packed up the rest.

I love baking for other people!

snickerdoodles

Can you believe I never ate a snickerdoodle until just a few years ago? We had just moved cross-country, and my pared down pantry was vacant of all liquids. I wanted to make to make cookies, but with three little kids at home, I didn't want to run to the grocery store just to purchase vanilla. So after scouring my family cook book, I came across this recipe from my sweet sister-in-law. No vanilla needed! It was perfect. After years of baking them, I've adapted it to the recipe below.

These make perfect little gifts or a post-lunch sweet. Give 'em a try.

 

classic apple pie

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks, and one of my favorite things to do is plan our Turkey Day dinner menu.

A few years I made this classic apple pie to finish off our terrific turkey dinner. I borrowed some leaf-shaped cookie cutters from my professional cake baking friend and used them to cut out leaves for the top layer of the pie. I simply scored them with a sharp paring knife to add some additional natural vein details.

Serve al a mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon, and you're sure to impress all your guests.

banana bread muffins

This was my grandmother's award-winning banana bread recipe. I've modified it to fit into a busy afternoon of homework and soccer practice. Or you can bake them on the weekend, keep them in the freezer, and just pull them out as you want throughout the week.

put those over ripen bananas to good use-

the riper the better in these perfect after school snack muffins

raspberry shortcake

these sweet cakes incorporate some of the raspberries right into the shortcake

I made these little sweet treats for a last minute get together with my girlfriends the other week. They were easy to throw together, used mostly pantry items, and were fresh and summery. Definitely girl food that any guy would sneak a bit of!

cinnamon rolls

I got pretty lucky in the mother-in-law department. Not only did I get a great mother-in-law, but she also makes the yummiest cinnamon rolls. Here's the recipe she's been making her family for years.

  

ice cream & cake parfait

The easiest way to serve cake and ice cream at a children's party -parfait style!

I made these ice cream and cake parfaits recently for my daughter's summer birthday party.  I was running the party solo, so I knew I need to have everything done in advance.

These were the perfect solution to serving cake and ice cream to a young crowd. Everything can be done ahead of time, just pull them out of the freezer and enjoy the party along with your guests.

MATERIALS

• Clear glasses
• Ice cream
• Cake
• Crushed Oreos
• Gummy worms

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare a cake of your choosing. Bake in a half sheet pan.
2. After baking remove the cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
3. Freeze the cake, until firm enough to cut. I baked mine in the morning and it was chilled enough by evening to cut out.
4. Using a round cookie cutter the same diameter as your glass, carefully cut out cake. (See photo below.)
5. Place a scoop of soften ice cream into cup. Top with a layer of fudge, cake, and whipped cream.
6. Garnish according to your event. I sprinkled crumbed Oreos and placed a gummy worm on top to accompany our fishy theme.

Don't forget use a cutter the same diameter as your serving glasses.

Anyone else have an all-in-one dessert favorite?

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spring cleaning and spray painting

It was a busy weekend.

I've been on a spring cleaning-decluttering-purging mission over here. Even though I do it annually, I always find a couple small garbage bags full of stuff to donate each year. This year on the chopping block was the princess dress up attire, the magical Cinderella princess vanity, the play kitchen, along with a bunch of paper back books, and outgrown  or I-refuse-to-wear-that-kid clothes.

This is also one of the few summers that we aren't moving. How novel. Usually this season, I'm busy packing up our things to move. I have to say, its a pretty nice feeling being settled. I think that's why I feel so driven to go through everything, its just habit. (There's nothing worse than moving stuff you do need or love.)

I was helping my friend Lisa purge and organize last week, and we came across this little guy, proudly displayed above her enclosed porch sliding door. (Lisa has a similar situation, bought her home not too long ago, and inherited various treasures, like I posted about here.)

I did find time to give him a quick little makeover.

 the original

 primed

new key lime outfit

I selected this key lime color to coordinate with some new key lime kid chairs that she picked up for her children's play space. She doesn't know that I had plans to paint this guy, so I am excited to see her reaction. She was ready to toss him in the trash.

If  tackling your own spring cleaning tasks seem daunting or you just need a little break, try this old fashion bread recipe. The kneading process provides some great stress relief and provides a loaf of yummy bread.

What are you tackling this week?

Linked up to PowerofPaint, ThrifyDecorChick

strawberry mini muffins

These muffins are super easy to make and are perfect for the I-spent-too-much-time-playing-and-not-enough-time-getting-ready little one to eat on the way to the bus stop. Just keep a bag in the freezer and breakfast is ready in no time.

Recipe from
Gifts from a Jar