Searching for Dessert

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

2013-05-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

Cheesecake is such a decadent dessert that people love but rarely make. I feel safe assuming it could be the time involved in preparing it. There's no reason to shy away though, these mini chocolate cheesecakes are portion controlled (only makes seven) and you could have them prepared in less than a half hour in most cases. I love the versatility that these provide because you can make them how you want them.
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Roasted Strawberry & Pineapple Shortcakes

2013-05-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

I've been on a kick lately with roasting foods in the oven, first tomatoes, onions, and red peppers, and now strawberries and pineapples. I couldn't have picked two foods that are more different from each other. But the oven is just so easy. I should take the time to roast some foods on the grill, that would be really nice. The smokey flavor would really add to the dish probably. Any way you cook them, these are delicious though!
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Meringues (only 4 ingredients!)

2013-05-15T15:14:00.001-04:00

I know what you're thinking...those look just like chocolate chip cookies!. Yes they do. How cool is that? Until you try one of course, then you bite into a light and crunchy meringue cookies with chocolate chips in every bite. I think these may be one of my new favorite cookies. I absolutely could not stop eating them. The recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen and I'm confident I took out at least half the batch all by myself. The only reason I restrained myself and didn't eat more was because I actually made them for someone else, luckily they didn't need many :).

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Meatless Monday! Roasted Golden Gazpacho

2013-05-13T14:33:00.002-04:00

Hot summer days usually make people want food on the grill or dishes that are served cold. Gazpacho is a perfect summer appetizer, side, or main course depending on the portion served. Usually gazpacho is made with fresh, uncooked vegetables but I got a little crazy and roasted a few of them in the oven, then pureed them up for the soup. I believe that the vegetables being roasted in the oven really add to the final flavor of the dish.
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Strawberry Windowpane Cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week

2013-05-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get an idea in my head and tell myself "oh yeah, I can do that in a reasonable amount of time with a 2 month old and a 4 year old"...It doesn't usually work out to be completed in a reasonable amount of time, as I'm sure you figured out. Such is the case with the cookies I made for Teacher Appreciation Week, which is this week if you didn't already know that. Now...about the cookies. Don't let that fool you though, there's no refrigerating the dough before rolling so these are actually really quick to make if you're not stopping every two minutes to help a child with something :).

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No Bake Almond Cheesecake! Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly becoming more of a chocolate dessert person. I used to just enjoy chocolate pieces and truffles but not usually chocolate cake or chocolate based desserts. My current obsession is molten chocolate cake. I could eat it every. single. night. I'm also a huge supporter of fresh whipped cream made with heavy cream and powdered sugar (and sometimes vanilla). It adds such a lovely flavor and nice light texture to desserts.

Blueberry Pomegranate Cookie Bars

2013-05-03T12:08:00.000-04:00

Warm summer days are getting closer and the chilly spring mornings and evenings seem to be happening less often, at least where I live. At our old house (the last two actually) we didn't have a good outdoors setting, like a patio or deck. Where we live now we have a deck and that makes me so excited. I look forward to sitting outside with a beverage and maybe some cookie bars or even dinner and just watching the birds and talking to whoever is with me.
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Strawberry & Chocolate Chip Scones

2013-04-25T15:04:00.000-04:00

Strawberry season is just starting and so there are a lot of recipes popping up that use fresh strawberries. Most of these recipes are perfect for bringing out the sweet and juicy flavors in the berries. Also, in a lot of places u-pick farms are starting to open so you can get the freshest berries. In the summer I love visiting farmers markets to see all of the fresh produce and crafts available.

Meatless Monday! Southwest Quinoa Sliders

2013-04-22T10:18:00.000-04:00

It's Earth Day today and Meatless Monday is perfect for celebrating the earth because it helps to save valuable resources. Even eating meatless one day a week can be beneficial to the earth and your health. People choose to eat less meat for a variety of reasons. One important part of eating meatless is incorporating a variety of grains, vegetables, and fruits into your diet. These quinoa sliders are perfect for a meatless meal, and as a bonus they're pretty quick to prepare which makes them perfect for a weeknight meal.

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Mexican Blackout Cupcakes

2013-04-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I come across ingredients that I'm so excited about using but have no idea how I want to use them. Consequently it takes me a long time usually to decide how to use them, sometimes months. In this case, this package of lovely Mexican chocolate has been hanging around in my candy box (because I totally have one of those) for over a year. I just couldn't make up my mind. Then finally I saw it and came up with an idea. A cupcake, with a filling.

Candied Carrot Cake Meringue Cookies

2013-04-16T09:44:00.000-04:00

I think the idea of taking the flavors of one type of dessert and putting them into another type of dessert is so much fun. Different textures in one dessert also adds interest to it. I know I prefer something with different textures, even something as simple as a chocolate chip cookie. A chocolate chip cookie has smooth and creamy chocolate chips with a chewy or crisp (or both) texture so you eat both at the same time. These cookies combine smooth and creamy white chocolate chips, homemade candied carrot pieces, and cinnamon in a brown sugar meringue. The result is a crispy on the outside and soft melt in your mouth inside.

Meatless Monday! Baked French Toast Sticks

2013-04-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Most people enjoy eating breakfast for dinner but don't usually think about it because they're stuck in a rut with the same old dinners every night. Mixing up what you eat for dinner can really be fun, even if for no other reason than it's something different. Breakfast provides so many quick and easy dinner opportunities such as omelets, pancakes, waffles, frittatas, stuffed french toast, quiche, eggs benedict, or even breakfast pizza.
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Malted Chocolate Brownies

2013-04-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

It's always so funny to think about the foods you like when you're an adult that you wanted nothing to do with when you were a child. I know even about 8 years ago I made a list of the foods I didn't like because I was bored one day and my boyfriend at the time (husband now :) ) wanted to make me dinner but I was super picky. The list ended up being two columns on a legal pad and took up the whole front and one column on the back.

Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! Pumpkin Doughnuts

2013-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's definitely April and I'm making pumpkin doughnuts which are usually only talked about in the autumn months. There's a reason why though, they're delicious! Baked doughnuts are so quick and easy to make it's a wonder I don't make them every weekend. I should, or maybe I shouldn't. If you've ever thought about making some doughnuts at home but you don't want to fry them then you should consider getting a doughnut pan so that you can bake some. When you make them at home then you can control every ingredient that goes into them.

Cherry Cobbler Meringues

2013-04-05T09:58:00.000-04:00

To some people meringues are like little cardboard cookies but to other people they are like little clouds of delight. I fall into the latter group because when meringues are made well then they are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and melt in your mouth when you eat them. One selling point of meringues is that they are typically fat free becaue they're just egg whites and sugar (and a few other small ingredients sometimes). These little pillows of delight are perfect for a dessert tray and easy to make the parts of the recipe ahead so assembly takes mere minutes before serving.

Sponge Cake with Orange Curd and Strawberries

2013-04-03T18:02:00.000-04:00

Spring is here and most people are thinking about what may be considered as bright flavors, orange, lemon, strawberry, blueberry, lime...fruits mostly. Citrus makes people think of spring and summer. I'm not a summer person because I don't like the hot weather but I do enjoy spring (and fall for that matter). Light and fruity desserts always taste so good when it's starting to get warm outside and you don't want a heavy molten chocolate cake (yeah, like I ever don't want one of those!).

Lime Meringue Bars

2013-03-29T09:04:00.000-04:00

Easter is in a few days and despite the fact that I am a serious planner, I am not ready yet. I'm a little nervous about buying eggs at the store because I have an irrational fear there won't be any. Maybe I'm not a great planner, but I try anyway. Remember that Spring Vegetable Bread I made? I'm making that recipe into rolls for dinner. For whatever reason that is pretty exciting me to me. I will post updated directions on the recipe to reflect dinner rolls as well as the larger loaf.

Panna Cotta in Egg Shells (vegetarian)

2013-03-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Spring is here and Easter is almost here so this is the perfect time for fun Spring themed desserts! To me, these cute little cups resemble tulips. I love the way that they came out. I've had this idea in my head for a while and have been wanted to make them before Easter. I think that desserts with vanilla beans in them look so pretty and it's fun that you can see the little black specks that add such intense flavor.

Meatless Monday! Individual Winter Garden Casseroles

2013-03-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

It may be officially Spring but it's definitely snowing outside my door, as it is all over the country. Last night while watching the weather on tv we were laughing because it started out as 1-3 inches of snow, then they came on and said that we have about 3 inches so now they're calling for 3-5 inches. As more snow fell then they kept changing the forecast. We don't get much snow here but when it does snow it's usually amusing watching the forecasts change regularly so that they can seem like they had it right the first time.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flowers

2013-03-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Spring always reminds me of flowers, as I'm sure it does for most people. I know we will be seeing many more flowers incorporated into desserts and sweet treats starting over the next few weeks. Lots of pastel colors will probably be making their way into pictures too, I'm sure they will be beautiful. These little peanut butter flowers are bite size and perfect for a small tray of sweet treats.

Improv Reveal Day! Spring Vegetable Bread

2013-03-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to eat is warm bread that is freshly made. The flavor is usually unbeatable in combination with the crisp crust and soft middle. Even the next day the same bread usually doesn't taste the same, not necessarily any worse, just not as good as when it's fresh from the oven. Adding natural colors to bread always adds visual excitement and adding flavors also contribute to deliciousness.

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Deep Dish Hot Fudge Brownie Sundaes

2013-03-20T10:17:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day of Spring, although I haven't heard from anyone who says it feels like it. It's only 29F here right now, but a high of 58F so it may sort of feel like Spring if you stand in the sun this afternoon and hope there isn't a chilly wind. On the up side, my dogs are loving the current weather and enjoy lounging on the deck outside. I'm thinking that these deep dish hot fudge brownie sundaes will make me feel better though.
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Meatless Monday! Enchilada Soup

2013-03-18T10:32:00.002-04:00

I have always had a love for Mexican inspired dishes and this soup is no exception. At first I wasn't to sure about it because it has pumpkin in it, but once I tried it, I was hooked. I could probably eat this soup once a week because it's so good! This soup is perfect for a cold night and quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes (maybe even 20 depending on how fast you chop vegetables).
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Spicy Gingersnaps

2013-03-15T13:38:00.001-04:00

So has anyone noticed a few things going on with my blog? Aside from the whole header disappearing for who knows how long yesterday of course. I added a "pin it" button next to the first picture on every recipe yesterday (that took a while, whew). I also took the opportunity to redesign my header and add a Bloglovin' button and a Google + button to make it easier to follow my blog (hint hint) :). Please let me know if anything looks wonky (technical term of course).
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Candied Bacon Fudge

2013-03-14T11:23:00.001-04:00

Happy "Pi" Day everyone! I got a little ahead of myself yesterday thinking it was the 14th. I was so excited to have not missed a fun holiday that I posted a day early :). So, here we are on national "pi" day and I'm posting fudge. But, it's Candied Bacon Fudge! Does it get better than that? I'm not really sure, since I personally haven't tried it seeing as how I don't eat bacon. But I have several taste testers who honestly tell me if it's postable and they all had positive reactions to this little square of delight.

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