Hen and Baby Chicks

As some of you know, I keep chickens.  Lots of chickens.  We just recently added to our existing flock and I’ve enjoyed watching the chicks wander around the yard while the older chickens teach them how to scratch for their food.  Keeping chickens is very rewarding and if you’re interested in adding to your flock,…

Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread

I have always wanted to learn how to make really great bread.  I love sourdough bread and I knew there was this mysterious thing called sourdough starter that was necessary to have in order to make sourdough bread. I followed instructions on how to make sourdough starter online, and after a slightly volcanic experience involving…

Springtime Cut Out Cookies

I am really excited about this recipe, I modified a regular cut out cookie recipe by adding lemon zest and cinnamon to give the cookies a bright flavor for spring.  The addition of cardamom would add an extra flavor note to this recipe, unfortunately,  I didn’t have any on hand.  One of the best things…

Hot Cross Bun Buns

Every year around Easter my family goes through several packages of store-bought hot cross buns.  Seeing the buns smooshed together inside plastic packaging with icing smeared everywhere doesn’t look very appetizing to me, so I decided to try making some from scratch at home with my own added twist.  Cute hot cross bunnies-or bun buns!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake Roll

This is a lovely dessert for the spring and summer months!  It’s light and airy with a smooth sweetness.  I made this recipe using an angel food cake mix for time constraint purposes, but you can make your own sponge cake recipe from scratch and it will work just as well!  Your friends and family…

Mochaccino Cheesecakes

This cheesecake recipe is inspired by my favorite coffee drink, the mochaccino.  I enjoy the caffeine of coffee, but I need that chocolate taste to really enjoy it! I decided to bake the cheesecake in coffee mugs to make the dessert resemble the drink it was inspired by.  This would also allow the cheesecake to…

Mint Ice Cream Parfait

This is an extremely decadent dessert, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or a summer party! What I really love about this recipe is the bottom layer of the parfait, it is cake-like, yet creamy like ice cream.  It’s a combination of angel food cake and chocolate marshmallow sauce. In order to really wow your guests,…

Cheesecake Soufflé

This recipe makes a very light and fluffy cheesecake soufflé, which is very different than what most people are used to.  My husband loves cheesecake, and usually we have a traditional graham cracker crust cheesecake, as seen the Apple Caramel Cheesecake. Recently, my husband and I came across this light and airy recipe and decided…

Lion and Lamb Cookies

The month of March is almost here!  I’m sure you have all heard the old folk saying, “When March comes in like  a lion, it goes out like a lamb.”  (Of course the opposite is said as well!)  The lion and the lamb are similarly compared to the characteristics of yin and yang–just like vanilla…

Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Have a Mardi Gras party to attend?  Or hosting your own Mardi Gras theme party?  Try your hand at making these cute Mardi Gras cupcakes!

Vanilla Extract

Life is simply better with vanilla.  Just the smell of vanilla can improve my mood! If you’re like me, you go through a lot of vanilla extract.  I use it in cookies, frosting, cheesecake, even in french toast batter and milkshakes!  Yes, vanilla is expensive, but don’t let this stop you in your pursuit of…

Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies

I thought about making a traditional linzer cookie for Valentine’s Day, and then I thought a chocolate heart linzer cookie might be interesting.  Somehow I started thinking about sandwich cookies and came up with this hybrid cookie.

Retro Robot Cupcakes

Know someone who is a geek at heart? Or who loves robots? These cute retro robots will certainly short circuit their sweet sensors!

Pink Champagne Mimosa Cupcakes

I was able to combine two of my favorite things: cupcakes and mimosas! This idea all started because I recently heard of a new type of pink champagne I wanted to try and I’ve also been meaning to try my hand at making champagne cupcakes.  Then I decided that I may as well go that…

Sexy Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

Looking for something quick and easy for Valentine’s Day?  Here are four ideas to dazzle your loved one’s sweet tooth!

Apple Caramel Cheesecake

This my basic, and much loved, cheesecake recipe.  I wanted to tweak this recipe to make a cheesecake to compliment the fall season, so I decided on an apple and caramel topping.

Rainbow Star Cake

This rainbow cake was made for a cake competition and won three out of the four categories; Best Taste, Best in Show, & Most Creative. There are six layers of cake inside: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  They are thinner layers, about a third the size of a regular cake layer.  The cake…

Tractor Cupcakes

The design for these began when someone asked for a tractor cupcake cake. She wanted a red tractor, resembling an International tractor. I thought about it and thought individual cupcakes with tractors would be fun. So I came up with these designs. First, I did some research and drew up two different templates. I then…

Hamburger Cupcakes Tutorial

I wanted to do something special for Independence Day. Everyone will be having picnics, so I thought hamburger cupcakes would be great to make! So here is a tutorial so you can make your own.  

Karate Cupcakes

Here are some cupcakes I made for a karate theme birthday party. The party was to take place at the dojo, and cupcakes were a less messy option than a cake. The only request given was that the karate uniforms on the cupcakes match the birthday boy’s uniform, which was black with red.