Mocha Latte Cupcakes

Have I ever mentioned that I love coffee?  

I have been putting coffee in my chocolate cake for a couple years now.  Thanks to Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) one of my favorite lady chefs.  I don't use her recipe anymore but I still use the coffee.  

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (flourless) Cookies

So I had a lot of ripe bananas sitting around and thanks to my friend Gina at Contemplating Beauty I had a craving for flourless peanut butter cookies. If you've never had flourless peanut butter cookies it's a must try.  They have an intense peanut butter flavor that is amazing.  I knew there was some way I could use up my bananas and make some peanut butter cookies at the same time.  So I found this recipe on Pinterest from Dinners for a year and beyond.  

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Nothing says fall to me like pumpkin.  I love the smell of it, the taste of it and the wonderful orange, homey look of it.  I also love whoopie pies and if you've never tried one they are really a must.  I'm not talking about the ones you can buy prepackaged in the store.  I'm talking about the cake like cookies that are sandwiched together with any type of wonderful creamy filling in between.  There are so many versions of these delightful mouthfuls and I would love to try everyone.  But since fall is just around the corner, or is it here already,  I had to go with pumpkin and cream cheese.  Probably my most favorite flavor combination ever.  

Donut muffins of course.

I made these this weekend because my kids love donuts and they love muffins so the two together must be better.  I found this recipe on Pinterest from Somewhat Simple. 

Shrimp and Coconut milk

Yet another lovely recipe from my lovely Mother in Law, from Guam.  This is one of my favorite summertime dishes, well anytime dish is probably more like it.    I love shrimp and so do my kids but my pocket book doesn't really like shrimp that much, so we don't eat this nearly as often as I like.  This is perfect for summer though because it requires very little cooking time and it's a one pot dish.  

Lemon Lush Parfaits

Nothing says summer like lemons.  The smell, the taste and the color of lemons makes me feel happy and summery.  That is why Lemon Lush is one of my favorite summertime desserts.  That is also why I had to make it into a parfait because everything is better served in a tiny little glass container.  

Amaretto Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

This is not one of my long drawn out walk through tutorials about how to bake something.  It is however a recipe that I whipped up (literally) for cupcakes with two of my favorite ingredients, amaretto and espresso.  I won't bore you with the how or why of it, just get down to the nitty gritty and deliciousness of it.  Here's the recipe...

Crepes, crepes, crepes

I will never forget the first time I had a crepe on the streets of Paris.  I'd had crepes before  but none could ever come close to that experience.  It was ham and cheese oozing with warm gooey goodness.  I will never forget how delicious it was and how wonderful it was to be actually in "Paris" while I ate it.  Ever since then I have had an infatuation with this wonderful confection.  It can be savory or sweet.  Served for dessert or breakfast or as a snack.  It's so versatile and simple, yet elegant and delicate. 

Marshmallow Heart Pops

Nothing says Valentines like red hearts.  Now if they are marshmallow filled and on a stick well that's even better.  These are so easy and super cute.  I know I say that all the time but I mean it just the same. 

Oreo Cake Hearts

These cute Oreo hearts couldn't be any easier.  If you're not a baker or even if you are these are the perfect sweet treat for any Valentine occasion.

Apple Pie the apple of my eye

So I wanted to talk about Apple pie sometime before Thanksgiving or even Christmas at the latest, but it didn't happen.  I won't make excuses for myself I will just finish up what I started months ago and tell you everything I know about Apple pie.  

Pie Crust

You can't have pie without crust.  Well I guess you can but then it would be called something else, like applesauce or apple crisp or pudding.  For me the crust makes the pie.  It must be light and flaky and buttery. I've tried many different recipes and could never find just the right one so years (many years) ago I decided to make up my own.  I hope this helps you in someway with your pie baking endeavors.  

Eggnog Pancakes

Yet another eggnog recipe to satisfy my eggnog addiction.  I made these the other morning for my kids and they loved them.  They are light and fluffy with a hint of eggnog and just perfect for Christmas breakfast.

Oreo Truffles

I love this recipe.  It's so simple but very dangerous.  These little bites of oreo goodness are very addictive.  I only recommend you make these if you plan to send them or take them somewhere.  Otherwise you will end up eating all of them.  So proceed with caution.

Pumpkin Roll

No Holiday would be complete without a pumpkin roll on the dessert table.  The flavors of pumpkin and cream cheese go together so well. 

Eggnog Fizz

This is a creamy, fizzy, festive drink to start your weekend off right. 

Yes I love eggnog.  I love to cook with it flavor coffee with it and mix drinks with it.  This drink tastes just like it sounds and can be served with our without alcohol.  Just a little something you can throw together this time of year, with seasonal things you probably already have on hand.

Gingerbread Eggnog cupcakes

My two favorite Christmas flavors are gingerbread and eggnog (not necessarily in that order).  While I was baking gingerbread houses I craved gingerbread and thought what would go better with it than eggnog.  I found this wonderful recipe for Gingerbread eggnog cupcakes. 

Crab dip

With the holidays here there's always room for warm, rich, yummy dip.  Loaded with a pound of crab this dip is for crab lovers and crab lovers only. 

White Chocolate Raspberry dessert shots

Raspberry and white chocolate go so well together and to serve it in a shot glass just elevates it to something special.  Shot glass desserts are kind of my new obsession lately.  They are so easy to make and so fun to eat. 

Eggnog Cream pie

I know it's a little early for eggnog but as soon as it hits the shelves it's in my fridge.  I love eggnog.  Eggnog flavored treats, sweets and of course the drink itself.  I use it to flavor things like coffee and french toast.  I use it to bake with in cookies and cakes.  I love it and I guarantee this will not be my only eggnog type recipe this season.