July 2015 – Long Distance Baking

Well I’ve been in Louisiana for a couple months now, and I still don’t understand what a bayou is. To me, it just looks the same as a river. Except there are trees growing in it? And alligators. And snakes. And who knows what else that probably wants to kill you. But really, other than slightly fearing for my life every time I go near the water, it really is kind of beautiful. Black Bayou Lake is a wildlife refuge just north of Monroe. There’s an educational center, walking trails, a … [Read more…]

Let me start out with a confession: I originally only made these brownies because I had leftover caramel and pretzels from the Everything Cookie Bars. But, they resulted in the best brownies I have ever made! Now, there is a time and place for a boxed brownie mix. I can admit that. However this is not that time or that place. You need these homemade brownies because they are rich, and thick, and fudgy chocolate deliciousness. I don’t think I need to explain the perfection that is … [Read more…]

I’m on a health kick… again. Remember, I strive for progress not perfection blah, blah, blah… but with this smoothie, I don’t feel like I have to give anything up! This is the summer of oatmeal and coconut. Lately, I can’t seem to make a recipe that does not call for one or both of these items on the ingredient list and I look for any excuse to sneak them both into any recipe. Case in point: Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Smoothie. We leave this Friday for our annual family trip to the Beach … [Read more…]

Coconut and chocolate- now that’s a winning combination right there! I’ve had a hankering for coconut desserts lately. Ever since I made these Haystack Energy Bites (which I’ve made 3 times in the last month and plan on making another batch this weekend…), I have been craving all things coconut. Coconut macaroons seemed like the obvious choice to try and I found the perfect recipe to try! Do you follow Dessert for Two? If not, you really should! I love her blog because she posts amazing, … [Read more…]

If you haven’t noticed, we have quite the ice cream obsession around here. But can you blame us?! It’s summer! And ice cream is delicious. When I was growing up we got to have “treat” each night before bed. It could be anything: cookies and milk, a popsicle, a piece of pie. Mine was always a bowl of ice cream. Always. I ate ice cream so often my relatives would buy extra when I was coming to town. I had an ice cream cone charm for my Italian charm bracelet (remember those??) When I … [Read more…]

Sometimes you move to a new city and have to make new friends. And sometimes these new friends invite you over and tell you to bring dessert. Being a food blogger, you feel like you need something impressive. As usual, your other half suggest “those pretzel cookies”, again, and you eventually start throwing everything in your cupboards into the dough and you get these cookies. Also sometimes you forget to pack your silicone baking mats and don’t have any parchment paper yet and you’re too … [Read more…]

What’s the weather been like where you’re at lately? It seems like everywhere is hot, hot, hot! I’m a firm believer that the only way to beat the heat is frozen desserts. And I also just really like ice cream. Sometimes though, it’s even too hot for ice cream. It just sounds too creamy, too rich. That’s where this sorbet comes in. It’s sweet and tangy and oh so refreshing for these hot July days. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries with this recipe, meaning you have no excuse not to … [Read more…]

Before I’d moved to Louisiana, the furthest south I’d ever been was Washington, D.C. Does that count!? Is D.C. even considered to be in the South?? Now that we’re down here, we plan on making the most of our time in a new area and traveling as much as we can. Case in point, of the first three weekends after I moved here I was only in town for one of them. There’s too much to see! While Memphis may seem like a random first destination, it was close enough we could leave after work on Friday … [Read more…]