Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with mini chocolate chips are sure to please everyone for a special occasion or any day.   These melt in your mouth chocolate chip pancakes are rich, buttery, light, and fluffy, and incredibly easy to make.  Top them with whip cream, and fresh fruit, then drizzle them with warm pure maple syrup. Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes If you want to wow your guest with big smiles on their faces, tell them you are making Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes for breakfast. We love pancakes at our house, but when special occasions come, we pull out all the stops, birthdays and sleepovers are some of our favorites. My buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes are fluffy sweet pancakes with the tang of buttermilk seeping through, giving them the perfect morning dream come true. What I love about making pancakes is there are no crazy ingredients to come up with.  I mostly just need to make sure my buttermilk is fresh.  I use full fat buttermilk in my pancake recipe, yielding the

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies are a fast and easy recipe that is perfectly sweet with brown sugar and loaded with oatmeal. Oatmeal No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies This is a classic cookie recipe for those that can't have or just prefer not to eat chocolate. These Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies are a version of the famous  Chocolate No Bake Cookies  using a cocoa powder that I grew up eating in the 50s.   I am especially a fan of no bake cookies during the summer month.  Not having to turn the oven on is a big plus. They always satisfy the craving for something sweet.  I love the moist, chewy texture and rich peanut butter flavor that just takes minutes to make, and the hardest part is waiting on them to set up so you can eat them. When my children were small, I would give them a spoon to scrape the sides of the pan and get all that yummy peanut butter mixture.

Sesame Ginger Bone In Pork Chops

Juicy tender pork chops marinated with a sesame ginger vinaigrette and baked in the oven to perfection. 2-Ingredient Baked Sesame Ginger Pork Chops  A brief time in the refrigerator gives the bone in thick pork chops loads of flavor while tenderizing the meat.  Even if you don't have time for the pork chops to hang out in the marinate, skip the marinating and pour the sesame ginger vinaigrette over them just before you bake them in the oven. Still delicious. I like to cook thick cut porterhouse pork chops with the bone in them because there is so much more flavor.   Other cuts of pork chops will work, like boneless pork chops, sirloin pork chops, and thin cut pork chops, sometimes called rib pork chops.     There is no need to complicate dinner when you can make this simple meal that everyone will enjoy.  You will only need two ingredients,  Maria's Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette and pork chops. Once they go in the oven, you can have a wholesome meal on the table in less than 45 min

Buttery Lobster Tails

Buttery lobster tails served with garlic butter sauce will wow any dinner guest for any special occasion, especially Valentine's.  Incredibly Easy Lobster Tails When you think of lobster tails,  a pricy restaurant meal you could never cook at home comes to mind.  I used to be intimidated and feel the same way until I watched my son-in-law make them at home.   What a fun meal we had, you will want to start making them for special occasions. My son-in-law, Ben, and I love to cook together.  On most holidays and a weekend of trying new recipes,  we will get in the kitchen and cook together.   For Christmas, it is our  Standing Rib Roast , Easter is our  Whole Bone In Ham , and a tailgate appetizer is  Grilled Whole Jalapeno Poppers . For this recipe, I have included two methods of preparation with tips and tidbits, how to broil lobster tails and how to bake lobster tails. 

Super Size Bunless Patty Melts

Two mouthwatering juicy hamburger patties layered with Monterey Jack cheese, caramelized onions, and the Whataburger secret sauce.  Patty Melt {Whataburger Copycat Without The Bun} This version of the popular Whataburger patty melt is delicious and easy comfort food the whole family will love.   I love patty melts. This Whataburger copycat is the perfect version for gameday parties, weeknight dinners, and more.  The sandwich can be great without a bun or toast. To make it easy for your guest, serve them without the bun, but for those who want buns or Texas toast, do them separately. 

Hearty Split Pea Soup with Leftover Hambone

Hearty Split Pea Soup is made with a meaty hambone, generous carrots, onions, and celery, yielding a flavorful broth.  It is easy to make on the stovetop, but I have added a slow cooker and instant pot option. Split Pea Soup It is soup weather, and Split Pea is one of my personal favorites.  So easy to make, and what better time to use the hambone leftover from the holidays.  There is so much flavor from the bone and meat I always save it for later when I cook beans or collards . This soup recipe is all about going back to my childhood using old fashioned ingredients you have in your kitchen.  The split peas are cheap, and you already have your hambone. The carrots and celery are also inexpensive, a delicious humble soup. I use fresh thyme, a couple of bay leaves, chicken stock, or vegetable stock to elevate the flavor.  

Linzer Pop Tarts

This recipe was first published in February 2012.  Updated December 2022 This is a pastry that takes on the elements of an Italian tart made with a buttery pastry yielding the right amount of flakiness.  Simple and delicious, perfect for brunch. A Simple Jam Crostata A Crostata is one of those desserts that is known and made all throughout Italy, a rustic version of an open fruit tart. The shortbread crust is unique in that it is made with flour, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and baking powder.  And filled with the traditional jam, but there are new ingredients that have swept across the united states, Nutella, ricotta, and pastry cream.  

Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Cake

Warm gingerbread cake baked in a skillet on top of a sweet mixture of caramelized pears and flipped over to a stunning presentation, fancy enough for a Thanksgiving dessert. Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Cake The pairing of gingerbread and pears brings this cake to the forefront for the fall.   The pears hold up really well and play nicely with the cake's warm spices. Upside down cakes are famous here in the south, pineapple being the most traditional.   This Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Cake tastes and looks impressive and is made using a simple shortcut to save time and effort in the kitchen. The cake is moist and dense, just like I like it.  Usually, gingerbread cakes get better with age, but you will want to eat this cake in a day or two since the pears begin to soften.  The structure of the pears changes when cooked more than other fruits used in upside down cakes, such as pineapple, peaches, and apples. Serve thick slices of cake at a dinner party dessert or as an indulgent br

Epic! Pumpkin Roll Bread Pudding

My love for a pumpkin roll and bread pudding is the inspiration for the recipe.   The flavors of fall spices in the tender pumpkin roll cake and the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting are the beginning of an epic bread pudding.    Pumpkin Roll Bread Pudding with The Ultimate Custard Sauce. The bread pudding takes on a whole new level of deliciousness using a pumpkin roll cake cut up into cubes, and to add more richness, a pumpkin puree custard is poured over all the cubes.  And served with the Ultimate Custard Sauce, made with a secret ingredient.   

Jumbo Banana Carrot Muffins

Banana Carrot Muffins are a cross between banana bread and carrot cake, all the cozy ingredients that make this breakfast treats so delightful. Banana Carrot Muffins The recipe for these banana carrot muffins is packed with a full cup of bananas and 2 cups of shredded carrots, enhanced with brown sugar and a tiny bit of cinnamon and cardamom, yielding a light, fluffy and moist muffin. I love muffins of any kind for grabbing a quick snack on the go, and when they have healthy ingredients, it is a bonus.   We have been enjoying these Banana Carrot Muffins for breakfast each morning since I made them.  With the weather getting cooler, I think they would be a warm cozy accompaniment to a cup of tea in the afternoon. These Banana Carrot Muffins are delicious out of the oven or reheated after freezing.