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Showing posts with the label Holidays

Extreme Patriotic Cheesecake Parfaits

Patriotic Cheesecake Berry Parfaits are a perfect dessert for summer and cookouts with extreme layers of yumminess.   CHEESECAKE PARFAITS The parfait starts with a spoonful of leftover cheesecake, fresh berries, yogurt, and berry jelly.  Don't forget to top it off with a generous spoonful of granola.  Did I mention these are extreme? Are you looking for an easy and quick no-bake dessert for the summer? Try these Extreme Patriotic Cheesecake Parfaits.

No Fuss Blackberry Sweet Rolls

No Fuss Blackberry Sweet Rolls, a soft, tender dough swirled with a mixture of vanilla, brown sugar, butter, and a generous layer of luscious, whole blackberries all throughout and topped with a cream cheese frosting. BLACKBERRY SWEET ROLLS Your weekend will get a lot sweeter with these blackberry sweet rolls, which are so delicious. Blackberry season is just around the corner, and the first thing I want to make is the  Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler .   Last year, I couldn't stop buying the large cartons of blackberries at SAMs.   The price always drops around this time of year, so it is worth buying several cartons and keeping them in the freezer for later in the year to make these Blackberry Sweet Rolls. Sweet rolls are a favorite weekend breakfast treat. My go-to recipe is Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. They rise for 30 minutes and bake for 15 minutes, making them perfect, no fuss sweet rolls.

Roasted Whole Caramelized Carrots

Fun and Easy Roasted Whole Caramelized Carrots are a classic, super simple side dish for holiday meals and family dinner tables.  Fun and Easy Caramelized Whole Carrots  The dish calls for a few straightforward ingredients that enhance the purest flavor of the carrots. I love everything about roasted root vegetables, especially how easy and quick they take to roast. While they are hanging out roasting in the oven, I can prepare other dishes to go with them. These roasted whole carrots are fun to make. Peel them and toss them in a mixture of seasonings, brown sugar, and avocado oil.   The carrots' natural sweetness and the deep seasoning flavor are excellent.   The small amount of brown sugar complements the mild sweetness of the carrots. Honey is also an option.

How To Cook A Whole Bone In Ham

A Whole Bone-in Ham recipe is so simple, with no glaze, no clove studding, and no fuss. It uses the low and slow cooking method and a blast of high heat at the end to caramelize the outside. The results are excellent, juicy, tender, and with superb flavor. WHOLE  BONE IN HAM With so many varieties of hams in grocery stores today, it can be daunting to know how to cook one. I share secrets for buying, preparing, and cooking the juiciest ham ever.  A whole bone in ham is the most effortless meat to cook for a holiday meal.  Preparation is equally as easy.   A whole ham is larger than needed for a regular meal but perfect for a large gathering or save and have for those wonderful leftover ham recipes. Most hams you buy are fully cooked, and all you do is score the ham and, if you want, add a simple glaze.  My family prefers the natural juices from the ham to baste the ham instead of a glaze.   By scoring a diamond pattern in the ham into the fat and skin, being sure not to get into the me

How To Make The Easiest Bunny Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookie Pops

Bunny Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookie Pops, frosted sugar cookies, and cream cheese come together to make the most amazing delicious no-bake pops.  Start with flattening the cookie pop, dip in melted candy melts and decorate with an Easter Bunny decorating kit.  A quick and easy Easter dessert just got a little sweeter.    After seeing someone on Tik Tok make Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies Pops, I had to give them a try.   With Easter around the corner, I decided to make some into bunny faces.  The only difference is the shape.

Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake

Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake is a chocolate fudge cake mix and fudge brownie mix that comes together to make the most scrumptious chocolate cake you will ever eat.  The chocolate ganache icing sends the chocolate love over the top.   Don't wait to make this cake.  The Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake brings back so many memories of my mother's chocolate cake growing up.    The Texas Hot Cocoa Brownie Cake has a rich, and I mean rich chocolate presence in the cake from the two mixes, chocolate fudge cake mix and chocolate fudge brownie mix.  The cake is dense while tender and moist yet smooth.   There are only five ingredients in the recipe, meaning do not add the ingredients on the back of the mix boxes.   I used Hershey Milk Chocolate Frosting  and microwaved it for 30 seconds to make an almost homemade ganache.   If you prefer, you can make the chocolate ganache using chocolate chips and heavy cream.

Standing Rib Roast

Standing Rib Roast is succulent, exceptionally flavorful, and looks stunningly elegant on the holiday table.  This prime cut of meat can be intimidating to cook but rest assured, it is effortless. For our Christmas dinner, we have enjoyed Standing Rib Roast, also known as prime rib roast, for several years now, and this last year I decided to try my hand at making Popovers to go with our meal.  They turned out fabulous, perfect addition, so I think I will try the Yorkshire Pudding this year. We decided to keep the sides simple too.  We served  Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes and my Magic Green Beans . Simple is always best.

How To Grill Whole Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Whole Jalapeno Poppers, a spicy, cheesy, grilled appetizer that will wow your guest.  The recipe is straightforward with few ingredients, jalapenos, cream cheese, white cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and of course, bacon. Stuffed jalapeno peppers are one of those foods I have been intimidated to cook.  I have eaten many and love them, but I thought they were too much trouble to make for some idea.   I am mainly talking about making them for our Superbowl parties or family gatherings.

Easy Jello Peach Icebox Pie

Easy Jello Fresh Peach Pie, three ingredients make a fresh peach filling, and a homemade buttery pecan shortbread crust will create a no bake icebox pie you see in your beloved diners.  Be sure to use fresh peaches. If you love peaches as much as I do and can not bring yourself to turn the oven on for a fresh peach cobbler , lattice top peach pie , this foolproof no bake pie is the perfect summertime solution. The best part of this fresh peach icebox pie is you can make it in the morning and serve it by dinnertime, or you can make it a day ahead before serving it.

Pork Belly Baked Beans

 Pork Belly Baked Beans, pork and beans enhanced with a glorious slab of pork belly chunks, rich molasses, chopped onions, bell pepper, and ever so slight sprinkle of red pepper flakes deliver these traditional baked beans to an umami adventure.  These Pork Belly Baked Beans are one of the most delicious ways to enjoy pork belly and baked beans, simply delicious. I made a spin on my traditional  Southern Baked Beans for the recipe for the bacon; I switched for a slab of pork belly that I cut up into 1/2-inch chunks.  The pork and beans need to be drained really well to start off with. And the pork belly needs to cook low and slow until done and golden brown, stirring and watching closely not to burn.  If you try to cook it faster, it will present chewy and dry results.

Lemon Bars Recipe

Old Fashioned Lemon Bars are the quintessential southern dessert at teas, luncheons, and showers.  The only recipe you will ever need, a simple, straightforward method.   My Lemon Bars sings the praises of spring coming.  They are so easy to make and are bursting with so much lemon goodness. After you make my recipe, you will not want to go back to store bought or packaged ones again.   My recipe uses a buttery shortbread cookie crust and a rich tangy sweet lemon curd filling. The combination is amazing.

Marinated Carrots

Marinated Carrots, a vintage salad recipe, are mainly known as Copper Pennies, Sweet and Sour Carrots, but we know them as Magic Carrots.  Perfect for the holidays, potlucks, and even an elegant dinner. Magic Carrot Salad All the magic happens in these carrots when they are marinated in a sweet and sour mixture overnight yielding a delightful taste of my childhood. Magic Carrots are a unique side dish that brings memories of my childhood.   Back in the day when I was growing up, it seemed mother would bring these carrots out around the time spring came; to me, they screamed Easter.  

Super Easy Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows have become the gourmet confection of the decade.  And it is no surprise that only a few ingredients are needed to make this candy. Not only do homemade marshmallows taste 100% better than store bought, they are also easy to cut into any size.   With Easter around the corner, using cutters in the shape of eggs, bunnies, little chickens, and tulips will wow your children.  

Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Homemade Pie Crust made with few simple ingredients, using flour, butter, shortening, and salt.  This recipe is so forgiving that you will never use another recipe again. Homemade Pie Crust can seem daunting if you have never made it.  At least that is how I felt the first time I wanted to make a pie using homemade crust.   I want to promise you that it gets easier and more comfortable the more you make the homemade.  As my mother used to say, "practice makes perfect."   For years I use to make my homemade pie crust with just shortening and still do occasionally, but I find the added butter gives an excellent rich taste to the pie crust.  

Old Fashioned Doughnuts

Old Fashioned Doughnuts , just like Grandma used to make, easy and straightforward.  The dough is very forgiving and easy to work with.  One of the ingredients will surprise you, yielding a texture nothing short of perfection. Have you ever wanted to make old fashioned doughnut from scratch that does not take all day in the kitchen to make?   That's me...I like to get up early on a Saturday morning and whip up a batch of cake doughnuts just like the bakery down the street before everyone gets up.    I learned from Ashely Strickland Freeman the author of The Duke's Real Mayonnaise Cookbook that she loves to make homemade doughnuts on a Saturday morning also. 

Pineapple Casserole

Pineapple Casserole, a sweet Southern casserole that can be served as a side dish or dessert at Easter on many Southern tables without a doubt.   It is made with canned pineapple, flour and sugar, sharp cheddar cheese, and topped with crushed Ritz crackers.   Who would have thought pineapple, cheddar cheese, and Ritz crackers coming together would make a remarkable, delicious dish, only in the south.

Peach Dumpling Cobbler

Peach Dumpling Cobbler, a cobbler made with fresh sliced peaches layered between three layers of sweet, tender, buttery dough.  Boiling water is poured over the whole cobbler.  The dough transforms magically, making sheets of dumplings. Peach Dumpling Cobbler is the first dessert I want to make as the peach season approaches.  We love my Double Crust Peach Cobbler  recipe, but here lately the Peach Dumpling Cobbler has taken the first choice to make.   They are both easy enough to make.  We just love the dumpling texture in the Peach Dumpling Cobbler.   And really, the only difference between the two recipes is the Peach Dumpling Cobbler has 3 layers of crust instead of two, and 2 cups of boiling water is poured over the whole cobbler.  This is where all the magic happens, tender sheets of dumplings. Since the Peach Dumpling Cobbler is baked with water, I bake it in a deep oblong baking dish.  

Stain Glass Fruit Salad

Stain Glass Fruit Salad, fresh pineapple chunks, fresh strawberry slices, and fresh blueberries tossed all together in a strawberry pie filling, homemade or canned.    Light and fresh...who says it can't be for dessert!   The night before any celebration we are having, I make Celebration Salad.  I like another quick fruit salad  I make from my childhood using canned fruit, but this is our favorite. I try to use fresh fruit as much as I can.  Especially now, while the strawberries, pineapple, and blueberries are in season.   We have some that are not a fan of bananas in this salad, so we leave them out but feel free to add them along with any other fresh fruit.  I think Kiwi and grapes would be another delicious addition or even peaches.   If you add peaches, a homemade peach pie filling is a great combination.

The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting sets the bar for all carrot cakes.  The cake is incredibly moist from a generous amount of finely shredded fresh carrots and blanketed with a velvety frosting that completes the perfection.  The Best Carrot Cake Ever! This past weekend I surprised my husband for Father's Day with a Carrot Cake.  I had made one just the week before for my son in law's birthday.  Jim enjoyed it so much, I decided to make him one too. Carrot Cake is often made around celebrations and holidays and rightful so, usually for Easter.  It is such a rich and decadent cake that deserves all the compliments and praises.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies using Pillsbury refrigerated dough!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, a miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pressed in the center of a warm chewy peanut butter cookie right out of the oven.   My Mother made these when I was growing up, especially at Christmas. They still remind me of the times we spent together in the kitchen during the holidays.  I have continued to make them for my own family through the years and they have become a favorite cookie for our Christmas Gift boxes.