Salted Dark Chocolate Pretzel Turtles Makes about 10-12 Turtles Ingredients: 6-oz dark chocolate chunks or morsels (semi-sweet also works): $3.19 30 mini pretzels, crumbled – $1.79 Handful of dried cherries, currants or cranberries – $3.19 Sea salt crystals – stock Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $8.17 Directions: 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper[…]
Oreo Cookie Layer Cake
Oreo Cookie Layer Cake Serves 8 as a Layered Cake 24 as Cupcakes Note: The cake portion of this recipe is actually our Devil’s Food Cake of yore. The only difference is the very-delicious addition of Oreos to the batter. As for the icing – this is a basic Confectioner’s sugar/butter/milk icing with once again,[…]
Pretzel Blondies with Salted Caramel
Pretzel Blondies with Salted Caramel Makes about 16 bars Adapted from Hugs and CookiesXOXO Ingredients: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp – stock 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed – stock ½-cup white sugar – stock 2 eggs – stock 2 teaspoons vanilla extract – stock 2½ cups all-purpose flour – stock 1 teaspoon baking[…]
Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding
Mariel here. I am the person that consistently robs restaurants of the butterscotches in their free candy dishes. I am the reason you root through the strawberry and grape-flavored hard candies and wonder where on earth the good stuff is. Chances are, I beat you to the punch. When the cashier or hostess looks away,[…]
Drunken Peach Sundaes with Pistachios & Fresh Mint
Mariel here. Swollen, exhausted and otherwise feeling at the top of my game, I’ve decided to try and keep to my regular schedule as much as possible until the baby arrives so that I don’t go totally insane with anticipation. (It’s not working). They weren’t kidding when they said the 9th month is the hardest.[…]
Roasted Grape and Blue Cheese Bites
Mariel here. I’ve always been an insatiable fruit fiend. My father is very much the same way so I suspect I picked up this trait from him, but even as a tot, I’d reach for a real plum over a sugar plum – a party trick that must’ve made my parents just brim with pride.[…]
Strawberry Cheesecake Cups
Mariel here. I spent the past weekend down in Asheville, NC celebrating my best friend’s wedding. I served as her (very pregnant) matron of honor and although I moved a little more slowly than usual, I managed to keep pace with the whirring, purring wedding machine. She was hand’s down one of the calmest brides[…]
Old-Fashioned Lemon Squares
Mary Anne here. It seems every family has their own version of these sweetly tart cookie bars and ours is no exception. They’re a snap to whip up and they store beautifully in a sealed container in the fridge. They’re the perfect foil to a steaming cup of hot tea and an elegant addition to[…]
PB&J Brownies
Mariel here. In case the confluence of both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby didn’t totally bust any buttons this past weekend, we thought we’d share this incredibly decadent, sinfully simple recipe for PB&J Brownies. Yes friends, it’s Peanut Butter Jelly time. We originally debuted this recipe as a guest post on one of[…]
S’more Brownies
Mariel here. Very rarely do I let photographs do all the talking, but I think it’s safe to say you get the gist of this recipe. Campires, porch swings and four o’clock cocktail hours…it’s official friends, summer is just 54 days away. Since it’d be a little premature to ignite a beachside bonfire and roast[…]
Rich’s Light New York Cheesecake
Mary Anne here. Or should I say, Rich Doscher here! Rich is a registered dietician at the hospital where I work. Together with a physical therapist, the three of us give seminars at local senior centers and churches, instructing folks on keeping one’s joints healthy. For such a young “kid,” Rich has an amazing grasp[…]
Orange-Mango Upside-Down Cake
Mariel here. While my family isn’t particularly religious, we’ve always celebrated every holiday with a certain degree of religious zeal. When I was little, there were nearly as many decorations and preparations for Easter as there were for Christmas. We had an Easter tree flaunting hand-blown eggs that we painted on our front porch (my[…]
Chocolate-Dipped Butter Cookies with Toffee Crunch
Mary Anne here. A few weeks ago, I posted my devilishly decadent Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Heath Bar Toffee Frosting. They were a diet buster to be sure, but more annoying than that, they left me with a paltry amount of leftover toffee crunch. What to do? As you know by now, I am[…]
Rich Chocolate Black Bean Cake
Rich Chocolate Black Bean Cake Serves 6 Inspired by Serious Eats Ingredients: Butter, flour and cocoa for prepping the loaf pan – stock 5-oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted – $3.00 19-oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed – $2.39 2 large eggs – stock 1/3 cup of peanut butter – stock ½ teaspoon[…]
Classic Shortbread with Fresh Orange Zest
Mariel here. Well, the bridal shower we hosted went off without a hitch. Sort of. The day itself was picture-perfect – the food my mom lovingly prepared (and took a day off work to make) was delicious, as always, the flowers were radiant and even the weather cooperated with sunny skies and a balmy 60[…]
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Heath Bar Frosting
Mary Anne here. Chocolate + peanut butter, topped with Heath Bar bits = my idea of heaven! Not much more to say about this combo, other than that I should’ve come up with this before Lent! The inspiration for these sinful cupcakes arose in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. It seems that[…]
Five-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mary Anne here. This past Friday the hospital where I work “went red” for Women’s Health Day, a campaign initiated by the American Heart Association that’s designed to raise awareness for women’s cardiovascular wellness. Our radiology department, led by an MD well-versed in heart disease, shared valuable info on new, non-invasive tests that assess the[…]
Finska Kakor, aka Finnish Cakes with Sweet Butter and Almonds
Mary Anne here. Mariel’s BFF is getting married in May, and naturally we’ll be hosting her bridal shower. Mariel’s gal pal is like the second daughter I never had, and so of course I want the party to reflect how much we love her. One of the best ways to express our devotion is through[…]
Old-Fashioned Hermit Cookies
Mary Anne here. Hermit cookies are hands-down my ex-husband’s favorite treat. Tim is very conscientious about his diet, but when it comes to eating these chewy gems, all thoughts of eschewing sugar are cast aside. When a certain baking company stopped mass-producing the bars a few years back, I swear he was bereft. He needn’t[…]
Chocolate, Walnut & Coconut Pie Bars
Mary Anne here. Sadly, the Thanksgiving family feast is over and the holiday bustle is officially in full swing. Between Black Friday, which now apparently launches during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (gasp!), to Cyber Monday we are inundated with pressure to buy, buy, buy! Not so fast. I’m still glowing from our unequaled Turkey Day[…]