zucchini muffins (or bread)

I'm back from the wedding madness and in the kitchen again! Everything was wonderful... the ceremony was beautiful, the reception was so much fun, and the honeymoon was amazing. I had an awesome time, but I'm ready to come back to blogging and start trying out all our new kitchen gadgets. Hopefully, you will be seeing a lot more posts here in the near future!

Jamie

One of the best parts of summer is all the fresh produce. 

And one of my favorite vegetables...

lemon scones

I love scones, but they always seemed like a pain to make.

Then I tried making Pioneer Woman's vanilla bean scones...

which didn't work out, but it led to a pretty awesome buttermilk biscuit recipe.

(and of course, I learned you can't substitute buttermilk for cream)

And finally... finally... I came up with a lemon version based off PW's recipe.

pineapple-coconut-almond-rum cookies

The other weekend, I had a few friends over to watch the season finale of Lost. Even if 

you've never seen the show, you probably know that the majority of it takes place on an island. 

So I thought I would make something a little tropical. 

What's more tropical than pineapple and coconut (and a little almond for good measure)?

german chocolate cake

A few months ago, my fiancee and I were watching Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" on Food Network, 

and he made this cake. The theme was german chocolate cake. Bobby's creation looked amazing, 

and we knew we had to make it. My fiancee decided that my birthday celebration 

(this past weekend) was the perfect occasion.

buttermilk biscuits

I can't think of many foods more comforting than a warm biscuit, right out of the oven.

Smothered in butter at the dinner table? Delightful.

Drenched in in my Uncle's secret gravy recipe? Even better.

filled cupcakes

 

This post is not so much a recipe as a technique: how to make filled cupcakes.

Filling your cupcakes is a great way to add a little something extra. 

This technique works well with fillings like jam or jelly, peanut butter, or even pudding. 

(For frosting fillings, you will want to fill the cupcakes after baking.)

strawberry jello pie

This strawberry jello pie recipe came into my hands a few weeks ago. 

As part of my wedding shower, my mother-in-law requested that all the guests bring 

a recipe with them (since both my fiancee and I love cooking). 

You'll be seeing a lot of these recipes show up here.

the jellybean blunder

Well. I was too late to post a recipe for a cute Easter treat, 

so I thought I would come up with a way to use all that leftover candy.  

Jellybeans happen to be my favorite.

chocolate-dipped peanut butter cake pops

Peanut Butter and Chocolate: One of the world's most perfect combinations.

Ever since I made the Peanut Butter Cupcakes a few weeks ago, I've been thinking of

turning them into cake pops. My friend Lisa has been dying to try cake pops

ever since I discovered them on Bakerella and started making them-

so her birthday was the perfect occasion to try these out!

mint chocolate chip cookies

This week's recipe is a simple variation on my chocolate chip cookie post. 

I love mint and chocolate together, so this seemed like a no-brainer. 

And of course, I had to add some green food coloring for St Patrick's Day! 

They might look a little funny, but they taste great!

irish car bomb brownie bites

I wanted to make something with an Irish kick for St. Patrick's Day. 

I understand that Irish Car Bombs are not really Irish...
but in my limited Americanized experience of the holiday,
the Irish Car Bomb is an essential element in the celebration of
St. Patrick's Day. (for those of legal drinking age, of course)

chocolate chip cookies

For my first post, I wanted to bake a recipe that was simple and delicious: chocolate chip cookies. One of my favorite childhood memories is "helping" Grandma in her kitchen, scooping and rolling chip-laden mounds of dough to place on the baking sheet. After years of trying to re-create her recipe, I've come up with my own adaptation. These cookies should come out golden brown at the edges, chewy in the middle, and so full of melted chocolate chips that they fall apart when you pick them up.