Caramel Apple Cheesecake

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE Cheesecake, and I've mentioned that a few times on here already.  For Christmas I decided I wanted to make a cheesecake, but not cheesecake bars like I've always done, an actual cheesecake.  So! I found a couple of Caramel Apple Cheesecake bar recipes and decided to combine them and try them out, but made it in a cheesecake pan instead.  You know what? It turned out amazing! It tastes just like an apple pie with a cream filling.  I was told by some people I shared with that it looked and tasted like restaurant quality, so I guess that's saying something! Oh, and you know what? It was a lot easier to make than I expected! Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of steps, but easy!

Brown Paper Bag Picnic Sandwiches

Do you ever want to make a fancier sandwich than just plain ol' pb&j or a ham sandwich on regular bread?  Especially when you're taking a sack lunch somewhere or to have a picnic w/? I surprised my husband w/ these when my sons and I took him lunch to work on Valentine's Day. I think we were all impressed! We even made them for dinner the next night w/ all the leftovers. Not only are these yummy, but the presentation in the paper bags are adorable! It's much better than just stuffing them in a plastic baggy. When you're all about presentation, this is a great option! These would even be adorable for a girl's luncheon, a baby shower, parties, ect.

Saltine Toffee - aka Christmas Crack

I made these last year for our neighbor gifts, in fact, I'm pretty sure I might be making these again.  These are delicious!  I had a few people request the recipe after delivering them.  People, nor I, could believe they were made with Saltine Crackers.  They're seriously amazing!  These are so, so easy to make and perfect for neighbor gifts, party treats or just to have around the house during the holidays.

Thanksgiving Meal Planning

Has anyone else realized that Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away?  I just realized a couple days ago, and I'm blown away!  What?!  Anyways, I thought I'd share w/ you, or remind you of the recipes I shared last year so you can go ahead and start planning your menu.  Here ya go, starting w/ the main dish, Turkey/Ham followed by sides, desserts and appetizers!  A full Thanksgiving Feast!

Herb Roasted Turkey with Pan Gravy

Spooky Monster Pudding Cups

I found this idea and just had to try it out!  Aren't they adorable?  These "spooky" pudding cups are perfect for School Halloween parties, get-togethers, after-school snack, ect.  Why not get the kids involved and let them decorate the faces for you?  They don't only look good, but taste great too!

White Chocolate Covered Oreos

I've been on a little break for the past few weeks, I went to visit my family in TN for 3 weeks and then my mom flew back w/ me and stayed for an extra few days.  So, I figured now that I'm back home I should add a recipe.  And, since Halloween season is sneaking up on us, what better to share than an easy Halloween treat?!  These white chocolate covered oreos are perfect for a quick, yet yummy treat for any upcoming holiday parties!  I actually made these for a Halloween party last year and most recent I made them for a black and white vintage dessert party by using black and white pearl sprinkles.  There are so many things you can use these cookies for, even just for your own indulgence.

Easter Brownies (W/ Peeps and Cadburry Eggs)

Who's ready for Easter?!?  It's less than two weeks away, which reminds me!!  My sister, Bonny, is coming to visit me in exactly a week!!! YAY!  Anyways, back to Easter :)  I figured I should put up a good Easter recipe so, besides my yummy Pineapple Glazed Ham that you can make for dinner, what can you make for dessert?  Well, why not these yummy Easter Brownies?  Filled w/ Cadburry Chocolate Eggs and Peeps!!  Now, to be honest I am not a fan of peeps whatsoever, but cut up and added in these brownies are perfect.  And Cadburry eggs...what could be better?!  They're amazing!  I loved every bite of these brownies when I made them last year and just the other day.  I love the huge chunks of melted chocolate eggs and there's just enough marshmallow in the brownies that makes it the perfect combination.

YUMMY!  Those are the eggs and marshmallows peeking through.  And yes, they were cooked all the way through, these were just fudge brownies.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I don't know about ya'll, but yesterday was a crazy, busy day for me!  I just returned home from my 3 week vacation late Sunday night.  Then Monday was a lazy day for me, you know to recuperate from vacation.  So, yesterday was catch up.  I took my oldest son to preschool, did some grocery and Valentine's day shopping and on the way back to pick my son up from school, I broke down!  Ugh.  So lucky for me, I have wonderful friends.  My friend Amy came and picked me up, along w/ all my groceries and kiddos.  Then I was left was a messy house and tons of cooking.  So after what felt like all day of doing that, we got to enjoy a wonderful evening of yummy food and relaxations.  "So what did I cook?" you might ask...well why not let me just show you ;)

Day 25 - Merry Christmas!! (Gift Idea)

Day 12 - Pineapple Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Welcome to Day 12 of 25 Days of Recipes!  I've got another great recipe to share w/ you!  This one just so happens to be for the main course Christmas dinner!  You've probably all been waiting for this one, if you're hosting Christmas Dinner, that is.  Last year was my first Christmas to host, huge deal for me (a lot easier than Thanksgiving though).  It was our first Christmas alone, w/ just our small family.  We have always spent it w/ either my family or my in-laws.  Last Christmas, it just didn't work out that we could go anywhere :(  I totally dreaded being alone, I was so sad!  But, you know what?  Christmas morning came, my boys were so excited, and it was just so fun watching the boys open their gifts!  It didn't hurt one bit that my husband spoiled me either ;) We took our time opening gifts, and let the boys play with each individual gift they opened, that way Christmas morning lasted for hours.  It turned out to be such a good day!  And, it was so great that my hubby's brother and family were able to come for dinner, so our day wasn't spent completely alone.

Thanksgiving Day Recipes

I have been out of town for the last week and am just now starting to think about what to make for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Here are pictures of food from past years that I have made.  I don't know about your family, but my hubby expects appetizers to munch on all morning/early afternoon a big meal and desserts.  So, you're getting recipes for all of that.  I don't have step by step pictures of how to make these things, but I figured ya'll would be happy enough just having the recipes, right? 

So, what's on the menu?  A Martha Stewart Turkey, Scalloped Potatoes, my Great-Grandma's Frozen Fruit Salad, and Cranberry Muffins. 

Recipes I have already shared w/ you that would also be great addition to the Big Day are: Pumpkin Bread, Spinach Dip, Artichoke Dip, Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Veggies.

Herb Roasted Turkey with Pan Gravy

As promised here is the Martha Stewart Turkey recipe.  I got the recipe from a free online cookbook that was given out last year, it was only available for a short time.  Lucky for you, I have the recipe to share!  I thought it tasted great, it was pretty fun to make, but I believe I under cooked it.  Make sure to have a working meat thermometer and cook to the directed temperature, and you'll do great!

So golden brown.  Well worth all the work.

The BEST Pumpkin Bread EVER!

Does anyone else love pumpkin as much as I do?  Why do we keep pumpkin recipes for the fall/winter?!  I love pumpkin cookies, bread, cheesecake, etc.  When chocolate chips are added, it just makes it 10x better!  Who agrees?  This is my go-to recipe when I want to make the yummiest pumpkin bread ever.  My mom found it years ago, and I've been making it ever since.  This recipe makes A LOT!  Which, makes it perfect for neighbor/friend gifts (which I have done before).  It calls for a lot of spices, but honestly, it's all just thrown together, not hard at all!  And you can honestly say, you made it from scratch.  I actually made this a few weeks ago with the Young Woman in my church, we had a cooking night, so I taught them how to make this.  It was a huge hit, and they loved that they got to each take a loaf home.

Look at this yummyness!

Halloween Lunch...Spooky!

B/c it's Halloween, I thought I'd add a special Halloween recipe.  I know it might be too late for today, but, you'll have it for next year or even for dinner this year!  I found this Idea on Pinterest and totally forgot I had planned on making this special lunch for my boys until lunch time rolled around, but luckily I remembered.  I never ever put much thought into their lunches, but I figured one day out of the year would be worth it.  They loved it!  They thought it was so fun, and yummy!

String Cheese Ghosts, Apple Smiles, Ghostly Banana, Zombie's blood (Ketchup) and Hot dog mummies.