I had a bit of a conundrum about what to make. But decided on White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars Making, mixing, baking, wrapping, labeling, and bagging them all up took a bit of time. After wrapping and labeling two dozen bars, I can say definitely I’ll never open a bakery. God Bless anyone who has the patience! But for a bake sale, not a biggie. I just hope they sell....

Because I had nothing else going on. I’m happy I used up the rest of the ‘nog because these vanilla eggnog donuts were tasty and seasonal. Nothing says holiday baking like eggnog, in donut form. I broke in my new mini donut pan by making a dozen mini donuts and the remaining batter provided enough for four larger donuts. My verdict on the mini donut pan is it sure makes cute donuts but they are much more of a PITA to make than regular donuts....

Most pie has too much crust and not enough filling so I don’t bother. Instead of blueberry pie, I made a healthy, vegan, gluten-free, no-sugar-added smoothie that tastes like blueberry pie filling. And it’s so good. I used 1 bag of frozen blueberries, 1 banana, blueberry juice, vanilla, a sugar-free sweetener and blended it. You can substitute with grape, cherry, or pomegranate juice. Add enough juice to get your blender churning and start pulverizing the blueberries....

Caramel Overnight French Toast Bake This is possibly my new favorite French toast casserole, and my recipe for Overnight Syrup-On-The-Bottom French Toast is hard to top. This caramel French toast is delicate and tender on the inside, with a touch of firmness on the outer exposed edges. If you like French toast that has a lot of chewiness and is very hearty, this is not that. Like buttah is how I would describe the texture....

The Best Banana Upside-Down Cake I love caramelized bananas. The depth of flavor is like no other. Browned butter, brown sugar, and the natural banana sugars create the best tasting bananas ever. I wanted to pluck each and every one of the bananas off the cake. I used restraint while I served the cake at a party, but it wasn’t easy. I had never had a banana upside-down cake but figured why not....

Okay, imagine this for a second. Yourself sitting around with friends, significant other, or let’s be honest – happily by yourself – with a plate of crispy crackers topped with a jammy savory-sweet caramelized shallot and red grape chutney and a thin slice of Manchego cheese, and maybe even a glass of red wine to boot. I’m not saying you have to make this happen, but COME ON. We’re fast approaching crazy holiday season and you sort of have to make this happen....

This is one of those recipes where people will FOR SURE ask for the recipe. Kind of like with this Rocky Road Fudge and these easy homemade truffles! My great aunt used to make these amazing Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, no one had her recipe so my mom helped me experiment to recreate them. With some trial and error, we’ve done it and I am SO excited to share them with you....

Cookie Butter. Brown sugar. Streusel topping. Three things I love, all rolled into one. These bars are based on my one-bowl blondie recipe that I’ve relayed and parlayed. It uses melted butter, which means no mixer. They come together in five minutes by hand in one bowl, so you have precisely one item to wash. Make the bars by melting one stick of butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add an egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and stir to combine....

The Easiest Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels Two of my favorite things about going to the mall are Cinnabon’s and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Sometimes it’s hard for me to choose which one I want. Long gone are the metabolism days where I can have both. So, I made soft pretzels that taste like Cinnabon’s so that I don’t have to choose. These are the easiest and fastest soft baked pretzels you’ll ever make because they start with a tube of Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls....

My kids, of course, usually eat waffles with syrup and butter on top, so it took a little work to convince them to try these savory waffles. In the end, both the cornbread waffles and chili were a big hit! However, you can definitely enjoy cornbread waffles without chili, and simply serve them with butter and honey on top. What to serve on cornbread waffles: Homemade Chili Butter Jam Honey...

I love Cranberry Bliss Bars. Actually anything with white chocolate and cranberries I’m bound to like. And because I have a longstanding obsession with Seven Layer Bars — or Magic Bars, as they’re sometimes called — marrying two favorite bars into one had to happen. A buttery graham cracker crust, topped with white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s a fast, easy, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that’s as easy as sprinkling and layering ingredients in a pan and the bars have everything going....

Easiest Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with Orange Glaze My cranberry orange bread recipe has been a long-time reader favorite, and this Bundt cake is inspired by that recipe. This is a no-fuss cranberry orange bunch cake! There’s no mixer necessary, and takes just 10 minutes to whisk together the batter, and dirties just one bowl. No need to combine dry ingredients in another bowl and fold in. Nope! This is a lovely and bright citrus cranberry cake that’s much easier to prepare than pie and is a nice departure from pumpkin-this or peppermint-that, which are so typical around the holidays....

Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe If you love a good crispy chicken sandwich, you are going to fall in love with my recipe. I enjoyed recreating the flavor and texture of the beloved Chick-Fil-A sandwich at home. If you’ve never tried the Chick-Fil-A version of this sandwich, you can happily just skip it and make it yourself – but better. And if you are familiar with those Chick-Fil-A craveworthy chicken sandwiches, I promise you will not be disappointed with this copycat DIY version!...

comment icon 46 more comments Is this not the most perfect Friday food? These golden brown, crispy, salty tostones are my favorite of all the favorites. French fries – yes. Onion rings – okay, twist my arm. But tostones – GIMME NOW. There is never a wrong time for tostones. So much good happens when you fry those little rounds of plantain, smash them into edgier, flatter chip-like pieces, and dip them into your favorite sauce (MAGIC GREEN SAUCE duh)....

Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing This Thai-inspired peanut salad is so easy, ready in 10 minutes thanks to a shortcut, and filled with amazing crunch and so many textures and flavors in every bite. The base of the salad consists of coleslaw mix — which is green cabbage with shredded carrots and a bit of red cabbage — and I added extra red cabbage for good measure along with salted peanuts and cilantro....

comment icon 77 more comments (Long live summer.) I recently learned about agua fresca and I won’t ever be the same. Some things I learned: An agua fresca is a light, non-alcoholic drink. The translation literally means “fresh water” or “cool water.” It’s popular in Mexico, Central America, and the US. It’s usually made with fruits, flowers, seeds, etc. that are blended with sugar and water. IT’S REALLY MY FAVORITE THING EVER RIGHT NOW....

Unique Apple Pie … with Cream Cheese! I don’t usually make cheesecakes or pies because they’re too much work. I don’t care how good a dessert is, it should’t take me all day to make. Because this pie uses some shortcuts, the workload is as minimal as possible for all of my fellow non-pie (and cheesecake) makers. The pie reminds me of a beloved happy accident called Caramel Apple Crumble Pie, circa 2012, which has become a reader favorite over the years....

Looking for more pizza recipes? Try my White Pizza, Calzones, or Thai Chicken Pizza! I fell in love with Detroit-style Pizza about 10-years ago when we lived in Saint Louis and got it often for take-out. Now I see it on fancy restaurant menus! I’m so excited to share this homemade version with you that I’ve tested so many times that my kids actually complained when I told them we were having pizza, again, for dinner!...

Looking for more salsa recipes? Try this Mango Salsa, Salsa Roja, or Fresh Homemade Salsa! Why I love this recipe: Easy – Only 5 minutes of work for a big batch of fresh salsa! It tastes just like the restaurant! Enjoy Any Time of Year – We use the highest quality canned tomatoes, so you can enjoy it any time of year! Don’t forget to gift them with our free labels for Christmas or our labels for any time of year!...

The Best Italian Pasta Salad If you’re wondering what to make for your next picnic, potluck, summer barbecue, or for something you can make that the whole family will love (and that you’ll likely have plenty of leftovers for a few lunches for the week), look no further than this easy pasta salad recipe. There’s tender chicken, al dente pasta, crisp-tender vegetables, all perfumed with Italian seasoning and Italian dressing for the perfect punch of flavor....