Category Archives: Holidays

Mardi Gras is Tuesday, March 1st this year.  I believe it always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, signifying the end of Carnival season and the start of Lenten season, but please correct me if you are more knowledgeable on these details than I am 😊  Tuesdays aren’t usually something people get excited over, unless it’s Taco Tuesday, but Mardi Gras gives you something to look forward to.  Each city celebrates differently, and I admittedly don’t know of any raging parties happening in the Twin Cities (yet) but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate at home with a few close friends and family. We typically enjoy a themed meal or some apps and cocktails at home.  This year, we’ll be starting with Sausage Bites with Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce as an appetizer, then moving on to Cajun Turkey Burgers with Spicy Remoulade as our main course with King Cake Cream Cheese Bites … Continue reading

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‘Tis the season for some festive food and what better way to celebrate the holidays than with pancakes!  Kidding…kind of 😊 Pancakes are one of those items we have once or twice a year but when we do have them, we remember how much we enjoy them.  They are filling, a hearty meal for cold weather, can be enjoyed any time of day (raise your hand if you’re a fan of brinner…breakfast for dinner), and can be prepared in a variety of flavors.  Since it is holiday season, what better way to enjoy pancakes than in some traditional holiday flavors?  That is my goal with this blog post; to provide you with some yummy new recipes and hopefully give you recipe ideas for Christmas morning or another meal around the holidays. I present to you (drum roll please)… Grinch Pancakes with a Cream Cheese Icing and Whipped Cream Eggnog Pancakes with Vanilla Syrup Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with … Continue reading

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It doesn’t matter what time of year it is…ice cream is always an acceptable dessert.  Granted, I do tend to enjoy it more frequently during the summer months but every now and then a bowl of ice cream (better yet, homemade ice cream) satisfies my craving during the colder months of the year.  I like to make homemade ice cream.  Sure, store-bought ice cream is wonderful and super convenient but homemade ice cream tastes a bit like soft serve and is creamer in my opinion.  I have 3 recipes to share with you today for homemade ice cream: Birthday Cake Blueberry Butterfinger   The Birthday Cake Ice Cream is BY FAR my favorite ice cream I have ever made.  It tastes like cake batter…the pre-cooked batter you scrape out of the bowl and lick any excess off the spoon…that cake batter.  It’s sweet, creamy and is packed full of sprinkles.  It’s amazing. The recipe can be found … Continue reading

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Baguette sandwiches are my new favorite thing!  There is something about a baguette that makes you feel like you are in a French café, sipping cappuccino, and enjoying local fare.  They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and make for a great sandwich.   Prosciutto & Arugula Baguette Sandwiches make the perfect meal.  The prosciutto is salty, the cheese is sharp, and the arugula adds some fresh flavor.  Pair it with some mustard or mayonnaise and jam, and you are set! The recipe can be found here. Start by making the sandwich spread.  In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and mustard.  This gives the sandwich a spicy and tangy taste.  You can use only mayonnaise or only mustard or neither, but I like the flavor of both combined. Next, slice the baguette in half.  Each half will make one sandwich.  Or you can slice … Continue reading

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Make tonight’s dinner a fast and fun meal that’s completely customizable with sheet pan nachos!  These are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser and are super easy to make.  Simply layer your toppings, bake, and enjoy! One big plus of these is they only take one pan to make so clean up is a breeze, and the pan doubles as the serving vessel so you can simply dig in and be satisfied in no time. I have 3 recipes to share with you today: Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Nachos Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Nachos   As mentioned previously, these would make for a great weeknight meal.  Otherwise, serve them at a football party, birthday party, weekend cookout, holiday party, etc.  The options are endless!  The recipes make a large enough quantity that you can feed a crowd. Let’s start with Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos.  These are … Continue reading

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Willkommen (or welcome) to Oktoberfest!  If you aren’t familiar, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest…or beer festival and traveling funfair, for those of use that don’t speak German.  It’s held in Germany and runs about 2 weeks, typically from mid-Sept to the first Sunday in October.  You can find traditional German food such as sausages, oversized soft pretzels, mustard and curry ketchup, cabbage and radish salads, dumplings, spaetzle, and obviously, plenty of ice-cold beer!  More than 6 million people from around the world attend the event every year. Unfortunately, the Oktoberfest celebration in German is cancelled again this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy plenty of yummy food.  So, pull out the decorations, get your house in order, invite some friends and family over, and cook up some delicious German food! I’d like to share with you 5 different ideas to host the perfect Oktoberfest party.  We’ll … Continue reading

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Sheet Pan Pancakes are like one giant perfect pancake!  Once you make these or try these, there is no going back.  No standing at the counter flipping pancakes for an hour over the griddle!  Simply bake, slice, and devour.  They are moist, fluffy, and easy to assemble. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F.  Generously spray a baking sheet (11×17 size) with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pancake mix, milk, and eggs.  Any brand of pancake mix will work just fine. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet.  It might look like the batter isn’t filling much of the baking sheet, but it will rise as it bakes so you don’t need to add additional batter.  If you do, your pancakes will turn out more like cake! Add any toppings of your choice – blueberries, bananas, … Continue reading

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Cake Pops are a fun phenomenon and something I had to try.  When I think of a Cake Pop, I think of cake that is coated in melted chocolate, skewered on a stick, and served as a bite sized treat.  They can be made in most cake flavors and decorated as simple or elaborate as you want.  They are very similar to truffles but are often a little lighter and truffles aren’t served on a stick. I started my Cake Pop venture before the 4th of July (can you see I’m a bit behind on writing this? :)) but thought these are great treat for any time of year!  You could make some to celebrate Labor Day, the end of summer and kids going back to school, dessert at a BBQ, or just make them because you love cake 🙂 I purchased this fancy Cake Pop maker (little countertop appliance … Continue reading

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When I think of crisp and refreshing, I think of caprese salad.  It has juicy, ripe tomatoes, slices of soft mozzarella, and is finished with incredibly fresh basil leaves.  If you add some French bread and a smear of pesto and can turn a lovely caprese salad into a tasty pizza.  It’s bursting with flavor and is to toasted to perfection. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the French bread in half, horizontally.  If the bread is too long to fit on a baking sheet, slice the bread in half so it will fit.  Make sure you look for soft Italian bread or French bread.  You don’t want to use a hearty baguette or anything that will be too hard and crusty after baking. I like to use store-bought basil pesto, but you can make homemade pesto if you have … Continue reading

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The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing.  Do you plan on going?  I know a lot of people that plan on attending the fair and a lot of people that don’t, for various reasons.  I sure love the fair and missed not being able to attend last year.  Unfortunately, this year, it’s also not in the cards for me.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some delicious fair food at home, and you can do the same! First off, I want to share with you a link to a blog I wrote last year.  The blog is called Your Favorite MN State Fair Food…at Home, because that’s what the blog is about – creating and enjoying all the classic state fair foods in the comfort of your own home.  I wrote this blog because the fair was cancelled last year and wanted to give everyone the option of … Continue reading

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