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Hot Chocolate Bombs
Hot chocolate bombs are all the rage right now on social media. I think the craze began on TikTok, but it’s spread far and wide in just a few short months. AND…Of course, I had to dive in and try it out for myself. While I do love me some candy making/art, I do not have the patience to create perfect pieces. If you search, there are some truly beautiful hot chocolate bombs that have been created. Making the hot chocolate bombs isn’t difficult at all, it is just time-consuming with having to wait between some steps. HUGE TIP: Use an electric griddle to not only melt the edges of…
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Holiday Baking: Christmas Crack
Before moving to Las Vegas, I had never in my life heard about Christmas Crack…and to be completely honest the name makes me cringe. Several years ago, I was on a mission to try to change the name to Christmas Chex Mix, but to no avail. Whatever you call this yummy goodness, it is definitely a crowd pleaser. It can easily make a lot for a crowd and it takes less than 30 minutes to make, start to finish. Be careful though, it is addicting…which is probably why it is called Christmas Crack. Have you ever tried this recipe before? Have you already been woke to what Christmas Crack is…or…
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Scottish Shortbread
My family usually celebrates our Norwegian heritage during the holidays through baking various goodies such as lefse (potato tortilla served with butter and sugar), krumkake (Norwegian version of a cannoli), and aebleskievers (pancake balls sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with jam). My husband’s heritage is rich in Scottish and Irish roots. So to honor and celebrate his ancestors, I like to make Scottish Shortbread. There are many recipes available for shortbread, but each recipe’s main ingredients are butter, sugar, and flour. Shortbread is a crisp cookie with a sweet buttery flavor. With this recipe, I like to add a little something special not normally found in shortbread recipes, maple…
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Hidden Kiss Meringues
Holiday baking is in full swing right now and my kitchen has exploded with all things of tasty goodness. Hidden kiss meringues have been a holiday favorite of my family’s for decades. While working with meringue can be intimating, this recipe is nearly foolproof. To top it off, this recipe has 5 ingredients, including the Hershey Kiss center. This recipe is super quick and easy. Bonus is that it is a crowd pleaser and extremely easy to mass produce for a party or to give as a holiday goodie. Have you ever made meringue candy before? Do you find it easy or difficult to create? Stay tuned for more holiday…
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Meatless Monday: Mushroom Stroganoff
I’ve really been on a roll with making meatless meals. I decided to take a stab at mushroom stroganoff and see what the boys thought. Even Matthew decided it was just as tasty as beef stroganoff. Stroganoff is typically made with large pasta, like egg noodles. I prefer pappardelle pasta. They are still egg noodles, but on steriods. It makes for more fun eating the meal. An added benefit with this meal is that it is cheap to create. Cutting out the beef causes the price per serving to be below $1.25. Using the beef consommé instead of beef stock also gives it the beefy flavor without the meat. Plus…
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Holiday Craft: Paper Bag Snowflakes
One of my most favorite activities are ones that are cheap, easy to do for almost all ages, and look pretty when finished. When I saw someone else do this paper bag snowflake craft, I knew I would be inflicting my crafty side on the boys. I also knew that if the snowflakes turned out, I would be using them in our holiday decor this year. In all, it took the amigos and I less than a hour from start to finish. I manned the hot glue gun and honestly the gluing of the paper bags together is what took the longest. Once the bundles were each glued together, it…
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How To: Brining A Turkey
Turkey is something that we only do on Thanksgiving, so we make sure we do it right. While turkey is tasty any time of the year, we like to mix it up for other holidays. Typically we end up cooking two turkeys…roasting one and deep frying one, and this year was no different. This year though, I wanted to perfect my brining game. If you aren’t aware of what brining is and what it does to meat…then keep reading. Brining meat involves submerging it in a liquid-filled with salt that has been dissolved. Doing this not only adds flavor, but it changes the composition of the meat over time and…
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Coconut Pineapple Curry
I had a special request to make a curry dish. I have to be honest, curry has always intimidated me. When I’ve eaten it in restaurants, it ended up not being a particular favorite. It wasn’t that it was too spicy in the heat index sense…it was that it was too spice-y as in A LOT of flavors my tongue couldn’t comprehend. Not to mention, this scene from Along Came Polly has always stuck in my mind. Still, when a very close friend makes a request, you listen. As I began researching curry, I soon realized curry isn’t necessarily a dish. It is a blend of spices added to dishes.…
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Copy Cat: Pei Wei Chicken Wraps
I don’t eat at Pei Wei’s often, but when I do, I always have to have their chicken wraps. They are SO tasty, but since I don’t get to go to Pei Wei’s as much as I’d like, I decided I needed to figure out how to recreate them at home. I’ve also been on a kick lately of tricking my family into trying new things. I had some left over cremini mushrooms in the fridge and decided to add them into this recipe instead of only having ground chicken. If you are most decidedly not a fan of mushrooms, just exchange the mushrooms for another pound of ground chicken.…
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Meatless Meal: Veggie Lo Mein
I’ve been on a no meat meal kick as of late. While I know this is a rather unpopular statement, some might even say controversial…I LOVE MUSHROOMS. And…of course, I married a man who loathes them, or at least the texture of them. Mushrooms are very much a hated vegetable. Typically it is a texture thing because most mushrooms take on the flavor of whatever you add them to. So I have made it my mission to sneak mushrooms in as many meals as I can and see which of my boys’ notices. When I am adding mushrooms to something, I prefer cremini or the white button mushrooms as opposed…
