Easy Recipes for Busy Parents
Apple Pie Spice Latte for the chilly fall mornings or afternoons. So much better because made in your own kitchen!
There are many things I look forward to this fall season: apples, pumpkins, brown, red and orange leaves on the lawn, chilly mornings, plaid throws, TV shows, seasonal Yankee Candles and so much more.
Chilly mornings require a good coffee. Better yet, a latte. Like this Apple Pie Spice Latte.
[Read more...] about Apple Pie Spice Latte Recipe
Let's take a little break from recipes and make a list.
Are you a list-making person? I sure am. I have so many of them. Grocery list, to-do list, to-bake list, crafts list, recipes list and others.
I saw this idea on Inspired by Charm blog and thought it would be really fun to take a break from recipe blogging and share a little bit of what's going on here, behind the scenes. A bits of a real life, if you please.
Fluffy Milk Chocolate Banana Muffins - soft and delicious muffins made with mashed bananas, whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt. The addition of milk chocolate chips adds sweetness!
Maybe it's just me but seems like bananas get over-ripe faster during summer than winter. So what do you do when you have a bunch of spotted bananas sitting on your counter and your kids won't touch them because... you know... they are too mushy? You make muffins. The fluffiest, packed with bananas and sweetened up with chunks of milk chocolate muffins. Another family favorite is this recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. I reduced the amount of all-purpose flour, reduced the sugar, butter, added Greek yogurt and packed them with bananas. Your kids will love these muffins because of the bananas and milk chocolate, without complaining about the whole wheat flour. That's right. I skinny-fied these babies!
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies - chewy and packed with goodies! These oatmeal cookies are bound to be a hit!
We are talking oats, raisins and chocolate chips. I know some people don't like raisins in their cookies. Well, I happen to love them. The texture and sweetness. Pair it with chocolate and wrap it all up in an oatmeal cookie dough and there is no stopping after one cookie! They are thick and chewy and oh-so-delicious, especially still slightly warm! I also love the Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies and my delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.
Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars - The best crumb bars you'll ever have! Creamy sour cream filling and sweet strawberry pie filling makes them irresistible!
Crumb Bars are one of my favorite easy desserts to make. We love my Cherry Pie Crumb Bars as well as the Pumpkin Pie Bars.
Today I am sharing another version of my Sour Cream Crumb Bars. They are so good and so incredibly easy to make! It was simply time to add some fruit! Whether it's the strawberry season or you are simply craving a sweet berry dessert, these bars are perfect because they use a ready pie filling atop of a creamy cheesecake-like layer. The crumb topping and crust are made in one bowl. This recipe is bound to become one of your favorites!
[Read more...] about Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb BarsNew York Style Crumb Cake - moist and fluffy cake with crunchy crumb topping. Perfect dessert with a cup of tea or coffee.
New York Style Crumb Cake is my favorite coffee cake. All because of the topping. I tried many and this one is hands down the best. It won't sink into the cake, which I don't like. I added a tablespoon of molasses to it simply because I ran out of brown sugar. I have to say, I love the flavor it added to it. You can turn this recipe into muffins like I did with my Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins. Perfect for an afternoon snack!
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Fruit on the Bottom Bruleed Oatmeal - easy breakfast idea with oats. Bake oatmeal with fruit filling on the bottom and toasted sugar topping.
We love baked oatmeal and I make it quite often. My Easy Baked Oatmeal Cups are a favorite around here. I wanted to jazz it up a bit and Bruleed Oatmeal with fruit on the bottom sounded perfect. This is a great idea for a weekend breakfast when you want something nutritious yet sweet. Fruit filling is topped with cooked oatmeal and sugar topping then popped under the broiler for a few minutes. The result: delicious oatmeal that is bound to become a favorite!
Chocolate Chip Milk Dunkers - fun cookie sticks that are super easy to make! The kiddos will love them!
Sometimes mistakes lead to delicious discoveries. I blame it all on my son's adorable smile and a need to play Hot Wheels right in the same time I was making my first biscotti. He is the most adorable boy ever and I love him to pieces! The way he says "Mommy" just melts my heart! He is known for getting me in trouble. 🙂
Can you tell I have mommy goggles on today? 🙂
Chocolate Chip Biscotti - crispy on the edges and filled with chocolate chips, this classic cookie is perfect served with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
I love to serve these cookies with my Skinny Pumpkin Latte or dip them into my White Chocolate Coconut Latte.
They are delicate and crunchy like a real biscotti should be. These biscotti are easy to make and do not require you to dedicate a whole afternoon to it. As I said, it's enough we have been robbed of an hour already. I went with this simple version that you can easily pair with your morning coffee, cappuccino or whatever makes your cup happy. Most biscotti recipes use all white sugar. I went all light brown to imitate the chocolate chip cookie. It's like a fancied-up version of it, in a biscotti form. 🙂 Me like!
[Read more...] about Chocolate Chip BiscottiTriple chocolate mousse cake - the one and only dessert for a true chocolate lover. The perfect showstopper for a special occasion.
If you love mousse desserts, you may also like my Chocolate Mousse For Two recipe as well as the Pumpkin Mousse Pie.
Do you see that slice up there? This is the ultimate chocolate dessert. Not only it's triple chocolate but it is made of layers of mousse. Creamy mousse, that melts in your mouth and transfers you into sweet bliss. I had this Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake on my to-make list for so long and it finally happened! We just love desserts with sweet mousse! My Pumpkin Mousse Pie is my go-to for Thanksgiving dinner.
[Read more...] about Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Happy Thanksgiving!!
There is a lot we are thankful for this year. The big things: our love, health, home. And the small things: first steps, first words, evenings of catching our oldest daughter reading a book to her sister, sunny days in the park, playing ball with Daddy, baking cookies with Mommy, throwing leaves up in the air.... There is so much to be grateful for.
And then there is this little blog that became a big part of our life. It brought friendships, inspiration and opportunities we wouldn't get without it. So I would like to take time and say thank you.
Thank you to you, my sweet readers. Your comments, e-mails and messages saying that you tried my recipes and enjoyed them, that they brought some sweetness to your life - they make my days!! I have so much fun playing in the kitchen and baking up treats that I can later share on this blog. Thank you for supporting me, even if I take brakes once in a while due to life happenings. 🙂
Thank you for reading, commenting, inspiring me.
THANK YOU!
Have a wonderful, delicious and sweet Thanksgiving!!
xoxo,
Anna
1. David Lebovitz's post about precision in writing recipes for cookbooks and blogs. A must-read for food bloggers.
2. Two words: sneezing panda. I dare you not to laugh!
3. Thank you to Natural Mothers Network for featuring my Frozen Pumpkin Cubes are featured in 12 Healthy Recipes with Pumpkin Puree article.
4. DIY Vintage Wine Crate Coffee Table from DIY Vintage Chic. Can we all please make this?
5. I miss this show....
6. ... and this kitchen...
Photo Source: Hooked on Houses
7. Up next: Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes Round-Up! Stay tuned!
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xoxo,
Anna
Nutty Nougat Caramel Bites - layers of candy make these caramel bites irresistible! Chocolate, caramel, nougat and nuts make for a rich treat!
Let me count the reasons why you should make these: butterscotch cookie base, peanut butter nougat, caramel, butterscotch and chocolate frosting. Yep, that covers it. If you are a fan of candy bars, you will love these! There are quite a bit of steps to make these bites, but they are worth it.
Toasted clusters of fall-flavored granola. Pumpkin, molasses, figs, dates, even dark chocolate! This granola is packed with deliciousness!
Granola is one of those easy snacks I practically lived on in college. Each spoonful is a surprise. Chocolate or date. Fig or oat cluster. All the way yum!
Blue Ribbon Challenge is a monthly link up with a theme. Every month, participants make the same dish but with their own spin on it. We share our posts on the same day. If you are interested in joining the group, you can do so on Facebook or simply link up next month here on CCS! I am looking forward to have you join the delicious fun.
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It's the last Wednesday of September which means two things.
1. It's almost October!! Eeek!
2. It's time for our monthly Blue Ribbon Challenge!
This month just flew by! It feels like we just shared our granitas post! Now Halloween is just around the corner, pumpkins greet you by the door of every store and farmers markets. The trees are changing and mornings are somewhat chilly.
[Read more...] about Blue Ribbon Challenge { September }: Curd
This Caramel Apple Coffee Cake is a must-try dessert for fall! It's tender cake with sauteed apples, crunchy crumb topping and homemade salted butter caramel sauce!
I am in the full swing mode of fall baking. And I love it! Despite the heat outdoors, I am enjoying fall soups, home-baked bread and cakes. Like this one. Caramel Apple Coffee Cake. Does this look yummy or what??
Remember my Salted Butter Caramel Sauce? It took the internet by storm!! I am not surprised. I had to use it in this cake. It's just perfect with apple coffee cake!
Yay September! Yay cool front! Yay fall baking!!!
Can you tell I am excited about fall? 🙂 It's our favorite season. So many happy things happen in the fall. The weather is finally comfortable and enjoyable. Trees turn the most beautiful red and orange you can imagine. There are apples and pumpkins everywhere. Holidays are just around the corner and the football season starts! All of these are excuses for me to bake and cook delicious food.
Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies - thick and chewy and absolutely fantastic!
When you want soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, you need to try these Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are super easy and fun to make and always a hit with my family.
I wanted to include the pudding version for two reasons: I was really curious to see how adding pudding to cookie dough affects the texture of the cookies; I have been noticing more and more recipes for pudding cookies. Which means there are a lot of flavor possibilities out there. Pistachio pudding cookies anyone?Easy to make and oh-so-good! No refrigeration of the dough needed. Let the kids make them! Just like I did with my Funfetti Pudding Cookies.
