Mayhem in the Kitchen!

Spiced Rum Pecans

First of all, Merry Christmas and Hanukkah Sameach!! I hope you have a fabulous holiday!! Things are crazy right now with last minute preparations, but I thought I’d check in with you guys for just a second to toss out a tip for those of you who are scrambling as much as I am. 🙂…

Quick and Easy Cranberry Sauce

Every year, I put home made jellied cranberry sauce into an elaborate mold for our friends thanksgiving, and every year, it never sets up as well as I would like. I’ve tried apples, pectin, and vegan gelatin, and each time, my mold disintegrates into a shapeless blob on the tray. Sure, it is always flavorful…

Famous Minnesota Grape Salad

You may remember that a few weeks ago, the internet was abuzz over a New York Times piece called The United States of Thanksgiving that assigned a Thanksgiving staple dish to each state in the Union. The author said that they “scoured the nation for recipes that evoke each of the 50 states”, so most…

National Cookie Day 2014

Today is National Cookie Day! I’m usually not one for these types of days of recognition, but I’ll make an exception for cookies! ^_^ Since it’s also Throwback Thursday, let’s throw back to the many, MANY cookie recipes I’ve shared with you. 🙂 [cgview tags=Cookies lightbox=0]

Fresh Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Snap Crust

A few weeks ago my three year old nephew was telling me how much he loves the itty bitty pie pumpkin he got at the pumpkin patch, and I (not thinking about just how deep his attachment might run) suggested we turn it into a pie. Surprisingly, he was very enthusiastic about this idea, so…

Basic Corn Bread

OK, is it just me, or is a good chili just not complete without a good cornbread at its side?? The other night our pressure cooker chili was just about done when we realized we had neglected to make corn bread. Sure, the chili was hearty enough to be a meal in itself, but what…

Easy Pressure-Cooker Vegan Black Bean Chili

OK you guys, I have good news, and I have bad news. First the good news – Normalcy has returned! We have an offer on our old house AND we’ve been able to cook!! Plus, now that we won’t be so financially strapped soon, I’ve been shopping for a new range! One with a window…

Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes

We’re headed out to a Halloween Party tonight and were told to bring whatever we’d like. Of course, I immediately gravitated toward cupcakes because they’re the perfect party treat in so many ways – single serving, easily themed, universally loved, friggin adorable…… I scoured the web for ideas last week, and this idea for graveyard…

Candy Corn Halloween Cupcakes

Searching for a cute last-minute treat to take to a Halloween party tonight? Look no further! Unless you’re picking up something pre-made from the grocery store, I promise that it can’t get much easier than these festive Candy Corn Cupcakes. We’re headed out to a party tonight, so I made these last night as a…

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Have I waited long enough between posts expressing my love for all things cruciferous? No? Well, I’ll apologize in advance, because I’m ready to talk broccoli again! We often buy the gigantic 3lb bag of broccoli florets from Costco, and then munch on it for two weeks or so while using it in various ways…

Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Birthday Cake

My mum and brother share a birthday, but every year I make two cakes for the occasion to acknowledge that it really IS two separate occasions. My brother requested ice cream cake again this year, so a little like last year, I decided to bake a regular cake-cake for my mum, but with a bit…

Homemade Carvel Cookie Puss

If you’ve been following Mayhem in the Kitchen! for awhile, you might remember that my mum and brother have the same birthday. As a result, every year I find myself trying to bake two extravagant cakes to make sure that neither one of them ends up with Christmas-Birthday syndrome. Like last year, my brother requested…

Cinnamon-Banana Oatmeal Bites

After several weeks of successfully finishing off our organic bananas, we were again faced with a dilemma – freeze, compost, or experiment? Given my husband’s request that I not expand upon my store of frozen overripe bananas and our aversion to food waste, I figured I basically had no choice but to experiment! After the…

Chocolate-Banana Oatmeal Bites

A few weeks ago I came downstairs and discovered that my bananas had moved from nicely ripened with brown specks to, um, black. Having wasted more than a couple bananas in my day, I knew I needed to act quickly if I wanted to put them to good use. My initial reaction was to just…

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Icing

You guys. It’s the second most wonderful time of the year! PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON Last year I bought the Costco pack of organic pumpkin puree, and based on how September has gone thus far, I’m going to need to stock up again this year. I know a lot of folks think this whole pumpkin spice…