Holiday Kiss Pretzel Treats

OK, it’s the Christmas rush. Are you ready for a treat that is tasty, cute, AND will keep the kids entertained for awhile? These certainly aren’t rocket science, but they’re super cute, and the saltiness of the pretzels with the sweetness of the candies really hits the spot. I made these as a supplement to…

Sun-Dried Tomato and Rosemary Palmiers

The New Year is almost here, so I wanted to make sure I shared an *amazing* appetizer recipe that would be perfect for your New Year’s Eve celebration! We have made this recipe four times already this year – once for our Friends Thanksgiving, once for a Vikings game, and again for Christmas Eve and…

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

You’d be hard pressed to find a bad chocolate cupcake. Well, unless of course you’re talking about vegan cupcakes. Even those styrofoam Hostess ones are somewhat palatable, but vegan cupcakes taste like sawdust! 😉 …. just kidding, of course! I made these for a neighborhood dessert potluck, and was faced with a dilemma – they’re…

Peppermint Mocha French Silk Pie

Are you ready for Christmas? Less than two days to go! I’m not sure whether I’m super excited or super stressed, but for the purposes of happy blogging, we’re going to go with super excited. I made this French Silk Pie for a holiday party a few days ago, and although I’m crazy busy, I…

Brown Butter Fudge

Every year at Christmastime, my dad makes incredible fudge. It is SO good. Like, “sure I just ate a half dozen cookies AND a full 3 course meal, but there’s always room for fudge!” good. It has become his specialty, to the extent that at holiday time and work potlucks, it is a given that…

Scotch and Whiskey Truffles

A few weeks ago I asked one of my coworkers what he would like for a birthday treat, and he (after a particularly tough work week) insisted that the only thing that would make him happy was a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. We have a pretty laid-back office, but something felt questionable about dropping a…

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. 🙂…

Family Christmas Cookie 12: Cherry Hideaways

I’ve saved the best for last! These are an all-time favorite of mine, and a recipe that my grandma made every year for Christmas. They look like they’re plain bark covered cookies, but inside there’s a surprise – maraschino cherries!   This post is day 12 in the series Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

Family Christmas Cookie 11: Peanut Butter Kisses

I’m closing out Mayhem’s 12 days of Christmas Cookies with two cookies that are my all time favorites. Both are recipes my grandma made every Christmas, and while they’re a bit more modern (1950s) than many of the other recipes I’ve shared, they’re definite crowd pleasers. The first are Peanut Butter Kisses – chewy peanut…

Family Christmas Cookie 10: Snowball Cookies

Of all the cookies my grandma made for Christmas, these are one of the most memorable to me. I think it’s because they’re just so pretty! The bright white frosting combined with the coconut makes for such a delicate, lovely looking cookie, and provides a nice contrast on a cookie tray when placed next to…

Family Christmas Cookie 9: Sugar Cookies

  No Christmas cookie plate would be complete without sugar cookies! Much like the gingerbread cookies I shared earlier, this same recipe came from several sources, and I eventually tracked it down to my old 1963 copy of The Cooky Book. This isn’t my favorite recipe for decorating or using precise cutters, but it tastes…

Family Christmas Cookie 8: Gingerbread Boys

  One of the really fun parts of compiling this recipe list was comparing and contrasting my family recipes with my husband’s family recipes. In most cases, there’s a wide contrast between the two families – most of my grandma’s cookies were more elaborate and from newer recipes, while my husband’s family cookbook is heavily…

Family Christmas Cookie 7: Angel Pillows

Angel Pillows are a favorite from my mum’s side of the family. I made them with strawberry preserves, but my grandma always made these with apricot or peach. I believe the recipe must have come out of a magazine or advertisement, as the tattered copy I was given mentioned a few brands by name, but…

Family Christmas Cookie 6: Pfeffernüsse Cookies

This recipe is another of my father-in-law’s additions to the second edition of my mother-in-law’s family cookbook. They always say men marry their mother, but MINE often remarks that he actually married his father. One reason for that is our shared love for anise, and, in turn, these German Pfeffernusse (“peppernut”) cookies. Unlike the other…

Easy Egg Nog Bundt Cake

Last year I was ill for the entire week leading up to the Christmas celebration for my mum’s family, and while I was definitely feeling better by the time the party rolled around, I was simply too behind on everything else (the driveway needed shoveling, the hamper was overflowing, Mayhem had a strange smell about…