Mmm…I can just smell the chocolate and cinnamon.

When it comes to baking, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. If it’s good, I have no self control. Shoot, even it’s a little better than edible I have no self control. If I whip something up in the kitchen to be shared by only my little family, you can bet I’ll be “sneaking” bites long after dessert time is over. I. Just. Can’t. Stop. My oldest also has a sweet tooth, and if there’s something yummy in the house, it consumes her every bit of attention. She whines. She negotiates. She makes me wish I’d never made the darn thing in the first place.

So whenever possible, I try to infuse as many healthy ingredients as I can, and use sneaky swaps to pack in extra nutrients and …

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The girls enjoyed the cake almost as much as Uncle Jake. And did I mention it has VEGETABLES? 🙂

If you were expecting a follow-up post to my last one (a gut wrenching confession of my worry during early pregnancy), I’m sorry to disappoint you. I just don’t feel like doing that yet. What I do feel like is sharing with you a recipe for an AMAZING cake I made over the weekend. It’s a fantastic way to use those zucchinis up you’ve got sitting around your kitchen. It’s a little bit of a twist on a recipe I found here (and frosting from here). I made it as a triple-layer birthday cake for my brother-in-law, who turned the ripe old …

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Friends, I’m a little ashamed that I’m even calling this a recipe. It’s basically a glorified s’more. It’s got four ingredients, and all you need is a microwave to make it happen. Super easy. But sometimes, that’s just what we want. And with two little ones under foot, it makes things much easier on momma. Oh, and did I mention these taste AMAZING? Seriously, so good. You could do many variations, including dipping in white chocolate instead of stacking, or switching up marshmallow flavors. They travel well, too, so they’re great to take to potlucks or social events (I’m taking mine to Bible study tonight). Enjoy!

Four ingredients:

Ritz Crackers

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows (found mine at WalMart)

White Chocolate Chips

Cinnamon

 

Four simple ingredients, many on sale during the holidays!
Melt white chocolate chips in a …

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This is what it’s all about. The joy of gingerbread magic! And I can’t make the toddler stay still enough for a non-fuzzy picture.

When I was nine or so, I happened upon a booth at our local Fall Festival, one that displayed delicious, artistic Gingerbread houses. I was mesmerized. Miss Paula, the master gingerbread architect, was a familiar face seen at my church, my school, and even taking our softball team pictures in the summer. So, I felt completely comfortable asking (begging) her to puh-lease make a gingerbread house with me some day. And being the generous person she is, she agreed. So, from then on, it was our little inside story, and every time we saw each other, we’d talk about making a house someday. But we never did. The years went …

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Guest post from fellow blogger Barnyard Barbie. (She’s good people so go check out her blog!) I’ve got a big box of apples that I’ll convert into this yummy cake very soon. 

The girls and I picked these from a local orchard the other day. So tasty. Might never buy store-bought apples again.

When Cat posted the yummy pic of these apples and asked for our favorite recipes, I just had to share mine! I trade my farm fresh eggs for fresh-off-the-tree apples and pears from a local producer (it’s a great trade). So I tend to have a lot of recipes that use apples and pears. Here is Apple Butterscotch Cake…and it is delicious!

You need:

2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp …

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A pretty ribbon adds a nice finishing touch!

 

My sister-in-law Amy recently threw an amazing first birthday bash for her baby girl. As a party favor, she handed out these cute decorated M&M cookie jars. What a fun way to send a piece of the party home! And let me tell you, these are DELICIOUS when baked up. So. Good. Enjoy!

Jar Ingredients:
1/2 cup of M&M’s
3/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup white sugar
Sprinkle more candy on top

Finishing Ingredients (info to put on recipe card):

3/4 cup butter softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Empty contents of jar into large bowl; thoroughly blend mix.
Using your hands, mix in the butter until well blended.
Beat together the egg and vanilla and then add it to the …

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