Holidays Archives

Ratatouille — A Classic Vegetarian Dish

I'm pretty sure my inspiration to try out Ratatouille was actually the adorable Disney movie. Remy made me want to try it. So I made it for the first time a couple of years ago and my husband and I love it. It warms you right up with a mix of creamy tomato and béchamel sauces that have a little zing from hot red pepper flakes. The veggies all stacked into one another look pretty elegant too. I always feel fancy when I make this dish. I'll admit this ratatouille takes a fair bit of prep work, but it's all…

Post published:November 16, 2020
Post comments:7 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars — Vegan & Gluten Free

These quick and easy no bake peanut butter bars are bound to be a real crowd pleaser. This recipe comes together in no time at all and all you have to do is pop it in the fridge until you're ready to eat it. Plus they are vegan and gluten free! Perfect for anyone with dietary preferences or food allergies. I get a real craving for peanut butter sometimes and these really hit the spot for me. Soft, sweet, peanut buttery and topped with chocolate. I made these for the first time in a baking class I'm taking to learn…

Post published:November 5, 2020
Post comments:7 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Chocolate Raspberry Orange Tart

Time for me to try more Great British Baking Show challenges! This time I challenged myself to bake a fruit tart worthy of a bakery display case. That means presentation is everything with this one. For my fruit tart, I decided on a chocolate orange raspberry tart. Chocolate and raspberries in my opinion is one of the best food combinations ever, and my husband suggested the orange, so I added that in too. My chocolate raspberry orange tart ended up having layers of chocolate mousse, orange creme patissiere and raspberry jam topped off with fresh raspberries, and orange zest. My…

Post published:August 17, 2020
Post comments:7 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Classic British Treacle Tart (Vegan Option!)

My next bake is so British I couldn’t even get all my ingredients at the super market, I had to order one ingredient online! You might recall this dessert mentioned in Harry Potter... Treacle Tart! I had no idea what to expect from this, let alone the taste. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LWsb2TS_cI Treacle Tart is actually a super easy, yummy recipe that I will turn to if I need to make a dessert on the fly. I even keep Golden Syrup stocked in my cabinet now just for it. The taste is lemony and sweet, and the consistency is mushy and delicious. I…

Post published:July 9, 2020
Post comments:8 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two

If you couldn't tell by now I love chocolate. So when I came across Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Lava Cake recipe meant for two, I jumped on it. These lava cakes have an intense chocolate flavor and a lovely gooey center. This recipe is my stand-by for a yummy, elegant looking dessert that's quick to whip up. It's so easy, my husband even helps me make it sometimes (he loves eating a lot more than cooking). Lava Cakes: Make the Batter The batter is only six ingredients! And the best part is you should already have everything in your pantry. It's…

Post published:July 6, 2020
Post comments:19 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Apple Pear Tarte Tatin (Vegan!)

If you keep up to date on my posts, you know I like to bake things that are on the Great British Baking Show. I never heard of tarte tatin until I watched it on the show. I am so glad I discovered it thought and decided to bake an apple pear tarte tatin because it is delicious! This is also the first time I’ve made rough puff pastry and caramel sauce from scratch. This tart is three elements: the puff pastry, caramel, and fruit. The traditional tarte tatin is made with apples and according to Wikipedia was named after…

Post published:June 18, 2020
Post comments:15 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are a classic recipe that everyone should have on hand. I found this recipe on Pinch of Yum blog and I've never gone back. It's that good. I'm more of soft cookie person, rather than crunchy and these are super soft chocolate chip cookies. That feeling when you bite into a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven when the chips inside are still melty...heaven. Chocolate chip cookies are also one of the easiest recipes to make at home from scratch. I know everyone needs a quick fix once in a while, but why go out…

Post published:June 8, 2020
Post comments:16 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Buns

My brother and I have always had a weakness for cinnamon buns, especially the ooey gooey kind. My mom would buy the Pillsbury cinnamon buns in a can on weekends or special occasions and we would have them for breakfast. We would fight over who would get the last one, they were so good! As we grew up, my mom realized my brother and I had food allergies so we had to find dairy free alternatives for everything we loved. We ate a ton of Immaculate Baking Cinnamon Buns after that which are dairy and soy free. It's a great…

Post published:June 1, 2020
Post comments:20 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Fancy Plaited Challah Bread

I 've always wanted to make bread and try my hand at yeasted bakes, so when they made Challah on the Great British Baking Show, I had to try it myself. I also plaited it like they did on the show. Let me tell you, I definitely felt accomplished after finishing this fancy plaited challah bread. I ended up using a video from the YouTube channel of one of the GBBO contestants, Mat Riley to do the braid because I definitely needed the visual element to do this braid. I’ve done braids before in my hair, and I’ve even done…

Post published:May 27, 2020
Post comments:9 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Chocolate Oreo Trifle (Vegan & Gluten Free Options!)

Where are all my chocolate lovers?! This amazing chocolate oreo trifle is filled to the brim with chocolatey, creamy flavors and has a little extra crunch from crushed up Oreos. The best part? It can be thrown together in less than an hour, semi-homemade style. It's also dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free and vegan depending on your dietary preferences. This semi-homemade chocolate oreo trifle is a must have for everyone who wants a mind blowing throw-it-together dessert for special occasions. Prepare the Layers There are four different layers to this trifle: Chocolate Cake Chocolate Pudding Whipped Cream Oreos Chocolate…

Post published:May 24, 2020
Post comments:10 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa