The not-so-fun parts of food blogging are the recipe-fails that happen along the way to get to recipe-successes that actually make it onto the site. I had an idea for this berries and cream baked breakfast treat all the way back over the holidays last year. I originally tried this idea as more of a french-toast casserole and I just couldn’t get the proportions right, it was too dry or too sticky or not quite what my flavor vision had been when I thought it up. With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, and Memorial Day just around the corner, I decided to give my idea another try after taking it back to the drawing board for a new approach. I ditched the french toast technique and instead used some good ol’ fashioned Pillsbury biscuit dough baked like a monkey-bread in a bundt pan. I layered some of the berries and cream cheese in the middle of the little cinnamon-sugar biscuit bites and then finished it off with a fluffy cream cheese frosting topping and more fresh berries. It took me 6-months to get it right, but the testing was worth it! Scroll down to get the full recipe: read more

Since writing my cookbook, I’ve been asked a lot of the same questions about entertaining at each event I go to. One of the most common ones has been “what’s your favorite type of party to throw?” and my answer is always a brunch! Brunch to me always feels cozy and casual, and an easy way to get folks together to celebrate. I especially love it now that we have a toddler – we can have our party and our afternoon too. I have a handful of go-to menu items I always rely on for brunch like maple brown sugar bacon, cheddar chive hashbrowns, and a big hearty breakfast strata. If I’m hosting a bigger event – like a bridal or baby shower brunch – I always add quiche to the menu. read more

I had a perfect fall Sunday — we picked up some pumpkins for our porch, played outside with Jane, and watched football. During Jane’s nap time I had a few items on my to-do list that needed to get done, so of course I decided to procrastinate and do a little baking. That perfect autumn weather was calling me — it was so nice to turn on the oven without worrying about heating up out kitchen. I was craving something sweet and pumpkin-y, but had a bunch of too-ripe bananas that needed to be used up. So I tested a banana-pumpkin batter to make these tasty little muffins. They have the density of banana bread, a sticky moist texture from the sour cream, and all of the flavors of sweet pumpkin spice. Jane woke up from her nap and was delighted to find the results of my to do list procrastination, she gobbled up a muffin in minutes and was standing on her tippy toes to grab a second one off the counter. Get the full recipe below! read more

My husband asked if we had any plans this weekend and I answered (maybe too quickly), “The Royal Wedding!”  — as if, you know, I’m going to get up at 6am on Saturday morning to attend these festive nuptials.  The fervor in my response was met with some teasing, but I am genuinely excited to wake up early this weekend to watch the coverage on TV. It might partly be that we’ve just returned from a trip to London, so I’m still riding a buzz for all things British, including afternoon tea and all of the treats that go along with it. In fact, I decided it was the perfect time to make some baked treats to enjoy during the royal wedding broadcast, inspired by our vacation tea time. read more

A brunch recipe on a Monday, you ask? Why, yes! Things are a little bit backwards here this week after lots of stormy weather, 2 days of power outages, and of course, no internet. It was an unintended digital detox weekend without lights, TV, or blogging. I read an entire book from start to finish, we got out of the house for most of the weekend, and indulged in lots of dining out and take-out. As power-outages go, this one was chilly but survivable. Now that we’re back in action (hallelujah for heat and WiFi!), I have a tasty brunch recipe that can finally be shared! read more

Is there any better way to start your morning than with coffee and donuts? I don’t think so! Which is why I love making homemade mini-donuts, and serving them with a fresh pot of coffee when we have friends and family stay the weekend. read more

Can I make a secret holiday confession? Until this year, I never tried eggnog before! It’s almost ridiculous, considering how much I love a holiday-themed drink, that I waited this long to finally try it. My friends at Hood shared some of their eggnog with me to try and it was delicious; I’ve clearly been missing out on this sweet and delectable seasonal drink. Once I tried my first sip, I realized I better do my research and get to the bottom of the best (and creative!) ways to serve this drink at the holidays so that I can make sure the rest of my friends and family don’t miss out like I did for so long. read more

We have reason to celebrate! It’s National Coffee Day! I shouldn’t just be celebrating today because there’s no way I would have survived this year as a new mom and business owner without copious amounts of coffee, let alone every Monday for the past few decades. Everyday is a coffee celebration in my book. Seeing that today is the official day for coffee though, I had to do something special, and decided to make a batch of mini-coffee cake style donuts to pair with a strong cup of coffee. read more

Once summer arrives we pretty much abandon our oven and move most of the cooking out to our grill – especially since we’ve moved to our house and upgraded our grill. We have started a new weekly tradition of making our own pizzas – usually on Friday nights just like I did with my own family growing up. When my friends at Peapod asked me to come up with a fun new grilling recipe, I knew I had to focus on pizza. Pizza on the grill has so many advantages: it cooks fast, the crust gets crispy, and the cheese and toppings get that perfect golden brown. We use an inexpensive pizza stone and experiment with all sorts of different recipes. read more