Crazy Good. Seriously.

Posted by: Amanda

I couldn't wait to get my hands in the batter for these chai apple cider cupcakes. They were delicious - perhaps one of the BEST fall recipes I've had to date. Really. No joke. Delish.

An absolutely to-die-for mix of chai tea (one of my all-time favorites), apple cider, moist spice cake, and cinnamon cream cheese frosting....

As Megan would say, "Holy Yum!"

Want the recipe? You can find it here: http://megansmunchies.com/chai-apple-cider-spice-cupcakes/.

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First Birthdays and Mommy Tears

Posted by: Amanda

Today marked the day for Lana's first birthday party! Though her official birthday isn't until tomorrow, we held the celebrations today so that everyone had a chance to attend. We had a wonderful time - lots of laughter, lots of "awww"'s, lots of love, and (yes...) a few bittersweet mommy tears. You understand, moms, don't you?! ...and for those of you to-be-mommas, you'll understand soon, too. Trust me!

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Deep Dish Pizza and Cherry Danish to boot!

Posted by: Amanda

Are you hungry yet?

My kids and I made a "from scratch" (from a pizza kit box, really!) deep-dish pizza last night for dinner, and boy, was it delish! I added a touch of garlic and cilantro to the top of the cheese for a little kick. So, are you hungry yet???

What about now?

Then, I got creative. REALLY creative. Mainly because I didn't have anything else to do. And because I needed something sweet after that super-yummy pizza. Let me tell you - one can of crescent rolls and one can of cherry pie filling later, I was happy! I mean, who doesn't love homemade cherry danishes???

Seriously, if you're not hungry yet, you might want to get that checked. :)

See you soon for more!

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Dulce de Leche made incredibly easy

Posted by: Amanda

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in the world of baking (for me, at least!) was how to make a primo dulce de leche topping. You know - without screwing it up, without burning it, without making it taste terrible, etc., etc. How the heck does this stuff work?!

Well... Ashley from one of my favorite blogs, Not Without Salt, answered this question ever so nicely! Take a look - you'll never be afraid of dulce de leche again!

http://notwithoutsalt.com/2009/09/12/dulce-de-leche/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22995353@N08/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

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Per the kids' request....

Posted by: Amanda

Baking for my family is probably one of my most favorite things to do - especially on Sundays. There's just something about coming home from church and having help (sometimes too much help) in the kitchen. Especially in the fall. I love it - love it, love it, love it.

My kids begged and begged me to make a cake this weekend. Madison wanted "chocolate chocolate with chocolate", and Gabe just wanted "cake with strawberries." And Lana... well, she simply just wants to eat it - no matter what it is. So, the compromise was made, and this delicious strawberry upside-down cake was born. Quite delish, I must say... and I think my kids agreed.

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Fall fun with the kids!

Posted by: Amanda

After a fun-filled afternoon at the zoo with the kiddos, we thought we'd top things off with a cookie decorating session! Madison requested "chocolate cookies" (of course!), so we made up a batch of chocolate sugar cookies (http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chocolate-sugar-cookies-57582.aspx), and the kids exercised their creative side!

They were SO excited to get in there and start decorating that they could barely contain themselves!

Gabe contemplated his design for quite some time and then proceeded to attack the poor little cookies with GOBS of red sprinkles.

Madison was very deliberate in her decorating, making sure that each cookie had some of everything: coconut, marshmallows, sprinkles, and chocolate chips.

...and the end result was FABULOUS! They enjoyed their cookies with a glass of milk right before bedtime.

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Vera Bradley-inspired cake

Posted by: Amanda

This double-chocolate fudge cake was created for a recent bachelorette party - filled with cookies and cream icing and made to mimic the bachelorette's favorite handbag line. Professional pictures to come soon!