Butter Spritz Cookies

I love spritz cookies and this was one of my favorite recipes for them. Will be making these again for Valentine's day. Here's the link to the recipe
http://mandysrecipeboxblog.com/2012/12/butter-spritz-cookies.html

Vanilla Bean and Blueberry waffles

Made these for our Christmas waffle breakfast,made 2 new recipes with some old favorites. Was fun to do a waffle buffet for breakfast.I used blueberries I had frozen from the local farmers market this summer. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.somethingswanky.com/vanilla-bean-blueberry-waffles/

Latke Waffles

I made these for Christmas breakfast, made a few different types of waffles and loved how different these were. These were delicious and the perfect addition to our holiday breakfast. Here's the link to the recipe
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/09/latke-waffles/

Gingerbread White Russian

This was a great holiday drink to make while I was baking Christmas cookies and would even be great for New Years Eve. Here's the link to this wonderful drink
http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/gingerbread-white-russian/

Red Velvet Kiss Cookies

I used candy cane kisses for these and they were great, but you can also use regular kisses for these cookies. Here's the link to these cookies
http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2014/11/red-velvet-kiss-cookies/

Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Something about an iced sugar cookie just screams Christmas. These were a great sugar cookie and I love the frosting. Here's the link to these great cookies
http://www.motherthyme.com/2011/11/lofthouse-sugar-cookies.html

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

When I saw the cranberries at Trader Joe's I knew they'd be perfect for Christmas Cookies. White Chocolate and cranberries go perfect together. Here's the link to these wonderful cookies
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/22/soft-baked-white-chocolate-chip-cranberry-cookies/

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites and I make them every year for Christmas. This was a great recipe. Here's the link
http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/09/the-best-snickerdoodles.html

Brown Butter Bakery Style Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies so I love trying out new recipes. Here's the link to these delicious cookies
http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2014/07/13/brown-butter-bakery-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Nutella Cream Cheese Crinkle Cookies

I love nutella so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to add these to my baking list for this year. These were delicious and such a great addition to my list. Here's the link for you to make these next time you need a cookie recipe
http://www.thelittlekitchen.net/nutella-cream-cheese-crinkle-cookies/#vGjd45tW5p85chqM.32

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I love oatmeal cookies so I was excited to try this new recipe. These were so good and were a great addition to my cookie baskets. Here's the link to these delicious cookies:
http://www.motherthyme.com/2013/11/iced-oatmeal-cookies.html

Funfetti Cookies Supreme

It's my favorite time of year - Christmas and since I bake for so many people I do a few days of baking to break it up. I love trying new recipes each year to add to my regular favorites. Here's the link to these wonderful cookies
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/12/16/funfetti-cookies-supreme/

Chicken Parm Meatball Soup

This is a perfect work night meal to make on a cold day. It doesn't take long to prepare and is so tasty and filling. Here's the link for this wonderful soup
http://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2014/02/19/chicken-parmesan-meatball-soup/

Smore Waffles

I love waffles and smores so this is two of my favorites in one.These were a filling breakfast and I will make them again. Here's the link for them
http://www.heathersfrenchpress.com/2013/06/smore-waffles-made-with-greek-yogurt.html

Scrapbook Pages

I've been so crazy getting ready for Christmas and my trip to London, but I really wanted to scrap, so I set aside a few hours and got these pages done. I hope to get a few more pages done this weekend in between baking and wrapping presents

Princess sleeping in the New Year with her New Years haton

 Princess unwrapping her presents and some holiday prep, love her pj's

 A crazy February snowstorm

 Pictures of the snow while at work since our store just about never closes

Baked Pork Chops with Loaded Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This was a great dinner and these pork chops were perfect since Kyle loves shake and bake and this was a better version of it. I got thin cut pork chops at the store so they didn't take long to cook at all. Here's the link to both of these recipes
http://whatscookinglove.com/2014/11/loaded-garlic-ranch-mashed-potatoes/

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/11/oven-fried-breaded-pork-chops.html?m=1#more

NYC At Christmas

I love living close enough to the city to go and visit often. I love seeing all the lights and decorations around Christmas and all the holiday markets to shop in. Of course we always pick the coldest day to go in and this year it was snowing, and it was a cold, wet snow. Here's some pictures of our night in the city

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Macy's Window

Rockefeller Tree

Rockefeller Tree

Rockefeller Tree

Tortellini Skillet Lasagna

This was a wonderful pasta dish and was great to use my homemade sauce with. I bought sausage for this and cut them open to use for this meal. We are lucky to have a great local market that I got fresh tortellini and mozzarella from. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.lemonsforlulu.com/tortellini-skillet-lasagna/

Ham and Potato Chowder

This is a perfect cold weather food. I added some carrots to this because I just love them and I had them around the house so figured I'd put them in. Here's the link to this quick soup that is delicious
http://lovegrowswild.com/2014/10/ham-potato-chowder/

Carrot Cake

Made this cake for my moms birthday since she requested a coconut icing carrot cake. Tasted great and I toasted the coconut in the oven and put it on the sides of the cake. Here's the link to this wonderful recipe
http://www.thefauxmartha.com/2011/12/01/carrot-cake/

Scrapbook layouts and Card

 Made this Christmas card for the holidays, simple card, but I love the tearing

 I've had this paper for awhile and didn't know what to do with it, so had these instagram pictures printed and had the perfect idea for the paper

 Love the gold scrapbook items lately so had to use it for a layout about me

 winter pictures from instagram

Pumpkin Cranberry Cheesecake

 This is from the November 2014 Food Network Magazine. I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious.

For the crust:

• 7 oz package amaretti cookies
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 lb whole milk ricotta cheese (preferably fresh)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 15oz can pure pumpkin puree
• 3 lg eggs
• 3/4 cup marscarpone cheese
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spie
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 1 3/4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325
2. Wrap the bottom and side of a 9" springform pan with foil. 
3. Make the crust by pusing the ookies and sugar until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press into the bottom and about 1/4" up side of the pan. Brush the side of the pan lightly with melted butter. Bake until golden and set 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
4. Drain the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve about 20 minutes. Put the sugar in a food processor with the drained ricotta and pulse till smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, marscarpone, vanilla, salt and pumpkin spice. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until set around the edge, but the center till jiggles slightly. About 1 1/2 hours to 1 hour 45 minutes.Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 8 hours or overnight.
5. Chop 1 cup cranberries and put in a small saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat until thick, 7-10 minutes.Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup whole cranberries, cook 2 more minutes. Let cool.
6. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature 20 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and remove the springform ring. Add a splash of water to the cranberry topping to loosen, if needed, then spread over the cheesecake.

Apple Pie Pancakes

I made these for breakfast for Thanksgiving and they were the perfect breakfast. I loved the addition of the sliced apples on top. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/apple-pie-pancakes-with-vanilla-maple-syrup.html

Chicken Mushroom Pot Pie

I changed this up a little and made it in a bigger bowl and used biscuits for my topping. So delicious and a great pot pie. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.savorynothings.com/chicken-mushroom-pot-pies/

Baked Sweet Potato Soup

I used turkey bacon in my soup and this was a great warming lunch. I also used extra sharp cheddar for my cheese. Here's the link to this great soup
http://thebakermama.com/recipes/baked-sweet-potato-soup/

Chicken Parm Meatloaf

This was a great take on meatloaf and an awesome way to use up some sauce I had leftover from another dinner. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.whatscookinchicago.com/2010/06/chicken-parmesan-meatloaf.html

Butternut - Sweet Potato Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was really good, I used pie cutters from Williams Sonoma that I recently got on sale. This is the perfect fall pie, here's the link to the pie

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/butternut-sweet-potato-pie?keycode=ZFBSFPOD

The Best Mashed Potatoes

These are a wonderful side dish and perfect for the holidays. The mascarpone was a perfect addition to these. Here's the link to make these for your next dinner or party
http://whatsgabycooking.com/the-best-mashed-potatoes/

Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love making stuff like this because they are great to take to work for breakfast in the morning. I don't usually have a lot of time to get ready in the morning so love bringing yogurt and muffins in to eat at work. These are filling and delicious and the perfect to go breakfast. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/11/oatmeal-to-go-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins.html

Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days, I love all the food that's served and spending time with family. So I was in the mood for some of those favorite tastes, but of course didn't have time to make a turkey and all the sides after working all day. So this recipe came to the rescue and was amazing. Here's the link to this quick and easy recipe
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/holidays/easy-weeknight-thanksgiving-turkey-burgers/

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

I discovered this recipe thanks to a local food blogger who posts some awesome recipes. This was a great meal especially with the cold weather we've been having. Brought leftovers into work for lunch and still tasted amazing. Can't wait to make this again. Here's the link to the recipe
http://ny-foodgasm.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-best-pumpkin-mac-and-cheese.html?m=1

Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake

I added mini marshmallows to this also. Perfect single serving dessert when you're craving some chocolate. This was perfect after a late night at work when I came home hungry, but didn't want to spend an hour baking something for dessert. Here's the link to the recipe
http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/3-ingredients-60-seconds-gooey-chocolate-mug-cake/

Family Scrapbook Pages

Love my family, some great Memorial Day pics with my siblings and step mom.

Love my sister and brother and these pictures of them.

My little brother helping water my plants and trees in the backyard

My Princess, love her so much