Hello friends, It has been far too long since my last post, and I sincerely apologize. For those of you who don’t know, my husband’s stepfather, Bill was diagnosed with a serious illness in November. To say the situation has been heartbreaking is a total understatement. Bill has been like a father-figure to me since I was 14 years old. He has been to every special occasion in my life from prom, to our wedding, the birth of our three children, and every single special event in between. The more I think of it, whenever Chris and I have needed a helping hand, Chris’ parents Julia and Bill have ..read more

Happy July 4th! The July 4th dessert spread has gotten a little star, spangled, and boring if you ask me. I have seen so many strawberry and blueberry trifles, shortcakes, and cupcakes, I feel like skipping the summertime dessert table and going right back into the swimming pool. Okay, that isn’t very kind to say, I understand, however I think it is time to put a little bit of sparkle back onto the July 4th dessert menu. Introducing, Pop Rocks Cupcakes! Just in time for your big Independence Day celebration, this easy breezy dessert combines a simple cupcake from a box with a surprising fizz ..read more

Hello sweet friends, Baked Alaska is one of the most iconic retro desserts of all time. Decades ago, fancy restaurants would bring this dazzling dessert to your table and set it ablaze before your eyes. Baked Alaska is traditionally a dome of Neapolitan ice cream layered with chocolate cookie crumbles, pound cake, a layer of whipped meringue, and torched until golden brown. Sounds like a difficult recipe to make, right? Well not anymore. In this version, I chose to use frozen pound cake and Oreo cookies to save a little time. I also used the oven to brown the meringue, so there is no need to ..read more

Hello sweet friends, When looking for a taste of sweet nostalgia, there is no better drink option than the Shirley Temple.  The simple mixture of grenadine and 7UP, takes me right back to dinners out with my “Nana and Gigi” and pool side shenanigans in the summer.  So I got to thinking… Why not take this beloved throw-back beverage and give it a modern-day twist? Behold! Introducing, the Shirley Temple Pie. Cherry flavors and 7UP are combined with whipped topping, and fluffed into dreamy perfection in this retro-inspired recipe.  Poured atop a crunchy homemade graham crac ..read more

Hey friends, This week, my daughter Molly decided to bake Gingerbread cookies with “melted” marshmallow snowmen on top. The concept of the cookies isn’t new, as she got the idea from a video she saw on TikTok. What was new about this recipe, however, was that it was the fist baking project my daughter facilitated from end-to-end without (much) help at all. Go, Molly! The recipe is simple, use a gingerbread cookie recipe or any of your favorite cookie recipes for that matter. Once baked, allow the cookies to completely cool. While cooling, use royal icing or store bought decorator icing to de ..read more

When it comes to holiday florals, one may think exclusively of the Poinsettia.  However for many of us throughout the South, we are gifted with another floral variety that is equally as festive and fabulous.  Camellias are found in many species, and those late fall/winter bloomers such as the Camellia japonica or the Sasanqua are worthy contenders for the centerpiece of your holiday dining table, or dessert table! For a colorful twist on your typical holiday desserts try whipping up a batch of Camellia cupcakes.  Begin by baking your favorite flavor of cupcakes.  For this ..read more

Every Christmas Day as a little girl, I would run through the dining room so recklessly, that the place settings and light fixtures rattled like sleigh bells.  My mission was to sneak a taste of my mother’s “Christmas Party Cake” perched high on the dining room hutch.  I wouldn’t dare cut a piece of the cake, or swipe a bite with a fork, oh no.  Instead, I would drag a dining chair up against the hutch, climb up, and  “secretly” poke my finger into the frosting.  By the time the carloads of family arrived for Christmas supper, something was clearly amiss. The white ..read more

Hello friends! We are BACK! As some of you know, my husband Chris and I took our three children on a road trip around Europe in an RV for one month. In total, we covered approximately 4,000 miles, visited eight countries, and learned countless tips and tricks for traveling through Europe with kiddos. Tips that I hope will help you and your family plan the adventure of a lifetime without some of the setbacks we experienced along the ride. So buckle up and get ready for the ultimate guide to road tripping in Europe! Trip Planning When planning a long road trip, I kick things off with a basic ti ..read more

Hey friends, This Tuesday, Chris and I are taking our three kids on a camping trip around Europe for a month (I say camping, but there will be some hotel stays and Airbnbs along the way). The purpose of this trip is to have quality time together as a family, as well as teach our children about the fabulous food culture (especially baked goodies :)) found around the world. For those of you who like to travel, I will post our general road trip itinerary below, and our detailed itinerary once the trip is complete. One of the reasons I’m only sharing the general itinerary is so that if we make a ..read more

Hello sweet friends, Have you ever accidentally turned your mixer on high speed when you had dry ingredients in the mixing bowl? No? Okay, so when you have a mixing bowl full of flour and turn your mixer on too high, everything blows up in your face. There is flour on the ceiling, flour on your eyelashes, flour on the floor. Well for me, this week was the equivalent of the flour explosion. Everything that could go wrong, did. However, I dusted myself off, pulled myself together, and did the one thing that always makes the day a little brighter, I baked. When you need a recipe to brighten up s ..read more