Today I was the girl who bundled up from head to toe, cleared off her car, waited 20 minutes for it to heat up, and braved the snow and the icy roads simply to get her morning coffee. Her morning iced coffee. A cold brew when it was below freezing outside. JUDGE AWAY. I'd love a...
Search Results for: chocolate
The Best Chewy Café-Style Peanut Butter Cookies
They're called The Best Chewy Café-Style Peanut Butter Cookies for a reason-- these giant, irresistibly soft and chewy cookies are better than any peanut butter cookie recipe you've ever tried before. Their just-barely-crisped edges and ultra-creamy interior make them a peanut butter lover's dream. "So I see that there's a Google search tab for 'cookie-induced...
Salted Caramel S'more Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Chips
Hold on to your sweet tooth, because this dip is all dressed up and ready to party. James-- being the resident dessert-fiend-in-chief that he is-- has been asking me to make something sugary for, gosh, probably two months now. But since I'm selfish and prefer salty foods usually inspired by more savory ideas, I just finally got around...
Dutch Baby Pesto Breakfast Pizza
I've been trying to write this post for a while-- ugh, hours now, honestly-- but I keep getting distracted by a very sharp set of teeth on my toes. And tugging at my pants. And attacking my ankles. I guess that's my painful reminder that before I begin to tell you about this delicious Dutch Baby,...
Honey Lemon Chiffon Pie
Well I'll bee damned. I've gotta tell you, I said "this probably isn't going to turn out" to myself at least 17 times as I made this pie. But much to my surprise, the bees wound up looking like bees, the honeycomb pattern looked like honeycomb, the filling set to an awesome consistency, and the Honey...
Cinnamon Sugar Cheesecake Custard Pastries
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and ConAgra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #SpringReddi #CollectiveBias You might think that we're leaving dessert season, since Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cupcakes, and Valentine's Day chocolates feel like a distant memory by now. A moment of silence for all of the delectable desserts that have been devoured,...
Skillet Red Wine Brownie
Chocolate and wine. Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait. When it comes to heartthrob food pairings, dark chocolate and fruity red wine is the most sensual and simple combination that immediately comes to mind. Take a bite and then a sip, and it's all bliss, baby. This is one Valentine’s Day cliché that I'll happily...
5 Ingredient Nutella Banana Bread
What do you get when your boyfriend insists that he'll eat an impossible amount of fruit every time you go grocery shopping, but then it sits out on the counter, untouched? Fruit flies! Wait, no, that's not what I was trying to get at. You get brown bananas. Lots of brown bananas. And being that Hypothetical You (AKA...
Peppermint Mocha Pie
Today's post is brought to you by my bittersweet nostalgia. Oh, and McCormick®, whose sponsorship made this luxurious Peppermint Mocha Pie possible. So, I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately. And what I've realized tonight, thanks to a few glasses of mulled wine, is that I'm not feeling at one with people on either side of the...
Rum-Caramelized Banana Berry Nut Crumble
As someone who dislikes both bananas and berries, the fact that this recipe exists on this blog is practically a pre-Christmas miracle. Fruity desserts aren't typically my jam-- Get it? Jam? ...Sorry -- but I had to step outside of my chocolate-covered comfort zone last week. You see, my brother, the king of clean eating,...
Nutella Pumpkin Samoa Cookies
Happy Halloweekend! I know we're excited about the here-and-now holiday, but I want to throw it back for just a second. Long, long ago, in the fabulous, fabled era of the nineteen-nineties, I was a young girl who had a vast and varied collection of beanie babies, a stockpile of gel pens, a dozen audio cassettes, three Lisa Frank folders, two tamagotchis,...
Spider Web S'more Cheesecake Brownies
For about 315 straight days every year, you could call me a Halloween costume visionary. From pop culture to punny to straight up scary costumes, I'm a veritable goldmine of ideas. "How ever will I choose?" I ask myself, but of course I never write down my favorites, because that would be the smart thing to do, and I'd...
Maple Brown Butter Glazed Amish Apple Fry Pies
Sometimes, when I'm sitting at my desk, tucked inside of my warm house, with my fuzzy blanket draped over my lap and a hot coffee in hand, I almost forget how it felt to be 14 with frozen fingers. Far before I ever had the luxury of working from home, or even in an office,...
Crunchy Mexican BBQ Sauced Chicken Tacos with Charred Corn Relish
I feel like you're giving me a weird look right now. Is it because when you envision sweet and smoky, barbecue sauce-smothered chicken with fresh-off-the-cob corn, you're usually not thinking of tacos? I feel you, friend. I do. But these Crunchy Mexican BBQ Sauced Chicken Tacos with Charred Corn Relish are about to change your WORLD.
Yogurt Marinated Lamb Skewers with Mint-Pistachio Pesto Pilaf
I had fully planned on devoting this whole month to Mexican dishes, since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and I don't believe that a person can ever have too much Mexican food. Yet here I am, posting a springtime dish that has absolutely 0 south of the border influence, because sometimes a...
Easy Salted Caramel Molten Lava Cakes
Do you remember those classroom motivational posters? You know what I'm talking about-- the ones that read "Believe And You Will Succeed," or "If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It," or some other feel-good phrase that made us elementary-aged children super self-assured. Well, my biggest life goal at that age was to be a dinosaur...
Matcha Cookie Christmas Tree Stacks
It's an exciting day of firsts for me. This is my first post I've written since moving (to my first place I've rented away from home since college), of my first time using matcha in baked goods. I never thought these Matcha Cookie Christmas Tree Stacks would turn out so perfectly on my first go, but what do you know? It's a...
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake
Let's be honest: no matter how great of a cook you are, nor how gracious a host, Thanksgiving gets stressful when you're the chosen one who's preparing the feast. Everyone is counting on you for a delicious day; it is the biggest food-centric event of the year, after all. You spend days planning and prepping,...
Salted Caramel Crunch Cookies
I realize that this is the second post in a row that has "Crunch" in the title. But honestly, who doesn't want a crunchy exterior surrounding their chicken, or some crunchy mix-ins in their cookie dough? After all, if flavor is the leading role, then texture is the director. Did you know that texture actually largely...
Mongolian Beef
You would think that a dish called "Mongolian Beef" would be, well, a Mongolian meal made of beef. But we apparently have a tendency to just name things on a whim around here, and Mongolian Beef has absolutely nothing to do with Mongolian methods of cooking. Nada. Instead, it resembles the Americanized versions of Chinese food, which,...
Sangria Sorbet
You might not be used to your frozen desserts having rules, but this one has three: Must love sangria. Must resist the urge to eat it all before fully frozen. Must not operate a vehicle immediately after consuming, because this sorbet packs a punch.
Classic Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
If anyone were ever to call me a recipe purist, they'd be wildly mistaken. I like my foods fusion-ified. I like them loaded with crazy amounts of fillings and toppings, and authenticity always follows far behind enjoyability when it comes to my meals. I do not have a Plain Jane appetite, to say the least....
The Best One Bowl Brownies
You guys, I have been trying for a long time now to come up with the best brownies. I have tested all of the celebrated brownie recipes my little heart could handle, and I found promise in some, but not perfection. I have compared to box mixes. I have compared to bakery brownies. I have talked to...
Soft & Chewy Ginger Cookies with Eggnog Frosting
This week has been all about the cookies for me. With the holidays coming up, The Best Chewy Cafe-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies have been all over the web, which makes me a happy gal. Especially because it's given me an excuse to make a couple of extra batches this week. "I just want to make...
Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Cookies
Everywhere you look this time of year, there's red and white-- striped, dotted, or blocked together, running its way up candy canes and down pillars, and circling around knit scarves and Santa hats. So it's no surprise that a deep red, chewy cookie with swirls of sweet cream cheese and dots of white chocolate chips fit...
Raspberry Cranberry Sauce
I am no stranger to the canned cranberry enthusiasts-- I have several in my own family. (Gasp!) They like their "sauce" to be, well, not at all saucy, with thick ridges in the sides that keep their mold long after they've thwapped from their aluminum homes onto a serving dish. While I'm not particularly a fan...
Cajun Shrimp Dip
A few months ago, on the Host the Toast facebook page, I asked people what their favorite recipes on the web were. I got some great responses from people telling me about "Chocolate Lasagna" and "Banana French Toast Cupcakes" and other things that are making me too hungry to think about on a Monday morning. Then,...
Birthday Cake Remix Brownies
When I was in high school, I worked in a pretty pathetic mall (there were like 3 stores in the place that stayed open for more than a month) at an Auntie Anne's. There was honestly no reason to visit that mall unless you wanted a pretzel or ice cream. No reason at all. But in...
Lemon Ricotta Poppy Seed Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
Sunday is Mother's Day, and I'm celebrating (or rather, cooking for Momma Bear) early just to make sure you've got this recipe in time. I've heard that moms love breakfast in bed. Well, everyone loves breakfast in bed, don't they? There's nothing like showing someone how much you care by starting their day with a big,...
Chorizo Green Chile Breakfast Skillet
I can usually tell by 8AM what the rest of the day is going to be like. If I only have time for a granola bar or coffee for breakfast, it's gonna be a struggle. If I have, say, a Chorizo Green Chile Breakfast Skillet, I'm going to spend the rest of the day giddy...
Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings
Rich and hearty Guinness Beef Stew is a classic that you'll find at pubs and family dinner tables all across Ireland. This version features ultra-tender meat, deep flavors, and Cheddar Herb Dumplings that will make you swoon. It's the ultimate comfort food. It's been cruelly cold and frosty for the past couple of days up...
Pomegranate Mojito
Am I the only one who is completely blown away by how close to Christmas it is? Where did the time go? What have I been doing for the past month? I feel like Anchorman 2 has gotten more attention than the holidays this year, or maybe I just have selective hearing. Either way, I'm...
Salted and Malted Nutella Caramel Cookies
There are days when everything goes perfectly in my kitchen-- when I'm surprised at how easily a recipe has come together, there are no crazy set-backs, the food tastes great and is insanely photogenic, and the sun has decided to be on my side for the day and the natural lighting is perfect. Those days...
Blue Cheese Garlic Beer Bread
Now that the cold weather has finally kicked in, most people are dreaming about baking up cookies, apple creations, and pumpkin masterpieces. You can definitely lump me in with that bunch-- my kitchen has been smelling like brown sugar and cinnamon for the past several weeks now, and there's no sign of it stopping any...
Chili Cheese Dog Dip
For me, football season has always been about the dips. In fact, when I was just getting interested in cooking, I made a few trays of dip for a Super Bowl party at my years-later-to-be-boyfriend's fraternity house, and he even just recently reminded me of how kick-ass it was and how quickly it was devoured. ...
S'mores Treats in Mini Mason Jars
I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, but some days I have cravings for s'mores. Really, I should say most days. Most days I have cravings for s'mores. If you're still hung up on the non-sweet-tooth part, I apologize. I'm just more of a salty snacker than a sweet eater. Except...
S'mores Martini
S'mores Martini. This creamy, chocolatey cocktail tastes like a boozy version of your favorite campfire treat. I have been so tempted to say "bring the bonfire inside with these martinis" but I feel like I am opening myself up to lawsuits. So instead I'll say that this drink is like your favorite bonfire treat, but with...