brookies (brownie & cookie dough)

brookies

What do you get when you top a layer of brownie batter with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough?  Brookies!  It was a creation by Jovon English.  Her brookies are in the form of a cupcake.  The marriage of these two desserts will satisfy any sweet tooth craving you have.  And, to top it…

Read More

homemade ranch dressing

ranch dressing

Hi there.  It’s been a while since I last posted.  Four weeks ago today I broke my wrist (dominant hand) or as the orthopedic surgeon so delicately said, “I obliterated it”.  He said he’ll put it back together with a plate, screws, and protect it with a cast for six weeks.  This has pretty much…

Read More

stromboli

stromboli

Pizza night just became a bit more interesting. Stromboli is an Italian-American dish that originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s. Restaurant owner, Nazzareno Romano, started selling rolled-up pizza dough filled with ham, cheese, and peppers. It is a pizza derivative and named after the Italian Isle of Stromboli.  This rolled pizza is the bee’s knees!

Read More

carrot cake with whipped cream cheese

carrot cake with whipped cream cheese

The popularity of carrot cake was revived in the United Kingdom because of the rationing during World War II and also because of the promotion of carrots’ consumption operated by the government.  According to National Today, many historians believe the cake originated in the Middle Ages when sugar and other sweeteners were scarce (carrots were…

Read More

homemade irish cream

Irish Cream

When Baileys Irish cream debuted in 1971, I was a preteen.  Move forward 10 years and I ‘think’ I had my first sip.  It was sweet enough for a young adult to enjoy.  It has been years, dare I say decades, since I last had a sip of Irish cream until now.  I didn’t have…

Read More

pastitsio (greek lasagna)

pastitsio

Pastitsio is a Greek-style lasagna that was influenced by a recipe from the 16th century. Pasticcio di Maccheroni was a creation for the Grand Duchy of Ferrara and was very popular with Italian nobility. During that time, the Balkans and the Greek coastal regions were occupied by the Republic of Venice.

Read More

mini shortbread tarts

mini shortbread tarts

Shortbread, for me, is always a Christmas holiday treat.  Baking these during the month of December makes it very special.  I was going through my blog looking for inspiration for dinner when I stopped at my recipe for thumbprint cookies.  I love these!

Read More

sheet pan lasagna

sheet pan lasagna

Lasagna is the quintessential Italian comfort food.  Originating in Naples, it’s been around since the middle ages.  Traditional lasagne has layers of meat ragù, béchamel sauce, lasagne sheets, and cheese.  Up until a few years ago, this layered approach was the standard.

Read More

lemon sponge pudding

lemon sponge pudding

Are you a lemon fan?  If yes, then you are going to absolutely LOVE this dessert!  A light and fluffy sponge pudding with the most decadent lemon sauce hiding on the bottom.  That’s why this dish is sometimes called lemon surprise pudding.  It’s a classic vintage winter dessert that my mom and her mom used…

Read More

parsnip and carrot soup

parsnip and carrot soup

The fridge needed cleaning.  I am always amazed at how much stuff accumulates at the back of the refrigerator!  Things get shifted (read pushed) around and the old stuff finds its way to the back of the bus.  The crisper drawers, well I have an excuse in that area for stuff being pushed to the…

Read More