Baking with Blondie

Hey there friends! It's been a while, eh?  Over the past four weeks we have been moving into our new home, unpacking everything we can every day, moving into a hotel for the night because our brand new house flooded, then moving back in, all while trying to keep a somewhat normal schedule with the boys. It has been quite the wild ride, but I'm excited to hopefully get back into the food blogging groove again after taking a break to get everything else in life sorted out. I think a good break is healthy, and gave me a minute to prioritize everything and get our family settled in as much as possible before the holidays.  Something I've been waiting for for a long time is to cook in our brand new kitchen, and let me tell you, it has been heavenly! Everywhere we've lived so far, I've always had this feeling of "borrowing" everything. Like the kitchens I've been using have never really felt like "home." But now, having my very own kit...

Christmas just isn't complete without hot wassail in my house! I grew up with my Mom simmering it away in her smaller crock pot, and the smell was just enough to get my mouth watering. Tasting it was even more delightful!  I've tried quite a few hot wassail recipes, and have fallen in love with so many of them. It's really hard to screw up hot wassail, in my opinion, haha. It's basically warmed up fruit juice with warm seasonal spices. This version is a new one I tried this year and fell pretty hard for. Can't wait for you  to try it! 

In my last post , I talked about all the pies I've tried lately, and we're just getting warmed up! I don't know what it is about the fall that makes me want to make pies all the time. Maybe it's the fact that Thanksgiving is in less than a week, and pie is still what I consider the perfect Thanksgiving dessert! It's a go-to, must-have, and everything in between. Today, I wanted to share with you this amazing Banana Cream pie that just so happens to have salted caramel inside! That's right! Caramel and bananas are made for each other, and salted caramel is my favorite of all, so naturally, this one had to come together asap for this Thanksgiving pie-making season.

Whenever I think about Thanksgiving dinner, my mind used to always goes straight for those soft, warm mashed potatoes, the oozing rich brown gravy, and of course, that glorious centerpiece turkey. However, lately I've been thinking a little more towards the end of that bounteous dinner - the final touch, the grand finale: the PIE! Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving to me without some pie at the end! Pie is is definitely a signature dish of the classic Thanksgiving table - ours just wouldn't be the same without it every year!  This year I thought I'd share more of my go-to pie recipes, tried-and-true by me in the kitchen. I've already shared my Perfect Pie Crust recipe (sure to be the only pie crust recipe you'll ever need this pie-making season!), my Best Peach Pie  (which really is the best), S'mores Brownie Pie , my French Silk Chocolate Pie , Pear Crumble Pie , and Pumpkin Pecan Pie  for you to try and fall in love with.  Over the n...

Halloween is in ONE WEEK!!! Can you believe it?! I swear we just barely jumped into October and here we are in the final week. Our home is supposed to be finishing up it's building process next month, so flying through October is not a problem for this gal.  However, my husband and I are yet to find a Halloween costume. Eek!  I realized last week that I shared this recipe on Studio 5 , but I never shared the recipe on my blog. Shame, shame on me! It's a great one, and perfect for Halloween leftover candy. 

The most perfect combination of pumpkin spice cake and soft cream cheese frosting in every bite. This pumpkin roll comes together very quickly, and my only regret is not doubling the recipe! 

These pumpkin swirl brownies are something else, my friends. Super rich & moist, and they have the perfect taste of brownie and pumpkin in every bite. Plus, I can never get over that gorgeous swirl on top. It almost pained me to slice into them because they were just too pretty! 

Guys, Fall is here. I can't quite figure out whether I'm super happy about this, or kind of sad. I LOVE summertime. There is always so much to do, and my kids are usually completely worn out by the end of the day from playing around outside as much as possible. I'm going to miss the days at the pool, picnics at the splash pad, and long summer nights. However, fall is quite lovely, and I'm already super excited for all the fun events we have planned in October as a family.  But just for one second, while we are still in the thick of peach season, I wanted to share one more lovely peach recipe to hang on to summer, but also enjoy the juicy fruits early fall has to offer. Harvest season has never tasted so good! 

If it looks like I've been using the same exact linens, dishes, and backdrops for the last few posts and the next few as well... it's because you're totally right. haha.  I don't know if I've mentioned this on the blog yet, but we are currently building a brand new home (we are SO excited!). While we are building, my big brother has been super awesome by letting my little psychotic circus family live in his home with his family. Their home is beautiful and has plenty of space in the basement for our stay (we've gotten so used to being cooped up in a small apartment, we feel like we're living in a palace right now!), and we are seriously eternally grateful for their huge sacrifice this summer in letting us crash their party! Long story short, most of my food photography props are still in boxes while we stay here. So I've been using whatever I can find, including the back of my sister-in-law's metal cookie sheet (my favorite) for backdrops. ...

Peach season is still in full swing, and I just couldn't let the season pass without sharing a couple new & yummy peach recipes! We grew up with a peach tree right in our backyard, and believe it or not, I wasn't really a fan of peaches. WHAT? I know. Nuts, I was completely nuts, I tell you. I just wasn't a huge fan. Well, just as most taste-buds do, mine changed for the better, and peaches have become one of my very favorite fruits to eat and bake with! I've honestly never made them into a cake before, and this lovely cake right here has changed my mind forever. Move on over peach pie, this peach crumble cake has my heart wrapped right around every slice!