Today is a special day. It marks my 15-year union with Chris. And I say union because we were together for 11 years before we got married. He’s the most loving, understanding, caring and giving man I know. And I feel so lucky to have him as my partner.
I love baking this time of the year. There are a lot of seasonal items during the Christmas holidays that you don’t see year-round. Gingerbread Twix is one of them. So if I’m bombarding you with all these sweets, my apologies!
Christmas is a week from now and wow, it sure sneaks up on you quickly. Is it me or do you notice how quickly 2013 is going by? When I had a full-time office job, the year never passed this quickly. Now that I’m a homemaker/blogger, the days go by in a blink of an eye. Anyway, I hope everyone has gotten their Christmas shopping done.
I discovered this recipe on the back of my dark chocolate and mint chips bag. It was so easy, I decided to go with it. I figured anything with swirls has to be impressive looking enough to give to friends and neighbors for the holiday. And it’s got the pretty dark brown and green swirls… see? Totally festive. I dig it.
Around the Thanksgiving holiday time, it’s always the most chaotic time of the year. I have Chris’ birthday around that time, as well as my nephew and niece all a day or two apart from each other. This year for Chris’ birthday, we took a trip to Napa to celebrate. Then after the trip I had to prep for Thanksgiving. Last year we were in Mexico. We also moved into our new house so we didn’t really have our Thanksgiving dinner in our new home until this year. Having said all that, my blog took a backseat. Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I know we did. Our bellies were full!
In this household, we’re big coffee/crumb/streusel cake eaters. Actually, we love anything with crumb toppings. Muffins, bread, cakes. You name it, we love it. The more crumb the better! Cakes with layers and thick frosting, not so much. I love looking at them but eating them is another story, unless they’re *really* good and it has to be chocolate.
Happy Wednesday friends! I wanted to squeeze a few more pumpkin recipes in before the season ends so here’s another one. I’m not sure if the markets are still carrying pumpkin cream cheese. If they are, you should definitely buy a package and make this. I’m not big on cheesecake in general because they’re huge and so rich (I’m thinking Cheesecake Factory here…). I’m a firm believer in everything in moderation. But cheesecake bars, I love. They’re smaller and for me, it’s plenty to remedy any sweet cravings you may be having.
I originally was going to call this a breakfast cake but was worried no one would buy this as a breakfast cake since it’s full of candy. I suppose if you want it for breakfast, you could. Chris and I certainly did munch on this for breakfast with our coffee and it was delicious!
I think I have found a new love. And that’s these blondies. They may look ordinary but they taste extraordinary! You’ll know what I’m talking about once you sink your teeth into these. And you can’t just stop at one.
Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Well, my home is finally company-ready. Or should I say ready for my mother-in-law? I spent a good part of the weekend cleaning and cooking. I’m exhausted! I wish someone would cook and clean for me!
uni homemaker 