Blueberry Banana Oat Breakfast Muffins

These Blueberry Banana Oat Breakfast Muffins are loaded with almost everything you want for breakfast in a portable little package.

These muffins are super moist from the ripe bananas in the batter, and they are loaded with lots of rolled oats and fresh blueberries.

Wasabi Mary {Spicy Bloody Mary}

This Wasabi Mary is a fun twist on the traditional Bloody Mary. This cocktail is full of spices, and the tomato juice is enhanced with lots of surprise ingredients.

This Wasabi Bloody Mary is full of complex flavors. The juice is enhanced with lots of unexpected ingredients, including red wine!

Jalapeño Cheese Bread with Corn

This jalapeño cheese bread with corn is loaded with oozing cheese, sliced jalapeño peppers, and corn.

How do you feel about burnt cheese? The kind that gets all melty and then forms a crust of goodness. If you're with me on this, you must make this bread.

Coconut Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

This coconut panna cotta with fresh raspberries is so light and delicious. It's a wonderful make-ahead guilt free dessert.

This coconut panna cotta with fresh berries is a lightened up version of the amazing delicious dessert of dairy thickened with gelatin. It's origins are Italian, and the name is loosely translated to "cooked cream."

Lemon Bundt Cake

This lemon bundt cake is sweet and lemony and a slice is perfect for afternoon tea.

This lemon bundt cake is super moist. It gets its lemon flavor from lemon zest, lemon oil, and lemon curd. The recipe is from the book The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk. All year, the Cake Slice Bakers group has been baking from the book. This is my last bake from the book.

Italian Wedding Soup

This Italian Wedding Soup is filled with lots of delicious meatballs, spinach, veggies, and pasta.

This Italian wedding soup is pretty incredible. The soup begins with meatballs made with ground chicken, spicy sausage, and lots of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese.

Italian Seafood Salad (Insalata di Mare)

This Italian Seafood Salad is often served as a first course on Christmas Eve within Italian American Families.

This Italian seafood salad (also called Insalata di Mare or Frutti di Mare) is really special. It's loaded with shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels, all poached in a mixture of white wine and Old Bay seasoning, and then dressed in a sauce of some of the reserved poaching liquid, limoncello. lemon juice, tomatoes, and olive oil.

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

These peanut butter and pretzel chocolate chip cookies are sweet and salty, and combine all of your favorite cookie flavors.

Imagine a peanut butter cookie, an oatmeal cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie all mixed together in one chewy cookie. Throw in some pretzels and sprinkle the tops with sea salt, and you have all of your favorite cookies rolled up into one.

Chocolate Spritz Christmas Tree Cookies

These Chocolate Spritz Christmas Tree Cookies are a fun and festive treat for the holidays. All you need is some chocolate cookie dough, some sprinkles, and a cookie press!

I made these Spritz cookies to share at a Los Angeles food blogger cookie exchange. I love that the cookies are small, and the recipe makes a lot of cookies, which is great during holiday baking season. You never run short of cookies during cookie season!

Orange and Blackberry White Wine Sangria

This Orange and Blackberry White Wine Sangria only takes a few minutes to make, and is great for serving at a party.

Sangria is a great cocktail for summer entertaining, but it can also be wonderful as a winter cocktail too. It's easy to put together, and is perfect to make-ahead. Sangria is also lighter than a standard cocktail, like a European-style aperitif.

Pork Adobo from Carlo's Dad + Cookbook Review

This Filipino pork adobo is tart and rich and extra vinegary. It's a wonderful dish made with pork shoulder, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the cookbook, A Place at the Table: New American Recipes fro the Nation's Top Foreign-Born Chefs, in exchange for my honest review.

This pork adobo recipe is pretty flexible. While I used pork shoulder, you can use spareribs, pork belly, or other cuts of pork to make this dish.

Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls (Make-Ahead)

These make-ahead blueberry cinnamon rolls are loaded with lots of juicy blueberries and a cinnamon and brown sugar filling.

These blueberry cinnamon rolls are a perfect Sunday or Christmas morning breakfast. You make the dough and assemble the rolls the night before and let them rest in the refrigerator.

Snowball Cupcakes

These snowball cupcakes are loaded with coconut. There's coconut in the batter and there's lots of coconut sprinkled over the coconut cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes have winter holidays written all over them.

These coconut snowball cupcakes are seriously delicious. Plus, along with the sweetened coconut in the batter and as a topping, there is coconut milk in the batter and in the cream cheese frosting, making these cupcakes extra coconut-y!

Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Pound Cake

This chocolate peppermint swirl pound cake takes regular pound cake and dresses it up for the holidays!

This peppermint pound cake is so, well, pepperminty! The chocolate batter includes peppermint extract, and the vanilla batter includes crushed peppermint candy.

Oatmeal Maple Bread

This oatmeal maple bread is hearty, full of fiber, and delicious slathered with butter.

The dough for this oatmeal maple bread is loaded with whole grains, including rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and wheat bran. It's sweetened with just the right amount of pure maple syrup.

Peanut Brownie Sablés

These peanut brownie sablés are the delicious result from combining a peanut butter shortbread dough with a brownie dough, and throwing in some chopped roasted peanuts for a little crunch.

These peanut brownie sablés are rich, peanut-y, and super chocolate-y.

Spiced Pecans with a Rum Glaze

If you are looking for a delicious sweet treat for gifting this holiday season, try these spiced pecans with a rum glaze.

These spiced pecans are so easy to make, and totally tasty as a cocktail party snack.

Leftover Turkey and Gravy Pot Pie

These turkey and gravy pot pies are a delicious way to use up bits and pieces of holiday turkey as well as leftover gravy.

Pot pies are one of my favorite comfort foods, and I am drawn to them every time they are on a menu. I have made "from scratch" chicken pot pies, and a larger turkey pot pie, slow cooker chicken pot pie, and even a Mexican chicken pot pie, but there is something special about these easy individual pot pies.

Green Herb Dip

When your guests arrive for your New Year's Eve party (or any cocktail or dinner party), hand your guests a cocktail and set out this green herb dip with some crackers and veggies.

This green herb dip is also a great way to gather up the bits and pieces of herbs and veggies you've got in your veggie bin in the refrigerator and turn them into sophisticated and tasty treat.

Carrot Ginger Muffins

These carrot ginger muffins have the same flavors of carrot cake, including cinnamon, golden raisins, and pecans. Now you can have your cake every day without too much guilt!

These carrot muffins are very gingery, with both fresh and ground ginger in the batter. There's also more than a hint of cinnamon to amp up the spiciness.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Shallots, Thyme, and Brie

This twice-baked sweet potato casserole dish is perfect as a side for the holidays. 

This is the perfect make-ahead side dish for a holiday dinner. Once you have baked the potatoes and mixed in the ingredients, you can cover and refrigerate the assembled dish and then bake it while your roast is resting.

Garlic Naan with Green Chiles

This garlic naan with green chiles is pretty hard to not love. It's wonderful hot and straight from the oven, slathered with ghee (clarified butter) and sprinkled with Kosher or sea salt. I pretty much scarfed down the first piece while baking the rest of the pieces of this dough.

Naan is a yeasted flatbread. It is traditionally baked in a tandoor clay oven, where it is placed on the side of the clay heated to 800 degrees F to cook for just a couple of minutes. 

Pogens Ginger Snaps (Copycat)

These Pogens Ginger Snaps are thin, crispy, and have just the right amount of ginger.

If you were around in the 70s and 80s in southern California, you must remember Pogens ginger snaps. They came in a bag with a Swedish-style logo, but they were made in a bakery local to the Los Angeles area.

Pecan Caramel Tassies

Pecan Tassies are tiny little pecan pies and a delicious Christmas must-bake dessert. 

I've baked and cooked a lot of pecan treats lately, including pecan brittle, chocolate and pecan butter cups, and pecan butterscotch shortbread cookies, and I have rediscovered how good pecans are.

Pecan Tassies

Pecan Tassies are basically little mini pecan pies. This version has a twist. They are topped with a dab of caramel sauce, a few more bits of pecan, and sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

Dundee Cake | Scottish Fruit Cake

Dundee cake is a traditional Scottish Christmas fruit cake. There are lots of versions, but what they all have in common are gorgeous concentric circles of blanched almonds on top, a boozy glaze, and orange zest in the batter.

Because Dundee cake is Scottish, the dried fruit is traditionally soaked in whisky. However, you can use rum, cognac, bourbon, or brandy. I used brandy to soak the dried fruit that is in this cake as well as to make the orange marmalade glaze.

Asian Pear and Smoked Sausage Flatbread Pizza

This Asian Pear and Smoked Sausage Flatbread Pizza is both sweet and savory. The no knead dough is so easy to make as well. 

This Asian Pear and Smoked Sausage Flatbread Pizza also includes red onions tossed in fresh thyme and olive oil, all baked on a bed of Fontina cheese.

After making this apple and ham pizza, which was so delicious, I thought I'd play around with Asian pears on pizza! Way better than pineapple.

Spicy Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Corn Soup

This spicy sausage, bell pepper, and corn soup is big on flavor and super easy to make.

This sausage and pepper soup is both hearty and light. Each bowl is filled with just a little bit of everything included in the soup. The broth is super flavorful too. There's the umami from Worcestershire sauce as well as one of my favorite finds, sherry vinegar.

Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada de Peixe)

This Portuguese Fish Stew is a light yet comforting meal. Called Caldeirada de Peixe in Portugal, it's easy to make, and the recipe is very flexible.

Caldeirada de peixe is typically made with onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, stock or water, white wine, and a mixture of whitefish and shellfish. Like Brazilian moqueca, it includes a mixture of white fish and shellfish, but it's less spicy and there is no coconut milk.

Melody Cookies (copycat)

These Melody cookies are crispy and cocoa-flavored, and perfect for dunking into coffee, tea, or a glass of milk.

I'm sharing this post and recipe for Christmas Cookies Week! I was sent samples from the sponsors of our giveaway but opinions are 100% mine.

While I don't remember them, according to Dorie Greenspan in her book, Dorie's Cookies (affiliate link), Nabisco made these cookies until sometime in the 1970s, when they discontinued producing them.

Pecan Butterscotch Shortbread Cookies

These pecan butterscotch shortbread cookies, loaded with chopped toasted pecans, chopped milk chocolate, brown sugar, and butter, plus a secret ingredient, are soft and tender.

This post and recipe were created for Christmas Cookies Week! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

These pecan shortbread cookies will call your name from the cookie tin, enticing you back for "just one more."

Roti (Indian Flat Bread)

Roti is an unleavened Indian flatbread made with whole wheat flour (atta) and baked on a hot skilled.

Roti (also known as Chapatis) is rolled out thinner than naan, but is still sturdier than parathas. It's similar to whole wheat tortillas, but just slightly thicker. It's the perfect vehicle for eating stews and curries. Tear off a piece, stuff it with the curry, and enjoy.

Speculoos (Belgian Spice Cookies)

You will love these speculoos, spicy and crispy Belgian spice cookies.

These cookies are flavored with cinnamon, coriander, allspice, cloves, and brown sugar. They are a lot like Biscoff cookies, but lighter and crispier.

Blueberry Mini Pies

These blueberry mini pies are the perfect little dessert for a holiday buffet.

Aren't they cute?

These blueberry mini pies are a little rustic looking, because the blueberry filling bubbles up while baking, but that just adds to their charm, right?

Breakfast Nachos

These breakfast nachos are loaded with hash browns, sausage, two kinds of cheese, jalapeños, and topped with fried eggs. 

These nachos are wonderful for a weekend breakfast, and if you need it, the perfect hangover cure.

Cranberry Buckle

Serve this cranberry buckle with a crumb topping at your next holiday brunch! 

This cranberry buckle also has a hint of candied ginger in the dough. It's a little surprise in each bite. It's really tasty with a cup of coffee or tea, and it's a pretty special pot luck cake.

This buckle is also a wonderful dessert. The tart cranberries add such a bright and tart dimension to the cake, with just enough moisture, but not so much that they make the cake soggy the way stone fruits might. They are very similar to blueberries in texture, shape, and weight.

Chorizo Nachos

You will want to make these chorizo nachos the next time you have a few friends over for game day.

These chorizo nachos begin with restaurant-style corn chips that are drizzled with melty Jack cheese sauce, topped with spicy chorizo, and a sprinkling of cilantro and chives.

Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken Wings and The Jubilee Cookbook Review

These honey-soy glazed chicken wings are infused with a savory-sweet marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, dark brown sugar, and just a hint of minced Scotch bonnet pepper.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the Jubilee Recipes Cookbook in exchange for my honest review. 

These honey-soy glazed chicken wings are from the wonderful new cookbook, Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin.

Cranberry Glazed Meatballs

Check out these cranberry glazed meatballs in a sweet and spicy sauce! Don't you think they'd make a delicious holiday appetizer? 

The sauce for these meatballs is so tangy and bright. I'm pretty sure these will be the first appetizer to disappear at your holiday party.

Homemade Salted Caramels

I am very excited about these homemade salted caramels. They are just as delicious as the caramels you'll find in a gourmet candy shop. They are so unbelievably tasty!

I've been totally intimidated about making candy. For example, what the heck is "hard ball stage?" How is it different than "soft crack stage?" How do these caramels end up chewy while this pecan brittle ends up crunchy?

Orange Cranberry Sauce

This Orange Cranberry Sauce is such an easy-to-make holiday side dish.

This year, skip the canned cranberries. It's so easy to make cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries. Plus, you can add flavors to the cranberry sauce, such as port wine and spices.

Par-Baked Dinner Rolls

These par-baked dinner rolls are perfect for the holidays. Once you pull the turkey out of the oven and tent it to rest, slide these par-baked rolls into the hot oven to brown for just 15 minutes.

These dinner rolls are so soft and fluffy. They are moist and delicious and stay fresh for at least three days, which makes them perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner leftover sandwiches.

The Sugar Plum Cocktail

This Sugar Plum Cocktail with gin, grapefruit juice, and a pomegranate reduction is perfect for all of your upcoming holiday festivities.

I first tried this cocktail at the Long Beach airport. It's a fabulous airport, The restaurants in the airport are all little outposts of some of the signature restaurants in Long Beach, and the food and cocktail offerings are really nice.

Strawberry Danish Pastries

These Strawberry Danish have just emerged from the oven. They've been brushed with a hot glaze, and then drizzled with a fondant glaze. It's 10 pm and I just ate one. It's all I can do to not to eat the rest.

These Danish rolls are made with a croissant dough shaped into coils, filled with freshly made strawberry jam, and drizzled with a hot glaze. You can also shape the dough into pinwheels and little braids. It is so flaky, buttery, and amazing.

Individual Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins

These Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins are an easy to make portable breakfast. Just crack an egg over crispy tater tots in a muffin tin, add some cheese, bacon, sliced cherry tomatoes, and some spinach, and bake.

These breakfast casserole muffins take baked eggs to a whole new level.

Make Ahead Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

These make ahead buttermilk dinner rolls are so soft and fluffy. 

What is wonderful about these buttermilk dinner rolls, besides the fact that they are delicious, is that you can make the dough in advance, assemble the rolls, and then let them sit in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance of baking them.

Frito Pie Chili

Frito Pie Chili, old-fashioned ground beef chili with beans topped with lots of Fritos, melty cheese, and a sprinkling of diced onions. 

It's been a long time since I've had one of my favorite comfort foods, Frito Pie Chili. It's a combination of old-fashioned thick chili with beans topped with a handful of Fritos, cheddar cheese, and diced red onions.

Pecan Brittle

This pecan brittle is delicious and nostalgic. The toasted pecans combined with the caramelized sugar create such a delicious treat.

Making brittle takes me back to the days of experimenting with candy making when I was in high school. I wasn't much into cooking, but for some reason, the magic of candy making and all of the stages intrigued me.

Chocolate Mint Mousse Cake

This chocolate mint mousse cake is definitely a showstopper.

This chocolate mint mousse cake begins with a chocolate cake layer, which you split in half, and top with a chocolate mint mousse and finish with a minty green white chocolate mousse.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

This slow cooker turkey chili is creamy and warming, perfect to take off the chill as fall and the football season begins. 

This chili is super creamy and spicy. It gets its creaminess from refried beans. Who knew using refried beans as a thickener would be so tasty? This chili also makes terrific leftovers.

Moroccan Lamb, Chickpea, and Lentil Soup (Harira)

This Moroccan lamb, chickpea, and lentil soup, also known as harira, is hearty, filling, and delicious. 

There are many variations of harira soup, including vegetarian and with pasta, but most versions include tomatoes chickpeas, and lentils, along with a combination of spices such as cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon.