Sweets

Since Dustin and I moved to Austin, we have wanted to visit this little town called Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is a small town deep in Texas Hill Country and is known for its peaches (as is its neighboring town, Stonewall). With my parents visiting us for a week, we thought it’d be neat to make [...]

Okay.  Sometimes, failures can be a good thing. Go with me on this one… Like with these Chocolate, Cherry and Oatmeal Bars.  Let me explain. I originally set out to make granola bars with these ingredients.  As you can see, these are not granola bars. *Sniff* However, they turned out to be quite tasty nonetheless. [...]

Peanut butter and jelly.  Chocolate and almonds.  Berries and vanilla.  Lemon and mint. And, of course, pineapple and coconut.  Such great flavor combinations. Add the words “Ice Cream” and you’ve got me listening. I just love pineapple and coconut.  Separately and, even better, together. I also love ice cream.  See where I’m going with this? [...]

It’s my 1-Year Blog Anniversary!  Woohoo! Last year, on April 29, 2010, I published my first blog post. Man, I really had NO idea what I was doing back then.  To tell you the truth: if you asked me earlier that year what was the definition of a blog, I probably wouldn’t have been able [...]

Okay.  It’s finally here.  The moment you have all been waiting for. I am finally posting my crème brûlée recipe.  Wow, that took a while, didn’t it? As I sit here writing this post, I’m having an internal debate with myself over which dessert I prefer more: crème brûlée or cheesecake?  At first, I would [...]

Ever heard of a Banana Date Shake? If not: man, are you in for a treat! I’m not certain, but I believe Banana Date Shakes originated from the Palm Springs, California area, where they are known for their dates and date trees.  There are several storefronts along the Palm Dessert area, most notably Shields Date [...]

I’ve mentioned before I’m not much of a baker.  Never have been. In fact, I have hardly any memories at all from my childhood of baking cookies or cakes.  Sure, there was an occasional pumpkin pie here and there or some boxed blueberry muffins, but not much else. I find this a little sad.  Not [...]

Would you believe I’ve never made “homemade” blueberry muffins?  Isn’t that so ridiculous? I mean…I’ve made the boxed stuff with the “real blueberries” a dozen or so times over the years, but have never actually made real blueberry muffins. So, as I’ve been trying to embrace the new, better, baking A Sweet Pea Chef, I [...]

Not sure how things are in your house, but when the holiday season comes around, eggnog takes a welcomed spot in our fridge. Dustin seems to have some sort of eggnog radar when we are grocery shopping.  I know it’s the holiday season, not when the leaves start changing and the weather gets colder, but [...]

I hope you all had an absolutely wonderful holiday weekend filled with family, friends, good times and great food. Without fail, I find I am so sad when the summer comes to an end because I think it is my favorite time of year.  But, as the leaves begin to change, the weather starts to [...]