Sparkling Apple Pie

Happy December, everybody! And Happy Thanksgiving! That's the holiday I missed with you guys (and the occasion for which I made this pie!) Man. Once November hits, the rest of the year always seems to fly by at breakneck speed. Goodness! Christmas parties and decorations and White Elephant gift exchanges and suddenly, it's the new year.

I had so much to be thankful for this year, as with every year--but tonight, I am particularly grateful for opportunities to learn more about myself and others. Self-knowledge is a great thing! It's not always easy to come by, but I am ever the richer and wiser for each new lesson learned.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Halloween, folks! And just like that, November will be here day after tomorrow and we will be THAT MUCH CLOSER to 2016. I feel like I comment every year (well, who am I kidding? More like every MONTH!) on how much faster time seems as I age, but I suppose I wouldn't comment if it weren't truer each year I live! Thankfully, cupcakes help to soften the blow.

I baked these for our annual charity fundraiser bake sale at work, and they completely sold out! I didn't even try one! #SelfControl #Willpower #NowIHaveToMakeThemAgain-- and on that note, SORRY for the weird photos. I made these at night and was photographing at like 10:30 pm, so I had to get creative with lighting since I don't have any fancy lighting equipment! Hopefully, you get the point here.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

It's finally starting to feel like October!! I couldn't be happier. My windows have been open all day long, and it's been a beautiful day! I was making pancakes for breakfast (an appropriate celebration to welcome the cooler weather), and was planning to eat them with syrup, like always, when my eye fell on two beautiful, crisp apples sitting on my counter! Of course, I couldn't leave them out of the celebration, so I promptly picked them up to put them to good use.

To me, there are few flavors that represent the onset of autumn more quintessentially than apples, particularly when paired with spicy cinnamon! Apples and cinnamon smell absolutely delicious together, and they taste so homey and welcoming; evoking warm, cozy memories of sweet days gone by.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cinnamon Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

So...Texas is sunny one moment; then raging with snow and thundersleet the next! Personally, I don't mind all that much, because what it means for ME is: quality time in the kitchen. Work was supposed to open at noon today, but they gave us the whole day off due to poor driving conditions! So I've spent the day in my sweats, eating delicious leftovers from earlier meals this week, and baking and photographing today's recipe for these Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes! : )

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Okay. Fall is HERE. Maybe if I say it enough times, it'll become true? Even though the weather doesn't feel like it, I can still bake with the flavors of fall, right? That's what I'm trying to tell myself...because it was 90 degrees outside two days ago.

Enter these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars--moist, spiced, great big mouthfuls of fall :) Everyone who tasted them fell in love! These came together so quickly, and I appreciated that they used ingredients that I already had in the house.

Caramelized Banana Cinnamon Rolls

You'd think that by now, I'dve learned my lesson and buy fewer bananas, because I can never finish them before they start to go bad! But...clearly, today is not that day. The bananas in this recipe were sitting on my counter, swiftly dying, as so many of their predecessors. So...I came in as the Caped Kitchen Crusader to save the day!

Banana Muffins with Oatmeal Crumb Topping

Hello, friends. I'll keep this post short and sweet :) How are you? I hope all is well with you, wherever you are.

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

You know, I really hate it when I buy fresh fruit and vegetables and they go bad before I'm able to eat them. It's such a waste! That's what ALMOST happened with these strawberries, so to rescue them, I put them into these muffins before I lost them all!

Fresh Peach Cobbler

OH. MY. GOODNESS. I have been waiting ALL DAY to post this recipe!! I saved the best for last! :) Last Saturday, I went with my friend Emily to a peach orchard about 45 minutes out of town. I have never picked fresh fruit from an orchard, so I was really excited! Immediately, I began brainstorming all the peachy, summery, delicious things I could make, like THIS and THIS.

Strawberries 'N Cream Pancakes

Did you know: this past Tuesday, March 4, was National Pancake Day? Normally, I celebrate at IHOP because on National Pancake Day, they serve free short stacks of pancakes all day long. Delicious! Of course, with free pancakes come long waits and crowded restaurants, so at the end of my busy day, I decided to make my own pancakes in hopes that they would be healthier and just as tasty (if not tastier).

Enter: Strawberries 'N Cream Pancakes! Wowww. These are as delicious as they are beautiful! It was really late when I started cooking (hence the poorly-lit photos--sorry!), so for simplicity's sake, I used a pancake mix shortcut--but to add a little fiber, I ground up some whole oats to make oat flour and added them to the mix. Bonus: it made for a heartier pancake, especially with the addition of freshly-chopped strawberries!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

HELLO and welcome to November. Where has the year gone? And WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!! Oh gosh, guys. I'm sorry I've been so far removed! Work has been extremely busy and I've hardly been cooking at ALL lately. I miss the kitchen--and you guys.

I did make time to bake these cupcakes for a bake sale at work last week, then revised and improved them over the weekend. They aren't healthy (sorry), so I made sure to take them to friends and share with plenty of people.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Hi, guys :) I hope you're well and enjoying the fall-ish weather wherever you are (I add the "ish" because it still gets above 90 degrees here in Texas, but those days are nearing their end...I hope!) I've been craving pancakes lately, but given my new diet parameters, was a little unsure about how to proceed!

So the internet came to my rescue, like usual :) I found a recipe that utilized oatmeal in place of flour and bananas in place of sugar--with very few other ingredients! Hearty whole grains and delicious pancake goodness all around? I'm so in!

Lime Pie Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

You know, I've always wanted to work in an office where I could bring baked goods to share with everyone...and happily, my workplace fits the bill! I made these Lime Pie Cupcakes yesterday and brought them into the office this morning.

So far, the feedback has ranged from "We KNEW we hired you for a good reason!" to "Your food is just too good. I mean, great personality, but the CUPCAKES!" to "You're going to be around for Halloween, right? We're having a bake sale! Get ready! You're going to make us MILLIONS!" :) I've been smiling all morning :)

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love oatmeal raisin cookies. Something about the hints of vanilla and spicy cinnamon combined with chewy brown sugar, oatmeal, and plump raisins just makes my mouth happy--that is, in a oatmeal raisin cookie done right! These are delicious little cookies--both easy to make and fun to eat :)

I refrigerated the dough prior to baking, which made for a thicker, chewier cookie. Additionally, I plumped the raisins before adding them to the dough. This absolutely made all the difference between a "just okay" cookie and an "oh my gosh, give me another!" cookie.

Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins

Lately, I've been craving sweet, spicy cinnamon, especially in baked goods--it just makes everything taste so warm, homey, and comforting! I've been hunting for a cinnamon cupcake or muffin recipe, but nothing has been just right until TODAY...the name of the recipe is "Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins." Mmm.

Cinnamon sugar swirl through the middle; crunchy cinnamon sugar oatmeal streusel on top...I can't really see a downside here!