Simple Yet Gourmet

I love this time of year when the temperature drops and it's perfectly acceptable to make and eat all kinds of pumpkin things! I've been meaning to try my hand at cake donuts for sometime now and these pumpkin ones were calling my name.  Unlike yeast donuts that require a few rises and fry up nice and fluffy, these cake donuts come together pretty quickly (with a small chilling period) and are more dense and moist in texture. The outside gets all craggy and crispy which is perfect for collecting all the sugary glaze.  Such a delicious combo of textures and perfectly flavored with pumpkin and spices.  We loved these!! Note: I tried making a few of these in the air fryer as an experiment and was amazed at the difference in texture.  Not in a good way.  The air fryer ones were much tougher and not craggy and crispy.  So stick with frying these in oil and you won't be disappointed.  

These festive little cookies are so fun and delicious! They are intensely chocolatey with a fudgy, brownie-like texture.  So delicious even if you stop there, but to make these more festive I added in white chocolate chips and Reeses Pieces, then rolled them in sprinkles for an added pop of color! I left a few without sprinkles and liked that they weren't crunchy, but they also weren't as colorful so just do what you like.  You can play around with the add-in's too.  Halloween M&M's would be another great option, but you really can't go wrong here!  

If you try one new cookie recipe this Fall, let it be this one!! I'm not kidding when I say that this is  one of the best cookies I've ever made.  They've already received rave reviews and comments such as, "Amazing!", and "Incredible!"  These are not your average snickerdoodle, not that I have anything against the traditional ones, they are made with browned butter and extra brown sugar for a rich caramel taste.  But wait, it also has a caramel center! And of course that classic chewy texture with a cinnamon/sugar coating.  I could eat these every single day. They are SO GOOD you guys! 

                A homemade tomato sauce that does not require you to spend the entire day blanching and peeling pounds of tomatoes.  This is a creamy, easy and delicious way to use all of those home grown tomatoes you have this year.  Canned or frozen, the taste of summer tomatoes can last year around.       When I am ready to use it for spaghetti sauce, I add a pinch of sugar, some butter and spices to make an amazing sauce.  Is there anything better than fresh sauce on a cold January day? This is now my favorite sauce to make with roma tomatoes.

I am such a sucker for a good peach cobbler.  As peach season starts I am always on a hunt for a good recipe.  I have collected a few good ones, but none of them are amazing.  Well, my search is over with the find of this recipe!   I had about 6 fresh peaches that needed to be used, so what better way than a cobbler. The peaches were ripe and juicy.  The crust was crunchy and sweet and then topped with vanilla ice cream, the dessert was out of this world!  

You know how some ingredients were just made to go together? Bananas and Dulce de Leche are one of those; and when Nilla Wafer's, creamy pudding, and whipped cream are added to the mix it is just on another level altogether! Not only is the Dulce de Leche found on the bottom of the jars, it's also mixed into the pudding and drizzled on top, so you get caramel banana bliss in every bite!  If you're not familiar with Dulce de Leche, it's a sweet milk caramel made from Sweetened Condensed Milk.  It is divine as a dip for apples and bananas, or as a topping on ice cream, baked goods, or pudding- wink wink.   I think these look so cute and fancy in these little half-pint jars, but you don't have to make it this way.  No jars? No problem. You can layer them in small bowls, or just combine them all in an 8X8 inch pan. Will it look as pretty? Probably not, but hey, it will still taste amazing!  These are best if made a day ahead of time to allow the banana flavor t...

When it comes to summer, I pull out all the lemon and lime recipes.  Ask my family, I love lemon anything!  Who doesn't love a key lime pie?  Here is a recipe for your favorite pie in cake form.  I took it a step further and created key lime cupcakes.  The recipe is for a 3 layered cake, but I found these cute cupcake holders that I had to use.  Plus, I was able to share these yummy treats with more people in cupcake form.   Don't let all of the steps scare you, it just takes time but I promise it will be worth the wait!  Graham cracker crust on the bottom, moist lime cake in the middle, a yummy layer of homemade lime curd and topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream.  I hope your family and friends enjoy this amazing summer treat as much as mine did.