Cookie Bars. I think that I may stop making regular cookies all together. These cookie bars were so easy to make, I don’t know why it has taken me this long to get on the train!

I found this recipe for Frosted Confetti Cookie Bars on Instagram from Emily of My Messy Kitchen, and I love it! Easy to follow, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser dessert to boot. I added Valentine m&m’s, colored sprinkles, and chocolate chips.

The frosting was easy to make as well, and I tinted it pink (one drop of gel food coloring to keep it pale), to keep with the Valentine theme. Perfect cookie to frosting ratio.

Try the cookie bar recipe out and let me know what you added in!

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So it is getting to be that point in the year when I have hit that recipe rut. Well I mean, I hit it in like week two of January, but I want to pretend like I am winning this year. So I was searching the internet and I came across this recipe for spicy alla vodka pizza pasta and made it. THE KIDS LOVED IT! I made it like once a week for three weeks now. Still going strong. It couldn’t be easier to make, and it is by one of my favorite creators, Half Baked Harvest. So check out the recipe here.

Mine doesn’t look nearly as photogenic, but my kids thought I was the dinnertime hero, so that it good enough for me Try it out and let me know what you think.

Drop me some of your other favorite recipes in the comments to try out.

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My big thing with making traditional pancakes for my family is that I would make them in batches, put them in the oven to keep them warm, but really no one would get hot pancakes. With sheet pan pancakes, everyone gets to eat them at the same time, and everyone gets to eat them while they are hot. They are light and fluffy, easy to make, and everyone can get exactly the kind that they want.

If you are feeling especially fancy, you can use a cookie cutter after you have made them and cut them out into cute shapes like the ones above we did for Valentine’s Day.

Here’s an example of a weeknight choice at our house. One kid likes chocolate chip, one likes sprinkles, one likes m&m and one likes plain. But on a sheet pan, everyone can have the kind that they like.

How do you make them? Just use your favorite pancake recipe and then pour onto a sheet pan (cookie sheet) (that has been coated with PAM) and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Brush on some melted butter when you pull the pan out of the oven and you are done!

Another way we like to make pancakes is in a muffin tin. Cooking time will depend on how deep your tins are and how much you fill them.

Here’s my go to recipe for pancakes:

2C all purpose flour

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2tbsp granulated sugar

2C buttermilk

2 large eggs, beaten

1tsp vanilla

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

Let batter rest for 10 minutes.

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I usually don’t have time to make homemade brownies, so I fancy up some box brownies. (Throw in some candy or add on some home made frosting…) But I found myself with some extra time the other day and decided to make some fudge brownies from scratch. I found a recipe from Karli, cookiesfordaaays on Instagram, and hers looked amazing.

The recipe couldn’t have been easier to make and they came out delicious. Perfect for a dry run for Valentine’s Day.

You can keep the brownies plain, as is, or add frosting. Check out her recipe here.

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To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Leah invited us over to make dumplings at her house. The kids and I took over her kitchen and we got to work.

The kids liked the pork dumplings, but we also made a mushroom version for Henry and Dan.

The kids had the best time scooping and filling. They tried to pinch the dumplings, and even came up with some new shapes and ideas of their own. The “pizza” style became popular towards the end!

Leah made these dumplings, look at how well they are folded! Best part of the day, definitely the taste testing!

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I was chatting with my hairdresser and she was telling me about how she tried to make the viral chocolate chip cookies for her boyfriend, but they turned out a total bust.

I asked her if she tried to make one of the cookies home made, knowing that I had tried that too, and made the same mistake. So much for trying to be fancy. Do yourself a favor and just buy the premade cookie dough – the chocolate chip and the cut out sugar cookie hearts. Place the sugar cookie hearts on top of the chocolate chip cookie dough (I got the heart sprinkle ones, but as you can see, you couldn’t even see the cute sprinkles), and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Pillsbury cookies aren’t my jam, but boy, they are cute…and the kids loved them!

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Looking for a fun and easy craft for the kids? Try making these cute holiday pretzel wreaths with the kids? They are no bake, and take less than 5 minutes to assemble! Cover your work surface with parchment paper and line up your circle of pretzels. Melt your melting chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals. Mix together until smooth. When completely melted and smooth you can transfer to a pastry bag or even a Ziplock bag, cut off the tip with a scissor, and squeeze a ring of chocolate around the top of the pretzel ring. Sprinkle with any kind of sprinkles you desire, I topped mine with Cadbury mini eggs too! Viola! fun and festive wreaths! Make one plain layer without sprinkles and add a second layer on top if you want a heartier wreath, as shown above. These would also be fun with edible glitter or sanding sugars!

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Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am in FULL holiday mode. Tree is up, shopping has already begun, and, let’s be honest, is almost done, and we are in baking M.O.D.E!

Chex mix is a go to in this house, you can make it big batch and is super fun to package up and give to friends and neighbors. I’ve put it on here before, but here is the recipe in case you’ve missed it:

• 1c butter
• 1 1/2c brown sugar
• 1/2c light corn syrup
• 1 (14oz) box of Rice Chex
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1c m&ms

In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

In a brown paper bag, add caramel mixture over cereal and shake. Place in microwave for 2 minutes and shake again. Repeat. Pour mix onto wax paper to cool and add in m&ms.

If you wan to get those cute Utz pretzels in holiday shapes, you should probably have bought them already, or they are gone….but there are so many other cute choices and variations that you can make here.

Cookie swaps and edible gifts are my go to as well. I usually make sprinkle cookies, a chocolate chip of some sort, and a few cut and bake varieties or no bake choices, just to keep things simple. What are your favorite cookies?

My least favorite to make are cutout cookies, they are time consuming – but they are so cute! And chocolate covered Oreos are also a fun treat to make, and oh so easy when you have a silicone mold.

One of my favorite things to do is decorate my outdoor planters. Red berries add just the right pop of color, and I love the different textures the greens give. I chose these with the help of my friends over at Trombetta’s in Marlborough. They have something for everyone, at all price points, whether you want to design something yourself, or if you want to get a predesigned pop to drop into your planters.

While you’re there don’t forget about wreaths and trees!

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It’s getting to be that time of year, pumpkin spiced everything! Well, I think we actually may have just skipped right over that season actually, and we are now actually in the 40 something days until Christmas season…. but I do love making pumpkin bread. I love this recipe from Once Upon a Chef and the best part is that you can open the recipe and keep it in “cook mode”, which keeps your screen from going dark. Nothing worse than being elbow deep in mixing and having to swipe up your phone. I also love that this recipe makes two loaves, because I actually make one plain, and mix chocolate chips in the other one, because of course, my kids can never like the same things!

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

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Chex Mix is one of my go to road trip staples. I never really thought about making it at home. During the winter and holidays, I went on a big Chex Mix at home kick. My friend brought me her version, made with Crispex, Corn Chex, Utz holiday pretzels and m&m’s. That is how this all got started….

Leah’s recipe calls for:

• 1c butter
• 1 1/2c brown sugar
• 1/2c light corn syrup
• 1 (14oz) box of Rice Chex
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1c m&ms

In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

In a brown paper bag, add caramel mixture over cereal and shake. Place in microwave for 2 minutes and shake again. Repeat. Pour mix onto wax paper to cool and add in m&ms.

I like using Corn Chex in mine, rather than the Rice Chex – they are just a little sturdier. My version has Cadbury mini eggs, mini pretzels and honey roasted almond slivers. I picked up these almond slivers at Trader Joes, and they are literally one of my favorite things I’ve found there.

If you want to go ever sweeter than that, Half Baked Harvest has a recipe for these delicious Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chex Mix Bars. Peanut butter plus chocolate and salt, winner, winner chicken dinner. Check out their recipe here.

I do love these sweet options, but can’t help wondering if the mix from the Fire Crackers in my earlier post would take savory Chex Mix up to a whole new level. Check out the recipe here.

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