Sugar & Spice by Celeste

  It's not often that I have time to make a recipe TWICE before posting it here on the blog, but folks, this cheesecake is so good that that's exactly what happened.  Now, this certainly won't help with any diet-related new years resolutions that you may be planning, but sometimes the calories are worth it! My little niece requested a "chocolate cheesecake with whipped cream and cherries on top."  This beauty of a cake was the result.  I found it over on Joy of Baking , and it sounded incredible.   You start by making a super-duper-easy chocolate crust with chocolate graham crackers and melted butter.  That's followed by an indulgent filling made with cream cheese, melted chocolate and sour cream.  It's all topped off with an easy yet heavenly ganache, made with - you guessed it - MORE chocolate. The texture of this cake is what makes it so special.  Cheesecake is one of those things that can be tricky.  My first few experie...

Twas a week before Christmas And in my blog's queue, Awaited a deliciously special recipe just for you. See, this recipe is unique and has been handed down, And it in fact made Etta Reid famous around town! What is it, you ask?  Well, come over here. I'll tell you the secret to filling your taste-buds with cheer! With a little cinnamon, sugar, butter and dough, Upon first bite, your friends and family will say "Whoa!" So, make these rolls at your very first chance. You'll want to thank me with a little happy dance!! In the spirit of Christmas, I'm SO very excited to share this incredibly special recipe with you.  My Great Uncle Mike recently shared his mom's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls with me and has given permission to share it with all of you lucky folks!  This is a treasured family recipe that his mom Etta only shared with a few people.   Recipes with stories behind them can't be beat...There's just something so ...

Some of my best memories growing up revolved around vacations spent along the Gulf of Mexico.  Those vacations were filled with fun in the sun, time spent with family, and delicious meals made unforgettable by the amazingly fresh seafood right out of the Gulf near my home state of Alabama. To this day, I still love a big plate of fresh shrimp, grouper, snapper, flounder or yes...even raw oysters (with hot sauce and a saltine cracker, of course!).  The wonderful thing about seafood is that it cooks quickly, plus it's really healthy (as long as it's not fried).  That's always a combination worth smiling about! This dish for Roasted Greek Shrimp with Orzo has become one of my recent favorites.  It's packed with vibrant flavors that will have your tastebuds singing.  I love Greek ingredients almost as much as fresh seafood, so I'm particularly proud to say this is an original recipe.   And you know what?  It's SO Easy! For this dish, fre...

There's something just so marvelous about baking cookies in December while the Christmas tree lights cast a warm glow across the room.  This time of year certainly puts me in the baking mood.  In fact, cinnamon rolls, banana nut bread and perhaps another pecan pie are all in my very near future. Baking simply makes my heart smile.  :) Earlier today, my father-in-law mentioned that he had been craving peanut butter cookies.  Little did he know, that the little gears in my head quickly went to work, and a few hours later we were back at their house with a warm plate of these amazing cookies.   And amazing they are...seriously.  I found a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine over on Epicurious that I tweaked here and there.  I added a little molasses and honey...and also substituted the vanilla extract with butter pecan extract instead.  The results?  Pure fabulousness! The molasses and honey made the cookies a l...

When the holidays roll around, I adore a good Sweet Potato Souffle!  It's one of my very favorite sides this time of year.  Its brown sugary sweetness, perfectly buttery, and pecan-filled topping can't be beat, and then there's the light, airy goodness of the sweet potatoes below.   Yum. I found this recipe from Paula Deen and made some changes to the butter and sugar quantities.  One whole cup of sugar in the sweet potatoes seemed like an awful lot, so I cut that amount in half.  I also cut the butter down to 6 Tbsp.  For the topping, I left that alone and didn't really change anything except for a little extra pecans. The results were wonderful, however, still pretty sweet.  My philosophy is...If it's the holidays, go ahead and indulge because this souffle is quite delicious!  If making this again throughout the rest of the year, I might decrease the sugar in the topping just a little bit, so as not to TOTALLY blow the diet.  ...

There were many years where our Thanksgiving table was always graced by the congealed cranberry sauce of the canned variety.  You know the one - It plops out of the can with a "thwack" and then is sliced into slivers before being served.  However, I had a wonderful revelation a few years back...HOMEMADE cranberry sauce.  Why had I not been making it at home all along?? It's incredibly easy and results in a much tastier accompaniment for that oh-so-delectable cornbread dressing that we look forward to all year long.  After all, we put so much love and care into the dressing, that it's a shame not to pair it with something homemade and delicious as well. For the past several years, I've made this Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce .  But, I wanted to try something new this year - something a little easier and maybe not quite so tart.  This recipe for Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce was perfect.  Minimal ingredients, majorly easy and incredibly scr...

I've had a sick hubby on my hands over the past few days.  He better start feeling better soon, though, because there's a lot of good eatin' to be done tomorrow on Thanksgiving!  Something tells me that after that first bite of the cornbread & sausage dressing that he looks forward to for 364 days a year, he'll be much better!  ( Speaking of Thanksgiving, this dish would be a perfect way to use leftover turkey! ) Last night, he was feeling extra sick and pitiful...sore throat, headache, etc, etc...It's just that time of year, I reckon.  I had some leftover chicken already cooked from the previous night, so Chicken Noodle Soup sounded perfect...easy, yet comforting. There's just something about chicken noodle soup when you're sick, don't you agree?  In fact, when Brad and I were just dating, he had to work one night and wasn't feeling well.  I surprised him by showing up at work with some yummy Chicken Noodle Soup, and it put the biggest ...

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner??  In the midst of all the football games, brisk walks around the neighborhood with autumn leaves tumbling through the air, cozy scarves, warm boots, pumpkin pies, and colorful drives through town surrounded by fall colors, isn't it wonderful to stop and think about all the things we have to be thankful for?  It's a season of treasured time spent with family and new memories made.  I love it. As your family gathers around the dining table this year for your Turkey Day feast, what recipes and dishes will you be making?  Are they treasured family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, or will you be adding a new favorite this year? Our meal always consists of a very traditional New England spread...Sweet Potato Souffle, Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Cornbread Dressing with Sausage, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole, Creamed Corn, an array of different dessert...