cooking, baking, and a home in the making

Recent Posts

Beer & Brat Mac & Cheese

Beer & Brat Mac & Cheese

The older I get, the more my mom lets her little recipe secrets slip. She told me about the sour cream and onions in her Party Potatoes. And she even told me about the BEER in her mac and cheese recipe. I can see why 

OMG Brownies

OMG Brownies

Do you ever just have an urge to bake? Just to dig through your cupboards and find SOMETHING you can pop in the oven? I had that urge recently. And what resulted were these gooey, dark chocolate brownies. Oh yeah, and they had a caramel 

Texas Style Chili

Texas Style Chili

Okay okay, I had a revelation about marinara sauce recently. I actually like it. I thought I didn’t, but I do. Now it’s time to admit that even though I thought I also didn’t love red chili, times have changed. I made this Texas style 

Baileys Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Fudge

Baileys Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Fudge

I went through a peanut butter fudge phase when I was in college. I looked online for a “simple fudge recipe” and found one that I probably made every other week during my senior year. While I was looking through the recipes, I came across 

Iced Coffee Floats

Iced Coffee Floats

Yeah it is still freezing here in Chicago. But quite frankly, I can’t wait any longer for iced coffee. For a little treat, I made myself some iced coffee floats. That’s right. I added ice cream. And Bailey’s. Okay so it wasn’t exactly a LITTLE 

Cinnamon Sugar Oyster Crackers

Cinnamon Sugar Oyster Crackers

I made the savory version of this snack a while ago and brought it to a Superbowl party at my friend Caitlin’s house. Sometime throughout the game the dish spilled all over the floor and the dogs (yes, Molly was invited!) were licking the carpet 

Shepard’s Pie

Shepard’s Pie

I’m having a rough time getting back into the swing of blogging after my little trip to Vegas! Immediately after I got back, my friend Tiff came to visit so we could work on some planning for HER WEDDING! I am lucky enough to be 

Pasta with Cabernet Marinara Sauce

Pasta with Cabernet Marinara Sauce

I LOVE wine. Just in case my 11-bottle purchase in Traverse City over the summer wasn’t a good hint, I will clarify that I absolutely love wine. I try to use them in sauces whenever I feel comfortable. I’ve made homemade marinara sauce before, but