{ Favorite Recipes }

I am in the bad, bad habit of watching Food Network Nighttime in bed, before falling asleep. I love all the shows- Good Eats, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Chopped, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. It works out good for me too- sometimes I have trouble turning off the brainwaves at night, so I either watch TV until I fall asleep… Or until I pass out from hunger.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate is especially gut-wrenching because they never post any of the recipes- and it always inevitably makes me want to hop the next red-eye flight to the nearest 3,000 miles away, sophisticated big city where they are and immediately order whatever it is that they are having- the thing that makes one’s life not worth living until you’ve had it.

The other night the show was titled “Snack Attack.” Oh man, was that the wrong show to be watching at midnight.

The founder of Sprinkle’s Cupcakes was on, and she was talking about her favorite “Snack Attack”- Doughnut Muffins. Muffins, which really taste more like a sweet doughnut cupcake, flavored with just a hint of freshly ground nutmeg, and when fresh out of the oven, brushed all over in warm, melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. I just about fainted on the spot.

Instead, I threw back the covers, leapt from the bed, ran to the office and immediately started Googling doughnut muffin recipes. It was the right thing to do. The next morning, I had these:

Oh man. They were so light and fluffy. So sweet and airy. So buttery and rich. Yes. Buttery and rich. But light and fluffy. I don’t know how they did it. But oh, that muffin top. I love, love loved the crackly, crispy top.

And then, when I brushed the entire muffin with melted butter, and covered them all over in a crispy, cinnamon sugary crust…  It was like eating that best part of a muffin, the muffin top- but allllll over. Then biting into the most decadent doughnut cupcake you’ve ever eaten.

If you wanted to be extremely indulgent, you could swirl on a little of my favorite glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp melted butter, and 1-2 tbsp milk, whisked to combine.

Just like a doughnut.

Perfect, perfect, perfect for a cozy, weekend brunch- and for sharing with friends! :D

Doughnut Muffin Recipe
*I also found this article on Doughnut Muffins helpful! :)

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And now, If I haven’t sent you over the edge yet… I’ve posted about these Blondies before- I’m kind of obsessed with them. They’re easily one of my Top 5, all-time favorite desserts. Give me a choice of cookies, brownies or blondies and I’ll pick these Blondies, hands down, every single time.

I usually make Blondies just plain- I am in love with this simple, original Blondie recipe- I want to marry it. But today I decided to add in a little extra chocolatety and hazelnutty goodness- yes, I am talking about those creamy, delightful swirls of Nutella. *swoon*

I posted about them today, over on my recipe blog.

Nutella Swirl Blondies Recipe

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Okay. One last thing. I promise.

*Photo by Jenny Flake

Make these. Cinnamon Bun Sugar Cookies. Right now. You’ll thank me.

Cinnamon Bun Cookies Recipe

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Thanks for looking! :D

If you’re like us, we love this spicy, seasoned, perfect pulled pork- and it’s great for any occasion: Christmas, birthdays, the SuperBowl, 4th of July, Tuesdays… But since it’s pretty much impossible to make a small amount of it, there’s always tons of leftovers. Which is okay! Normally I’ll half, even fourth recipes just to to avoid leftovers, but pulled pork is one of those things that’s so versatile (and so yummy) I don’t mind eating on it all week- and it’s still just as delicious as the first day! :)

We had these Spicy Pulled Pork Nachos yesterday for the SuperBowl- a delicious twist on the classic haltime snack. And they’re also a *great* way to use up your leftovers. You could make these with leftover BBQ, chicken, and yes, perfect pulled pork.

You’ll need some nacho chips:

And please, please, please, please, for the love of all that is good and perfect in this world, try making these homemade tortilla chips. They’re so golden and buttery, crispy on the outside, flakey on the inside and so all around delicious- how can you resist? They couldn’t be easier to make. You’ll love them. You’ll hate me. You’ll be addicted. Instantly. Make extra to make up for the 20 or 30 that get eaten before any make it to the plate.

Top the chips with your leftover pulled pork- straight from the fridge is fine!

Sprinkle on a little extra spice rub (leftover from the pulled pork recipe), if you like.

Top with plenty of freshly grated, smoked cheddar cheese. You can find this in blocks in the deli. It’s worth it. Trust me on this.

Then pop into a 350 degree oven for 5-10 mins, until everything is hot, melted, and bubbly.

Careful when getting them out of the oven, the plate will be very hot. You can transfer the chips to a new plate, or just let it cool for about 5 mins.

Delicious! Fun, family-friendly, and frugal too. Dig in! :)

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Thanks for looking! :)

My current obsession: All things harvest-spiced.

Like these Cinnamon Nutmeg Waffles, made with cinnamon, brown sugar, & freshly grated nutmeg. They’re warm, rich, lightly sweet and with just a hint of a soft gingerbread cookie- they’re just plain heavenly. I’ve made them as waffles (and pancakes, too) for the last three weekends in a row- and I’ve been popping the leftovers in the toaster for a quick, decadent weekday breakfast treat. Hot & Fresh. Straight from the iron. Satisfyingly rich. I can’t get enough! :)

Cinnamon Nutmeg Waffles Recipe

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It’s coooold here tonight- and Kevin is out in it with Miley and Howie at agility class. Last week I thought I was going to have to take my hair dryer to him just to get him thawed out. This week, I’m prepared- when he comes back, he’ll have a hearty bowl of shrimp and sausage gumbo to warm him right up. It’s one of our absolute favorites around here. Made with with fresh vegetables, wild caught gulf shrimp, smoked sausage, and a rich, full-bodied broth over fluffy white rice- it’s rich, filling, just a little bit spicy and whole lotta delicious. :)

And don’t worry, if shrimp isn’t your thing, you can easily substitute with chicken. Or heck- if shrimp is your thing, just go ahead and add the chicken anyway for a indulgent 3-meat gumbo! :)

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo Recipe

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Several of you have emailed and said you plan on making this Perfect Pulled Pork for Christmas- awesome!! :) And what a great idea- it’s so easy for Christmas dinner and is sure to bring everyone together in the kitchen. If you have any leftovers, I have some great recipes you’ll definitely want to try! They’re easy and delicious! I made pulled pork last weekend, and since it’s just the two of us, there are always a TON of leftovers. But that’s ok, because it’s one of those things that’s great left over- It’s extremely versatile! I used my leftovers in these two recipes from Picky Palate and they were both DELICIOUS!! :) I will *definitely* make these both again- I just had to pass them along! I wanted to take pics for you (so this wouldn’t be just a boring, text-only post) but they were so good- it got gone before I could get the camera out! :blush: Fortunately, Jenny takes great pictures. :D

BBQ Chicken Crusted Smoked Cheddar Mac

I replaced the shredded BBQ Chicken in her recipe for an equal amount of pulled pork. I wasn’t able to find the Tillamook brand, but I did easily find smoked cheddar cheese in the deli at my local grocery store. It was my first time using smoked cheddar cheese and- Oh my gosh. It made all the difference in the world. The smoky flavor it added to the pulled pork was *insane*. It was wonderful. Kevin and I were fighting over the leftovers :blush: Oh, I also used shells for the pasta (loved scooping up the cheese sauce in the little shells! :)) but like Jenny says, you can use any favorite pasta shape for this recipe! :)

Steak Quesadillas

These are so, so, so, so, so good! I’ve made this recipe 3 times already!!! In like a week! LOL! I made it the first time using ribeye steak grilled on a cast iron grill pan with white cheddar and monterrey jack cheese. (faint) The second time I made it with the leftover pulled pork and leftover white cheddar and smoked cheddar cheese. (divine!) And the third time I made it with shredded chicken and more leftover smoked cheddar cheese! (yum!) I’m *so* glad to have this recipe in my arsenal!!! The crispy quesadillas are my favorite! :) It’s definitely going in the dinner rotation.

Hope you enjoy the recipes! Christmas is *almost* here!!! :)
Thanks so much for looking! :)