I’m still here! I had no idea I’d take such a hiatus from blogging, but moving into a house under construction was all-consuming. We are just now finishing up the last touches (or are we???) and even my kitchen is still being finished. It’s been operational since right after Thanksgiving, but it’s almost, almost done now!

Right now, I’m feeling in a bit of a personal rut. It seems the work on the house, toddler mom life and some other personal challenges have (hopefully temporarily) shut down my creativity. So rather than dive back into recipe creating and forced posts, I’m going to post when I’m really inspired. When I share a recipe, you will know that I love it and am excited about it!

In the mean time, I’ve been keeping busy in the kitchen with some friends’ recipes and some of my own. Here are some recipes that I’ve made and enjoyed:

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes from Dessert for Two (L had been requesting cupcakes and this was the perfect quick recipe!)

Soft Almond Flour Sugar Cookies from Ambitious Kitchen (they had amazing texture, especially for a gluten-free cookie)

Big Cranberry Crumb Cake from Keep It Sweet Desserts (I wanted to have something special in the freezer for holiday entertaining)

Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies from Keep It Sweet Desserts (always a hit!)

(Fresh) Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies from Keep It Sweet Desserts (a great gift)

On a much more positive note regarding our move, we’ve been having a great time meeting people and making friends in a new town. L’s school has been a great place for me to meet other moms and I’ve already found a circle of other women that I look forward to seeing regularly. It’s been really nice and L is very happy with pre-school (he adores his teachers).

Very excited to play in the snow!

First adventure snowman building adventure!

I hope you have some fun and fulfilling holiday plans. I’m looking forward to visiting with family and friends and settling into our home.

Now for the regular updates….

New recipe/blog posts:

Big Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keep It Sweet Thanksgiving Favorites

Six Peppermint Chocolate Desserts You Need To Try

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Chocolate Covered Oreos Three Ways

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Peppermint Mocha Layer Cake from Baker by Nature

Peppermint Bark White Chocolate Cheesecake from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Tiramisu from Dessert for Two

Chocolate and Pumpkin Self-Saucing Pudding Cake from The Flavor Bender

Pumpkin Chocolate Mousse Cake from Sugar Hero

I hope that you all are having a wonderful week!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

How is everyone doing as we settle into fall? I’m admittedly all over the place these days. Between the house, L’s upcoming 2nd birthday, holidays, and the general back and forth to everywhere, I feel like my head is spinning round and round! I’ve prioritized all of that real life “stuff” and as a result have been slacking over here. I do have a delicious cookie recipe coming soon, though, and hopefully, once we are settled into the house (and once we have a working kitchen), my baking inspiration will come back in full force.

In the mean time, I’ve been using up odds and ends of ingredients to bake (and cook) for some of the occasions that have been keeping us busy. Here are some recipes that I’ve made and enjoyed:

Cauliflower Kale Chickpea Curry Pot from The First Mess (L helped with this and was a big fan)

Snickerdoodle Apple Bread from Cookies and Cups

Apple Crumb Cake from Bakerita

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Bakerita (we actually haven’t tried these yet, I stuck the whole batch directly into the freezer)

Perfected Yellow Cake from Mel’s Kitchen with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream from Keep It Sweet Desserts (for Matt’s birthday)

Fudgy Mocha Chip Brownies from Keep It Sweet Desserts (currently my favorite brownie recipe)

One-Bowl Pumpkin Blondies (with chocolate instead of cinnamon chips) from Keep It Sweet Desserts

Lighter Chocolate Chip Banana Cake from Keep It Sweet Desserts

The very good news is that we are moving in just a few weeks! Whether the house is “ready” or not, we are moving on October 31! It might be completely chaotic and the house might still be a bit of a mess, but at least we can trick-or-treat in our new neighborhood. I’ve already got L excited about getting candy and wearing his costume. He’s going to be the firefighter dog from Paw Patrol (I think his name is Marshall?). L likes to put the backpack and hat on and walk around the apartment saying “Ready to go to preschool now!”

My almost 2-year old is getting so big!

Now for this week’s updates….

New recipe/blog posts:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

One-Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Mocha Coffee Cake from My Baking Addiction

Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake from Life, Love, and Sugar

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread from Shugary Sweets

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread from Running to the Kitchen

Pumpkin Beer Ice Cream from We Are Not Martha

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Things are continuing to be crazy but exciting here! The house renovation is underway (see the demo photos below) and Matt and I are working our way through all of the details and decisions that wan to be made. Can someone just explain to me how there are so many faucet options? Sometimes I’m tempted to close my eyes and point my finger blindly to decide!

We actually spent this past weekend doing ALL house stuff. Liam stayed with my parents and had a blast while we were running from design stores to furniture stores to mopping up a basement flood (hello, home ownership)! It was super productive and now I’m just trying not to second guess any of our selections.

Here’s the view from our future mudroom through to our kitchen and then den.

View from the front door!

The next few weeks are more of the same and NEXT WEEK is my sister’s wedding. Anyone want to help me write my maid of honor speech??

Big boy got his second haircut!

Now for this week’s updates….

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Fluffernutter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Peanut Butter Banana Icebox Cake from Taste and Tell

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake from Smitten Kitchen

Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting from Bake 350

Buckwheat, Banana, Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Pancakes from Yammie’s Noshery

Milk and Cookies Cake from Sweet Style CA

I hope that you all are having a wonderful week!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

This summer is just crazy. One day we are kicking off my sister’s wedding festivities and the next we are buying a house. It feels like we’ve been running around since then and now we are about to start the big house renovation (!!!!!) and my sister’s wedding is this month. What a summer!

Even though the big demolition day isn’t until Monday, I’ve basically spent every free moment of the last three months on Houzz. Apparently when you gut most of your house, there are a lot of decisions to make. It’s super exciting but also overwhelming. I’m dying to see the changes start happening but know I’ve also got to make a ton of decisions in the next couple of weeks to make that happen. Who knew picking out the handle for a kitchen cabinet would feel like such a big deal? I might have to recruit L to start making some decisions for me. Toddlers very strong opinions, you know.

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Brownie Krispie Treats

Double Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Blueberry Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

No-Bake Blueberry Pie

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

White Chocolate Cherry Espresso Bean Cookies from Sweet Recipeas

Blueberry Bread and Butter Pudding from Smitten Kitchen

Nectarine Coffee Cake from Kitchen Konfidence

Mint Chocolate Cado Ice Cream from Eating Bird Food

Mixed Berry Confetti Layer Cake from Yes to Yolks

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

There is big news to share today!!! We bought a house!

Finally homeowners!

Picnic dinner in the new house.

Our own outdoor space!

After three months under contract, we finally closed. I’ve been dying to share the news, but I was so nervous that something would fall through that I didn’t want to say anything publicly yet. Luckily, the close went very smoothly and we hugged and shook hands with the previous owners.

While it’s really exciting that the it’s now our house, we won’t actually be moving for a few more months. We are doing a complete house renovation that would be difficult for us (especially L) to live through. Think knocking down walls, new kitchen (!!!!), new floor plan, the works. The good news is that we’ve been working on our plans since we bid on the house and just need to get them approved from the town to start construction. Cross your fingers that it goes smoothly!

So in addition to everything else that’s been keeping my life crazy, the house plans have also taken over my life. Anyone else spend hours each day on Houzz? If you have any experience or words of wisdom on going through this whole process, I’d love to hear them!

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Graham and Milk Chocolate Ice Cream (no churn)

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Fluffernutter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Homemade Healthy Fudgesicles from Well Plated

Upside Down Berry Cornmeal Coffee Cake from Recipe Girl

Plum and Rhubarb Cobbler from Eat the Love

Milk and Cookies Cake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Almost No Bake Drumstick Cheesecake from Melanie Makes

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Last weekend was my sister’s bridal shower, a major high! I have a lot I want to share (menu, recipes, etc.) from the party… hopefully one of my favorite desserts from the event will be on the blog this week. The shower came together really well after months of planning and I’m so happy that my sister enjoyed it every bit as much as we hoped she would.

Jess and I at her bridal shower!

The last week has been a little less exciting with no big event to plan for and instead was filled with long days with a sick toddler. Poor L has been dealing with a never-ending cold of sorts. Between the medicine and lack of good play time, he and I are both so over it! Luckily we are back with my parents and sister this weekend (it’s Jessica’s fiancé’s bachelor party!) so we have good company to distract us.

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Blueberry Crisp Oatmeal Cookies

Cinnamon Bun Cookie Ice Cream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Fluffernutter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Malted Strawberry No Churn Ice Cream from The Whole Bite

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies from Eat The Love

Rhubarb Pudding Cakes from Seasons and Suppers

Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake from Brown Eyed Baker

Brown Sugar Crumb Cake from Cookies and Cups

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Happy weekend! We are heading up to Boston to for my sister’s tea ceremony! It’s the kick-off to a summer full of wedding celebrations and I’m so excited. Unfortunately it’s a really short trip, so I won’t get to eat my way through the city like I normally would want, but it will be fun. I’m just crossing my fingers that L is a good sport for the 4+ hour drive two days in a row! I’m going armed with books, crayons, stickers and snacks. On the drive back, we are even going to stop at an aquarium. Other than that, I’m hoping that half of each ride is a nap. Otherwise we might be listening to a lot of “Done.” and “No.” along the way!

Rainy day survival at a local play space! Fireman L to the rescue;-)

In the mean time, I promise another all-star ice cream recipe this week in time for Memorial Day Weekend! And if you need some other dessert ideas for Memorial Day, here are some favorites:

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips & Strawberry Buttercream

Speculoos Sundaes with Warm Blueberry Sauce

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Cups

No Churn Blueberry Crisp Ice Cream

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Fluffernutter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Trashy Treats from Cookies and Cups

Healthy Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie from Well Plated

Neapolitan Popsicles from Cooking Classy

Baked Blueberry Pancake “Cake” from Port and Fin

Peanut Butter & Jelly Pretzel Bars from The Brunette Baker

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend! It’s my second year as a mom and I definitely understand why the holiday can be such a big deal. Being a mom can be hard and while it’s truly rewarding to be a parent, it’s nice to get an extra special thank you on occasion.

Matt and L have already treated me to flowers, chocolates and a pancake breakfast. We will spend the rest of the morning together (maybe get outside now that it’s not raining for the first time in a week?) and then this afternoon I’m heading out for a manicure and pedicure. Ah that sounds pretty luxurious at the moment. Not a bad Saturday at all! Tomorrow afternoon we are going to see my parents and celebrate some more with them.

So thankful for gym class this week. The weather was terrible and we went three times!

What are your plans? Are you being spoiled for all that you do as a mom or celebrating someone else? If you are still working out your celebration eats here are a few festive suggestions:

• Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
• Milk Chocolate Tart with Peanut Butter Pretzel Crust (just FOUR ingredients)
• Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Strawberry Buttercream
• Perfect Chocolate Chip Muffins (super easy brunch treat!)

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Covered Pretzel Ice Cream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Fluffernutter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake from Life Love and Sugar

Funfetti Coffee Cake from We Are Not Martha

Riesling Rhubarb Crisp Cake from Grandbaby Cakes

Double Layer Cookies from Seasons and Suppers

Cookies and Cream Cookies from Eat the Love

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Anyone else have a rough week? Poor L has been sick since Sunday and I was just in complete survival mode. Luckily he’s finally on an antibiotic for strep throat and mostly back to normal. Poor Matt caught some L’s germs too. I’m crossing my fingers that (for a change) I don’t catch any of it. We are supposed to go to Florida on Thursday and that needs to happen.

Onto better things… We got some good news on a personal front that I’ll hopefully share soon (yes, I know, annoying) and no, I’m not pregnant! Also, plans for my sister’s bridal shower are coming along nicely. My mom and I have been scheming up a really fun and delicious menu. Now I just need to work on the rest of the bachelorette plans! We decided to go to South Beach so if you have anything that we need to do or eat while there, please let me know.

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Mixed Berry Sauce

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake from David Lebovitz

Peanut Butter Honey Banana Muffins from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Bread from Girl Versus Dough

Healthy ‘Snickers’ Crisp Rice Slice from The Little Loaf

Decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Better Homes and Gardens

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

How has everyone’s week been? We’ve got so much going on over here. It’s good and exciting, but so busy! I think that’s just this time in life. Mostly good stuff here like making plans for trips and my sister’s bridal shower and finally finding a dress for Jess’s wedding. I’ll just try to forget the major mom brain moments I’ve been having while trying to book flights or do other mundane daily activities. Seriously, when do I get all my brain cells back?

L going down the slide by himself!

While I feel incapable of handling just one child and a blog half of the time, I have some friends that truly inspire me with all that they do. In particular, my friend, Kristin, who just so happens to have twin 3-year old boys and a son L’s age, is constantly amazing me. She recently started her own business, Birch & Berry Boutique, an Etsy shop that specializes in creating one of a kind handmade monograms, signs, vases and floral arrangements. Everything in the shop is curated especially for home, nursery and event decor and is just beautiful. I highly recommend you check it out. You can find Birch & Berry Boutique on Etsy, Instagram and Facebook (<— check out Facebook for her current promotion).

How gorgeous is this monogram?

*This is NOT sponsored. I just wanted to tell you about my friend’s awesome business!*

Now for this week’s updates….

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Mixed Berry Sauce

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

5-Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet from Ambitious Kitchen

Bourbon & Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle from Butterlust

Carrot Sheet Cake from Handle the Heat

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I hope everyone’s having a great weekend and kicking off the first day of Spring on a happy note! I’m currently writing from my parents’ in the midst of a big celebratory weekend. My sister, her fiancé, Matt, L and I have been planning to be together this weekend and celebrate my parents’ big birthdays (my dad’s was a couple of weeks ago and my mom’s is next week)! Of course it was fun to all just be together, but it was a very special treat that the 6 of us (adults only) all went out to dinner last night. Can you believe that we hadn’t done that since before L was born? We kicked the evening off with some bubbly and then enjoyed a ton of good food. From fried zucchini chips, to grilled octopus and warm pita bread, it was all delicious. We also brought birthday cake and cupcakes (extra icing for mom and lemon poppy seed cupcakes for dad).

Someone was such a big help with the stroller haha!

A few other things I wanted to mention before the regular updates…

1) I’m really excited to tell you about the launch of Bon Recipé! It’s a service that brings my recipes (and others!) straight to your door , accompanied with coupons, giveaways, and other offers. Even better, proceeds go towards a charity that feeds hungry children around the world. Check it out today!

2) This recipe for chocolate quick-bread is SO good. I made it twice in one week and it disappeared very quickly.

3) This mustard sheet-pan dinner was also a huge hit in my house (L LOVED it). Pretty easy and quite delicious.

Now for this week’s updates….

New Posts on the Blog:

Blood Orange Truffles

Triple Chip Cookies

Banana Pudding with Peanut Butter Cream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Drumstick Ice Cream Cake

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Meringue Cake from Bake or Break

Rye Brownies with Caramel and Sea Salt from Eat the Love

Magic Mix from The Baker Mama

No-Bake Butterfinger Cheesecake Cups from Cookies and Cups

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

This post contains affiliate links.

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag#KeepItSweetDesserts.

Weekend time! I’m am pretty excited for this weekend because Matt and I are getting a little 24-hour staycation in the city. Without L. This is actually going to be my very first night without him since he was born over 16 months ago. Kind of crazy! I know I’ll miss him a lot but it will be really nice to have a little adult time, especially since that means sleeping in on Sunday. And by sleeping in, I mean waking up a 5:30 anyway but not moving until I feel like it. Ha! Our agenda consists mainly of eating and eating. Oh yeah, some shopping and walking around sans stroller, too.

L loves to give hugs to his friends

Any good stories for me about the first time you spent a night away from your children (if you have)? In a few months I’ll be away for two nights (I know, crazy talk) for my sister’s bachelorette party so this will be good practice.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Blood Orange Pancakes (made with Greek Yogurt & Whole Wheat Flour)

Fluffernutter Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Over Thirty Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Without Any Weird Ingredients

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Bake or Break

Mint Chocolate Chip Semifreddo Cake from Gringalicious

Thin Mint Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches from Country Cleaver

Buckeye Blondies from Melanie Makes

Soft-Baked Skillet Cookie from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Happy weekend! How was your (hopefully) short week? Things were pretty good around here and I’m looking forward to enjoying the weekend. We have a bunch of friends coming over for Mexican food tonight. I hand-juiced a lot of limes last night for margaritas so you know it will be fun. Guacamole, enchiladas and some fun desserts don’t hurt either. Mostly I’m looking forward to catching up with friends, though. We don’t get to see them nearly as often as I like these days!

Then tomorrow we are celebrating my sister’s birthday (February / March are birthday crazy around here). With her new business and summer wedding I think this is going to be a pretty amazing year for Jess.

This bathrobe used to be SO big on him…

Oh, and speaking of margaritas, CruiseOne (a friend of mine works there) has declared Wednesday National Umbrella Drink Day. Now that is a holiday worth celebrating!!! Perhaps a Spicy Skinny Tequila Cocktail is in order? If you decide to celebrate (which you should), post a photo of your drink on social media with #UmbrellaDrinkDay on Wednesday to enter for some awesome prices like a hotel stay in Cancun!  In conjunction with the promotion, CruiseOne is donating $1 to Make-A-Wish for every new 2016 booking made between now and February 29th.<—-Not sponsored, just wanted to share!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

S’mores Layer Cake

Brown Sugar Caramel Pear Crisp

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Peanut Butter Heath Bar Brown Butter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls from Yes to Yolks

Cake Batter Macarons from Bakers Royale

Junk Food Brownies from Baking a Moment

Dark & Dreamy Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes from Sweetapolita

Yellow Cake with Cookie Dough Filling & Fudge Frosting from Bake 350

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

What a difference a week makes! Things have been going a lot better here and I’m feeling SO much more human. I actually had a pretty productive week and got a couple of things done that weren’t even on my to-do list. Shocking! We have a fun weekend planned including birthday celebrations and Super Bowl eating watching. Speaking of which, here are some desserts you should add to your list for the big game:

• Brown Butter Cookie Dough Dip (dessert dip!)
• Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars (super easy crowd-pleaser)
• Ginger Pecan Candy Crack (because crack.)
• Grown-up Puppy Chow Popcorn (we loved this)
• Hot Cocoa Cookies (who doesn’t love super chocolatey cookies?)
• Mini M&M Cookies (mini cookies are great for snacking)
• Peanut Butter Cup Football Cookie Cake (so festive and insanely delicious)
• Sweet and Salty Candy Bar Blondies (a long-time reader favorite)

Someone was surprisingly enthusiastic about wearing a hat!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Vanilla M&M Shortbread Cookies

Fudgy Brownies with Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Cookie Monster Cake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

The Best Chocolate Cupcakes from Handle the Heat

Lemon Pound Cake Bars from Bake or Break

Banana-Graham S’mores Cake Supreme from Sweetapolita

Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Mousse Jars from Gastro Senses

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

This was not my proudest week. In the world of parenting, it’s been tough, and I have not been the best at dealing it. I’ve been taking out my lack of patience on too many people and really need to turn that around asap, or at least before my husband and mom decide to ignore my phone calls! Hopefully things will turn themselves around soon (dear nap gds, make that happen!), but until then, someone just remind me to take deep breathes.

Take me that way!

This weekend should help, though. Today we have some plans for the three of us and then tomorrow I”m going bridesmaid dress shopping with my sister. Girl’s day! We don’t get opportunities for that nearly enough, so I hope Jess doesn’t mind that I plan on taking as much of her time as she is willing to give. Never mind that she just started her own business, I’m sure she will be fine shopping all day with me.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

The 30 Best Dessert Dips to Make for the Super Bowl

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Bean Wafers from Smitten Kitchen

One Bowl Red Velvet Cupcakes from Baker by Nature

Peanut Butter Lover’s Monster Cookies from Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie from Bakerita

Pumpkin Oat Bread from Naturally Ella

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Boy am I feeling behind on life! We had an amazing vacation but it’s been a rough week trying to get back to work since a certain little someone has decided to boycott all naps. I have so many recipes waiting to be made and vacation pictures to share but they are just going to be a little bit delayed. I promise they upcoming recipes are worth the wait, though!

L’s first time actually “jumping” on the trampoline!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Grown-Up Puppy Chow Popcorn

Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Brownie Pops

Peanut Butter Cup Football Cookie Cake

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies from Bakerita

Ultimate Sampler Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

Dark and Dreamy Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake from Sweetapolita

All-in-One Breakfast Muffins from Port and Fin

Double Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies from Warm Vanilla Sugar

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

As you read this, I’m headed to Charleston with Matt and L. I’m so excited for a week for the three of us to explore the city,  eat all the food, and just get some quality family time. Anything we must see or do while we are in town?

This will be our first flight with L since he was seven months so that will be interesting… We actually downloaded a bunch of Mickey Mouse videos on the iPad for backup. Between that, a few of his favorite books and some toys, hopefully we will all get there in one piece! Follow me on Instagram or Snapchat (@keepitsweet_LL) if you are interested in vacation photos.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Peanut Butter Snickers Brown Butter Cookies

Over 30 Gluten-Free Desserts Without Any Weird Ingredients

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars from Simply Quinoa

Peanut Butter Cup Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Raspberry Marshmallows from Dessert for Two

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Happy New Year! 2015 sure had some bumps (let’s make 2016 a healthy one, everybody!) but as a whole, it was a really great year.

As for resolutions? I’m not really setting any. Maybe I want to try to find a little more balance of me time, family time and blog time but that seems to be a continuous work in progress. I’m not trying to lose weight (phew!), though I’m going to continue to work on trusting myself to eat intuitively. I do have blog goals but I don’t like to set them as resolutions because I put enough pressure on myself that way, anyway. What about you? Do you make resolutions?

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

The Top Keep It Sweet Desserts of 2015

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Flourless Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownies from Le Creme de la Crumb

Mini Buche de Noel (no-bake) from Sugar Hero

What to do with Leftover Cookies from Craftsy via Cakespy

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I hope you all had a wonderful coupe of days celebrating Christmas or just enjoying an extended weekend! We kicked holiday off by seeing some friends on Christmas Eve and then an afternoon of eating Chinese food, dinking and building gingerbread houses with my family. The adults did all the building and then L proceeded to deconstruct and eat the treats off of the houses. Ha! The rest of the weekend will include more family time and hopefully some relaxing!

L is currently obsessed with dogs! Got him to sit still at the bank for about two minutes with that magazine.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Gingerbread French Toast

Lemon Truffles

Five Champagne Desserts for New Year’s Eve

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Crockpot Hot Chocolate and Hot Chocolate Bar from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

How to Make Hot Chocolate on a Stick from Baking Bites

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes from Baker by Nature

Nutella Stuffed Deep Dish Gingerbread Cookie from Cafe Delights

Soft Gingerbread Cookies from Fake Ginger

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I am beyond happy for this week to be over. The second half of the week wasn’t so bad but on Monday night I was in a car accident with L. Thankfully neither of us was hurt (I’ve been counting my blessings all week), but it was definitely the scariest car accident I’ve ever been in. The other car ran a red light and my poor car took a beating but will be okay. L was super secure in his car seat and back to his happy self a few Cheerios later. I, on the other hand, am still recovering mentally. It took all of a lot of extra will power to keep myself from emotionally eating my way through every dessert in the house.

We really are okay, though, and I have a lot of good things to look forward to this weekend and in the next couple of weeks. Today I’m actually heading to my 18th (I think?) annual “Christmas Eve” brunch with my best friends from growing up. Clearly it’s not exactly Christmas Eve, but that’s when it started. This year I’m bringing pumpkin chocolate crumb cake and ginger pecan candy crack. Other than that, I’ll spend the next couple of weeks trying to soak up all of the good holiday cheer.

Happy as usual building blocks!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Gingerbread Loaf with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache

Ginger Pecan Candy Crack

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Cups

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Molasses Buttercream from Blahnik Baker

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bars from Willow Bird Baking

Mini Chocolate Gingerbread Men Sandwich Cookies from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

DIY Cookie Butter from Handle the Heat

Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream Sandwiches from Perpetually Hungry

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

It’s been a bit of a busy week so I’m going to keep this short and sweet! I hope you’ve been keeping up with my holiday recipes because I really love the ones I’ve shared so far. And good news for you, I’ve got some others up my sleeves! As always, check in with my snapchat (@Keepitsweet_LL) for some sneak peaks.

Someone hasn’t wanted to get out of his crib after naps!

Thanks to everyone who entered the cookbook giveaway (winner announced on post). If you missed it, be sure to check out the list of my favorite cookbooks.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Chocolate Covered Oreos, Three Ways

Peppermint Chocolate Pavlova Parfaits

Keeping it Sweet with Milk Sugar Love (interview with the owner!)

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

(Fresh) Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Pull-Apart Rugelach from Smitten Kitchen

Salted Toffee Cookie Bars from Foodess

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Well Plated

Five Minute Pistachio Cranberry Fudge from Sprinkle Bakes

Buttery Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sift & Whisk

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I hope that everyone is enjoying an extra long weekend with their families! We are at my parents and have been enjoying lots of good food and fun. Despite the fact that I lost my voice (blah!) it’s been such a nice weekend. The holidays are much more special with a baby and since L slept through most of last Thanksgiving, this one was even more so. He definitely stole the show and had everyone trying to steal his heart with toys, gifts and crackers (yes, you can definitely bribe my son with food).

Did I mention that L said Ma Ma for the first time this week? Why yes I did freak out. I beat out “nana” (banana) by a day.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Banana Pecan Bourbon Flapjacks

Peppermint Mocha Truffles

The Ultimate Food Lover’s Gift Guide (and giveaway!!!)

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Gingerbread Muffins from Well Plated

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Candied Pecans from Flourishing Foodie

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles from Fake GInger

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Latte from The Cookie Rookie

Cinnamon Angel Food Cake with Caramelized Apples from Blahnik Baker

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

What a week! I feel like a lot happened in the last seven days but in a good way. A huge highlight was a Friendsgiving dinner in the city on Thursday. Phoebe, Serena, Anna, and Amie hosted an amazing group of women bloggers at Maman (such a beautiful space!). The group largely consisted of healthy food bloggers with special diets so I made my Vegan Apple Cake along with this vegan caramel sauce. It was so much fun and inspiring to be among a group of talented ladies (think Andie who I’ve been dying to meet forever).

Taking advantage of mild fall temperatures

I have a couple more recipes coming to you before Thanksgiving and then a special gift guide (with a giveaway!) coming on Friday.  Meanwhile, if you are looking for Thanksgiving baking inspiration, consider this gorgeous Roasted Butternut Squash Pie, my Pumpkin Cake with Pecan Pie Glaze, or this Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake.

And before I finish, I just want to give a big thank you to all of you who visit, read, comment and get in touch with me on social media. This blog is something I truly love and it wouldn’t be the same without the wonderful community of readers. It’s been a special space for me over the last five and a half years. And even over the last year, while L has been my top priority, I’ve found this space even more valuable in helping me maintain my own sense of identity and purpose. So thank you so much! Wishing you and your families a lovely Thanksgiving.

Now for this week’s updates….

Recently updated posts on the blog:

Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies 

New posts on the blog:

Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Blondies

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Brown Sugar Chai-Spiced Caramel Fondue

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Chewy Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bars

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Dark Chocolate, Passion Fruit and Hazelnut Layer Cake from Hint of Vanilla

Avocado Brownies from Fake Ginger

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate and Caramel from Floating Kitchen

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Edited to add: This post was scheduled before I heard about the senseless violence that occurred in Paris. My heart and thoughts go out to those affected by the brutal attacks.

This is one of those weeks where I kind of felt like I was running on a wheel. No matter how fast and hard I went, I just couldn’t catch up. I’m not exactly stressed out, I just have so many things I want to accomplish and wish there were more hours in the day (who doesn’t?).

The good news? I did get a lot done, including a visit to one of my favorite places. I came home from the ice cream store with  three pints of the best ice cream money can buy. L was quite enamored as well (who can blame him) and hogged my samples. Sorry buddy, but the Cookie Butter, Apple Pie and Cinnamon Donut pints are all mine. Well, I guess I have to share with Matt…

This kid could not get enough of the animals at a birthday party last weekend.

This weekend we actually have a little free time so I’m looking forward to that! Maybe the bit of downtime will help me sort through all of my holiday baking ideas!

Now for this week’s updates….

Recently updated posts on the blog:

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

New posts on the blog:

Big Crumb Cranberry Coffee Cake

Peanut Butter Caramel Bars.

Milk Chocolate Tart with Peanut Butter Pretzel Crust

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cups from We Are Not Martha

Salty Peanut Butter S’mores Truffles from Cookies and Cups

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies from Port and Fin

Salted Caramel Molasses Cookies from Crazy for Crust

Melting Sweet Potatoes from Dessert for Two

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I’m afraid to say it out loud, but this week I started to get my life back a little bit. L’s sleeping is more normal (phew!) so I can actually work again! So other than trying to grocery shop without my wallet(yup.), things are good.

Sleep = happy baby + happy mommy!

Highlights of the last week included an amazing visit with my best friend and her family, dinner with Ashley (read her blog, she is the best!)/ meeting Alex Guarnaschelli, and a date night in with Matt. This weekend we will be celebrating friends’ first birthdays and getting in some family time. I’m actually hoping to sneak some work in, too. Man, it is amazing how much better I feel about life when my child sleeps through the night AND naps. Who knew?!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

How to Make a Monkey Smash Cake

Fall Pavlova with Caramelized Apples and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Oreo Crusted Brownie Pie with Cream Cheese Icing

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes from Baker by Nature (Great minds…)

Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies from Willow Bird Baking

Chocolate Peanut & Pretzel Brittle from Smitten Kitchen

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

While we are still dealing with molar teething over here (seriously, why did no one warn me about this?), this week was a little bit better than last. There was one day where L actually took his naps and I got some things done. Other than that, it was more driving around just to get him to sleep. There are so many recipes that I want to make for you so I really need some kitchen time!

The good news, though, is that my best friend is here for the weekend with her family!!! We haven’t seen them since May, so I’m excited to get some quality time with them. I’m also excited to see the babies play together since last time they really got the opportunity L wasn’t even crawling yet. I’m sure I’ll be snapchatting away so check in for that (@keepitsweet_LL).

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

Mini Funfetti Cupcakes

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

How to Bake and Freeze Cookies for Holiday Gifts

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Popcorn Muddy Buddies from Brown Eyed Baker

Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting from Willow Bird Baking

Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from Eats Well With Others

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies from Well Plated

Smoked Salted Caramel Apples from Sift and Whisk

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

This past week was insane. Last weekend started out amazing celebrating L’s birthday, but his actual party ended up being a bit disastrous. L woke up super early on Sunday morning with the beginning of a cold. Add to that a minimal morning nap and the start of what I believe to be molar teething and he was a not-so-happy birthday boy. I felt so bad because this child is so happy all the time. At least he is a cute crier (trust me, plenty of tears were captured in photo).

The week was rough on all three of us to say the least, but we rallied for some fun weekend time at the farm. We met my parents and best friend from growing up for ice cream (L’s first!), animals, and pumpkins galore. I think L actually loves pumpkins even more than me. It actually took a lot of convincing to get him to leave the pumpkin patch! Now I’m just crossing my fingers that things return to normal soon so I can get back to getting anything at all done and share some recipes I have ready for you.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter Cookie Sandwiches

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Pistachio Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Pumpkin Pie Layer Cake from Crepes of Wrath

Homemade Candied Pecan Pumpkin ice Cream Drumsticks from Blogging Over Thyme

Dark Chocolate Caramel Pumpkin Bark from Foodness Gracious

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

We are busy celebrating L’s birthday and getting ready for his party so I’m going to keep this brief with all the weekly updates below! Hope you are having a great weekend:-)

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Snack Cake

New Mom Real Talk: A Look Back on a Year of Momhood

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Apple Ice Cream Cake Roll from Swooned

Toffee Apple Cupcakes from Love and Custard

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cake from Recipe Girl

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

And we are now another week closer to L’s first birthday! How in the world did that happen? Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten extra nostalgic about his early days at home. Those days of constant snuggles were so wonderful. Now I have to treasure the fleeting snuggles as my child wants to be constantly on the move. It makes the instances when he stops to give me a hug or slobbery kiss that much more special. Amazing the changes that take place in such a short time.

So for this week, other than crying over fleeting time, I’ll be getting organized for his little party and counting down the days to when he gets to eat his sweet treat. I’m making him a special smash cake that is anything but healthy because really, you only turn one once! I can’t wait to see his face when he tastes it.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Oreo Pound Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Apple and Pear Crisp

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Cups

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Apple & Goat Cheese Cake from The Cake Blog

Pumpkin Cake with Ginger Chocolate and Meringue from A Cookie Named Desire

Browned Butter Salty Pumpkin Sugar Cookies from The Spiffy Cookie

Brown Butter Pear Crumb Cake from Tutti Dolci

Caramel Macchiato Cake from Blahnik Baker

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

It actually was a really good week here. Some days were a bit long but I broke things up with a special dinner date! Erin from Well Plated was in town and we met up for a fantastic meal at ABC Kitchen on Wednesday. Our date lasted over three hours and was just so fun. The couple of ginger margaritas that I enjoyed didn’t hurt either. And yes I did suffer a mom hangover on Thursday. Not fun, but worth it.

This is L’s “I look so cute in overalls and a windbreaker that mom bribed me with the remote to take a picture” face.

Tonight is my sister’s engagement party and I’m so excited for all the celebrating! My parents have been planning for a while now and I know there will be so many special details. I’ll sneak some pictures onto snapchat (@keepitsweet_LL). I’ll try to report back on all the desserts, too. There will be a lot of them!

I hope everyone is staying dry and safe this weekend!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Oatmeal Cookie Wedges with Cinnamon & Chocolate Chips

New Mom Real Talk: Five Tips on How To Bake With a Baby

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

One Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes with Caramel from

Maple Spice Pound Cake from Tutti Dolci

Caramel Apple Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Sesame and Poppy Seed Bagel Loaf from Warm Vanilla Sugar

Spicy Roasted Grapefruit Margaritas from We Are Not Martha

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag#KeepItSweetDesserts.

Having a holiday on Wednesday made this the weirdest week but a good one! Last weekend we actually got to see a lot of friends we hadn’t seen in a while which was such a treat. Between an afternoon at the park, brunch in the city and dinner at our friends’ brand new house, L sure got in his social calls. With going back and forth to Philly mid-week, though, I’m glad this weekend will be a little less busy.

Meanwhile, my parents have more toys than we do for L, but climbing into the kitchen drawer is his new favorite activity. Of course!

Oh, and I almost forgot, I got to see Joanne for a lunch / ice cream date yesterday! Did you know she just got her PhD?! Now she is going on to be a double doctor. Go congratulate her!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Whipped Cream

One Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Easy Low Fat Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cake from Sugar Hero

Pumpkin Pie Carmelitas from Willow Bird Baking

Pumpkin Spice Latte Rice Krispie Treats from Shugary Sweets

Apple Oatmeal Pancakes from Cookie and Kate

Chipwich Ice Cream Cake from Cookies and Cups

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Thanks to the holidays, this past week just flew by! We had a great time celebrating Matt’s birthday last weekend (dinner, by the way, was good but not amazing) and now Matt and I are just regretting that his birthday cake (recipe to come) is all gone. Let’s just say that there was a lot of butter involved and it was well worth it.

11 months old

On a completely different note, I finally upgraded my Dropbox account after not knowing what to do about cloud backup. I really liked how well the app was working on my phone to back up the endless photos and now we have enough space to really back up everything. I know there are a billion options for cloud storage, but if you want me to send you an invitation for Dropbox let me know.

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Easy Low Fat Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Caramel Apple Butter Layer Cake from Chocolate Moosey

Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Blahnik Baker

Apple Oatmeal Crumb Muffins from Baked by Rachel

Oreo Cookie Layer Cake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

One Pot Chili Mac from Shugary Sweets

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it onInstagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing husband! We will be celebrating today for sure. We kicked things off last night with a family dinner at the diner and then cookie baking courtesy of DŌ (classic chocolate chip FTW). Today, Matt wants to take L to the driving range and I’m sure we will do some relaxing before we go out to dinner. Date night courtesy of my parents, woohoo! Check in on Snapchat (keepitsweet_LL) or Instagram for some pictures.

Tomorrow we have a second birthday party to go to and I can’t wait to see how L does with the big kids. After that, we head to Long Island for the holiday. Just an FYI, I won’t be posting on Monday but there will be new recipes on Wednesday and Friday. They are good ones, too!

Now for this week’s updates….

New posts on the blog:

30 Fun After-School Snacks for Kids

Vegan Apple Cake

Keeping it Sweet with DŌ Cookie Dough

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Butternut-Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Peanut Butter Caramel Oreo Ice Box Cake from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from Well Plated

S’mores Cake from Urban Bakes

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

I hope you are having a really wonderful Labor Day weekend! Over here we are heading into a very busy but good couple of months. We actually kicked things off this weekend with wedding dress shopping for my sister! It was so much fun and she unexpectedly, but excitingly, found her dress. Ah she is going to be the most beautiful bride!!!!!

Next weekend we will be celebrating Matt’s birthday and then heading right into the high holidays (don’t forget your honey cake). After that  will be my sister’s engagement party and then L’s birthday is right around the corner. Now let’s mix some apple / pumpkin picking in there and I will be very, very happy!

10 months going on three years?

Now for this week’s updates….

New recipes on the blog:

Mini M&M Cookies

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Cups

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Easiest Chocolate Cupcakes from Tutti Dolci

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes from Baking a Moment

Confetti Cookies from Eats Well With Others

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake from Dinner then Desserts

Fresh Pear Cake with Whipped Brown Sugar Buttercream from A Bajillion Recipes

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Happy weekend! This week actually few by and so much happened.

Good things started when my brand new niece, Ariel, was born last Saturday morning. We got to meet her just a few hours later and it was so different and wonderful to hold a brand new baby. It’s been a while! If you follow me on Snapchat (@keepitsweet_ll) you can see just how big L is getting comparatively. I’ve been posting videos of him babbling (lots of “mamas” this week!) and making games of climbing chairs just to fall off of them. Never a dull moment around here.

L looking for his next adventure at our new gym class

In other news, I’ve been working hard on new recipes and making the blog more user friendly as well. All of the recipes from the last year and a half are now printer friendly (there were some problems before) and hopefully the rest of my archives will be converted soon as well. If you have any issues please let me know!

Also, thank you for the positive feedback on my renewed blogging inspiration. It feels amazing to get back into things with much more energy and excitement. I really can’t wait to see what this brings.

P.S. Did you see this cookie dough I tried the other day? I got to meet the owner of DŌ (I now adore her) and she gave me a sample. It tasted pretty amazing and my friends are now huge fans as well.

Now for this week’s updates….

New recipes on the blog:

Easy Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Mixed Berry Sauce

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Double Chocolate & Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie from Port and Fin

Black and Tan Stout Cake from The Beeroness

Apple Pie Layer Cake from The Suburban Soapbox

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Life Updates:

Birthdays are similar to celebrating the New Year in that they give you a time to reflect on where you are in life and what you want to do to make the next year better and more fulfilling. I actually hadn’t been thinking too much about my birthday (hello, mom life), but coincidentally I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I want for myself right now.

Without going into all the different thoughts that scramble through my brain, I will say that I’m very excited about a new and refreshed motivation for work. When L was born, he became my sole focus and the last ten months have been pretty darn amazing, but I’m finally feeling like it’s time for something else, too.

Happy baby post nap!

As a result, you will start seeing more posts here (think lots of recipes just in time for baking season!). I’d love to hear if there is anything you are looking for. In addition, I’m going to work on evolving these weekly posts to have a little more content and more pretty pictures (or baby pictures!). Again, if there is anything you want to see I’m all ears.

Oh yeah, I caved and started using Snapchat for more than just random pictures and videos to send to my sister. I have no idea if I’m doing it “right” and I’m pretty sure you can find me @KeepItSweetDesserts (and if not maybe @keepitsweet_ll). It’s kind of fun sharing random pictures and videos throughout the day.

P.S. Matt baked for me for my birthday! Remember this cookie cake? We ate it warm right out of the oven with salted caramel ice cream. The best.

New recipes on the blog:

Gingersnap Crumble Peach Ice Cream (no churn)

Cranberry and White Chocolate Pistachio Dusted Cookies

This week’s most popular recipe/blog post:

Giant Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun with Cream Cheese Glaze

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Lemon Zucchini Cake from Mindy’s Bakeshop

40 Epic Birthday Cake Recipes from Pass the Sushi

Dinner for Two: Creamy Lobster and Shells from Dessert for Two

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Another summer weekend is here at last! August sure snuck up on us because I’m already bypassing my August and Matt’s September (sorry!) birthdays and charging right ahead to L’s October birthday. I know, SO crazy that it’s happening soon(ish)! We are trying to plan something small and low-key but still, I want it to be special. So yeah, I’m trying to channel my fall brain but keep getting stuck on thoughts of watermelon and tomatoes.

Speaking of which, our CSA was pretty awesome this week with a TON of cucumbers (actually, LEMON cucumbers), heirloom tomatoes and basil. Please share your favorite recipes with me. I’m thinking this pizza perhaps?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies from Baker by Nature

Zucchini Brownies from Well Plated

Corn and Zucchini Galette from Oh My Veggies

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

First things first. My little sister is getting married! Well, not right now, but last weekend she got engaged and I’m just so darn excited for her. Jessica and her fiancé are a pretty great couple and it seemed only a matter of time until this happened. I love them both and m so happy for them. Oh and the ring… rose gold diamond band band and round diamond. Just so gorgeous! Now I just have to start planning a shower (and if you know my sister, this better be a pretty fabulous shower) and bachelorette party. Nashville is likely on the agenda. Thoughts?

Other than that, it felt like a bit of a crazy week here but much better than last. L started napping in the crib again (SO thankful!!!) and is now officially cruising. Eek. Also, I took him in for his 9-month check-up the other day. What the what?! What else? Oh, I did some baking and have a few fun recipes up my sleeve so that’s a good thing. Oh yeah, and yesterday I went to pay for my groceries at Trader Joe’s only to find that my credit card wallet was left at home. My debit card didn’t work and I ended up walking out empty handed. Nothing like a good waste of time to put you in a good mood on a Friday afternoon… Another new mom post for you will hopefully come soon and there will definitely be a breastfeeding update down the line but any other requests or topics of interest?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Blueberry Muffin Cake from Cookies and Cups

Peach Streusel Coffee Cake from Amy’s Healthy Baking

Malted Milk and Stracciatella Gelato Pops from Top with Cinnamon

Magical Chocolate Shell from Cookistry

Roasted Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream Sandwiches from Hint of Vanilla

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

Happy weekend! Ahhhhhhhhh deep breathe. This week was a rough one… good, but rough. L seems to be teething (I think/hope) and decided he didn’t want to nap in the crib at all. I don’t mind a few car and stroller naps, but when there are zero naps that involve me getting a break I start to feel a little beat up. Hopefully we will see a new tooth break through soon so that he can feel good again. Oh, and did I mention I wasn’t eating anything with (added) sugar this week? A big bowl of ice cream sure would have helped ease the pain for Mommy. Don’t worry, that was just a five-day thing and dessert eating resumes today. Meanwhile, we are visiting a (mostly) paleo friend and I dropped the ball on making a dessert he could eat (like I said, no nap breaks). For future reference, please tell me some paleo-friendly desserts I can make that don’t taste like coconut!

We actually have a ton of plans packed into this weekend but get to see a lot of people so it will be fun! BBQs, shore visits, and lots of wine dinner plans are included. I also scheduled in some time for me to take advantage of my favorite sale of all time so beware, bank account.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Milk Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies from Joy the Baker

Funfetti Gooey Butter Shortbread Bars from The Little Kitchen

No-Bake Chubby Hubby Chocolate Bars from Brown Eyed Baker

Chocolate Rocky Road Ice Cream Cake from Foodess

Healthy Zucchini Muffins from Giimme Some Oven

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

I hope everyone is enjoying a long summer weekend with good food, good weather and fun! Somehow last weekend’s post never went up but I don’t feel like all that much happened in the last couple of weeks. I’m just trying to take advantage of any good weather that comes our way and find fun activities for L and me. He’s so active now and really all over the place (crawling, standing climbing…) that he definitely keeps me on my toes! 

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Peanut Butter Magic Shell from Dinners Dishes and Desserts

Campfire S’mores Ice Cream from Sift and Whisk <— This looks EPIC

Mixed Berry S’mores from Dessert for Two

Peach Brown Butter Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Brown Butter Glaze from Cooking for Keeps

Brownie Caramel Cookie Sandwich from Bakerella

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

Happy weekend! Hopefully most of you are able to be with your families this weekend. This is Matt’s first Father’s Day so L and are hoping that we can make it extra special. We will be with his family this weekend to celebrate one grandpa and then next weekend we will be with my family to celebrate a very special Poppy. We are very lucky to have so many loving family members who love L so much. And who can blame him? He is edible.

This week was a bit long but I made a big effort to see friends and get out every day. I also started a couple of new yoga videos for a change. I’ve been doing the same Bob Harper video for years so it was good to change things up. This one was great a great mix of breathing, stretching and challenging poses while this Jillian video was all hard but doable. Luckily the ladder is a 30-minute workout (well, there are two of them). I’m definitely experiencing more sore muscles than I have in a very long time.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

S’mores Ice Cream Sundaes from Handmade Charlotte

Cookie Dough Blizzard from Buns in my Oven

Blueberry Cake with Peanut Streusel from Food52

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

This weekend is extra special because yesterday Matt and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary! We took L out to an early dinner of Cuban food (so early that we were there for the wait staff’s pre-service meeting ha). I’m so excited, though, because tonight we are going on a date (first real date night in monnnnnths). Instead of gifts we are treating ourselves to a meal at Blue Hill. I’ve been wanting to go forever and really can not wait. Plans for cocktails and wine pairings have already been discussed. Oh yeah, and I’ll get dressed up (heels?!), do my hair and put on makeup (do I remember how to do that?). Like I said, so excited!

Happy anniversary, Matt! LOVE YOU!!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake from The Baker Chick

Black Pepper & Black Cherry Marble Cheesecake from Eats Well With Others

Bruce Bogtrotter’s Revenge Chocolate Cake from Sift and Whisk <- each component sounds amaaaaazing

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

It’s the weekend! Was this the longest week ever or is it just me? I think because last Sunday was such a rough day (that was the nail cutting event) I didn’t feel refreshed from the weekend. Never mind that, though, because we made it to Saturday.

We have a low-ish key weekend with a haircut scheduled for me (first one since last summer, yikes) and are finally seeing good friends of ours that we haven’t seen in months. I can’t wait to catch up with them! Other than that I’m ready for sunshine to resume so I can start being outside more and taking L to the pool and the park again. 

Giveaway time: THE WORLD ON A PLATE: 40 Cuisines, 100 Recipes, and the Stories Behind Them by Mina Holland

I was sent a copy of The World on a Plate by Mina Holland and get to give one away as well! I just started reading it, but can already tell you that it is a great book for anyone that loves food (especially if you love food AND travel). Mina basically explores forty cuisines from all over the world and breaks them down for you. Plus, each cuisine comes with a couple of recipes. My takeaway so far? Time to drink more wine and get back to Europe. With L around, a trip to Europe isn’t happening so fast, though, so I guess we will have to try some of the recipes from places we want to visit instead.

Anyway, if you are interested in winning a free copy of her book, just leave any comment on this post. Giveaway will end Friday June 12th midnight EST. Open to US residents only.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Strawberry Passion Fruit Macarons from Hint of Vanilla

M&M Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake with Hot Fudge from Yammie’s Noshery

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Peppermint Patty Flourless Chocolate Cake from Sugar Hero

Mango Swirl Banana Bread from Sift and Whisk

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Florida already feels like it was forever ago, but despite some mild post-vacation blues, this week turned out to be a good one. I kept busy with L… or I should say, he kept me busy! We went to Florida with a 6+ month old baby and returned with a completely different 7 month old. Over the course of that week away he got two teeth (going on 6 I think!), went into full out crawling (why are wires, door hinges and toilet plungers so interesting?), and started “talking” a whole lot more. Babies change so much so fast but this felt like the biggest week of development since he was born. I think I’m overdue for a new day-in-the-life post.

Other than that I made a super awesome and outrageous dessert (recipe coming soon!) and met up with Erin for the first time. Such a warm, nice, smart and all around wonderful person!

We are spending this weekend this weekend at my parents’ house. There will be lots of pool time for my little swim lover and some good grandparent and aunt and uncle time, too. What are you doing to enjoy the long weekend?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Honey Bee Cupcakes with White Chocolate Honey Ganache from We Are Not Martha

Drumstick Cake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Chocolate Malt Smoothie from Well Plated

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Sorry for the slower pace of recipes lately… that’s just how life is these days. However, I have a few ice cream recipes coming down the line and some baked goods I want to test out. Matt also was astounded at our lack of cookie inventory (except for a few lactation cookies), so as soon as we get back from Florida, I need to fix that! Plus, I’ve been sitting with two pretty fantastic cookbooks that need to be broken in: Dessert For Two: Small Batch Cookies, Brownies, Pies, and Cakes (SO many recipes I want to try) and The Sweetapolita Bakebook: 75 Fanciful Cakes, Cookies & More to Make & Decorate (pretty much the most beautiful book of cakes ever).

Yes, after Florida! Ah this trip has been planned for SO long that it felt like we never were going to get there. We are spending the first half of the week on the West Coast with my family and then the second half of the week with Matt’s parents a couple of hours east. Hopefully this morning’s travel will go well (I promise, I REALLY will write about travelling with a baby after this trip). Last time L was great on the plane but if he has any issues this time, I’ll just pass him over to my sister;-) Anyway, seems like a pretty great first Mother’s Day is in store for us. And after what my mom has been through over the last couple of months, I’m so glad we get to celebrate this way! Family and health…. so very important!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

S’mores Brownies from Eats Well With Others

S’mores Quick Bread from Yes to Yolks

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Tart from Girl Versus Dough

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

And just like that, it’s Spring. Actually, we are even about to get some summer-like temperatures. It’s basically practice for our trip to Florida next week (!!!!!!!). We’ve been planning this trip with family for what seems like eternity and I just can NOT wait. I’m not sure I really need to pack anything besides bathing suits. Okay, that’s a lie. I have a ten-mile long list of things to pack for L. Apparently babies have a few needs of their own. Ha!

Other than that, we’ve just been trying to enjoy life. Lots of walks, trips to the park, swim classes and the like. There may be some challenges with having a baby, but everything is really just so much more fun. Who cares if I rush through 99% of my meals? Yesterday we took L with us to a super early dinner where he proceeded to light up the entire restaurant with his smiles. And the giggles, it doesn’t get better than baby giggles.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: The 30 Best Ice Creams to Make Without an Ice Cream Maker

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Banana Bread French Toast from Adventures in Cooking

Salted Caramel Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

Mocha Cake from Well Plated

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Man, just when things were really looking up our household got wiped out with a stupid cold this week. At first I thought my throat was just going crazy with allergies but when Matt, L and I all woke up completely under the weather on Tuesday I was proved wrong. Nothing like a cold to make you appreciate breathing through your nose! Anyway, we are all starting to feel a bit better (L seems back to himself completely), so hopefully I can get out and enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: The 30 Best Ice Creams to Make Without an Ice Cream Maker

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie from The Little Loaf

Bananas Foster Milkshakes with Bruleed Bananas & Salted Chocolate Sauce from Yes to Yolks

Toasted Marshmallow No Bake Cheesecake from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

First of all, thank you so much for all of the well-wishes that I’ve gotten regarding my mom. They are very much appreciated!

So I don’t know if it’s the warmer sunnier weather (no doubt), my mom’s seemingly good recovery (most definitely) or the free latte I got at Starbucks yesterday (didn’t hurt), but things really seem to be looking up. It’s amazing how a a few positive things can have such an impact on your overall spirits. I feel like there is a real turnaround happening and I’m slowly but surely starting to take a step back into life a bit. I’m packing in plans with friends (even trying to make new ones, yikes), motivated to work in the kitchen (it’s been a while) and taking advantage of every minute of sunshine that comes my way. On top of that, L’s starting swim classes this week. Why I signed up for something that requires me to put on a bathing suit AND a swim cap is somewhat baffling, but hopefully it will just be fun. At least I know it will be nice to be reunited with some of the girls I did prenatal yoga with since they’re babies are in the same class.

What else? I’m probably due for a New Mom post because it’s been a while. Some topics I’m thinking about are baby food, post-baby body and life with baby in general. Thoughts?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: The 30 Best Ice Creams to Make Without an Ice Cream Maker

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Chocolate Chip Brittle from Cookies and Cups

Chocolate Malt Mocha Crunch Ice Cream from Bakerita

Cava Fruit Punch from Heather Christo

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments and messages regarding last week’s post. Sometimes you just have to get something off your chest… I apologize for not being able to share details.

Other than all of that, this week felt a bit chaotic… or maybe I felt anxious about upcoming chaos. The next few weeks area jam packed with going back and forth to my parents’ house and spending some time at my in-laws as well. Along with that I have birthdays and Passover to bake for and for the first time ever I think it might not all happen. I also may or may not be behind on recipes for the blog. I told myself before that I really don’t have to get them up every week, but easier said than done! I made a pretty awesome cake yesterday but I’m not sure how soon I’ll get to posting it. I also want to put together a post on baby travel… Where does the time go?

In the mean time, I’m really trying to prioritize taking care of myself a bit. So maybe that is where the time is going? That basically means that when I’m not taking care of L (aka most hours of the day), I’m sneaking in a little physical activity (mainly yoga, some walking and a couple of miscellaneous cardio workouts very, very infrequently), keeping myself fed (I think L is in the midst of a growth spurt and I’m super hungry all the time… yes, more than usual), and squeezing in a little downtime with Matt (that means no computer and limiting the phone) when I can. Oh yeah, and passing out early like it’s my job. If I could, I’d be asleep at 8pm every night. It seems necessary for my sanity.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: The 30 Best Ice Cream Recipes to Make Without an Without an Ice Cream Maker

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Guinness Cupcakes with Toasted Beer Marshmallow Meringue from Sprinkle Bakes

Tagalong Blondies from A Dash of Sanity

Marble Layer Cake from Zoe Bakes

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

There are some weeks that really feel like an eternity. Not in that, “oh man when will it be Friday?” way, but in that, “how was Monday only four days ago?” way. Sometimes big things happen (good and bad) that make one day feel like a big storm. This week, that’s what we got.

Monday was a big scary storm of information that you wanted to pretend you never heard. And Tuesday, well, Tuesday was like another world. The clouds began to clear and you could see rays of sun peeking through. I just had to hope that the sun would come in full force and clear the mess that had been made.

It’s ironic that this all took place the same week that Spring really did seem to be pushing it’s way through. After snowstorm after snowstorm, we’ve finally been granted glimmers of hope (60 degrees one day, what?!) and there is light in sight. We cross our fingers and might even pray that it’s really coming and staying, try to convince ourselves that it’s not just a mirage. Should we trust it?

I think yes, because, really, what other way is there? You have to hope and believe that the good things you see down the line are the only things. There is no other way to live.

And really, when things get heavy and tough, that’s why I keep blogging the light stuff, like ice cream and cookies and babies. Because you have to hold onto that.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream (yes, AGAIN)

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

One Bowl Guinness Chocolate Cake from Baking Bites

Three-Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cake from Cakespy

Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Bread from Always Order Dessert

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

The last ten days have been a complete and crazy whirlwind. Last Wednesday we rushed to Philly when I found out my mom was having an emergency surgery (thank g-d she paid attention to pain she was having and is now recovering well). Then we came back Thursday night to pack and get ready for the quick (seriously, too short) trip to visit my friends in Florida. Sunday night I was supposed to go straight to my parents’ house from the airport, but thanks to landing in a snowstorm (because that’s what I was looking forward to after flying solo with L), I came straight home instead. Luckily the weather cooperated enough that I could drive to Philly the next morning and then spend a couple of days there. I tried to help take care of my mom but I think time playing with L was the real medicine. Then Wednesday night it was back home. Phew…

A couple of days back in routine and I think I now know which way is up. I even made some pretty darn ice good ice cream to share with you next week. And yes, I did make the ice cream on a day when it was snowing and freezing out, but when is it not?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream (yes, AGAIN)

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Hot Blueberry Cake from Willow Bird Baking

Flourless Lemon Cake with Rhubarb Compote from Top with Cinnamon

Waffled Cheesecake from Sprinkle Bakes

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

From the long holiday weekend, to starting L on oatmeal a few days ago, and then to celebrating my sister’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!!), it’s actually been a pretty great week. On top of that, we are heading down to Florida to visit my best friends on Friday and I can NOT wait! They haven’t met Liam yet so that will be really fun. Oh yeah, and warm weather. I might never come back…

Hopefully I can get some baking done this week before the trip so I have a recipe post for you next week (I have some good cookies coming this Monday!). Are there any requests for things you would like to see? I have a few baking projects in mind but am always open to suggestions.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Cups 

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Hot Cocoa Cake from Pass the Sushi

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chia Pudding from Eats Well With Others

Salt and Vinegar Popcorn from Cookies and Cups

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

I don’t feel like all that much happened this week… these winter weeks are kind of all blurring together. I was doing really well but now I’m starting to get a bit stir crazy. I’m in hermit mode more than ever with little L in the picture.

I did do some baking, though, and have some good recipes coming in the next few weeks so that felt good. It seems I’m getting better at baking things that can get done during nap time. Not a bad thing! Oh, the other thing I’ve started doing is the NYT Crossword Puzzle with my mom. She loves to visit with L (okay, loves is a minor understatement), but when he is napping we sometimes feel like doing something other than staring at each other and folding laundry. The crossword puzzle ended up being a perfect activity because it actually makes me feel like I’m using my brain for a change. Plus, I feel like a genius when we complete most of the puzzle.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream (yes, AGAIN)

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter from Eats Well With Others

Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two from Bakerita

Devil’s Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch from bon appétit

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Happy Super Bowl weekend! I’m actually less excited than I normally would be for the big eating game day because we don’t have any plans this year. Matt’s out of town for most of the weekend for a wedding he is in and Sunday afternoon he’ll be picking L and me up from my parents for the drive back home. Luckily I stocked up on tortillas in case we need to make nachos, but other than that Matt will probably spend most of the time catching up on L hugs and I’ll pass out well before the game is over. I don’t even have any fun cookies or anything for us to eat. If you are looking for some fun dessert ideas for the game, though, check out this post… and this one. Or maybe you should make these… or these. Okay, I’m done now. 

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Funfetti Soft Pretzel Sticks from A Cookie Named Desire

Quick and Dirty Chocolate Espresso Cinnamon Rolls from Joy the Baker

XL Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cup from Bakerita

Flourless Pistachio Oatmeal Muffins (GF) from Always Order Dessert

Skinny Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dip from Recipe Runner

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

So I pretty much spent all week with the flu and then poor little L got a cold too.  Luckily we both seem to be on the mend now. I actually went out yesterday for the first time in a week (don’t worry, no longer contagious)! My big outing was to Target where I was very excited to find one out of the three new Ben & Jerry’s flavors (important research, obviously). I actually thought I got two of them but apparently Chocolate Therapy has already been around for a while. What kind of ice cream connoisseur am I? Better keep searching .

This is the second weekend in a row where we ended up cancelling half of our plans because of the flu/ L being sick. Obviously I blame all of this on winter.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Sticky Toffee Pudding Pancakes (gf) from Top With Cinnamon

Sweet & Salty Layer Cake from The Baker Chick

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cakes from Sugar Hero

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

I don’t know how, but this week was actually quite productive. I made cookies and some other treats (three new recipes this week, THREE). I’m glad I got so much done because I ended up coming down with the flu at the end of the week. Ugh. Luckily Matt has been around all weekend to help with L and I’m resting as much as possible. I’m also drinking a ton of fluids to hopefully not lose any of the breastfeeding progress I’ve made. Ah!

Oh yeah, and this little guy turned three months the other day (insert cliché tear here)…

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

No-Bake Banana and Peanut Butter Caramel Icebox Cake from Serious Eats

Blueberry Pancake Ice Cream from Broma Bakery

Brown Butter Maple Cornbread from Tutti Dolci

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Usually it isn’t until March, or at least February that I’m nagging Matt wondering why we live in the Northeast. In year’s past we joked about moving to San Diego with about a one percent chance of it ever happening.This year, however, as I took a newborn baby in and out of the car sans winter coat (the car seat safety rules make winter weather confusing and challenging) around December 1st, I was already clamoring to move to Florida (at least it’s the same coast and I have a few best friends that live there). Now we are into the thick of winter with below freezing temperatures and snow and I’ve resolved to hibernate until Spring. Or at least hibernate until our we head south to visit those friends next month.

Kind of funny that despite the crazy winter weather, the most popular post this week was an ice cream recipe. Maybe I should just pump up the heat (yeah, our electric bill would love that), fake myself out, and start eating summer foods again. Margarita anyone?

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Crumb Topped Cake Batter Blondies from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies for Two from The Baker Chick

Small Batch Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Dessert for Two

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Well, a very happy New Year to all of you! I decided to take off from posting after I shared last year’s favorites in order to enjoy as much time with family as possible. Even though I’m not going back to an out-of-home job at this point, I’ve been thinking about the new year as my reset and back to normal starting point. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t feel like we have hit our new normal exactly yet, but it’s been two and a half months since L was born and it’s probably time for me to get back to “real” life a bit. Besides, I only have two more recipes stored up for the blog so I really need to get back into the kitchen and bake!

Speaking of the blog, I’d love to know what you would like to see going forward. More indulgent desserts? More easy recipes? More new mom talk? Something else?

I didn’t make any resolutions, but one of my thoughts is to keep the blog going at my own pace (because I truly love it) and not get jealous/feel inferior/have big-blogger envy over other sites. By doing that, I think I’ll be able to enjoy the balance of blogging and being a mom so much more. Less pressure on myself will definitely be a good thing. Some weeks I may get my three posts in, some weeks I won’t, but that will be okay!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Champagne Macarons from Eats Well With Others

1-Hour Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls from Lauren’s Latest

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka Muffins from How Sweet It Is

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend and start to the year!

Are we really just a few days away from Christmas??? Yeah, I know, everyone is saying that. But seriously.

I’m looking forward to a short week where I get some more time with Matt. We actually have Christmas Day to spend just the three of us which really hasn’t happened much lately. I think a day full of movies and maybe some Chinese food will have to happen. Then we’ll be at my parents’ that weekend and some of my family members will get to meet L for the first time so that is nice. Plus I’ll probably be eating lots of carbs and sweets at my moms which is what you are supposed to do this time of year.

Any big holiday baking plans this weekend? I actually made cookies and chocolate covered pretzels on Wednesday which was fun. Though lately I kind of enjoy when other people bring me baked goods even more.

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Homemade Peppermint Oreos from Eats Well With Others

Super Fancy Chocolate Cheesecake Cake from Willow Bird Baking

Champagne Cake Roll with White Chocolate from Serious Eats

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Thank you so much for the great response to the first New Mom Real Talk post this week. Again, if you have any topics you are interested in reading about, please let me know. And if you haven’t checked back, there are some great comments on the post as well.

Has anyone started going to holiday parties yet? Or any major holiday baking so far? Other than the ONE dessert I made for Thanksgiving, I haven’t done any baking since L was born. Hopefully in the New Year I’ll get my baking mojo back! Luckily I still have a few recipes to share over the next few weeks. Seriously, I’m so glad that I baked so much over the summer!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Gingerbread Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream Sundae from Willow Bird Baking

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramel Molasses Icing from Life, Love, Sugar

Cookie Butter Apple Crumble from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

It’s  hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone and now the holiday season can officially start. I’ve always loved this time of year, though, for the last two years, I missed out on some of the seasonal festivities. While a small part of me will miss the business this time around, I’m excited to really just enjoy the next month, no baking and packaging insanity. Plus, it’s L’s first Chanukah! Not that he has a clue, but it is fun for us all the same.

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope that the weather didn’t keep you from seeing loved ones. We were lucky to spend the holiday with both of our families and added on my sister’s boyfriend’s family as well. That was a real treat.  Plus, I’m still thinking about the peanut butter macarons his sister brought for the occasion!

Now for this week’s updates

Most popular recipe/blog post: Pink Champagne Cake Pops

Three favorite things I pinned all week:

Mile High Apple Pie from Sugar Hero

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls from Foodess

Black Truffle Pistachio Chocolate Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Okay, seriously, how is my baby going to be one month tomorrow? On the one hand the past few weeks have been a split-second blur, but on the other hand, I feel like I had L forever ago. This week I plan to do a full L update on the blog, so I’ll try to talk about something other than babies today:-)

Hmm, let’s talk Thanksgiving! Are you hosting this year? If not, what are you bringing/making for your holiday meal? We are having the holiday at our apartment. Yes, I’m the insane mother of a newborn that thought that was a good idea. In reality, I’m actually not worried about the actual meal, it’s more the space issue that worries me a bit. We had to borrow a few extra tables to seat all 21 of us (though, that number includes two babies).

Anyway, in terms of the meal, everyone coming is making or bringing something to help out, so Matt and I don’t even have that much to worry about. He is taking care of the turkey and I have a couple of side dishes on my plate. I also have been planning to make this apple cake (one of my favorite recipes) but luckily my mom is in charge of most of the dessert spread this time around so if I don’t get to it (someone tell me how these days go by SO fast), we will be fine. Plus, I plan to pick up two pies from Costco (you can’t beat a massive $6 pumpkin pie). Yes, even bakers go with some store-bought items.

I have another couple of Thanksgiving recipes coming your way in the next week or so, but if you are trying to plan your menu may I suggest looking at pumpkin and apple desserts to start? How about some pie too?

Most popular recipe/blog post: No Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Chewy Pistachio Blondies from Always Order Dessert

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream from Minimalist Baker

Gingerbread Latte from Dessert for Two

Ginger Macarons with Pumpkin Bourbon Buttercream from Eats Well With Others

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake from The Baker Chick

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Sorry for the later posting this weekend!  Our cable and internet were out for a full 24 hours.  It actually scared me a little bit how lost I felt for that short period of time.  Luckily everything is back in working order and I can get back to watching shows, reading blogs and playing around on Pinterest.  You know, the important stuff.

I feel like so much has happened in the last week!  Between last week’s birthday celebration (Matt very successfully baked these and these), layette shopping (holy fun but exhausting) and now another weekend celebrating Matt’s birthday, a lot has been packed in.  Mostly I feel pretty good but I did have to cancel plans one night because I was just so uncomfortable all day long.  It was a weird day when the baby’s kicking was actually nonstop and I ended up having one of those bad pregnancy headaches.  Oh Advil, I miss you!  Anyway, I’ve been feeling pretty good this weekend which I’m happy about because we are doing a few things to celebrate Matt’s birthday. The weekend started off with a delicious dinner at Osteria Morini.  Today we are just hanging out, getting some baby stuff ready and eating birthday cake (I’ll have to share that recipe soon, it turned out fantastic).  And tomorrow we are heading to one of Matt’s favorite restaurants for steak galore with his family.  Oh yes, and I get to celebrate the bridal shower of my best blogging friend tomorrow, too! Lots of fun… I’ll crash Monday;-)

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  Giant Caramel Apple Cinnamon Bun with Cream Cheese Glaze

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble & Vanilla Poached Pears from Raspberri Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Self-Saucing Pudding Cake from Seasons & Suppers

Apple Cinnamon English Muffin Bread from Baked by Rachel

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Ice Cream from Blahnik Baker

Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Hazelnut Fudge from Butter Baking

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

This week went by nice and fast which was perfect for me. Yesterday my sister and her boyfriend moved into their new apartment (very close by!!!) which was super exciting.  Today I actually have lots of plans with friends. I’m kicking things off with a yoga class with Katie (nice change from my videos I do all the time). Then, a couple of my best friends from growing up are coming in to help me celebrate a belated birthday!  Matt organized a dinner with a few of our friends that live right here, but the two girls coming from Philly will be such a special treat!  The evening will involve Mexican food, LOTS of ice cream cake and desserts that MATT baked! I love it. It was actually just one year ago that we were celebrating at his surprise party. 

Tomorrow is another big day because, like I mentioned before, we are going layette shopping. I can’t believe that I’m going to get to pick out cute little baby boy clothes. Between that and his nursery getting set up, things are starting to feel real. My due date is in 5 1/2 weeks so I guess he really will be here before I know it.

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  Easy Low Fat Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookies from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Concord Grape and Peanut Butter Crumble from Kitchen Heals Soul 

Zucchini Banana Layer Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting from i am baker

Vegan Caramel Sauce from Law Student’s Wife

Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Skillet Brownie from Wannabe a Country Cleaver

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend! I’m finally posting this recipe on Wednesday……….!

Happy long Labor Day weekend!  I hope you are all enjoying the last real summer hurrah with lots of family and friends.  Normally we’d be relaxing and going to the pool or beach, but we actually have a pretty packed weekend.  In fact, I’m trying not to get overwhelmed with all that I have going on in the next seven days or so.  It’s mostly good stuff, but a busy schedule means that my energy level is going to be struggling.  Annoying when I have a lot of work I want to get done!

We are kicking things off today with an all day prenatal class.  This was actually the only available date we could find that wasn’t right before my due date. Then tomorrow night we have a wedding which will unfortunately likely involve a couple of hours on both Sunday and Monday in Labor Day-related traffic.  I wonder how many bathroom stops that will involve… It will be fun but man I am tired just thinking about it.  You better believe that I’m bringing my snoogle with me for the hotel tomorrow night!

On a positive note, I am really excited because we are getting the crib and changing table delivered on Tuesday!  I won’t be decorating the room until after the baby is born (although I already have some wall decals picked out) but it’s one more step in getting things ready.  I can hardly believe we are at this point, though the size of my belly has me wondering how I’m not further along.  I DO have a prenatal massage scheduled conveniently at the end of the week (seriously, perfect timing) thanks to my amazing friends who treated me with a gift certificate for my birthday.  Can’t wait.

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  Peanut Butter S’mores Parfaits

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

S’mores Cinnamon Rolls from Crepes of Wrath

Peanut Butter Banana Greek Yogurt Pancakes from The Lemon Bowl

Flourless Pistachio Cake from Cook Republic

Triple Chocolate Steel Cut Oatmeal from Running to the Kitchen

DIY Freezer Oatmeal Cups from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend! Come back in a couple of days for a pregnancy update and then again for PUMPKIN;-)

This week was definitely a good one!  I started out completely exhausted (these run-around weekends are a bit much for me these days) but was definitely recovered in time to start celebrating my birthday!  I turned 30 on Thursday but celebrations started on Wednesday when my sister and mom came up for a pool day with balloons, dessert and fun gifts!  Thursday morning was so nice because Matt stayed home for a bit with enough time to make us pancakes and go for a walk.  My afternoon included a pedicure, errands and resting up for an awesome dinner.  And even though it is somewhat amusing to see the random people that come out of the woodwork to wish you a happy birthday on Facebook, I must admit, those birthday notes definitely made me feel special.  If only Facebook didn’t make it so challenging for you to scroll through the posts on your own wall.

Now I’m in the Hamptons for the weekend with our family for relaxing and more celebrating.  Gotta love a week-long birthday fest!  I’m soaking up every minute of it while wondering/imagining what it will be like when next year includes a new addition.  Oh, and in case you missed it, I celebrated here on the blog this week with ice cream… and more ice cream!

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  No-Bake Blueberry Pie

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Banana Meringue Cake with Cinnamon-Sour Cream Ganache from Sugar Hero

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes from Urban Bakes

Chocolate Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Fudge Swirls from Bakerita

Neopolitan Macaron Delight Cake from Sweetapolita

Caramel Mocha Ice Cream Cupcakes from The Baker Chick

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend! 

Happy weekend!  This week actually flew by on my end… and that is exciting because my birthday is this Thursday!  While part of me wishes I could celebrate the big 3-0 with a big bottle of expensive champagne, the other part of me knows that this healthy baby inside of me is the best birthday present I could ever wish for.  It’s all sorts of cheesy and cliché, and I certainly never understood the emotions until I was pregnant, but all of it truly is a miracle.  Every day now Matt and I talk about how much we can’t wait to start this new stage of life with our baby boy.  There of course will be many challenges, but I can’t wait to be able to cuddle him as much as I want and I’m pretty sure Matt can’t wait to have a new playmate (I have a feeling this boy will be an early golfer).  Of course I want him to stay put at least a few more weeks so that he is ready for the world, but the more he kicks and the more I sense that I’m getting to know his personality, the more excited I get to see his face.  The gradual increase in discomfort may or may not be a part of that as well…

My productivity in the kitchen is definitely slowing down a bit.  On days when I’m busy doing other things, it’s harder to muster the energy to bake and I’m really trying to listen to my body.  The recipes I am making time for, though, are really turning out great.  I can’t wait to share this one in a few weeks!  It’s going to be an extra delicious fall.

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  How to Make Salted Caramel Without a Candy Thermometer

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Baked Whole Wheat Peach Pancake from Cookin’ Canuck

Loaded Peanut Butter Ice Cream (no churn) from Food, Folks and Fun

Mini Lemon Layer Cake from Baking Bites

S’mores Pretzel Hand Pies from Girl Versus Dough

Fig and Ricotta Bruschetta from White on Rice

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend! 

It’s been a busy week in the kitchen for me but I’m really excited about some of the recipes I’ve been working on.  Now I just need someone to come over and eat my gigantic dessert stash.  Anyone up for the task?  This week I’ll be sharing one of my new favorite ice cream recipes (seriously, so good) and a pregnancy update!

This weekend Matt’s away at a bachelor party and I just spent the night in Atlantic City with some girl friends.  This pregnant lady is partyiiiing (said with sarcasm).  We decided that we should do something special since so many of us are turning or turned 30 this year.  Nothing like getting together with the girls you’ve been friends with for life!  Later today I’ll be headed to my parents with a stop by the Nordstrom sale.  No clothes for me for obvious reasons but I would love if they had a great diaper bag on sale.  Any favorites that I should look for?

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  Chocolate Chunk Banana “Ice Cream” with Chocolate Fudge Ripple

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Bang Bank Blueberry Pie from Sift and Whisk

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Café Terra Blog

S’mores Cheesecake Cake from Little Accidents in the Kitchen

Dark Chocolate Ice Cubes from Man Made

Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita from Design Love Fest (Ah I SO wish I could have one!)

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!

It was a fast and busy week here.  Other than catching up on my work, my brother-in-law was in the hospital.  Luckily he is finally out and doing much better, but I felt bad that Matt and I couldn’t visit while he was there (too much risk of me getting sick).  Anyway, things have been much better for the past day or so and we’ve been enjoying a nice relaxing weekend as a result.  Last night Matt and I even went to a last minute early dinner at Barbuto and then finished off our impromptu date night with ice cream.  There was pretty much no one in the city yesterday (everyone takes off for the 4th) and the lack of traffic and restaurant crowds was a nice treat.  We are also trying to go down a long list of places we want to try between now and October so it was the perfect way to do it.  Sidenote- if you have any NY restaurants that are a must, I’d love to hear!

Today we are off to see my parents and sister and actually going to a winery near them.  Ah how I miss wine, cocktails, etc.  I’m really not a huge drinker, but when you can’t have something you sure do want it! 

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  No Churn Oreo Fudge Swirl Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Strawberry Cobbler with Lemon Cream from Willow Bird Baking

Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Bread from Taste and Tell

Brown Butter Cherry Basil Bars from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine

S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches from Love & Olive Oil

Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers from Raspberri Cupcakes

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend!

It feels like I’ve been gone for such a long time, but we’ve really only been on vacation for about a week.  That is truly the best type of vacation!  I’m proud of myself for staying offline for the most part, minus necessary Instagramming;-)  I feel completely re-energized and ready to get back at full force this week.  It doesn’t hurt that it’s actually a short week anyway!

Other than busting out many, many recipes in the kitchen this week, I have my big glucose screening test (the first one) on Thursday.  I’m actually pretty nervous about that… Right before I found out I was pregnant, my then doctor told me that I had PCOS.  It’s a long story but I’m not actually convinced that was the case and since I took a positive pregnancy test seven days later, there wasn’t really an opportunity to explore that.  I’ve been taking something that is supposed to reduce my chance of having insulin issues, but I’m still anxious about getting back the test results.  A healthy baby is my top priority, so if I need to cut back on the sweets, I obviously will, but that doesn’t mean that it will be easy!

Now for this week’s updates:

Most popular recipe/blog post:  Super Creamy No-Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream

Five favorite things I pinned all week:

Frosting Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookies and Cups

Marshmallow & Peanut Butter Cookie Cobbler from Coordinately Yours

Cinnamon Whole Grain Power Pancakes from Pinch of Yum

Caramelized Cheetos (no joke!) from The Spiffy Cookie

Alice Medrich’s Guide to Freezing Baked Goods (very useful!) from Food 52

I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend!