Nothing says “Holiday Season” like Chocolate Peppermint

In terms of flavor combinations, chocolate and peppermint is right up there with peanut butter and jelly, and tomatoes and basil. And chocolate and peppermint tastes BEST during the holiday season. It’s a fact.

This Chocolate Peppermint Cookies recipe has been developed using both cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate for the richest, deepest chocolate flavor. And, these cookies have a just-slight-underbaked chewy texture, so they almost eat like a brownie!

They also have both peppermint extract and crushed peppermint candy, so I guess you can say they’re double chocolate and double peppermint cookies!

These cookies are dedicated to the true lovers of the combination of chocolate and peppermint, but I think just about everybody will end up loving them!

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This Halloween Brownies Recipe is scary good!

There’s lots of recipes for Halloween Brownies that look like mummies out there, but most of them use vanilla frosting or melted white chocolate for the “bandages.”

This mummy brownies recipe is for true chocolate lovers. These are rich, fudgy dark chocolate brownies topped with the easiest two-ingredient homemade chocolate ganache.

Perhaps you’ll love these brownies . . . to death?

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I think that I love cream cheese more than the average person. I wasn’t really aware of this until I was doing a video call with a couple of friends, while making myself a bagel, and they both were shocked and awed by how much cream cheese (and how much everything bagel seasoning) I put on said bagel.

I mean, I had just had a baby a few days prior, and my body was extra hungry. But honestly, I don’t even need to make excuses. I’m not embarrassed. The truth is, I just love cream cheese. Anytime, anywhere.

It can go savory in crab-stuffed salmon recipe and crock pot beef stroganoff. It can be used as the “sauce” on roasted cauliflower pizza. And my Baileys brownies wouldn’t be the same without their spiked cream cheese frosting.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for the absolute best chocolate cake I’ve ever made, paired with, what else? Cream cheese frosting!

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Anybody else remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? Man, I could get DOWN with those things. Pretty sure I’d read one tomorrow if it showed up in my neighborhood’s Little Free Library.

Well, this build-your-own yogurt bar is the food equivalent of one of those books. Want all healthy yogurt toppings? Load up on fruit and lemon cardamom granola. Want more decadent toppings for yogurt? Some chocolate chunks and waffle cone bits are waiting for you.

The recipe card below includes approximate amounts for a yogurt parfait bar for 8 people, but you can set up all of these ingredients in any quantity for any number of people. Just change your serving bowl sizes accordingly.

Round out your brunch buffet with vegetarian quiche and some bacon in the oven, and you have the perfect Mother’s Day or bridal shower morning meal.

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I’m not one to celebrate all the “food holidays” (is there a national bacon in the oven day?), but it just so happens that I had this recipe ready for you, and today is also National Black Forest Cake Day! So, let’s celebrate, I guess!

My husband has worked for a Germany-based auto parts supplier for over a decade, so we’re pretty familiar with German culture and cuisine.

Black Forest cake is perhaps the most well-known German dessert in America. The exact history of the name is up for some debate, with some believing the name is derived from a specialty liquor made in the Black Forest mountain range of southwestern Germany.

Others claim that the name is inspired but a traditional outfit worn by women in the same region. The costume includes a hat with big red pom-poms on top (represented by the cherries on the cake).

Now that my very simplified history lesson is over, let’s make some Black Forest Cupcakes! These chocolatey cupcakes are topped with fresh whipped cream, and they have a surprise cherry filling made with Kirsch syrup. If you’re not sure what Kirsch is, don’t worry, I have all the details for you!

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With Valentine’s Day coming up, I can indeed confirm that the way to my husband’s heart is chocolate. While he’d be OK with vanilla bean creme brulee or even a stuffed apple just about any other day of the year, I know what he wants for dessert on Valentine’s Day.

One year I made him decadent Nigella Lawson brownies, and he loved them. Another year, I made him the brownies from the Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook, and he went wild. Sometimes I’ll even make Baileys brownies as an early St. Patrick’s Day / Valentine’s hybrid situation.

So this year, I’m going to keep sticking with what I know works and making him . . . chocolate brownies (after honey mustard pork chops or maybe lamb bolognese for dinner). But with a spin, of course.

This chocolate brownie pie recipe takes, what is in my opinion, the best part of any pie (the crust) and fills it with a rich, decadent and just simply great chocolate brownie. Cut it into tiny slices or big wedges – we won’t tell anybody!

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I’ll admit it – I’m not really a football fan. If I go to some sort of tailgate or game watching party, I’m 100% there for the food. You’ll find me lingering around the fajita bar or the healthy buffalo chicken dip and I’m not ashamed of it!

Everybody seems to have their own game day food traditions and fun charcuterie board ideas, but I think we can all agree that cheese, pretzels and nuts are a must, along with a variety of other sweet and salty nibbles.

I don’t really think game day is the time for an elegant wine and cheese board (although I’ve seen tailgates with fancy smoked salmon platters and individual charcuterie cups set up by caterers!).

But personally, I like to think more along the lines of a beer charcuterie board. It’s as easy as corralling a few kinds of cheese and some other snackies onto a nice board.

Plastic trays in team colors aren’t really my style, but I found some fun little decorative toothpicks to keep my Football Charcuterie Board festive.

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You didn’t think I wasn’t going to publish vanilla bean creme brulee without also bringing you it’s dark and mysterious cousin, chocolate creme brulee, did you?

I wouldn’t do that to you! You know I’ve been on a creme brulee kick this year, experimenting with creme brulee flavors from coconut creme brulee to pumpkin creme brulee and everything in between.

If you’ve never tried chocolate creme brulee, imagine eating the richest, most decadent chocolate pudding you’ve ever had. But imagine it has a crispy, crackly crust of torched, caramelized sugar on top that you get to break through with your spoon.

If your mouth is watering as much as mine is, let’s dig into this chocolate creme brulee recipe. The best part is that you’ll only need 5 ingredients!

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I don’t have a ton of St. Patrick’s Day recipes around here. Truth to be told, I don’t think my family has any Irish heritage, and I’d really rather not partake when it comes to some of the traditional foods like corned beef (except corned beef egg rolls, once in awhile).

If I’m feeling in the mood, I might make mini shepherd’s pies or colcannon soup. Or even just have a nice Irish stout alongside a cheese board for beer.

So, unfortunately, if you’re looking for a treasure trove of recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this will probably never be the site for that.

BUT, I do hope that what I lack in quantity, I make up for in quality. And I can assure you, without a doubt, that these Baileys brownies are the ONLY dessert you need for St. Patrick’s Day (or any day of year, really)!

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While you generally won’t find me going out to a fancy restaurant for a pre fixe dinner on Valentine’s Day, I still like to mark the occasion in some way at home.

Sometimes I’ll make a special Valentine’s Day dinner of lasagna cottage cheese or my crab-stuffed salmon recipe but other years, it’s just easy Valentine’s dessert shooters after a takeout pizza.

And sometimes I’ll just feel like snacking with fun charcuterie board ideas and following it up with some chocolate creme brulee.

You all know I love an epic snack board, as I’ve already shared everything from my wine and cheese board to a spooky Halloween charcuterie board to a fall-themed Thanksgiving charcuterie board.

Whether you’re hosting a Galentine’s party for the girls, or having a cozy night in with your sweetie, why not put together a Valentine’s Day snack platter of your own this year? I’ll explain it all, including the best way to make heart shaped food, below.

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