Today is my birthday and I always want to have a cookie cake. I have been known to drive over an hour to get one of the cakes from Great American Cookies, they are the best in my opinion. I know there are other places that sell them but they just don’t taste the same. My birthday last year wasn’t much of a celebration, even though I was living close to my friends for the first time in ten years we couldn’t get together with all of the stay at home orders.  Since the malls were closed so was the cookie store, which meant no cookie cake.  As long as I can remember…

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I am sure that so many of us who normally go out to dinner will be having dinner at home this year. Valentine’s Day is always a great day to make a lovely meal at home and to enjoy the romance without having to fight the crowds at the restaurants. Below are my top 5 tips for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner – no matter who you are making it for.  1. Plan your meal ahead of time.  What are you going to make? I advise you to chose a recipe that doesn’t scare you. Pick something that is a favorite of you or your date,…

Cookbooks are a great gift anytime of the year. Do you have trouble figuring out which cookbook to gift?  Check out my recommendations below with some of my favorite cookbooks.  Best Cookbook for People Who Meal Prep The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime by Ree Drummond This cookbook has a great section of freezer meals. I find myself making them all the time. I currently have the lasagna roll ups, chili and potato soup in the freezer ready for a quick dinner any night. My favoirtie recipe is the potato soup. Click here to order The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime today.* Best Cookbook for People Who Want Recipes With Options Half Baked Harvest Super Simple…

Every year I look forward to the holiday season. I love all the hustle and bustle that comes with the season. All throughout the year I keep a Christmas wish list through Gift Hero. If I see something I would like or for someone that I normally buy for – I add it to my list. By keeping a list all year my Christmas shopping is much easier than starting from scratch.  Below you will find my Christmas Wish List with some things I am asking Santa for, some things that I am buying for others and other things that I dream of owning (I’m talking about Cristel cookware). I hope this list…

Every year I bake for Christmas. A lot of the baking I do I give away to friends and family. I know this Christmas will be a little different for most of us but baking at Christmas brings me so much joy that I am still going to do it. Hopefully, I won’t eat it all. Below are the essentials that I like to have on hand to do my Christmas baking. Plus I included links to my favorite Christmas Baking recipes. I hope you enjoy making these sweet treats as much as I do.  Essential Christmas Baking Equipment Mixer (can be a hand mixer or a stand mixer) – Check out KitchenAid…

Thanksgiving requires some cooking essentials that you use on a regular basis in your kitchen and some that are more specialized. Check out my list of 13 Thanksgiving kitchen essential to get you prepared for the big day.  1. Meat Thermometer A meat thermometer is one of my most used kitchen tools. I use my instant read thermometer a few times a week. Some people prefer the the probe thermometers that you leave in the meat while it cooks – this is just a personal decision.  Kizen Instant Read Meat Thermometer * 2. Roasting Pan I have tried to make a turkey in a baking dish and it doesn’t always work the best. A roasting…

Thanksgiving is definitely going to look a little different this year but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to plan for the day. Each year all of us decide where we are going to eat and what needs to be done. Below is a list to help you make your best Thanksgiving ever!  Three Weeks Before Thanksgiving Decide how many people you are feeding and what time dinner will be served. Are you going to offer dinner as a buffet or a sit down dinner? Make a list of what you are going to make. Is there anything special that you need to make for anyone? Do you have anyone who has food…