Sugared Orange Cranberries

Tart cranberries soaked in an orange simple syrup and rolled in orange zest and sugar, what more could you want? These are effortless to make and an incredible treat to eat. They sort of burst in your mouth on the first chew. I say sorta because they aren’t like a Gusher, but they still have a little pop. Plus, you only need 3 ingredients! Orange, cranberries and sugar… and water if you want to count that.

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A Beginners Guide to Chocolate

Since I’ll be sharing a few chocolate recipes this year, I thought it would be important to have a post about how to handle chocolate. Now, weirdly I am much better with sugar. I can sculpt roses by hand out of sugar, but man when chocolate and I get together I seem to find it in the weirdest places afterward and make a complete mess doing it. How does chocolate even get on your elbow when you haven’t melted any yet? This post will go over the basics of chocolate, how to temper, and any tools you may need. Let’s get started!

P.S. Love Mom: An Easy Traditional Stuffing Recipe (gluten-free option)

Now I have never been a big fan of stuffing. I am more of a cranberry girl myself, but boy oh boy does Derek love stuffing. When taking pictures I sort of messed up my mom’s original recipe (or so I thought) and I’ve never seen that man more excited about having to remake something. He loves my mother’s stuffing. So what are you waiting for, don’t you want to know how to make the best stuffing in the world?

Caramel Filled Apple Ribbon Candy Recipe

I love making ribbon candy. It’s very rewarding, looks pretty when it’s done, and it’s impressive because many people don’t make it by hand anymore. This has been one of my favorite flavors and I can’t wait to share the art of ribbon candy with all you lovelies! The ribbon candy is green apple flavored and filled with caramel and it is freaking delicious. It tastes like those caramel apple lollipops that you can only get a month out of the year. This is a great treat to make for gifts or just for the challenge!

Ribbon Candy Troubleshooting

This is a supplemental post to my Caramel Filled Apple Ribbon Candy Recipe. This is for troubleshooting some common issues when making hard candy and shaping ribbon candy specifically.

How to Sleigh the Holiday Season: Sugar Basics for Candy Making Beginners

I guess you could call this a sugar crash course 😉 . Alright, we’re gonna get serious about this whole sugar thing. I am posting two recipes that deal with the molten hot mess that candy making can be and I want to make sure all you lovelies are safe while making treats this year. I have read too many recipes that don’t really say how dangerous sugar can be let alone tell you how to properly handle it, not on my blog, no siree! Sugar is no joke and shouldn’t be taken lightly. This guide will walk you through how to handle sugar safely and other tips, and give you all the essentials you’ll need for candy making plus alternatives. Let’s get started!

How to Sleigh the Holiday Season: Making Food Gifts Safely

Oh my gosh am I excited to introduce this series to the blog!! I am a Christmas fanatic. I could care less about the whole gift-giving portion of Christmas, but I love the music, the atmosphere, the snow, all the treats, decorating, and crap I forgot to breathe. I pretty much like everything. One of my absolute favorite things to do is make candy as gifts for friends, family, and neighbors. However, I find that I don’t often trust what other’s give me because I find most people don’t know the first thing about kitchen sanitation and cleanliness. I am ServSafe certified and have been involved in the culinary world from a very young age. It has been ingrained in me to practice food safety and I think it is important to make sure the treats I give out are as safe as a home cook/baker/candy maker can make them. Let’s get started!

Peppermint Bark Shake (Copycat Red Robin)

If you haven’t been to your local Red Robin to get this shake (or you haven’t tried it because you aren’t sure if you’ll like it), MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW! It is ah-mazing and you won’t have to dish out $5 for just one shake! Cooling peppermint candy canes and sweet white chocolate are just a classic combo and, dare I say, even better in shake form.

The Gluten-Free Skeptic: Gluten-Free Gravy Packets Taste Tested and Ranked

It’s time for another installment! I hope you are as excited about this as I am because I love doing this series. Now, I thought this would be perfect for Thanksgiving because at least for us, were the only gluten-free (GF) ones in the family, so having easy substitutes for the host to make (or for me to bring over) makes Thanksgiving that much easier.  I finally got all the ones I could find (even after searching on google). However, since there are so few options I will also include an easy recipe to make any homemade gravy GF and you can’t even tell it’s GF!

P.S. Love Mom: Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa – An Onion and Swiss Party Dip

Okay, so I know I always go on and on about how great all of my mom’s recipes are, but if they weren’t good, would I be putting them on here? This dip is super easy, just a cuppa this and a cuppa that and a pop-a-it into the oven (I tried). This dip is cheesy, and bit onion-y and a whole lotta good. Got a party and don’t know what to bring and you want to be the center of attention? This dip is for you!

Vanilla and Orange Persimmon Cognac Cocktail Recipe

You better clear your schedule and get to the closest grocery store for some persimmons because you are not gonna want to miss out on this beauty. This cocktail is sweet with a hint of honey flavor from the persimmon that pairs beautifully with the citrus of the orange. The cognac is the perfect alcohol for this drink and everything is wrapped in a warm vanilla hug. I’m not kidding when I say this is the best darn fall cocktail you can get your hands on.

Persimmons: What Are They and What Can You Do with Them (30+ Recipes)

Persimmons are the fruit of the season for me, and I know this will be controversial, but I think they deserve more credit than the pumpkin. I know, I know, pumpkins are the fall food, but I’m sure we can all accept one more into our hearts. If you have never heard of, seen, or tasted a persimmon, let me describe one for you: they are very sweet, honey-flavored fruits that look kinda like a tomato and can have a lovely crunchy texture (like an apple) or be practically jelly on the inside. They are delicious.

P.S. Love Mom: Spiced Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip

Now, I know you have probably seen a variant of this dip at some point, dang, even just looking up the recipe I found hundreds of apple dips I didn’t even ask for, but nobody makes it like my mom does. Her recipe is always a hit at any party or get together, it is a breeze to make, and it makes a darn good snack. This dip has a hint of cream cheese, is perfectly sweetened, beautifully spiced, and has a dash of real caramel (shhh, its a secret 😉 ).