12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Whoopie Pies

As much as I love working with pumpkin in November I really love working with peppermint in December.

One of my favorite tricks is to take my favorite whoopie pie recipe (something like this with buttercream filling) and roll the edge in crushed peppermint.

Instantly creating a Christmas worthy treat.

What's your favorite way to eat Peppermint?

Roundup: Summer Drinks

I'm not sure about you but for me it never really feels like summer until we've celebrated the 4th of July.

Once the weather hits 90 consistently and I can go out at night without a cardigan I know that summer has arrived, and there's no better way to spend a summer evening that sitting outside with friends, listening to good music & laughing late into the night.

And one element that is a must for any summer party is a good drink.

We might be past the stage of lemonade stands but homemade lemonade is the perfect summer drink.

lemonade recipe

Dark & Stormies are very popular at our local bar.

dark & stormy recipe

I've recently developed a love for mojitos.

mojito recipe

One of the best things about summer is the ability to make sun tea. (I always add mint to mine)

sun tea recipe

Margaritas are too yummy to leave to Mexican restaurants.

raspberry lime margarita recipe

I've already exalted the joys of Arnold Palmers but seriously, they're delish.

arnold palmer recipe

White wine sangria is the perfect summer party drink.

pear sangria recipe

This is similar to my every day drink.

raspberry lemonade spritzer recipe

Orangeades remind me of my childhood.

orangeade recipe

As if normal mojitos aren't yummy enough.

strawberry mojito recipe

Snow cones are still one of my favorite summer time treats.

homemade snow cone recipe

Jus's go to summer drink is a gin & tonic.

gin & tonic recipe

What is your favorite summer drink?

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

I thought I'd take a break from Real People in Love to share some real Christmas love with you. If you're looking for a last minute tree to share with your family & friends this holiday season look no further. This recipe is one that I made up a couple of weeks ago while trying to create a holiday dessert.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

3 cups finely crumbled Oreos (I stick mine in a food processor)

3 Tablespoons Butter

Mix together by hand and press into a 9" spring form pan, press the sides three quarters of the way up the side of the pan, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

For the Cheesecake:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 large eggs

2 cups peppermints chopped up (I used the softer, round kind and put them in the food processor for 10 seconds)

Step 1:

Cream cream cheese well (Stand mixers work the best but hand mixers will work, but if you don't have a stand mixer be sure to add that to your Christmas list).

Step 2:

Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and sour cream and blend well.

Step 3:

Add eggs one at a time, make sure mixture is well blended in between.

Step 4:

Stir in peppermints by hand.

Step 5:

Pour mixture into baked crust and bake cheesecake at 315 degrees for 2 hours. (I find baking a cheesecake is a little tricky, when the cheesecake is done the top will rise above the edge of the pan and will jiggle a little but be firm to touch.)

Step 6:

LET CHEESECAKE COOL COMPLETELY (Approx. 2 hours) before releasing the spring form. When cheesecake has been released it is ready to be decorated (I drizzled mine with chocolate syrup, piped on some whipped cream and decorated with peppermints)

Step 7:

Enjoy!

Success!

Last night we had our new friends over for dinner. We had delicious food (which I'll share later), but for now I'm going to share the recipe that kept us laughing all night. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture).

Pear Sangria from this month's Glamour

2 bottles of cheapish Sauvignon Blanc (mine cost about $8)

3 cups cranberry juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 sliced pears

1/2 pint each of raspberries & blackberries

Let this mixture sit for at least ten hours

I normally don't like sangria but I absolutely loved this recipe and in the end we finished the entire batch.

I think I might experiment with using peaches instead of pears but I'll definitely keep the raspberries and blackberries as they didn't soak up as much of the wine as the pears did and were able to keep their flavor a bit.

This pear sangria is the perfect summer drink and I think I might need to keep a batch made up in the fridge just in case I get thirsty this summer.

What's your favorite summer drink?

Writer's Block & a Yummy Recipe

My brain feels like this...

via

I still haven't recovered from working almost 50 hours last week. I spent yesterday working on wedding projects and getting beautified.

My hair is getting so long! (Yes, those are my jammies, and yes, that's a pretty silly face)

I've been sitting at my computer struggling to come up with today's post when I remembered I hadn't shared the recipe for the yummy asparagus I made for Easter. Jus & I (read-I) were in charge of bringing a hot vegetable to Jus's family's Easter. I've never been the green bean casserole type and was eager to try out a new recipe.

Normally I love steamed asparagus with a little sea salt but I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, changed it up a bit, and it is absolutely delish. Actually, there is some asparagus in our fridge that I'm pretty sure will get this treatment.

(PS- I know I've forgotten this month's Baked Good of the Month Club, luckily none of the recipients have remembered so I need to get on that before they do!)

Asparagus with Sliced Almonds and Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter (or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)

1 pound asparagus, bottoms trimmed

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Steam asparagus for 8 minutes, or until ends are tender.

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in almonds until they start to toast. Add Parmesan cheese and constantly stir until the cheese starts to brown.

3. Add some olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper to cheese & almond mixture and toss with asparagus.

There's nothing I love more than an easy recipe that is super tasty!

What's your favorite easy recipe?