Cinnamon

Date Filled Cinnamon Rolls

Date Filled Cinnamon Rolls

Happy New Year! And Happy Date Filled Cinnamon Rolls! (we can hit the gym next week)

2017 was one heck of a year. I celebrated a major milestone birthday. Then had a magical summer and fall to follow. I did a ton of international travel. 2017 was my year. I felt energetic, brave and empowered; like I could take on the world. I didn’t let life beat me down. Chocolate Cake, may or may not have had the power to pull me out of a pretty brutal disappointment. As I look back, 2017 was good to me, for the most part. I guess there’s no such thing as perfect. (more…)

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls_2

Last weekend – ironically on Valentine’s Day – the founder of the Ferrero company, Mr. Michele Ferrero died at age 89. Known as “the Father of Nutella” and “real life Willy Wonka,” Ferrero’s company introduced Nutella, Kinder Eggs and Ferrero Rocher, making the world a sweeter, happier place.

I have to say, I was into Nutella before it became a thing here in the U.S. over the last few years. Nutella on toast for breakfast wasn’t unheard of during my childhood and was pretty much our substitute for peanut butter; that’s not to say we didn’t stock peanut butter jars in our pantry. But let’s just say, I was sneaking spoonfuls of Nutella in the middle of the night long before the food bloggers picked it up as the latest and greatest. (more…)

Homemade Apple Pie

Apple Pie_2

Nothing screams early fall like apple pie, and apple picking of course! Nany and I have started a yearly apple-picking tradition where we pick a random weekend in September and head out to the apple orchard. Once we’ve collected more than enough apples, we drag them back to her house to create a mouth-watering dessert –with the help of her mom of course– for everyone to eat after lunch. This year, we took a special guest with us, we’ll call her Zee, and we had a fabulous time. Of the three of us, she was the one who wasn’t afraid to climb into, yes into, the trees to pick out the very best apples. (more…)

Cinnamon and Powdered Sugar Donuts

Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts

Back when we were in elementary school and mom used to drive us to school, we had a weekly ritual. I have to say, I never looked forward to Fridays as much as I did in elementary and middle school because Fridays meant we left a little bit earlier so we could stop at Krispy Kreme for a donut and chocolate milk. I mean, what kid wouldn’t love that?! Yes, it involved waking up a bit earlier, but it was all for a good cause, and in my mind then, a perfectly legitimate reason to jump right out of bed. (more…)

Apple Turnovers

Apple-Turnovers

It all started with a random idea to go take advantage of September and go apple picking. It then turned into an adventure that ended up with me taking a back seat to learning how to make amazing apple turnovers.

We’re about mid way through September, with only a couple more weeks before we get into pumpkin season (not that you don’t see Halloween decorations and pumpkins practically everywhere you go already). That being said, apples are still in season and what better way to enjoy a gorgeous Sunday afternoon than to go apple picking in Maryland with a friend who completely understands the importance of taking at least 20 pictures of the same thing, and gets really excited about plucking apples off a tree. (more…)