Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars

December 16, 2022 Amanda Plott

Here’s another recipe from years back that needed an update in the looks department… but, not so much to the recipe itself! Here’s the original post below.

The madness is just about over here with the mass of holidays! Phew, thank goodness! I was happy to step back and have a few days to spend with my family, but now it's time to get back to work. Okay, so... here we go.

I've been wanting to make a skinny variation of the Cranberry Bliss Bar that they have Starbucks for a long long long time now. I have, in fact, had this recipe in my handy-dandy little note book for quite a while now (about two years actually) but for whatever reason it keeps getting pushed back each year.

Well, a few weeks before Christmas one of my aunts sent me a special request for a Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bar recipe. She mentioned that the one at Starbucks is something like 360 calories for one bar. Yikes! And just like me, it's one of her favorite holiday treats! So, of course I was more than happy to oblige…

Cranberry Orange Pecan Salad

December 10, 2022 Amanda Plott

Winter means don’t always have to be warm and hearty. Sometimes (like when it’s 80 degrees out in December) you just need something cool and light to enjoy. That’s where I’m at right now. This Cranberry Orange Pecan Salad takes the flavors of winter and puts them into salad form so that you get the best of both worlds.

For being a super flavorful, this salad is made with just a few ingredients and you can even make it ahead of time ‘salad jar’ style if you leave the dressing separate until you’re ready to enjoy. The dressing is good stuff too. I tried to get plenty of orange goodness in there to play well with the sweet of the dried cranberries and the sharp of the feta cheese…

Pumpkin Spice Blondies + Maple Bourbon Cream Sauce

November 25, 2022 Amanda Plott

I know it’s after Thanksgiving and ‘pumpkin spice’ season, but look… I just HAD to share this dessert. These Pumpkin Spice Blondies are AMAZE and the cream sauce is something I think I could bathe in. To be completely honest, you should make this dessert at all times of the year. Fall or other wise. It’s great leading into Thanksgiving, but also great to lead the way out too.

So what’s a blondie anyway? It’s basically a vanilla based brownie. This one is loaded up wit pumpkin and spice and everything nice. Including pecans and bourbon. Yep! I’ve managed to sneak some bourbon into the cream sauce and I’m not sorry about it. Not even for a second…

Turkey Pot Pie & Stuffing Crust

November 15, 2022 Amanda Plott

Looking for ideas on what to do with your leftover turkey this year? Well, look no further! This Turkey Pot Pie & Stuffing Crust is here to save the day - and the leftovers! The filling for this pot pie starts off with some of the usual suspects; cooked turkey, onion, celery, and more veg! I used some frozen veggies since I don’t yet have Thanksgiving leftovers, but fresh could work too if you' do have leftovers from the big meal of the year.

Season this entire thing through and you’re golden. This whole thing is topped off with a stuffing crust. Okay - it’s not stuffing, it would technically be dressing since it’s not being stuffed into anything here. Anyway! This too you’ll want to be sure is properly season, and you’ll want to do it BEFORE you put the raw egg in it. With a quick bake in the oven, that’s all there is to this Turkey Pot Pie & Stuffing Crust!…

Clear Pumpkin Pie

October 28, 2022 Amanda Plott

Let’s face it. Pumpkin pie can be a little boring. I saw this idea for a clear lemon meringue pie a while back and I started to wonder if you could do the same thing with a pumpkin pie. So, here we are giving it a shot! For the original lemon version, they used lemon extract - so what do we do to make up for that since pumpkin extract is fairly rare? Well, we use pumpkin pie extract and a dollop of pumpkin puree!

This pie uses a homemade crust too, which you could swap for a sore bought one to save time if you wanted but I promise the homemade crust is easy enough to make and only takes a few ingredients and a couple of minutes of hands on time…

Instant Pot Pecan Pie Cheesecake

October 25, 2022 Amanda Plott

With Halloween this week, and Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to play around with a new cheesecake recipe. Desserts around the holidays are always a source of debate in our family. What to make, who’s making it, and when to eat it. I’ve got a handful of favorites to serve around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I also like to come up with new ideas to throw out there. This Instant Pot Pecan Pie Cheesecake is definitely going in as a suggestion.

It’s pretty easy to make, especially for a cheesecake. The instant pot does the most of the work and quickly too. As it turns out, a pressure cooker is a really efficient way to make cheesecakes! This one though, kind of combines a cheesecake with a pecan pie, so it’s basically the best of both worlds…