Kid-Friendly Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

December 31, 2019 Amanda Plott

And just like that, this is the last post of not only the this year, but of this decade!

I decided that with this being the last one of the decade, I thought I would take it a step further and make this recipe even more special by including my little mini-me in on it. I mean… she has two and a half weeks off from school and I need to entertain her somehow, so I put her to work making cookies and writing about it.

So, we sat down and planned out what exactly we’d make. She happened to a book on ‘kids cookies’ a few months back and so that’s where we started. Within the book there’s a recipe for some chocolate cut-out cookies, and that was our inspiration for today! These Kid-Friendly Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies are easy to make and require just a few ingredients, plus they end up tasting just like the cookie part of those famous sandwich cookies we all know and love. We definitely made a few easy substitutions to make these cookies just a little more healthy…

Air-Fryer Blooming Onion

December 24, 2019 Amanda Plott

I know there’s a lot of you out there that are going to be getting a fancy new air-fryer for Christmas this year. If not from someone else, maybe you’re buying one for yourself. They are all the rage right now anyway, right? I’ve been putting off getting one, but I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been curious about the thing; how it works and if it works well.

I have long since made it my duty to not have a fryer in my home. When I was growing up we had one and my mom would rarely use it, and generally only for making french fries. Though there were a few shameless fried-food nights where my parents would fry up literally everything. Clearly, that isn’t how my own kitchen functions. Either way, my brother is in town and he brought his air-fryer for me to try out. And guess what? I don’t hate it…

Cranberry Orange Bread

December 21, 2019 Amanda Plott

While it’s cold enough outside for a few more months, I’m planning on doing a lot more baking and using up precious oven time while I can. The heat of the summer (and sometimes spring) often keeps from being able to comfortably bake anything. At all. Ever. To keep on theme with the Holidays, I thought I would whip up a festive bread for breakfast this morning.

This Cranberry Orange Bread is loaded with flavor, the freshness of the orange and the tartness of the cranberry pair well with the sweetness of the bread. Plus, it’s pretty easy to toss together in the morning and bakes for a good amount of hands off time…

Giant Donut Cake

December 14, 2019 Amanda Plott

My daughter is pretty much obsessed with donuts. Seriously, once a week she gets to have donuts for breakfast. Usually it’s from a local donut place, but this morning I decided to take it up a notch. I’ve been working on the notion of a giant donut cake for a while. And if you follow me over on Facebook or Instagram you may have seen my most recent attempt.

I was sooo close, but it still wasn’t perfect. And I never want to share a recipe that I’m not completely in love with. Whether it has to do with the recipe itself or with the aesthetics of it all. This last time was a painful lesson with sprinkles and frosting. Today though? I got it all right!…

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Men Cookies

December 2, 2019 Amanda Plott

Tis the season… for cookies! It came to me suddenly the other day that I had never shared an actual gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve done chocolate ginger cookies and butterscotch ginger. But, never actually gingerbread GINGERBREAD cookies.

These Whole Wheat Gingerbread Men are just that. WHOLE WHEAT gingerbread men cookies. I decided not to lighten them up with any sugar substitutes or any of my usual shenanigans. I wanted to keep these cookies simple and classic. Besides… the whole wheat part makes them a little less naughty and a little more nice…

Cranberry-Orange Steel Cut Oatmeal (Instant Pot)

November 19, 2019 Amanda Plott

Some mornings just require a simple sort of breakfast. And as the first round of Holiday shenanigans starts next week, I thought there was no time like the present to get a nice, easy to make, healthy and festive breakfast on the menu. This Cranberry-Orange Steel Cut Oatmeal checks all those boxes. It’s made in a matter of minutes and is perfectly delicious!

Cranberry and orange are the perfect pairing, especially when it comes to the winter Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s why I decided to use those flavors in this oatmeal for a perfect breakfast bite with enough made for the whole family…