To be honest with you, I never really understood why people went crazy for red velvet. Like, it's just a less chocolate-y chocolate cake. Why would you want something like that? haha. But I've been doing a lot of test baking. While this won't be my new favorite cake, it has changed my mind about Red Velvet Cake. It's light, it's bright, and it's smothered in cream cheese frosting. So what do you say? Let's make cake together...

It's not that store bought peanut butter has anything wrong with it, cause it doesn't. There are tons of varieties, lot's without additives (lots with too, if that's your thing). And it's not that store bought peanut butter is too expensive either, cause it's not. It's pretty cheap. It's just that it's really fun to see something from start to finish and know that you did it all yourself! This recipe is pretty versatile too, so if you don't want peanut butter, just swap out the peanuts for another kind of nut. But I will say, that peanuts are the most naturally oily, so it makes them easy to get smooth. So if you are swapping them for something else, know that you may need to add in a tablespoon or two of oil to compensate.Let's make some peanut butter together...

These are dope. This is my favorite drink (chai tea latte with espresso) in cookie form. Little bit of coffee. Little bit of spice. A lot of yum. So soft, so chewy. YUM yum YUM. Okay, let's make Dirty Chai cookies together.

The real story is that I made these for Preslee because she absolutely loves Reese's and really just peanut butter in general. But after I made them she wouldn't even try them. But that's probably because she's 2 and doesn't know what's good (also she was sick so that's probably the real reason... poor girl) I still love her though and these cookies are still lovely even if she won't acknowledge them. They're chocolatey, chewy and gooey and fulllll of peanut-buttery goodness. Let's make some Peanut Butter Bomb cookies together...

If you saw my Taco Seasoning post then you know the drill. Another quick and easy last minute seasoning mix. This one is perfect for seasoning chicken, for making homemade ranch dressing or dip. Keep this recipe on hand for those moments you need it. Let's make some ranch seasoning together...

Oh, these cookies are RICH. They are so insanely chocolatey, addictively chewy, and they have a nice little crunch from the cookie crumbles in the white chocolate chunks. If you're a chocolate fan, these are your cookies. Let’s make some chunky chocolate cookies together...

Homemade takeout. It's great for when you want the satisfying crunchy saucy chicken but don't wanna feel bad about it afterward... because of the ingredients or the money. My favorite thing to order is sesame chicken. I love how crispy the chicken is, even the next day from the fridge. I also love when the rice and the broccoli get all saucy. It's so good. I've tried a few different homemade take out recipes and I've been disappointed. Either the sauce wasn't flavorful or the chicken wasn't crisp. Hopefully this will satisfy you like it has me. We made this for our movie night and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, let's make Sesame Chicken together...

These cookies are chewy, soft, crisp on the edges, and full of warm yummy spices. If you've ever had a Chai tea latte then you can understand the flavor profile I was aiming for here. They taste almost like a snickerdoodle but with a bit more depth/complexity. They are SO good. When I was making these I accidentally put one more egg than I meant to... but I actually think they turned out better this way. I think that's what made them spread so much. If I were Alton Brown I'd know for sure, but I do know that these are yum and you should make them. Let's make Vanilla Chai Cookies together...

Yes. Gluten Free, crispy, flavorful, homemade chicken nuggets that are kind of whole 30 and accidentally taste like Chick-fil-a. I don't know what else to say except that I'm amazed and so happy that these turned out how they did. Jeremy loves them so much he ate them all in two days. I made a big batch and had them in the fridge and He just popped them in the toaster oven when he came home for lunch. So thankfully they taste just as good as leftovers. You could definitely freeze them and reheat them in the oven. They're super good and super easy. Let's make chicken nuggets together...

Yum. Lemon curd. Great for pie, great for yogurt, great for adding to frosting, great for filling doughnuts... I’m not sure what it’s not good for. I LOVE it. I wanna just eat it by the spoonfull. Tart and sweet and sooo lemony. Let’s make lemon curd together.

There's not a whole lot to say about salad except that I used to think salad was just ice burg lettuce some carrots and ranch dressing and that clearly isn't exciting. Then eventually I learned that salads could be delicious and full of all kinds of fun things. But it took a while before I realized that making fun salad at home isn't that hard and it's way cheaper than buying it from a restaurant.  This spring salad is fresh and crisp. It's great as a side or a main dish, but best of all it's easy to make. Just toss around a few simple ingredients and you have something surprisingly enjoyable. So, let's make salad together...

This moist and decadent Chocolate cake is filled with Espresso (powder) and hot coffee, layered with fluffy and creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting and a sticky-sweet caramel that is infused with coffee. That same Coffee-Caramel is then poured over the top of the cake making it look (and taste) incredibly irresistible. This cake was so much fun to make. It was even more fun to bring to our church potluck. It's nice to be able to share something you love with people you love. And it's even nicer when they end up loving that thing too. So now that you're craving this Espresso Chocolate Cake: Let's make it together...

I love that this fluffy chocolatey frosting is super versatile because you can choose any kind of chocolate you'd like depending on what you're pairing it with, bittersweet is my favorite, but for today I wanted milk chocolate. That's Jeremy's preferred chocolate. Plus we were putting it on an Espresso Cake, which is already not insanely sweet, so I thought it'd be a good choice. I also love this frosting because it has actual melted chocolate in it. Which for some reason makes it seem more tasty to me. Is it just me? I don’t know. Lemme know. Okay, let's jump in and make chocolate frosting together...

Everyone has their own version, but this is my go-to chicken salad. Apples, grapes, nuts and mayo. If I don’t have apples I’ll use pears. If I don’t have pecans I’ll use almond slivers. Simple and fresh. And on a butter croissant? Irresistible. Let’s make chicken salad together...

Taco Seasoning Packets are great, until it's time to make dinner and you forgot you don't have one. So, for those moments when your meat is already on the stove and you can't go to the store-- raid your pantry and make Taco Seasoning yourself. Let's do it. Let's make some seasoning together...

I came up with this idea sort of on a whim hoping to make a fun and creative cake flavor for my friend's wedding. It wasn't THE wedding cake, though, it was one of SIX cakes at the wedding. The second it cooled down I sliced off the top to taste it and I was SO happy. I really could have eaten the whole cake, plain, straight from the oven. Then my lovely friend Becca from Happily the Hicks asked me to collaborate with her with Lavender as the theme. Thankfully I’d just made this cake and had planned to top it with Honey Lavender Buttercream. Basically the stars aligned. Becca and I (aka #happilythemartinez) have made pure spring bliss and put it here and here to share with you. Obviously if you hate Earl Grey tea then this probably isn't the cake for you. But if you're looking to make a fun easy cake that will make you feel so fancy for saying you made it, then here we go. Let's make Earl Grey Cake together...

 This frosting is creamy, floral and sweet. It goes perfectly with Earl Grey Cake (or I'm imagining a coffee flavored cake). Plus anything honey and lavender makes me think of my friend, Brooke; and anything that makes me think of her can't be a bad thing. So, let's make honey lavender buttercream together...

If you're looking for a dope lemon cake/cupcake recipe, you're in the right place. I created this recipe to go with my last post, Strawberry White Chocolate Ganache Frosting. This lemon cake isn't tart or dense. It's light, fluffy and SO spring. I wish I was eating this right now. But instead we decided to be stupid and Start Whole 30 today. So, do me a favor and make these and eat 3 for me. Let's make lemon cupcakes together. 

If you saw my White Chocolate Ganache post then this is basically the 2.0 cute-springy version of that. So easy. So fancy. So yum. If you're like me and you don't typically like frosting but you do like chocolate and you also like strawberries... then you should go ahead and just try this frosting. See if it changes your life. I'm not claiming that it will but it very well might make you realize that maybe the reason you thought you didn't like frosting is because you never had good frosting. Maybe. Idk. You try it and let me know. Really. Call me out. Tell me I was wrong and that you hate it. But also, can you tell me if you love it? okay, Let's do it...

This quiche is brought to you by Jeremy. He asked me to make a recipe for someone he works with. I make quiche from time to time but never have written down what I've done. The fun thing about quiche is that you can make it your own. If you don't like mushrooms then leave them out, if you love spinach then add some in. It's super easy. When I finished making this I brought it to him and had it in a container that he could bring to work so they could try, but after he tasted it he said he wanted it for himself. lol. So if any of you NBC people happen to read this, I fully intended on feeding yall this... blame Jeremy. But now we can make it together, lets make quiche...

These cutie little cuppy-cakes are fluffy and light and just the right amount of strawberry. Baking was so chaotic, but it was worth it. I was doing laundry at my parent's house, baking these cupcakes, testing another cupcake recipe, and making two kinds of frosting. I spent way longer there than I originally planned. 

If you're looking for decadence, you've found it. This frosting is filled with melted white chocolate and heavy whipping cream. The plus is that it's as easy as it is delicious. Shall we? Let's  make some frosting together...

One time, Macie and Preslee and I made this bread into two giant rainbow loaves. You know, cause they're little girls and and the jump at the chance to use food coloring. My hands were pink for three days after that. This is much less exciting than that. But still just as yummy. Fill these squishy-soft loaves with meatballs and cheese or just your go-to sandwich stuff. Either way, let's make french bread rolls...

These Blondies really surprised me. I was just experimenting and then I took a bite. It was the most satisfying amount of crunch from the top being crinkled and the middle being nice and chewy with the variety of dried fruit, it just made me want to keep taking another bite and another and another. Plus, anything that can be made in just one bowl, or pot, is a win.