Whole Wheat Garlic Bread Crust Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza AND breadsticks all in one delicious slice? The crust on this pizza is ideal for dipping or just tearing off and enjoying all by itself. The last time we made it, I put garlic butter and marinara out for dipping and even the kiddos ate their pizza crust! Seriously, this pizza crust recipe is a crowd pleaser and is pretty easy to throw together. Warning though, I'd make a double batch. Not only did the first large pizza go pretty stinking quickly, leftover pizza is a must!

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque

Is there anything more comforting than grilled cheese and tomato soup? It's been my husband's comfort food of choice since he was kid and has definitely endured the years. While toying around with different ways to make grilled cheese recently, I flipped around the can of tomato soup and read the label. While there are far worse offenders, it still wasn't pretty. Figuring I could do better from scratch, I went to work. The end result was a huge hit with my husband and even the kiddos. It was so good, in fact, that the boys scrapped their bowls clean and even ate the crust on their sandwiches! 

Bacon and Cheese Egg Cupcakes

Sorry I don't have pictures for this one, but they're easy peasy. I'll post some photos next time I make them. They're a big hit with both of my boys and reheat easily in the morning for quick breakfasts before school. 

Bacon and Cheese Egg Cupcakes

12 strips of bacon

8 eggs

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup milk or half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Grab a 12 cup muffin tin and spray it with some pan spray. 

Slice about the last 1/4 of each slice of bacon off. Use the larger part to wrap around the outside of each muffin tin, like a cupcake wrapper. Place the small 1/4 piece in the bottom of the cup so it covers all the metal. Repeat for all 12 cups. 

In a bowl or large measuring cup, crack all 8 eggs in and add your milk or half and half and salt and pepper. Whisk it all together really well. Whisk in your grated cheese. 

Now pour some of your egg mixture into each bacon cup. Don't fill them quite all the way. Right around 3/4 full should give just enough egg mixture to fill all 12 cups. 

Place your filled muffin tin onto a baking sheet to catch any bacon grease that escapes and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the eggs have slightly browned and the tops of the bacon cups look crispy. 

Use a butter knife or small icing spatula to gently loosen around the sides and bottoms of each cupcake after they've cooled for a few minutes. Pop them out and you're ready to chow down! 

12 Layer Cake with Old-Fashioned Boiled Chocolate Icing

I've lived in the South my entire life. My earliest years were spent in Hot Springs, Arkansas where I have so many memories of my Grandparents feeding everyone who graced their doorstep and there was always something being kept warm on the back of the stove. After a quick stop-over in Aiken, South Carolina, I landed here in Washington, North Carolina. Here is where I learned the true value of Southern cooking and a great appreciation for those heritage type recipes that only your great-grandma knew how to make or that momma only brought out for special occasions. At some point during my teenage years, I went to a homecoming at some southern baptist church which are so plentiful in this area. Couldn't tell you what church or even what friend, what I can tell you is there was the most amazing cake there that I had ever seen or tasted. It had these amazingly thin layers and this perfect grainy, fudgey icing that was honestly the best thing I had ever put in my mouth. I never saw it again. I tried to describe it to people and all I could ever glean from them was "Wow! Yeah, I love that cake.". No one knew what to call it or where to get a recipe. I was stumped and gave up. A couple of years ago, I saw an article in the New York Times about this cake! I was overjoyed!

I don't remember why I wasn't able to get this recipe.....it may have been that you had to pay for the online version of the NY Times to access it or it may have been that it was a limited time thing and the link expired before I could use it. Regardless, I struck out at making this amazing Southern heritage cake. Along came Pinterest. I found a great recipe that wasn't from a disgusting boxed cake mix and included directions for making each layer separately, because there's no possible way to slice cake layers thin enough to do for this cake. Hooray! I found an occasion to make it for and went to work. The first try was a learning experience and the later tries have come out better each time. Hope you guys love this as much as I do, and trust me, it's worth the time you invest! It takes 2-3 hours from start to finish, so set aside an evening and enjoy the process. Turn up the stereo or have somebody you love to chat with come keep you company.

Vanilla Sugar Scones

This is my go to scone recipe. It's easily changeable to accommodate any kind of flavor you're aiming for, from fruit to chocolate and even savory scones like 4 Cheese. For those of you who think scones are dry, tasteless British things, give these a try.....seriously. They're flaky, buttery, delicious and far from flavorless. Once you master the technique of cutting the butter into your dry ingredients, you can pop these out in no time and you'll also have a great skill that will help you make lots of other recipes (like biscuits and pie crusts). I'll give you a few ideas to add flavors that are favorites in my house at the end of the recipe.