So each year for our holiday party, I like to find as many delicious recipes for mini food and mini desserts as possible. Last year’s mini eggnog cheesecakes were a big hit, so I thought I would do another mini cheesecake. I settled on this mini Oreo cheesecake recipe because they looked so cute with the small Oreo on top. Warning: As I mentioned last year, mini cheesecakes are not exactly an easy dessert to make. The recipe isn’t too complicated, but they’re time consuming. But trust me, these taste delicious so they’re probably worth the extra effort!
Welcome back!
I hope your 2015 is off to a good start! The last two months have been pretty eventful in my household. Dave and I got engaged at the end of November and then flew to California to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The engagement buzz was short lived because upon returning to DC, I spent the next two weeks studying nonstop. However, eventually finals ended, and I can now say I am officially halfway through law school. Plus, I got to celebrate the end of finals by throwing our third annual holiday party (photos below).
I planned to resume posting to the blog in mid-December, but after the engagement and finals, I crashed, got the flu, and then proceeded to spend the rest of my holiday vacation taking a true break from all responsibilities (except wedding planning, obviously). I spent the majority of my time in sweats or pajamas, saw 6 new release movies (favorites: Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game), and listened to Serial (if you haven’t participated in this craze yet, do it immediately).
But now I’m back in DC, and classes begin tomorrow, so I figured it’s time to get back to the blog! Plus we just got a puppy named Wally (the most adorable goldendoodle ever, see below), so I’m spending a lot of time with him at home and am able to do some writing. So here’s to lots of fun and exciting times in 2015! First recipe post will be up on Sunday (hint: it will involve lots of sugar).
Mini Pecan Pies
If you’re starting to plan your Thanksgiving menu, be sure to add these to the list. I made them for a friend’s birthday recently, and will be making them again for Thanksgiving because they were so good (and so easy).
As a result of the upcoming finals season, this post will be the last until I come out on the other side (and am then officially half way done with law school). I will be back in mid-December. Happy holidays everyone!
The Perfect Sunday Morning Brunch
We have recently started a new Sunday brunch routine. We still make our smoothies right when we wake up because, well let’s be honest, we’re totally addicted. But later in the morning, usually around lunch time, we make a breakfast hash that is healthy but filling enough to get us through the rest of the afternoon, and leaves leftovers for Sunday dinner or Monday lunch.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich with Nutella Frosting
If you’re like me, you can eat Nutella by the spoonful straight from the jar. But sometimes, it’s fun to eat it in a slightly more socially acceptable form. So turn it into a frosting and then put a large dollop between two chocolate chip cookies. I made these and piled them up to create an unconventional “birthday cake.” But these would also be great for any upcoming holiday parties you have.
Asparagus and Sweet Potato Hash
Sweet potatoes are quickly becoming a staple in our house. We’ve been making all sorts of vegetable hashes, breakfast hashes, or just plain sweet potato fries. They are easy to prepare and are super filling. Plus, they are supposed to be good for you (or so they say), so they can counteract some of those desserts we’re all eating this holiday season.
Cranberry Orange Bread
Now that it is November, cranberries are starting to appear everywhere. Although cranberries by themselves can be tart, the sweetness of this bread and the orange even out the flavor. This would make a great breakfast treat over Thanksgiving weekend if you’re hosting any family!
Crockpot Beef Stew
This past weekend, the weather finally got really cold. This means that it is now officially crock pot stew time. I don’t normally like to cook red meat at home, but this is a very easy way to do it. We bought the beef stew meat at Trader Joe’s and it came cut in the perfect small stew pieces, therefore, making this stew very easy to make. So next time the temperature dips down low, grab these ingredients and make this stew!
Apple Skillet Cake
I’ve been suffering from a bit of an apple obsession lately. We did our annual trip to the farm and picked 23 pounds of apples. And you can’t just eat 23 pounds of apples alone, so I’ve been doing a lot of apple oriented baking. My most recent find has been this apple skillet cake.
Greek Salad
So you should make this in conjunction with this pita bread recipe that I posted last weekend. They are both delicious individually but are even better together.
the petite croissant 