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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Easy Berry Smoothie

Easy Berry Smoothie

breakfast· drinks· Easter· smoothies· snacks· Summertime Favorites
May 21, 2020

Easy Berry Smoothie – With only three ingredients, this is the easiest berry smoothie you’ll ever make! Today’s recipe is…
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

drinks· smoothies
August 23, 2018

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie – Chocolate, peanut butter, banana, and frozen yogurt are blended together to make a killer…
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Mango Smoothie Bowl

Mango Smoothie Bowl

smoothies
January 15, 2018

Mango Smoothie Bowl – A thick mango smoothie base is topped with healthy toppings to make for a filling meal…
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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

fall flavors

apple cinnamon charlotte sitting on a plate with cinnamon sabayon sliced in half to reveal the apples in the center

Apple Cinnamon Charlotte

overhead shot of pumpkin churros on a plate of cinnamon sugar

Pumpkin Churros

a stack of three Apple Cider Crumb Doughnuts on a cloth napkin with more doughnuts around them, shot from the front

Apple Cider Crumb Doughnuts

pumpkin challah bread sliced with a knife

Pumpkin Challah Bread

portion of sweet potato gratin being removed from casserole dish, revealing gooey center

Sweet Potato Gratin

warm banana bread with a couple bites removed sitting on a plate with two scoops on butter pecan ice cream stacked on top and caramelized bananas over the top and a spoon on the side

Banana Bread Sundae

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holiday favorite

whole nutella cream pie shot from an overhead angle

Nutella Cream Pie

slices of iced pumpkin scones drizzled with frosting on a wire rack on top of parchment paper, shot from overhead

Iced Pumpkin Scones

a plate of Slow Cooker Short Ribs with sprigs of thyme on top, shot from a side angle

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Almond Butter Chocolate Tarts on a platter with a spoon of almond butter on it, shot from a side angle

Almond Butter Chocolate Tarts

overhead shot of Cinnamon Roll Wreath

Cinnamon Roll Wreath

 

Fried Onion Petals – Sweet onion is sliced into Fried Onion Petals – Sweet onion is sliced into petals, seasoned, and fried until perfectly crispy. Served with homemade horseradish sauce.

The inspiration for this snack comes from the Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse. Making a whole onion seems so intimidating so I never thought to make it at home. But then the thought came to me – why not fried them in little petals instead? They’re also easier to dip than onion rings.

Without further ado, here are the Fried Onion Petals: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/fried-onion-petals/
Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken – Chicken breasts ar Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken – Chicken breasts are stuffed with a garlic herb goat cheese and pan fried until they are cooked through. These are perfect for fun, yet easy weeknight dinner.

Recipe: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/goat-cheese-stuffed-chicken/
Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies ar Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and baked twice to make them extra crispy and perfect for dunking into your favorite hot beverage.

Biscotti is the dessert I never knew I needed. I discovered them in college when I craved a snack while studying for finals. I bought a biscotti at the library coffee shop and dunked it in my coffee. The cookie that I thought was too crunchy suddenly turn soft and chewy. Yum!

Those memories inspired me to make my own biscotti. First, I made these gingerbread biscotti. And then I made this pistachio version. Now, I’m recreating the biscotti I first had many years ago – Double Chocolate Biscotti.

RECIPE: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/double-chocolate-biscotti/
Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream is filled into a buttery mini tart shell and covered with fresh fruit.

I decided to share a recipe that is (1) perfect to serve during the holidays and (2) absolutely gorgeous to look at. And with that, I present to you my Classic Fruit Tarts!

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/classic-fruit-tarts/
Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese str Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese straw is flavored with fresh rosemary to give them a sophisticated feel.

I am a snacker, through and through. Before meeting my husband and living together, my meals were not planned out and mostly consisted of a lot of small snacks throughout the day. 

Over time, I learned it’s very hard to coordinate meals and get togethers with others when I’m not super hungry so I learned to adapt. But in my core, I am still a snack lover!

Today’s recipe is my newest snack obsession – Rosemary Cheese Straws

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/rosemary-cheese-straws/

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