holiday favorite

CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

styled shot of two Irish Cream Pots de Creme topped with whipped cream on top of a cloth napkin with a spoon next to it and a bowl of espresso beans in the background, shot from a side angle

Irish Cream Pots de Creme

dessert· Valentine's Day

Irish Cream Pots de Creme – Creamy Irish Cream custard made with heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor.  French desserts are some of my favorite desserts to make, not only because they are rich and delicious but because how relatively simple the recipes are. Most French pastries and desserts are made with few ingredients (less than…
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stacked pistachio macarons in a container with shelled pistachios next to them, shot from a side angle

Pistachio Macarons

Cookies· dessert· Popular Recipes

Pistachio Macarons – Nutty, fancy little French macarons made with freshly chopped pistachios and filled with an homemade pistachio buttercream Welcome to March everyone! When thinking of the first recipe that I wanted to feature this month, my mind kept thinking “green.” Without fail, once March comes around, I start thinking about green recipes. I must subconsciously associate march with…
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a plate of Easy Banana Cake with a bite out of it and a fork on it with another plate of cake and a banana and a cloth napkin underneath it, shot from a side angle

Easy Banana Cake

cake· dessert· Easter· Popular Recipes

Easy Banana Cake – A moist, dense banana sheet cake topped with homemade cream cheese frosting.  Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake. Today’s recipe is all about cake. But not just any cake – banana cake. I was intrigued about this Easy Banana Cake recipe when I stumbled upon it on one of my favorite food blogs. The blogger had…
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a slice of Mocha Brownie Pie with a bite out of it on a plate with a pie in the background with chocolate chips sprinkled around it, shot from a side angle

Mocha Brownie Pie

bars and brownies· dessert· Easter· pie· Valentine's Day

Mocha Brownie Pie – Gooey chocolate pie with a hint of espresso and topped with homemade espresso whipped cream I hope you’re ready. Ready for the most insane dessert I’ve had in a very long time – homemade or store-bought. This Mocha Brownie Pie caught me off-guard. I was just making a new pie recipe, thinking it would be a…
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two bowls of Chinese hot & sour soup on top of a cloth napkin, shot from a side angle

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

pork entrees· soup

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup – Comforting Chinese soup, loaded with pork and mushrooms and spiced with garlic chili sauce and rice wine vinegar to give it a delicious hot & sour flavor. Soup, soup, soup. I love soup. And when it’s cold outside, there’s nothing like a warm, comforting soup to make everything alright. In honor of the huge…
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a plate of Vanilla Bean Morning Buns with a cup of coffee and a baking sheet with a wire rack and more buns in the background, shot from a side angle

Vanilla Bean Morning Buns

breakfast· doughnuts and sweet rolls· Easter· pastries

Vanilla Bean Morning Buns – Puff pastry rolled into a bun with vanilla bean sugar, a hint of cinnamon, and baked until puffed and golden brown.  There are so many things I unexpectedly learned from my college job at Starbucks – (1) what to drink when I need the most caffeine possibly, (2) there is not enough fat in half…
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Dulce de Leche Mousse in a dish topped with a cookie on a platter, shot from a side angle

Dulce de Leche Mousse

dessert

Dulce de Leche Mousse – Rich dulce de leche custard is folded into fresh whipped cream to make a light and fluffy sweet treat Happy Valentine’s Day! On this magical, chocolate-filled holiday, you’d think I’d have something ultra-decadent to share with you all. And you’d be right! But it’s not something chocolatey. Nope. But I promise you – it’s just…
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