Festive Cranberry Apple Tea Ring

 

I love baking from Red Star Yeast's collection of recipes. They are always clear, well tested recipes that have always turned out for me. They have so many great recipes to choose from too and I love finding things that I haven't tried before. I've definitely made tea rings before but this was a new combination that was perfect for Christmastime. It has a festive collection of apple, cranberries, orange and walnuts throughout the dough that creates a beautiful loaf that would be perfect for sharing with friends and family.

Mardi Gras King Cake

It's that time of year again to celebrate Mardi Gras! When we lived in New Orleans we loved going to the family friendly parades and watching the kids (and adults) gather as many beads and gifts as they possibly could. With the snow packed up higher than our cars here in Minnesota this year, it's hard to imagine that we were somewhere else this time of year enjoying the warmth of a late evening out at the parade.

Olive Oil Gingersnaps

As much as I like the intricate and more difficult cookies and baked goods around the holidays, sometime you just need a good simple cookie to whip up for a last minute party or event. These gingersnaps are those cookies. They're perfect all year round and are some of my favorite cookies.

Super Pecan Caramel Rolls

We survived Thanksgiving and now the mad rush of holidays has begun. I love this time of year and everything that goes with it, especially the food. With more days off from work it means more days I get to make breakfast at home too. We do so many breakfast for dinner nights, it's not like we are lacking for breakfast items but it's just more fun eating it when it's actually for breakfast.

Finnish Easter Bread

For our kids, sleeping in is if they make it to 6:30 in the morning. None of our kids have ever slept in and I'm not sure they ever will until they become teenagers and we no longer need them too. We have taught them to get up quietly at least and so they aren't typically running around screaming. At least until 7:00.

I'm always looking for a good bread that can be made for those holiday mornings where you get up early and want to have something freshly made to enjoy for breakfast. Easter is coming up and if you've got kids, it's not likely you're going to be sleeping in any way, so wake up early and get this bread going.

Jalapeno, Sage and Orange Roasted Turkey

Are you ready for the main course? I'm not done with my Thanksgiving series quite yet but I know that people are starting to research how they want to cook their bird this year so I thought I better get this out there.

Last year, I researched a lot about cooking turkey and I ended up merging three different recipes and methods from some of my favorite people; Alton Brown, Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay. I'm sure if they ever got in a room together they would have come up with this on their own, but I went ahead and did it for them anyway. The end result is a turkey that's brined and then cooked with an herb rub that not only flavors the meat but makes some of the best gravy I have ever had. I've made it three times now and each time it's juicy and flavorful and just different enough to be fun and give people something different to try.