Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

These simple gingerbread cupcakes are light and tender and topped with a flavorful orange buttercream frosting!

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and got to spend some time relaxing with family and friends. This is my first post of 2018, one that I had hoped to have done much sooner. The holidays were so busy and this past week was absolutely nuts at work. I feel like I didn't have much time to breathe! The last few weeks I've really been reflecting on this past year and wanted to share a little bit with you. 

I had much success and many wonderful opportunities in 2017. Cooking, baking, sharing my recipes with you, connecting with and building relationships with some wonderful brands. I went on a few amazing trips and got to meet new friends and see old friends as well. If you follow me on social media then you may have seen my posts about my trip to Cleveland with the American Dairy Association Mideast back in October. It was definitely one of the highlights of my year and I had so much fun learning, playing, and eating tons of good food!

Apricot Linzer Cookies

These beautiful, buttery almond shortbread cookies are sandwiched between a light and fresh apricot jam. 

These classic Linzer cookies are perfect for any of your spring special occasions!

Spring has sprung and with it comes a couple of my favorite special occasions - Easter and Mother's Day! I celebrate both days with my family and love to host dinner and serve light and fresh dishes. Of course we can't forget about dessert, and these Apricot Linzer Cookies are at the top of my baking list! Linzer cookies are a classic cookie, originating in Austria. They are typically made during the holidays, but I love to make them all year round for special occasions. While the recipe has a few steps, it's nothing too difficult and the cookies are absolutely worth it.

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Celebrate spring with these delicious Raspberry Crumb Bars! This easy to make dessert has a buttery crust and topping, with plenty of fresh raspberries in between, and gets finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar. Dessert perfection!

Now that spring has finally arrived I'm really into fruity desserts. To me, citrus fruits and berries = warm weather. Not that you can't enjoy these things in the winter, but something about them makes me extra happy in the spring and summer. After making these Raspberry Crumb Bars I was ready to break out my flip flops and go sit on my deck! Maybe not just yet, but soon.

The combination of buttery dough, reminiscent of shortbread, and sweet raspberries makes these bars one of the best desserts I've ever had. The bars are extra soft and full of flavor, and super easy to make. Plus they can feed a crowd, so they're perfect for any spring gatherings, Easter, or a summer barbecue (once the time is right).

Simple Chocolate Truffles

These decadent Simple Chocolate Truffles are smooth and creamy and so simple to make. 
These beautiful candies would make a delightful addition to your dessert tray!

Happy February! I can't believe I actually just said that. Where did January go? It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated the New Year! Anyway, now that February is in fact here, there is one thing that's on my mind...Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day because of the treats. Does that surprise you? You can always count me in when there is food involved, especially sweets! To get you ready for the big day, I'll be sharing some simple desserts with you over the next week or so. First up are these decadent chocolate truffles! 

Creamy Parmesan Risotto

This rich, flavorful, and creamy Parmesan risotto takes a little time to make, but the results are worth it!

Whenever I dine out at a nice Italian restaurant I tend to order the risotto. Up until just recently, that was really the only time I ate it because I didn't make it at home. For some reason I was scared to make it, thinking I would somehow mess it up. I always heard people say it could turn out gummy and not creamy, so that scared me away from trying.

Several months ago I finally decided to stop being a chicken and go for it. I figured, what do I have to lose? So I made an asparagus risotto at my parents house and I have to say it turned out pretty well. Probably not my best, but it was still good. A couple of weeks ago I gave it another shot, went with a nice creamy and cheesy Parmesan risotto, and the results were fantastic.

Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad

A cool and creamy pasta salad with a southwestern kick!

This post is sponsored by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. All opinions are my own.  

The beginning of June not only signals the start of summer, but it also kicks off BBQ and picnic season! If your family is anything like mine, many weekends will be spent on the grill flipping some burgers or dogs, or maybe even at the beach or the park with a picnic basket in tow. 

We all have our favorite dishes to whip up for these occasions, but it's nice to have a few new recipes as well. That's where my Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad comes in. My kids love pasta salad, but I always made it the traditional way, Italian style. I decided to switch things up on them with this version, made with a yogurt dressing instead of oil, and filled with lots of great veggies and protein. 

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

A fresh and healthy spring salad, perfect as a light meal or side dish!

This post is sponsored by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. All opinions are my own. 

The first sign of spring is always so exciting. Not only because everything is blooming and the temps are warmer, but I love the fresh produce this time of year. My mind immediately turns to healthier meals made with the freshest seasonal ingredients.

As you know by now from reading my blog, I bake A LOT. Baking is my passion, although I love to cook as well. I make dinner almost every night of the week and most everything I make is homemade. Over the past few years I've really tried to cut out processed foods to keep my family healthy. So although I'm a sweets freak and love baking treats, we do eat pretty healthy meals.

Mitten Moms Conference

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Mitten Moms Conference on behalf of the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM). (And I'm sending a special shout out to the UDIM for sponsoring my attendance!) There were five bloggers that were part of the UDIM team and we all had an amazing time.

This was my first time attending Mitten Moms, actually it was first blogger conference ever! I learned so much, met some amazing bloggers, as well as some pretty cool sponsors, and just had a great time overall.

The conference was held at the Adoba Hotel in Dearborn, MI. I was highly impressed with the hotel overall. We had great accommodations and the hotel staff was very attentive to our needs during our entire stay.

Liz from The Lemon Bowl gave a fantastic cooking demo during the conference, and shared with us three amazing no-cook breakfast ideas. 

These Overnight Refrigerator Oats were the bomb!