Garlic Rosemary White Bean Dip
When I first saw this recipe I just knew I had to try making it. Alex and I both absolutely love hummus and I figured this bean dip would be close to that. I was right and it was a huge hit at the parties I served it at. Apparently I forgot to photograph the finished product, however this recipe is too amazing not to share with you!This dip is a fantastic blend of garlic, rosemary and pepper. I found this bean dip best after a day or two sitting in the fridge. I found the flavors had mixed together creating a better blend than the day I served it immediately after making it. I highly suggest making this a day or two in advance of your party so the flavors have time to blend together.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:161]Source: Adapted from Annies-Eats
This is another classic recipe that I really wanted to find a gluten free option for. While I don’t actually like this dish, I wanted to have a gluten free option for my blog readers. This recipe takes the basic casserole recipe and just substitutes gluten free options.I found 
Once you know how to make butternut squash it is super easy to make it again and again. We love to have squash, especially with large meals. This particular recipe we served for the last large family dinner we hosted.This recipe errs slightly on the spicy side. I personally don’t like this combination of spices, but Alex and his family really did. This is a great recipe to try if you like spicy food. You can amp up the chili powder if you’d like it spicier, or you can lighten it up of you want something less.Squash is super easy to make, the longest part is the time in the oven. It is best to serve it straight out of the oven so it is piping hot. I find it best to poke the squash with a fork to see when it’s done. If it is done the squash will be very soft and pliable.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:159]
I found out this Christmas season that Alex likes eggnog, like a lot. This surprised me because we’ve been married now for 2.5 years and together for almost 5. In all that time I never knew he loved eggnog. I didn’t even know he liked it. These cupcakes were a spur of the moment decision to make. I figured that I would combine a flavor Alex loves with cupcakes and see how it turned out.With such a divisive flavor I received mixed reviews on these cupcakes, but the general consensus was that if you like eggnog, you’ll like these. I hate eggnog flavor so I didn’t try them. However, Alex did give them high marks, especially the frosting.
I also had mixed reviews on the inclusion of the candied fruit. Some people absolutely loved it, other could have done without it. It is entirely up to you if you want to include it. The candied fruit adds another dimension to the cake so its not quite so bland. I found these in the baking section of my local grocery. They were under the fruitcake baking section. You should be able to find them at any normal sized market in the baking aisle.
Not only have I included eggnog in the cupcakes I have also created a frosting full of eggnoggy goodness. I actually did these two different ways, one was with the buttercream frosting as shown in the recipe below. The other was with an eggnog glaze that I accidentally added too much imitation rum extract to (see above photo). I got better reviews with the buttercream which is why I decided to post that version of the recipe. If you’re interested in just a simple topping you can combine small amounts of eggnog, powdered sugar and imitation rum extract to make a glaze you generously drizzle over top the cupcakes.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:158]Source: Cake adapted from 
I know I’ve said this before, but when I cook a large meal I tend to run out of oven and/or stove burner space. I also don’t seem to have time for futzy-putzy dishes. I decided this last time around to try making mashed potatoes in a crockpot. This not only saved me time, it kept me from using a burner on the stove and they turned out amazing!These were fantastic mashed potatoes. Since they cook for such a long time with a ton of moisture they are amazingly soft and smushy when you go to mash them. I highly suggest using a potato masher or a hand mixer to mash these. It will save you a lot of time and energy when you probably don’t have much to spare.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:157]
These are another fantastic appetizer just like the 
When you’re cooking a giant meal the last thing you need is to run out of space in the oven. I always run into this problem with a big meal so I decided to try and make as many things in the crockpot as I could the last time we had family over. We have two different sized crockpots and a large roaster so this is a viable option for us.Stuffing is a huge part of any family holiday celebration and since I was trying to make an entirely gluten free Christmas feast the stuffing had to be included. I had two loaves of Udi’s bread that had been sitting in my freezer for several months and I decided it was time to make use of them. I find Udi’s too dry to eat by itself so I was saving it for an occasion such as this.The other large alteration I made to this stuffing recipe was to cook it in a crockpot. Although this didn’t give the crispy crust some people love it did work well. If you’re really concerned about a crispy top you can always stick the finished product under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up right before you serve it.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:155]Source: Adapted from: Food Network Magazine, November 2015
I love this pie, it is probably my favorite pie of all time. I have fond memories of my Dad making these the morning of any holiday that contained a family gathering. I have really never found any pumpkin pie that compares to this one.This pie is super quick and easy. Personally, I prefer to use prepared pie crusts since (imho) the effort you put into making your own isn’t worth the end result. This makes the recipe even easier. If you need a gluten free option simply replace the pie crust with a gluten free one and you’re all set! It’s entirely gluten free.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:154]
Alex asked me the other week to make a new wild rice soup. He said he wanted it to be full of wild rice, no chicken and really cheesy. I said ok, and came up with this recipe! I wanted to combine several hearty ingredients to make a thick, chunky chowder that he would enjoy. I think you’ll like this recipe as much as we did!This is a seriously thick soup. Between the cheese and regular creaminess of a wild rice soup this ends up being SO creamy and thick! The chunky vegetables perfectly compliment the wild rice and potatoes. I used crumbled bacon in this recipe because I didn’t have any ham or beef chunks pre-prepared. Alex said he really enjoyed that, but he wouldn’t want it every time. I highly suggest using cubed ham if you have it on hand.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:153]
We threw a New Years’ Eve party and I saw this recipe in my issue of The Food Network Magazine. I thought they would be the perfect appetizer to serve. This recipe is very easy to make and will really impress your guests.I wasn’t sure about the ingredient combination on these, but people absolutely raved about these when they tried them. You will want to use a very spicy sausage. The spicier the sausage used, the better the final product. Since you don’t include a lot of other spices, most of the flavor in this dish comes from the sausage you end up using.You will really want to use prepared Phyllo shells for this recipe. Phyllo dough is incredibly difficult to make since it requires a lot of careful steps. You can typically find Phyllo dough in the frozen food section of your local grocery store.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:152]Source: Adapted from: The Food Network Magazine, December 2015
Alex has been asking me to figure out how to make Chicken Pot Pie for ages now. I figured it was finally time to make his “dream” become reality. However, I wanted to be able to eat too so I decided to make some minor alterations to make this recipe gluten free.This recipe is WAY easy! As long as you have cooked the chicken before you go to make this recipe you can go from nothing to dinner in less than 45 minutes. I would highly suggest using shredded chicken instead of cubed. The shredded would give a better consistency in my opinion.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:151]Source: Adapted from 
I randomly decided to make this pie one day when Alex and I didn’t want a whole pan of brownies left over. I was still in the peppermint mood and decided to make this pie minty fresh! It is really amazing…it tastes like a chocolate candy cane and the brownie part is so light and fluffy.This is perfect for a small dinner party or even if you just need a special dessert to have all to yourself. It is pretty quick and very easy to make. The best part is that even though the brownie is pretty thick it is soft and delicious in the middle. The secret is the sour cream you add to the mixture. It make sure the brownie stays soft and pliable no matter how long it sits on the calendar. This is really a dessert you don’t want to miss![amd-yrecipe-recipe:150]Source: Adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring – Nicole Hunn
My Mom loves cheesecake and we have a tradition of making her one every year on her birthday. However, I really wanted to make something new and with my sister being lactose intolerant I figured making a dairy-free cheesecake would be the perfect birthday cake for my Mom!I found dairy-free cream cheese at Trader Joes. I was worried about the taste since I’ve never worked with it before but all my concerns were for nothing. This was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever made. My brother even said he couldn’t really tell the difference between a real cheesecake and this one, and the rest of my family was SUPER impressed with the taste.This is a super rich, chocolaty cheesecake that is sure to please the whole family. It would be absolutely perfect for a New Year’s Eve party with friends even if they’re not dairy free! You can make this recipe Vegan by substituting some form of egg-substitute for the egg. Everything else is already vegan! I chose not to make this substitution since we can all digest eggs and none of us are vegan.
[amd-yrecipe-recipe:149]Source: Adapted from 
I made these cupcakes to compliment my other 
Wow! The last week and a half have been crazy for me! I had several wonderful Christmas themed posts that I never got around to posting because I was out of town and then I got sick. But I’m back home and life is WAY less crazy and I think I may be on the mend. So here’s to regularly posting again!!!I made these cupcakes for Alex’s Holiday potluck at work a few weeks ago. I really wanted a cupcake that embraced the flavors of the season and since I’d already done peppermint I decided gingerbread was the perfect idea. I paired these cupcakes with a very plain vanilla cream cheese frosting. I didn’t want the frosting to overwhelm the cupcakes in any way.These all received overwhelmingly positive reviews! Alex said he even had trouble getting one of these, and when he did it was the last one. These would be a fantastic idea for a Christmas, Holiday or New Year’s Eve party.
[amd-yrecipe-recipe:147]Source: Adapted from 
I decided it was high time to make some Christmas flavored cupcakes. I settled on making two different types of peppermint cupcakes both with white chocolate icing. Today’s cupcakes are peppermint cupcakes with crushed peppermint candies with white chocolate peppermint buttercream.I took these to a board meeting and everyone loved them! They are chock full of lovely peppermint flavor and the buttercream on top is super light and fluffy. These cupcakes would be the absolute perfect complement to any Christmas celebration.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:146]Source: Cake adapted from Kiss my Bundt – Chrysta Wilson
This recipe is a holiday tradition in my family. As long as I can remember this has been served at every single family holiday gathering. I have no idea where this recipe originated, Mom or an Aunt, any idea who introduced this recipe? I have to admit to you, I actually can’t stand this recipe. However, I’ve started making it for Alex’s family gatherings because it doesn’t feel like a holiday if this isn’t on the table.The nuts in the recipe are completely optional. My Mom makes it both ways when she brings it to a family gathering since one of my cousins doesn’t like it with the nuts. It is entirely up to you if you want to add them. I had maple candied pecans on hand so that’s what I used, you can use walnuts too if you like.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:145]
Last week I was a very bad blogger. We were in Tech for The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, a Community Theatre show I am directing. I’ve barely been home in the last few weeks so last week I had to go awol as a blogger since I didn’t have time to post anything! Well, we’ve made it through the first weekend of shows, and I finally have time to do other things.Today’s recipe is actually something Alex found and adapted. Since I haven’t been home much in the last couple weeks he’s been having to make his own dinner most nights. This is one of the recipes he came up with! I asked if I could steal it and post since it was SO easy!While Alex paired this with a spice rice you can definitely serve it over plain white rice if you prefer. Alex really loves spicy food, so he created this amped up rice recipe. He said it was the absolute best part of the dinner![amd-yrecipe-recipe:144]
