4 Simple Cupcake Recipes

Cupcakes are all the rage right now and they have been for quite some time. Cupcakeries are popping up every day, cupcake shows are flooding the television channels, and cupcake flavors are enduring all sorts of fun and flavorful experiments.

Even though there are the traditional cupcake flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, you can now entice your tastebuds with flavors of salted caramel, chocolate ganache, berries, peanut butter, and coconut. When it comes to the possibilities of cupcake flavors, at this point, they are endless.

I do have a slightly embarrassing confession to make. I am a fan of cupcakes but, in all honesty, I thought that the cupcake craze was going to be a phase. Much to my surprise, these cute little things pack quite the punch as they continue to brighten one's day with all sorts of goodness. Whether you're having a good or bad day, celebrating a birthday or a wedding -- one thing is for certain. A cupcake is a great way to bring joy into one's heart and a smile onto one's face.

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Soft and Chewy Cookies

One of the most satisfying things that I can do for myself is to prepare flavorful recipes for others. Nothing brings me more joy than to spend time in the kitchen preparing savory dishes that will fill bellies and sinful desserts that will satisfy a sweet tooth. The aroma that blankets my home from spending time in the kitchen is just an added bonus and it brings so much joy to my heart.

There's just something special about sitting down to enjoy a meal that I prepared, only to look around the table and see family and friends satisfied, happy, and full. Serving desserts that exude childhood memories, fulfill a craving, or shed happiness in someone's day is beyond fulfilling to my soul.

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that will challenge, enlighten, educate, and enhance my cooking knowledge. However, at times, it's those "don't fix something that's not broken" recipes that are always the most comforting, filling, and satisfying.

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6 Simple Cookie Recipes

I have a confession to make. Even though I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, I've become quite the cookie monster lately. Blame it on my love of baking. Blame it on my love to experiment with cookies. Blame it on my love to satisfy my husband's cookie cravings. I keep finding myself perusing the Internet researching cookie recipes, spending time on Pinterest doing cookie photography research, and buying all sorts of goodies at the grocery store to inspire my cookie baking madness.

I was going to bake cookies last night. But, then I decided to raid the cupboard and lo and behold ... what did I find staring back at me? A few purple boxes with the word "Samoas" written all over them. One Samoa ... two Samoas ... three Samoas ... you get the picture. I had enough Samoas to keep me satisfied for quite a while ... until I woke up this morning and felt like baking cookies again. I swear, what is my problem? Mom and Dad, I promise I'm not preggers.

Instead of baking cookies today and indulging in cookies that I don't need to eat as we quickly approach bathing suit season, I decided to share with you my top six favorite cookie recipes. Rather than baking and filling my body with all sorts of unnecessary calories, I'm just going to sit and scroll through these pictures while trying to refrain from licking my screen.

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Tomato and Olive Pasta

I'm not sure where you live but where I live, spring is here. It's here in full force. If you're still snowed in, my sincere apologies for rubbing it in but I just can't contain my excitement. This past week, I put away the winter coats, boats, and sweaters and replaced them with spring jackets, flip flops, and tank tops.

We spent last weekend at the lake house where we had the chance to sit outside, have a bonfire, and catch some sun. This past week, I've tried to spend as much time as possible outside as I caught up on my blog homework (aka researching recipes), enjoying wine with my husband, and photographing recipes. Tomorrow, we plan on spending the entire day outside as we plant flowers, prepare the lawn for the summer, and wrap up the day by the grill as we prepare a fish dish.

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Farfalle Noodle Soup with Carrots, Beans, and Peppers

When it comes to a piping, steaming, hot bowl of soup, count me in for at least one bowl, especially when the bowl is filled with noodles, vegetables, chicken broth, and herbs. There's nothing more comforting, wholesome, and loving than the first bite of noodle soup ... and every bite thereafter.

My love for soup started at a young age. I'm talking very young. Unfortunate or fortunate as this may be ... I can't believe I'm going to admit this ... I looked like a Campbell's Soup kid when I was younger. Big eyes, big cheeks, big love for soup ... yes, I could've fit right in with the other kids. I loved those kids and all of their antics.

Many of my days consisted of eating Campbell's Soup for lunch. I would even take a thermos of it to school. I could not get enough of the wholesome goodness. One of my favorite times to enjoy the soup was when I would come inside after playing in the snow. Being welcomed by a bowl of Campbell's Soup was one of the best ways to warm the hands, nose, and toes. If you can't tell, I ate (and still do eat) soup all the time.

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Strawberry, Pecan, and Mixed Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

There's something that is so refreshing, enjoyable, and beautiful about a salad that is full of fresh vegetables, leafy greens, bountiful fruit, crunchy bits, and flavorful dressing. Don't you agree?

Practically every night my husband and I eat dinner together, we serve a side salad alongside our main entree. When eating dinner with him, our meals are usually meat heavy since he is the grill master. Having a side salad helps us to increase our daily vegetable serving all while adding a bit of flair and freshness to our meals.

Even when I'm not eating dinner with my husband, I always make sure I have salad fixings in the refrigerator and pantry so that I can throw together a salad in minutes. The ability to toss together a salad by adding a few of this and a few of that, I can end my day with a meal that is healthy, satisfy, and flavorful. Plus, I enjoy mixing in a few meatless meals throughout the week to help keep me balanced.

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Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had a dilemma in my kitchen for a few months. A cookie dilemma. I'm a fan of cookies that have a slight crunch to them. Meanwhile, my husband is a major fan of cookies that are soft and chewy. I'm talking completely soft and chewy with no crunch whatsoever.

I've been experimenting with cookies over the past few months as I change up the ingredients, use different baking sheets, adjust the baking time...whatever I did, I noticed that every cookie that came out of the oven wasn't making my husband completely happy. Yes, his sweet tooth was satisfied by soft and chewy cookies after dunking the slightly crunchy cookies in milk. However, I knew that secretly he was craving a cookie that was soft and chewy without the use of milk.

I'm excited to announce the dilemma has ended. How? I got rid of the brown sugar.

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