Last weekend I attended a cookie-decorating party at a friend’s home out in the country…such a great idea for a party, right?  I can’t tell you how fun it was to participate in something as simple as cookie decorating.  Seriously, when is the last time you did that during the holidays?  With so many more pressing tasks always at hand, it’s certainly not anywhere close to the top of our priority lists, and that is precisely why it was so much fun to do.

If you’re looking for a delicious sugar cookie that’s a step up from your basic sugar cookie,  you’ll likely appreciate these Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies I brought to share…they hit the spot for me!

Continue reading “Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies” »

Posted in Holidays, Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

One of my favorite holiday flavors is peppermint.  Unfortunately, my husband is not a peppermint fan, so I don’t usually make a lot of peppermint flavored treats.  But I guess one good thing about having a husband that is working away from home is that you get to make all of your favorites that you wouldn’t normally make!!

I’m a year-round ice cream girl, no matter what the temperature is outside!  So I thought I’d combine some of my favorite flavors and put them over ice cream.  This would be a perfect dessert for a family get together or a festive party.  This is a great way to celebrate the season!

Continue reading “recipe: marshmallow peppermint sauce” »

Posted in Deborah, Holidays, Recipes | 37 Comments »

‘Tis the time of year for cookie exchanges, neighbor gifts, and a party here and there.  Wanting to make a great cookie but not in the mood to experiment with 10 different recipes before finding something you deem worthy to share?  Well, I’ll save you some legwork this month and share with you a book I recommend year round, but particularly during the holidays.

It’s called Martha Stewart’s Cookies: the Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share and it’s fantastic.  Every recipe I’ve tried so far is delicious and there is such a variety of flavors and textures that you can always find something you’re in the mood to make at any given moment.  There are crunchy cookies, soft cookies, colorful cookies, simple cookies, fancy schmancy cookies and filled cookies.  It’s a one-stop shop for any cookie lover and I highly recommend it!

You can find this book at your local bookstore (be sure to call ahead first though!) or on sale on Amazon right now.  Happy Baking!

image by Stephanie Brubaker

Posted in Holidays, Steph B | No Comments »

With just a couple of days until Thanksgiving is here, you’ve probably started thinking about holiday baking, right?  Frankly, it’s difficult not to, with all the pie planning in effect and the holiday issues on the stands at the market.  Truly one of Christmas’s most endearing “qualities” is the baking the holiday inspires.  Is there anything more heartwarming than a baked good on your porch that a friend or neighbor prepared from scratch?

Today I’d like to share some ideas on keeping holiday baking fun and the stress minimal.  After all, there’s little reward when baking feels like drudgery; and, sometimes all it takes is a little organization.  Here it goes:

Continue reading “{Holiday} Baking Prep 101” »

Posted in FYI, Holidays, Steph B | No Comments »

Here comes Easter weekend! Café Zupas has the perfect treat to share this year– Belgian white chocolate-dipped strawberries and chocolate chunk cookies in Easter colors. They’re the perfect thing to make your basket more exciting this year. The beautiful Z Treats packaging makes a great impression as a gift or contribution to Easter dinner with the family. But you don’t need to wait until Sunday to enjoy these treats– pick some up just for fun and share them with your friends. Café Zupas makes chocolate strawberries all year round, but they only come in Easter colors for a few more days! Be sure to stop in and get yours before they’re gone.

Tags: Chocolate Strawberries, Easter
Posted in Holidays, Z Treats | 1 Comment »

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I though I would share a fun last minute Valentine’s treat you could share with those you love.

They are surprisingly simple to make, visually pleasing, and are quite tasty too.  They actually remind me of those chocolate moon pies from my childhood.

Here are the step by step instructions.

Continue reading “recipe: s’more pops” »

Posted in Caroline, Celebrate, Holidays, Recipes | 4 Comments »

If you know Café Zupas, you know that it’s one of the only places you can get a chocolate dipped strawberry any time of year. Our love for (and experience with) all things fresh and delicious inspired a special brand of giftable goodies called Z Treats. Made fresh every day in our restaurants with quality Belgian Chocolate, Z Treats come beautifully packaged and ready to give away, or indulge your own cravings. Either way, it’s how we like to celebrate every holiday, and all the days in-between.

Stop by to get your hands on our Valentine offering: Belgian Chocolate dipped Strawberries, Oreos, Chocolate Chunk cookies and marshmallows done up in a beautiful package – a sure way to earn some points with your Valentine this year.

Tags: chocolate, gifts, strawberries, Z Treats
Posted in Celebrate, Holidays, Seasonal, Z Treats, Zupas | 2 Comments »

{image source}

I thought it would be fun to share what a few utah bloggers love to have in hand as they count down to the new year.  My family will either have a glass of sparkling apple cider or other fruit juice, or something my in-laws call “strawberry drink”, a revamped strawberry lemonade.

what will you be sipping and toasting with this new year’s eve?

Lindsey Johnson from Cafe Johsnonia – shirley temple floats, holiday wassail, or homemade eggnog
Of the shirley temple floats, Lindsey said, “When I was a little girl, I would sleep over at my grandmother’s house and she would make Shirley Temple Floats for us.  They taste great and look pretty.  For a little girl, there was nothing better than a fizzy, creamy, pink drink to share with Grandma.  My girls love these and chances are we’ll be sharing a few on New Year’s Eve this year.”

Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen – diet coke!

Becky Rosenthal from The Vintage Mixer - Mexican hot cocoa (just add some cayenne pepper to your cocoa and it will add a little kick!) Add a little spiced rum in apple cider, which adds a little spice and a little booze, but not too much , or hot buttered rum.

happy new year!

Posted in Celebrate, Holidays, Jen, Recipes | No Comments »

With New Years coming up tomorrow, many of us are thinking of just the right little something to add to the table.

These little savory puff pastries just might be what you are looking for.  They are very simple to make, but will grace any fancy New Years table with style.

The Italian sausage and mushroom combination is dreamy.

Read more for the recipe.

Continue reading “recipe: italian sausage and mushroom puff pastries” »

Posted in Caroline, Celebrate, Holidays, Recipes | No Comments »

It was merely and hour before I needed to be at a christmas party with cookies in hand. I needed a cookie recipe. fast. I turned to my best friend’s family cookbook and found the cookie recipe I needed, a shortbread cookie that calls for seven ingredients everyone should have on hand. And for the record, no one should be without butter. ever. If you forgot that santa loves cookies when he visits your house on Christmas eve, and that Christmas eve is tonight, these just might save you from getting coal in that stocking of yours.

merry christmas! Continue reading “recipe: snowball cookies” »

Posted in Holidays, Jen, Recipes | 2 Comments »