A Sweet Start to the New Year.

I apologize for my lack of sweetness these past few weeks. I was, like most people, swamped during the holidays. Between driving to St. Louis for Thanksgiving, Christmas parties, flying to Colorado for Christmas, and ringing in the New Year with fabulous friends, there wasn't a lot of time to stop and take pictures of the things that were going on in my kitchen. But that doesn't mean I wasn't busy...

For Christmas parties, I made:

Chocolate Peppermint Bark. SO Easy, and definitely a crowd pleaser. Ingredients needed: 2 bags of white chocolate chips, 1 bag of milk chocolate chips, and some crushed up candy cane pieces. I will for sure make this again next year! For the "recipe" (I put it in quotes because it is ridiculously easy) go here.

Jalapeno poppers. I made these for three different parties, and for every one, they were a hit. I surprised myself by making these, because I am normally not a hot-and-spicy kind of girl. But I'm glad I did. When you take the seeds out of the peppers (which contain most of the oils in the jalapeno that make it so spicy) you use a lot of the spiciness, yet still maintain the distinct flavor of the pepper. **Note: when de-seeding your peppers, wear gloves. You and your fingers will be sorry if you don't!

Although the recipe I used didn't call for bacon, I would definitely add 1/2 a strip to at least half of your poppers. Make sure that after baking, you broil them for a least 10 minutes to get the bacon crispy and the cheese brown. To make these tasty poppers, go here.

For Christmas gifts, I made:

Dustin and I tried to be nicer to our wallets this year during the holidays, and decided to make something special for our friends and family. And seriously, who does not love a jar full of cookie mix? I got the idea from this website, but changed it from quick bread to oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I added all the dry ingredients and printed up cute labels for the recipes (the picture above is NOT my handiwork...like I said before, I didn't take any pictures of my creations). The end result was a pretty, colorful, layered jar of goodness!

As we head into 2012, I am excited for what is in store for me and my baking. I got lots of baking goodies for Christmas (flour sifter, dough blender, springfrom pans, new cookie sheets, baking cookbook, cupcake liners) and can't wait to start using them!

Also, if you live in the Nashville area, and are suffering from an insatiable sweet tooth, let me know! With all my "experimenting," Dustin and I currently have enough treats to feed a T-Ball team!

Keep an eye out for an AMAZING chocolate cupcake recipe coming soon!