Rustic Blueberry Turnover

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 19 comments

I love dessert. (No surprise there with my wicked sweet tooth & I’m absolutely amazed to say that I am cavity free even with the insane amount of sugar I eat – tee hee.) I’m just not a big fan of slaving all day for it! Here’s where my turnover comes in!

This is one of the easiest desserts you can make. Blueberries are in season right now & are the perfect addition to this turnover but don’t feel you have to be limited to it. You could try peaches, strawberries, plums…oooh even cherries! Go ahead, get creative!

Grilled Peaches & Cream

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 18 comments

This time of year peaches are everywhere! And, as a good Georgia girl I felt it necessary to throw in a peach recipe. I always try to take advantage of the fruits & veggies that are in season & before these peaches start to fade away until next summer, I thought I’d share my favorite way to enjoy them! Grilled!

They’re incredibly luscious & juicy when you throw them on a grill (or grill pan, as in my case). You’re welcome to do these on your grill – I just like the ease & convenience of my grill pan. Plus, I seem to be able to control my grill marks a little better inside. *wink wink*

The Nutella Challenge – Nutella Gelato!

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts, Nutella | 39 comments

I am NUTTY for NUTELLA! Seriously people, Nutella makes me nutty & I’m not ashamed to admit it. LOL!

I have been eating Nutella for over 20 years and never ever get tired of it and don’t imagine I ever will. Last month I posted my Strawberry Nutella Panino and was overwhelmed with the amount of love it received! So many of you commented, emailed & twitted with me about your love for Nutella! Hard to believe a little jar like that could contain such incredible, finger licking goodness (oh yes, you know you dip your finger in the jar too! LOL) isn’t it. All that love got me thinking.

So, I came up with an idea for a monthly Nutella posting to feed my Nutella habit & hopefully yours and The Nutella Challenge was born!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 27 comments

Today is my birthday! Yeah! And because we’re such good friends I’m sharing with you my most FAVORITE special thing to have on my birthday — RED VELVET CAKE! Not just any red velvet cake mind you, my Grandma’s Red Velvet Cake. Okay fair warning, I’m going to get a little sappy here, but hey it is my birthday after all. I’ll try not to do this too often.

Homemade Strawberry Gelato

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 20 comments

Ah, GELATO! NO, it’s not ice cream! It’s gelato (pronounced gel-lot-o)! There is a difference. The taste, the texture, the way it coats your mouth! From the minute I had my first one in Italy oh so many years ago I’ve been hooked! Something about this creamy mixture just sends tingles over my spine. Love Love Love Love Love it!

I had the amazing pleasure of having a best friend in Italy whose parents owned a Bar/Gelatteria (& no, a bar in Italy, isn’t the same thing as a “bar” in the states). This was a definite perk! I loved hanging out there. Watching, learning, eating (yes lots of eating) & of course helping out!

Baby Banana Bread Bundts

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts, Vegetarian | 38 comments

How cute are these? And, they’re insanely delicious. They start with, what else, overripe bananas! Seems this time of year I always have a lot of way too brown for the kids to even think about eating bananas sitting around. As I hate to throw any food away I try to re-purpose, and with bananas that means it’s time for banana bread!

My banana bread is really light & moist. Love it! Normally I make it into loaves but I wanted to shake things up a bit.

Chocolate Orange Mousse Cups

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 28 comments

I am so EXCITED today! I have been wanting to have “company” over to the blog  for a while now. I was waiting on the right time & it has arrived. For our first ever guest post, **drum roll please** I am so happy to introduce you all to KRISTY. My foodie friend & fellow blogger. She has a fabulous food blog called THE WICKED NOODLE. She has created an amazingly decadent & delicious recipe for you all. You’re going to be drooling when you see this one! Please be sure to show her how much we appreciate her stopping by with such a tasty treat by leaving some comment love. 

Not your Nana’s Nana Puddin’

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 46 comments

Warning! This is simply, hands down the BEST banana pudding you will EVER taste! & being from the South, trust me, I have tasted my fair share of banana puddings & am able to say this with complete confidence. This is the one recipe that takes them all!

I have to give credit to my good friend Julie for this recipe. Strangely enough Julie doesn’t even like bananas, so it’s even more incredible & a true testament to her cooking talents. I modified it only slightly because it was seriously that good! I will warn you this is insanely RICH! You’ll be tempted to scoop out a very large dish of this but I’m telling you it’s that RICH so go easy!

Fruit Tart

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 9 comments

This is simply scrumptious & with the addition of fruit I feel slightly less guilty about gobbling up an extra slice (or two). I came up with the idea for this tart after a recent trip to my local restaurant supply store where I picked up a tart pan – among other things (which if you have one nearby & you’re a foodie, or just like kitchen gadgets, you HAVE to go). After making my tiramisu I thought that the filling would be perfect for this. I added a capful of pure vanilla extract to the recipe and it really added another level of flavor to the mixture. Don’t skimp on the vanilla, please be sure to use a PURE vanilla extract. I always use Madagascar vanilla & would highly recommend that brand. I love strawberries & kiwi’s but am sure that other fruits would be equally delicious. You might try using raspberries, or even blueberries to mix things up!

Tiramisu

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 26 comments

This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE dessert & it is no surprise that it just happens to be Italian! Tiramisu literally translates into “pick me up” and it is certainly that. It’s amazingly light & fluffy in your mouth but packs a powerful taste punch. You taste the espresso, a slight hint of Amaretto, the sweet taste of the Mascarpone (& there’s no substituting regular cream cheese here, you HAVE to use the real ITALIAN Mascarpone) and then the ladyfingers.

I use Vicenzovo Ladyfingers by Vicenzi. Here in Raleigh I find them at my favorite specialty grocery The Tipsy Gourmet. If you have a local specialty store check with them. They are NOT the soft “ladyfingers” you might have seen before. The Italian ladyfingers are hard to the touch and have a slight dusting of sugar on top. DELIZIOSI!