This Fresh Herb and Citrus Turkey Brine combines lots of fresh herbs with a subtle hint of citrus. Brining your turkey in this citrus brine will tenderize the meat and infuse it with a TON of flavor for Turkey Day! Save this recipe for  Fresh Herb and Citrus Turkey Brine to Pinterest! Picture this: 17 years …

Easy Homemade Brownies are the perfect quick dessert to whip up at home. They only take a few minutes and totally satisfy your chocolate cravings. Just like the recipe promises, they’re easy (and super fudgy)! Plus, I bet you have all the ingredients on hand. Save this recipe for Easy Homemade Brownies to Pinterest! The …

Christmas is a week away and that about wraps up the 2011 Holiday Recipe Exchange. I hope you all had as good of time as Jamie and I did! This week’s theme is pies: sweet or savory! Holiday Baking means pies, but don’t forget the savory pies – they are great this time of year, …

These Cucumber Feta Rolls are the perfect holiday appetizer! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I really feel like the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season snuck up on me this year. It seems busier than ever and I’m not sure why. Maybe because my kids are getting older, which means more to …

Typically I’m not much of an appetizer person. I’d rather bring a dessert to a Holiday potluck because that’s just more my style. I have a huge sweet tooth and I love to whip up desserts around the holidays. From the moment I tried these Spinach Stuffing Balls when I was over at my friend …

Do you have a favorite vanilla recipe? I hope so, because that is what today’s Holiday Recipe Exchange theme is. While one might typically associate vanilla beans with baking, you can also use vanilla beans for homemade gifting ideas, which is what Jamie and I decided to share today. My Rosemary Mint Sugar Scrub and …

I hope everyone had an enjoyable, delicious, fun-filled Thanksgiving. Now that we’ve gotten through that milestone of the 2011 Holiday season, we can start talking about Christmas cookies! One of our family’s favorite parts about December is baking and decorating Christmas cookies (and listening to Christmas music). Last year we added a new cookie to …

Whipped Cranberry Butter is a great way to use leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving! I promised when I shared my recipe for Cranberry Orange Walnut Relish that I’d share some ideas for using leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving. I already showed you how to make these cute Bite Sized Mini Cranberry Walnut Tarts. Whipped Cranberry …

These Bite Sized Mini Cranberry Walnut Tarts are a quick cranberry walnut tart recipe that will help you use up any leftover cranberry sauce from your Thanksgiving meal. Baking is one of the things that I think everyone likes best about this time of year, so of course Jamie and I had to have a …

We’ve had a cold front come through here in the last week so I am in full on soup mode for our evening meals. I love a big bowl of soup on cold nights, even more so now that it’s dark at 5 pm – not my favorite thing about this time of year. Homemade …

One of our new favorite treats for breakfast or an afternoon snack are these Orange Spice Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Streusel. I love baking with fall spices. They’re so warm and cozy, especially on a cold and windy day like today, and make the house smell so nice. Today’s Holiday Recipe Exchange theme is just …

I found this recipe for Mascarpone Chive Mashed Potatoes in Sunset Magazine a few years ago while waiting in the doctor’s office. I made a mental note of the recipe so that I could look it up when I got home. Mashed potatoes are mixed with creamy mascarpone cheese and plenty of fresh chives for …

I have a questions for you all first because I can never get it straight. Is it a slow-cooker or a crock-pot? What is your preferred verbiage for that favorite, time saving small kitchen appliance? For me, I always call it a crock-pot. One of my favorite time saving methods in the kitchen is to …

Chicken Tetrazzini, sometimes called Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, is a creamy and classic comforting chicken casserole that is perfect for the fall and winter months. Chicken Tetrazzini was one of the first recipes that I cooked for Eric before we were married. After his first bite he was convinced that I was a great cook. It’s …

This recipe for Dark Chocolate Orange Pudding is simple, yet decadent. It features 3 types of chocolate and a hint of orange, proving that pudding is not just for children. Let’s get the first week of the Holiday Recipe Exchange kicked off with our chocolate recipes! Today I’m sharing a scrumptious Dark Chocolate Orange Pudding recipe. …

I’m personally a bit thrilled and freaked out that the holiday season is literally just around the corner. Weren’t we just talking about Picnics and Back to School Snacks? My days as mom sure feel long, but the weeks and months always seem to fly by. And here we are, with the start of the …

One of the first “fancy” meals I remember making for Eric was Chicken Marsala. It really isn’t that hard to make, but at the time I felt fancy. Chicken Marsala was something I’d never eaten growing up, except for maybe once in a restaurant, and I’m pretty sure it was my first experience using wine …

What do you think of when you’re asked to describe what “comfort food” means? I recently had to think about this a bit because Eric said that he had never heard the term prior to knowing me. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is the definition of comfort to me. I have fond memories of enjoying a …

My absolute favorite flavor to pair with chocolate is orange. It always has been. Maybe that comes from receiving a chocolate orange in my stocking each Christmas as a child. Whatever the reason, that flavor combination has stuck with me as a favorite through my childhood and into my adult years. I knew for this …

For a fun, unique twist on gingerbread cut out cookies, try these Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies! About a week ago, Logan came to me with one of his children’s cookbooks. This particular book was a baking book put out by a flour company. He turned to a page with gingerbread boys and with wide eyes asked …

Chocolate Pecan Tarts are a unique way to serve your pecan pie this Thanksgiving. In my opinion, is nothing better than real butter for a pie or tart crust. And there certainly isn’t a Holiday without at least one of those at the dessert table. My recipe for Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping will …

Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without stuffing, don’t you agree? Stuffing seems to often be the big debate this time of year. Everyone has their own family recipe and thinks that their family’s recipe is THE BEST. Growing up we usually had cornbread stuffing with pork sausage. It was our family’s tradition. My husband …

I love vanilla! I don’t think there are many baking recipes that I make that don’t include it in some form. Vanilla extract and vanilla beans are such essential items in your Holiday Baking Spice Cabinet. I’m so excited for to kick off this Holiday Recipe Exchange with this week’s sponsor: Beanilla. I’ve created a …

Thanks so much for expressing interest in the GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction First Annual Holiday Recipe Exchange Series. We have received quite a few inquiries about the swap, so we decided to break it down a little further before the series launches next week. This document is meant to clarify any confusion, but …