If you love chocolate and peanut butter, and especially if you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, don't say that I didn't warn you!  

​We had a special birthday to celebrate this weekend, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake is a favorite!  I think of this as the "ultimate" peanut butter cheesecake.  Starting with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Oreo Cookie crust, layered with a rich and smooth peanut butter cheesecake filling, topped with a luscious chocolate ganache, and finally sprinkled with chopped roasted peanuts and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup chunks, this is one that you just need to take one bite of to experience.  And fall in love with!

Summer can never get here fast enough for us!  With all the fun of camping, boating, picnics and backyard grilling and deck parties, it's our favorite time of the year!

​And with Memorial Day being the official kick-off of all things summer, it's time to get out our favorite summer time recipes, get the grills ready to go, and get the party started.  The forecast is for a long, hot and sunny weekend.  Our little town has an old-fashioned Memorial Day Parade, and there will be plenty of time for chilling in the shade with a tall cool glass of homemade Old-Fashioned Lemonade, or making s'mores over some glowing campfire coals after the sun sets.  

​After we had four HUGE trees fall on our house last November, repairs are finally being finished, which means that we can get the patio furniture out, get the deck organized and finally plant the garden.  So many things to do, but it's all good!  And these summertime favorites will be ready for everyone to enjoy throughout the long weekend.  

Weddings are always wonderful, but a Royal Wedding?  Once in a lifetime historical moments!  Lots of thought and planning went into our Royal Wedding Tea Party!  Coverage started at 4:00 a.m., and I was up bright and early, and more than a little excited!  

​So many memories!  While I was busy getting everything finished up the night before, Skipper was kind enough to polish the silver for me...certainly not my favorite thing to do!  I have memories of rubbing the tarnish off my Mom's silver and polishing it up before bridal and baby showers.  Just getting everything ready ahead of time for such an early morning event took a lot of advance planning. 

Getting out my Gram's English tea cup collection was another walk down memory lane.  She had more than 30 completely different and beautiful English teacups and saucers because she always said that having a matched set was "too boring".  We were having the hardest time picking out our favorites, so eventually I just paired them up and let everyone pick out their own special cup for the morning.  And for those of you wondering if a tea party is just too old fashioned or too much work, I can't begin to tell you how excited all of my kiddos were for this!

Any good Tea Party needs to start with some good tea (and coffee).  I picked up a selection of English Breakfast tea, herbal teas and fruit teas, just to be sure that I had everyone's favorite.  Although my mighty Keurig gets a workout everyday with a variety of coffee, there is something just a little bit special about picking out your favorite tea cup, tea bags and taking the time for it to steep.  Lemon slices, honey, and sugar, on the side is about as easy as it gets!  

​A selection of orange juice, apple juice and fruit juice made the little ones happy - and thanks to Great Gram, luckily we had little tiny, itty-bitty tea cups for them so that they felt like they were part of the party too.  

​Of course, it was all about mimosas and Peach Bellinis later in the morning!  

Making the fillings for the tea sandwiches was easy enough to do ahead of time - fresh bread from the bakery and some cocktail bread made quick work of putting these together.  So many long-time recipes to pick from that it was hard to choose a favorite!  Being that this was a royal wedding tea, however, meant that I had to make some Coronation Chicken Salad - it's a tradition!

I thought that everyone would be crazy about the tea cakes and tarts as well, and they were a hit. Like everything else, I wanted to keep the finger sandwiches and sweets tiny and cute - no more than 2 or 3 bites each.  That way no one felt guilty munching throughout the morning with their favorites or trying new things.  

Television coverage started at 4:00, and the wedding began promptly at 7:00.  We had an absolutely sunny and glorious morning watching this, and like all of the other royal weddings that I have enjoyed over the years, this one was memory-filled as well - it was amazing how much fun we all had.  Everyone was pretty much in pajamas for the event, but hats and fascinators were LOTS of fun!  And with the Preakness Stakes later in the day, with everything made ahead of time, I could actually relax and enjoy the entire day of events!
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​We had so much fun at our Royal Tea Party - it really was worth the time and effort.  Hope you were able to share the moment as well, but I'm sharing all of our favorite recipes so that you can give them a try for your next tea party, baby or bridal shower.  My daughter Chantel is getting married later this year, and I can already see a Garden Tea in our future!  So much fun!

We've got so many fun and fancy things going on this Spring!  And I always try to make something special for each event, something memorable, something wonderful!  Throw in some confetti and rainbow sprinkles?  Even more special!

​Yes, you can certainly make angel food cake from a box mix, or even pick up a ready-baked one in a tinfoil tin at the grocery store - but who knows just how long those have been sitting there on the shelf?  And both are loaded with preservatives, and let's face it, they are just tough and kind of "blah...."

Once you take one bite of this fluffy and light-as-air homemade version, you'll never go back!  Like spun sugar or cotton candy, but with a perfect pure vanilla and almond flavor, and loaded with rainbow sprinkles in every tender and chewy bite.  Who doesn't want a bite of this?​

The first time I ever tried Coronation Chicken Salad, I was just a little girl, enjoying her first fancy tea party with my Gram.  Over the years, both she and my Mom would serve this special chicken salad at garden teas, bridal showers and baby showers.  And I looked forward to it every time!

​As the story goes, this Coronation Chicken Salad was first created in honor of and served to Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation luncheon.  The mango chutney (Major Grey Chutney is the brand I use) and curry powder were a nod to India as a British colony.  One taste and you'll see why this was such a fabulous success!  

​Hosting my own "Royal Wedding Tea Party" this year, I pulled out this old family-favorite recipe and made it for my five daughters.  They love it as much as I did when I was little!

Guys...Let me introduce you to a sandwich that is going to rock your world!  Meet Barbecue Maple Bourbon Pulled Pork Sliders...sandwich perfection!  You'd think that the most perfectly seasoned and spicy barbecued pulled pork would be enough, but we had to take it to the next level!  Celebrating both the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo made for one seriously wonderful food mash-up for us.  
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​Start with a fresh artisan sandwich roll, toast it up all golden.  Add a couple of Vlassic Stackers Dill Pickles on the bottom - this isn't even optional!  Melt a couple slices of provolone cheese, and add a thick layer of tender, melt-in-your-mouth barbecued maple bourbon sauced-up pulled pork.  Top with the thinnest slices of red onion, and then it's time for some magic.  Drizzle with warm Queso Cheese Sauce.  Cover it up all nice and high, wrap your hands around it, and prepare to swoon!  

Honestly, I don't think I've been this excited about a wedding in a long time!  Thanks to my VERY English grandmother, I'm an admitted Anglophile. I remember getting up early in the morning to watch Princess Di's wedding, and then early for Prince William & Kate MIddleton's wedding.  Windsor Castle, the horse-drawn carriages, and the first look at the wedding dress...the tiara, and the flowers.  And that wonderful LONG walk down the aisle with processional music that just takes your breath away.  The royal pomp and all of the history...the fairy tale perfection...I love it all!

We lost my sweet Gram last November, but I'll be celebrating with her in spirit.  She collected English teacups and saucers on her many trips to Europe, and we'll be using those for our Royal Wedding Tea on Saturday morning.  Such sweet memories of all of the tea parties I had with her growing up and through the years.  

​Coverage of the wedding starts at 4:00 a.m., and that's a little early for Bellinis and Mimosas, but we'll be enjoying those later in the morning.  I'll also be sharing some of our favorite tea party and bridal shower foods throughout the morning.  Pajamas - probably.  Fancy hats or fascinators - optional.  Fun with my girls and lots of memories?  Absolutely!  I'll be sharing more of our tea time favorites throughout the week, so make sure to come back and visit!

There are moments when I wonder if I truly have too many recipes...too many cookbooks...

​And then I remember an old favorite recipe, and realize that it's all good!  This crazy simple Deviled Ham Salad is a recipe that both my Mom and my Gram used to make all the time.  And every single time that I make it, my family just goes BONKERS!  Whether you call it Deviled Ham Salad or Deviled Ham Salad Spread, it's all good.  Perfect on sandwiches or rolled up in wraps, or as an appetizer served with crackers.  It's always the first thing to disappear when I put it out!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!   On Sunday we're going to celebrate all the Moms in our life - the journey of womanhood. 

From little girls loving their baby dolls, to women trying so hard to be mamas, mothers-to-be, mamas of sweet babies and crazy teenagers, sweet mamas that do it all by themselves, moms to babies with challenges, mothers to angel babies, mamas that adopt and step-parent, and all the sweet women that love our babies like their own.  We celebrate all the moms that raised their sweet children to be wonderful people, to be loving and thoughtful spouses and parents, and especially for the blessing of our own babies that are now mamas themselves. We are thankful for all the special sisters, aunts and sisterhood friends that just keep us all sane and laughing!  And always, always with loving memories of the wonderful moms and grandmothers that are no longer with us.  

We're hoping for a sunny and warm weekend for our annual Mother's Day Brunch, but even if it rains, we're going to have fun!  With so many ways to celebrate the Moms in our lives, here is a roundup of some of our favorite Mother's Day Brunch recipes.  Some simple enough for little ones to help with, others simple enough to make the night before.  Some fresh, some decadent!  All of them favorites!

Have you ever seen a more gorgeous, more perfect classic cheesecake?  Drizzling the top with homemade Fresh Blueberry Sauce and crowned with plump and juicy dark blueberries, this tastes even more wonderful than it looks.  I know.  Hard to believe - but just ONE bite, and you'll be in love too!

​Blueberries are just so easy to work with, which is nice because I have a house full of blueberry lovers!  A quick rinse in cool water, no stems, no seeds, no muss and no fuss - just plain purple gorgeousness.  I really load up the top with a ton of fresh blueberries, because, why not?  Who doesn't love delicious fresh blueberries in every single bite of creamy and perfect cheesecake?

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite memories is of my Mom reading "Blueberries for Sal" to me, over and over again.  I could never get enough of this wonderful classic childhood story of a little girl picking blueberries with her Mum and encountering a wild bear on the side of the mountain, and I could NEVER get enough fresh blueberries!  What made it even more special were the times that she would take me berry picking in the springtime.  And I was ALWAYS on the lookout for bears!  

​One of my favorite things to make with fresh blueberries is this crazy good Fresh Blueberry Sauce.  Homemade is always the best, and this perfectly flavored and chunky sauce is perfect on just about everything - pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, ice cream, oatmeal, yogurt, or simply by the spoonful!  So simply and easy to make, you need to make this right now with your little ones!

It is so hard to know where to start with the celebrating this month!  How often do the Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo and finally some sunny and warm weather all line up?  We've moved straight from winter into summer - snow and toasty fireplaces on the weekend to incredibly sunny and warm 80 degree temps today!  

​Derby day has always been special to me, and we celebrate it with style every year.  We just have to have our favorite traditional Derby recipes and lots of mint juleps!  And if you have an oversized hat to wear - all the better!  Picking our favorite horses and jockeys, some friendly wagering, it's all fun!  We'll have to celebrate Cinco de Mayo another day...  Truth be told, we've got so much more celebrating to squeeze in this month - Mother's Day, a Royal Wedding, and a very important college graduation!

From the time that I was a little girl, I have loved everything about horses and horse racing.  Beginning with the Kentucky Derby each year, the fun is listening to the background stories and picking out our favorite horses, jockeys and owners, and then HOPEFULLY watching our favorite horse ride to triple crown glory!  My Kelsey still loves to watch all of the races with me, and we try to make an afternoon of it with pretty drinks to sip on and our favorite Derby food.  

​One of our favorite drinks to sip on are these beautiful Lavender Mint Juleps.  With just a touch of vanilla and hint of enchanting lavender fragrance from a simple lavender syrup, these are perfect for Kentucky Derby, Belmont or Preakness parties...the perfect springtime drink, and almost too pretty to drink! 

Have you ever had a bite of something that was so different, so special, or so addictive that you just can't stop?  Let me introduce you to Brown Sugar Derby Pecans - sure to be your new favorite friend!

​If you love pecans, roasted and glazed with the most perfect browned butter and brown sugar, you are going to LOVE these!  Just a touch of vanilla and a hint of fresh rosemary make these perfect for Kentucky Derby parties, or just for something special to munch on with a tall summer drink...