Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

Photo by Katie Kay

Okay, okay, you asked for it!  Literally.  Tammy, this is mostly for you.  I found this recipe when I was trying to come up with a non-cake dessert for a friend's birthday.  And since we all know my three favorite things to toss down the hatch are wine, peanut butter, and chocolate, this was a no-brainer.  The gooey brownies, imperfect broken chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, creamy peanut butter, the sweet caress of chocolate pudding and whipped cream...

Spicy Corn Dip

Photo by Katie Kay

I've been cooking.  I really have, but not nearly as much as I used to and I definitely haven't been photographing or sharing recipes.  Honestly, life has been exhausting and for the first time in the past 10 years I feel like I can barely keep up.  I'm looking forward to summer when my commute is better due to lighter traffic and the kids don't have hours of homework every night.  
Still, some things remain constant.  My loving family is still my priority, and cooking in my kitchen with a glass of wine is still my happiest place in the world.  (Tonight's wine:  Educated Guess.)
Dips and desserts are my favorite things to make, and I have a plethora of new ones to share with you!  I've been trying them out on my friends and family for the last several months and you can trust that these are going to be party-worthy.  

My Brazilian Feast

photo by Katie Kay

My family moved to Brazil when I was 11.  I'll never forget the year, because it's about the only thing I still remember how to say in Portuguese.  1992: mil novecentos noventa e dois.  I may be spelling it wrong, but I know I'm close.  That's about the extent of what I remember of Portuguese, especially because Spanish is so much more common here, and now I get the 2 confused.  
Being 11-12 years old in a foreign country is tough on a shy girl with no social skills, so I have this weird mental block about so much of the year we spent there.  It's amazing the things my toddler sister retained, and I think my parents still speak the language fairly well!  Impressive.  I think the only thing that wasn't repressed in my mind was the food.  Oh my...the food.  My entire family looks back with fondness so recently I invited my parents over for a Brazilian feast.  I did my best to replicate some of my most memorable Brazilian dishes.  I think most were wildly successful with the exception of 1.  
Sadly. this entire day was filled with so much work that picture-taking was almost out of the question.  Besides, when you've slaved in the kitchen for 10 hours and you're serving a 5-course meal, you worry more about the timing of the food being ready than stopping everything to snap a photo while trying to find good lighting.  So I only have photos of 2 recipes, although I'll share them all with you today.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

photo by Katie Kay

Goodbye, summer!  September is almost over and we're officially into fall, which means skinny jeans, knee-boots, and cute sweaters with trendy scarves, right?  Not so much.  We've had a couple of random 75 degree days, but for the most part it's still warm and sticky.  The mosquitoes are in paradise.

So these summery Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes still seem perfectly weather-appropriate, and they are perfect for a pool party, BBQ, or any outdoor, backyard soiree.  This idea of putting a glaze on the cupcake before frosting them came from a website I love (credit below) and I've started using this with fabulous success.

"Better Than Sex" Chex Mix

Photo by Katie Kay

Better than sex?  Someone's getting a little carried away if you ask me.  But hey, I didn't invent the name.  I just copied it!  And if it grabbed your attention and made you even a little bit Herbal Essences curious about this snack, then it worked!