J is for Junior Mints: Junior Mint Brownies (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

I'd like to ditto Jessica and say I love this time of year! Whether you are eating latkes or cranberry jello salad, you have to admit, this is a fabulous time of year for some gooooooooood eats!! And I've been doing PLENTY of that over the past few days. For Sunday's family feast alone, I made cranberry raspberry jello salad with cream cheese topping (it's good I promise), creamed spinach, green beans amandine, and a baked corn dish that was so very yummy. Add to those dishes the roasted potatoes with goat cheese, frog's legs salad (there's a story behind this one...no frogs were harmed in the making of this dish), citrus whipped sweet potatoes, and tons of desserts that my mom, cousin and some family friends made. Oh, sweet goodness! A lot of food, yes, but worth every calorie. : )

Keeping with the theme of the holidays, it seemed only fitting to pick a brownies recipe to pair with my secret ingredient this week of Junior Mints. I was a bit skeptical as I read over the recipe...melting Junior Mints?? Eww... But, I'm glad I gave this one a shot! Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy these precious and delicious days while they last!

P is for Pumpkin Swirl Bars! (Guest Post: Jenn)

Hello readers!

Tonight we have a very special guest post coming from our colleague, Jenn! A BIG "thank you" shout out to Jenn for making something extra delicious to showcase for the letter "P!"

G is for Granola Bars! (Jennifer)

Happy Sunday evening, friends!

Today I bring you a recipe for granola bars. Perhaps it's my pending 10-year reunion (oh-my-dear, did I just write that?!), or perhaps it's the recently installed "Couch to 5K" app on my i-Pod, the "I'm going to eat healthier and exercise more" bug has bitten...hard. It could also be that it's June, and as the weather heats up, this winter coat has got to go. Either way, I'm glad I made this recipe for granola bars this weekend.

A note on granola bar recipes: they can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you'd like them to be. Granola bars are very easy to customize! Don't care for dried cherries? Throw in raisins. Don't care for chocolate? Substitute peanut butter chips. The possibilities are endless, so have fun!

B is for Brown Butter Toffee Blondies (Jessica)

Dear Bakers,

To me, the name Martha Stewart indicates decadence. A couple of years ago, I received Martha's Cupcake Cookbook as a birthday gift and I haven't been the same since. Martha has never led me astray. Sure, most of her themed cupcakes and detailed frosting decorations are too time consuming for me to try, but I think I will...one day.

The recipes in that cookbook take cupcakes way beyond the boxed cake mix from childhood.  Yes, they have a lot of directions. No, I'm not sure it really matters if I whisk the flour ahead of time or if I rotate the pan in the oven. Do I do it anyway? You bet! Martha knows what she's talking about!

So why all this talk of Martha Stewart you ask?