Coconut Cream Pie

I've been back on a pie baking kick lately and it might be because we've had such warm weather here in California lately or it could just be the fact that I LOVE PIE.

Let me say that again....I love pie!  More so than most other desserts and I love cream pies and berry pie the best.

Coconut Cream Pie is my hubby and my favorite so I decided to give it a whirl.  I had never before made homemade pudding/custard but it was SOOOOO easy that I can't believe anyone would make it from a box!

This is the amazing Southern Pie Cookbook I found on Amazon and have tried several of the recipes already.  You'll be seeing them over the next couple of weeks ;)

Lemon Brownies

I found this recipe over at my friend Veronica's blog MorningNooNight and knew I had to try it right away.

I love all things lemon and am always looking for something new and tasty to try.

Plus, I've been making a lot of chocolaty recipes and needed a change.

This recipe is almost embarrassingly easy to make.

Spicy Taco Crescents

When we get to our place in the mountains we spend a lot of time with my cousins and we tend to eat a lot of our meals together and watch sports or go exploring together.

During football season we get together and watch the football games and always have something yummy to snack on.

This last season was no different and my cousin Elena came up with these wonderful appetizers that I have made several times since.

These are perfect for an after school snack or weekend nibble after a big breakfast.

Try these for yourself and let me know what you think!

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

With Spring just around the corner I thought it would be a nice change to start trying out some new salads and dressing.
I love all things buttermilk! And especially love to use it in homemade dressings.

It gives dressing that tang I'm looking for and makes for a nice creamy topping to any salad.

So here is the first in a line of dressings that you'll be seeing over the next few weeks.

Nothing says spring better than fresh herbs in a homemade dressing served over crisp greens :)

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

I love Jalapenos!  It's a pretty new love too.  I never used to eat them and now I can't get enough of these fiery little monsters.  I mostly stick to the jarred ones, but I add the fresh ones to some recipes I make too.

I came up with this sandwich one day while I was trying to decide on something different for lunch.

We eat a lot of sandwiches around here and I get tired of plain old turkey or ham day after day and I LOVE grilled cheese.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

A few weeks ago we were getting the best fresh strawberries from Bel Air Market. They were almost as sweet as they are in the middle of summer.

I guess it could have been that heatwave we had here in California throughout January and February!

So I decided to make some delicious recipes that I would normally have to wait until summer to try and this was by far a favorite around here :)

When strawberries are at their peak where you live, be sure to give these a try and let me know what you think.

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Do you have a favorite meal of the day?  I do and it's LUNCH!

Lunch is by far my favorite meal of the day.

I love salads, sandwiches, burgers, and even soup for lunch.  And now with 2-4 people here most days at lunchtime I love to come up with new ideas for us to try.

These Meatball subs were on my list for awhile now because I already had a great meatball recipe and knew they'd be great as a sandwich.

The best part of this recipe is the meatball recipe makes about 32 meatballs so this is a cook once eat twice recipe for lunch and again for dinner another night.  Or you could freeze 1/2 the mixture to make meatballs another time.