Baked apples are a classic American dessert, but I’ve upped the ante by coring them, filling them with a simple streusel, and drizzling (pouring, maybe?) salted caramel on top. And we can totally call this a healthy dessert because, you know, apple. Right? Hey, it’s fruit!

This is a fireside kind of dessert, the kind that you share with family members on game night or some equally idyllic situation. These are impossible not to love, unless you have no soul. I’m feeling very objective today.

This past weekend, Kenny and I had a night by the fire. It was a redo of our New Year’s Eve, the first of which crashed and burned at eight o’clock when our son’s stomach virus erupted everywhere. Yes, I’m being literal. Nobody wants a romantic dinner for two after cleaning that up.

It’s getting harder and harder to stay awake long enough to last through date night. Back in the day, I could guzzle drinks with the smug knowledge that I had nowhere to go and nothing to do in the morning. But when you have kids, that whole game changes suddenly and irrevocably.

Not only have I not owned an alarm clock since 2008, but I have also not awakened past 6:30. And that’s on the very best of days. There are too many children and even more viruses at play to count on a later wake-up time. As a result, my body is hardwired to wake up on weekends at 5:30. Any date nights need to take that little hitch into account.

Take last night, for example. Our youngest is ready for a real bed, but she really loves her crib. We’ve tried to move her out to no avail, and last night she seemed eager to move. So into her older sister’s room she went into a twin bed that swallowed her tiny body whole. Around 12:45, she freaked out because her sister went to the bathroom and she thought she would be alone forever. And at 2 A.M., she started screaming that she wanted to “go back to my room.” And back in her crib she went. I know, I know, I’m weak. But she was screeching the house down, and nobody was getting any sleep.

When Kenny is awakened by children (which happens less for him because he just doesn’t hear them), he can immediately fall back asleep. I, on the other hand, will lie awake in a state of pure tension waiting for someone to wake up again, unable to stop my mind from racing. I wish that I could make my brain stop, but it’s just not possible. So nights like that mean no sleep for Mir. And that means I don’t drink on date night, and I sure don’t stay up past 10. It’s a shame, but what are you gonna do?

Eat a healthier-than-usual dessert, that’s what. The hardest part of this recipe is coring the apples, so I’d recommend having a corer or melon baller around if you’re not handy with a knife. But once you’ve done that, the rest is easy.

The oat-based streusel in each apple takes seconds to prepare, and you drizzle prepared salted caramel topping over the baked apple. It’s such a cozy dessert. I think it’s kind of required to eat this while wrapped in a fuzzy blanket while wearing equally fuzzy slippers.

If you’re about getting healthy this season, this dessert is the one. It’s healthy with just a splash of decadence, making it a perfect choice. Whether you have an early wake-up call or a chance to sleep in late, this will make your evening worthwhile!

If you don’t, then there’s a big hole in your life. You know, that void where you have never experienced the joy of dipping food into melty cheese or chocolate. Be sad if you haven’t been there.

But feel free to change your ways, and now! I’m attaching a warning to this recipe: you will eat it and not be able to stop. Be ready. Come with an empty stomach!

In my champagne brownies post last week, I mentioned that our New Year’s Eve is always a chill one. I’ve never been one to go out and party the night away. It’s so much cozier to stay at home, make good food, and cuddle with the man I love more than anything in the world, chocolate included.

We love to do fondue on New Year’s because it’s quick and irresistible. We start with cheese fondue and work our way over to chocolate. One of the most fun parts is creating a dipping plate for each course. Take a look at my newest video about how we do dipping plates, JAB-style. And be sure to check out the full recipe at the bottom after you watch!

But for now, let’s focus on the fondue itself. You know, the good stuff. The stuff I want to eat by the spoonful.

This fondue has a milk chocolate and peanut butter base. It’s important to add the peanut butter cups at the end as a garnish, or they’ll fully melt in. Some of you might prefer that, but I like to fish out little half-melted peanut butter cup pieces with my fondue fork. Or the champagne brownie pieces.

To be honest, the fondue itself is so rich that those of you with less of a sugar tolerance may prefer to stick to strawberries for dipping. But for the rest of us, these dipping plate components will make this a rich and unforgettable dessert experience. Here’s what’s on my dipping plate:

The aforementioned champagne brownies (pictured above and in last week’s post with video tutorial).

Chocolate chip cookie bars. I took 24 oz. of refrigerated cookie dough, pressed it into an 8-inch square pan, and baked until done. Then I cut up the bars in little pieces.

And these lovely blinged-out marshmallows. You make them by brushing marshmallows with water and rolling them in graham cracker or Oreo crumbs.

Maybe it’s me, but I find that fondue is incurably romantic. You share it with loved ones, and in my own case, I got engaged over fondue at a restaurant. So this is always the way I’ll want to spend celebratory date nights with Kenny.

Whether you’re experiencing fondue for the first time or you’re an old pro, up the ante this New Year’s with an unforgettable recipe. Creating a party at home is not a problem with this for dessert! Now that you’ve got the dippers ready to go, here’s the fondue recipe!

Who loves movie night? I do!

It’s kind of amazing that after so many years and experiences, movie night still makes my heart go pitter-patter. There’s just something unquestionably fun about breaking out of the nightly bedtime routine with my kids and letting us all relax and enjoy a great movie!

On December 8th, Minions was released, and we’re celebrating with this candy-coated movie night minion popcorn! You’ll love it as much as you love those little yellow guys in goggles.

Typically, I hold my kids to a pretty tight schedule. As a teacher with 16 years of experience, I believe strongly that routines are a necessary part of raising children. They help provide structure, teach people what to expect, and instill a certain degree of both security and discipline.

But now and then, all of that can just go away. Shoo. Let’s have a good time!

If you have a Minions movie fanatic at your house, the best way to make that little person happy is to do a Target run. You can get the movie itself (the Minions Metal Pak Blu-ray/DVD Deluxe is a Target exclusive with 40 minutes of Target Exclusive content), you can buy minion books, toys and swag (my son has the PJs and he loves them), and you can also shop for movie night snacks!

This popcorn is easy, quick, and irresistible. When I served it to my kids, they swarmed around it like the cute little vultures they are. It disappeared!

All you need is microwave kettle corn, blue and yellow jelly beans, honey roasted cashews, and some yellow candy melts. Four ingredients and you’re good to go! When you serve this yellow-coated popcorn with the Minions movie, it’s bound to be a night everyone will remember. Plus, all the kids get to stay up late. They love that.

You can even make the popcorn with your kids. I’m pretty sure that they’ll snag a jelly bean or two while you’re mixing everything together, but that’s to be expected. Hey, it’s part of what makes this popcorn fantastic. Kids love eating the food they make themselves!

Now that we’re all set for movie night, it’s time for me to sit back and relax and eat popcorn with my kids while we all laugh together. The best part is, Target is offering a $5 gift card with purchase of the MetalPak edition of the Minions movie, so now I get to go and spend it on something for me. Will I go for candy or lip gloss? Decisions, decisions. But I’ll worry about that later. For now, it’s showtime. And if you have movie night snack ideas, be sure to share them in the comments below!

Last year, I tried to make loaded caramel apples. I de-waxed the apples, coated them in caramel, and covered the caramel in honey roasted peanuts and mini M & Ms. And they looked great.

But an hour later, the weight of the toppings and pulled the caramel right off the apple. So I got really angry and gave up. Until now. Because if you don’t like the rules, then change them. If a caramel apple loaded with toppings is delicious, then just do the same thing, but deconstruct it. Easy peasy! No more #caramelapplefail in your life.

Sometimes, working a problem just means thinking of new ways to get around it. Too often, we force ourselves to do things that we think we should (and “should” is a dangerous word, my friends) instead of finding another path.

For years, I told myself that a life that included dessert every day was wrong, and that I should just eat healthy foods and live in a state of constant deprivation. If you read any women’s magazines, they’ll tell you that an “occasional indulgence” (boy, do I hate that phrase) is acceptable, but nothing beyond. And for years, I was stupid enough to believe them.

But that system didn’t work. I wound up thinking about dessert all the time. So one day, I got fed up and changed the rules and began eating indulgent desserts every day. Every. Day. Unless I got struck down by the flu or something.

And guess what? Nothing happened. I balanced those desserts with fruit and veggies, and figured that if twenty to thirty percent of my daily diet had no redeeming features, the rest would be healthy. It’s called balance, and so many women’s magazines just don’t get it.

When things don’t feel right, trust your instincts. Make a system that works for you. Listening to other people tell you how to live your life is completely illogical.

And dipping apples into caramel is also illogical if you just want the flavor without the hard work. Solution? Easy. So easy that my kids did it with me.

Cut up an apple. Drizzle a high-quality caramel sauce over the apples. Cover with your desired toppings (I am a HUGE fan of honey roasted peanuts and chocolate chips). Eat. And just think: this snack is even a bit healthy, thanks to the lovely apple.

Don’t waste your time playing by someone else’s rules. Make up your own!

You see, summer comes with wonderful desserts. And ice cream. Have I mentioned ice cream?

This past week, I made a fantastic poke cake. It was so delicious. And the photos were a complete #epicfail. So instead of hanging my head in shame, I’m going to share my favorites with you from this past summer!

Okay, at the top of my list is this salted peanut butter caramel ganache pie. I swear, the angels sang when I took a bite, and I think they’re still humming slightly out there. If you make one pie in the next few weeks, make it this one.

And since you know I can resist nothing peanut, these Baby Ruth brookies were a total triumph, and a long time coming. After years of aching to bake with Baby Ruth and not getting it done, these were well worth the wait.

Snowballs are my favorite cookie, and this pink lemonade version screamed summer. I had to bake another batch just last week because I was in denial. But fear not: the snowball transitions perfectly to winter (duh), so you’ll be seeing more of those right here soon!

I made a lot of ice cream this summer, but this cheesecake brownie chunk was by far the winner. I could not stop eating it until it was all gone. I didn’t even try to give it away. And since it’s no-churn, it’s a snap to make!

Finally, I paid tribute to the best summer fruit ever, the white nectarine, in this upside-down cake. No reason pineapple has to have all the love! White nectarines are one of the best parts of summer, and they deserve to be made into dessert.

I’ll see you next week with fantastic recipes and (I’m hoping) pictures that don’t make me cringe. Now I’m off to eat a non-photogenic poke cake straight outta the pan. Wish me luck, friends!

If you recall, a few days ago I turned my nerd on and explained why time passes faster as we age. Because of that unfortunate phenomenon, I’ve come to an important resolution.

This past week has been my family’s annual beach week. We go to the Eastern Shore with all of the family and enjoy time in the sun, sand, and amusement parks. While I was riding on the merry-go-round at Funland earlier, I realized that there’s only one thing I can do to stop time from moving so fast. Ready?

Stop. Rushing. Everything.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always thinking forward to the next thing. Next week, next month, next year. I’m a big planner and list-maker, which means that things stay nice and organized. The downside? It’s hard to remember to live in the present when all you can think about is the future.

Listening to my friends and wiser elders, I’ve grown to realize that time standing still is actually a good thing. For instance, my kids are still young and cute and cuddly. From what I’ve observed as a high school teacher, children grow away from parents. It’s natural and appropriate. So why on earth can’t I just stop and enjoy the time I have with my little chubby-cheeked crew? It’s high time things slowed down a bit. Especially since as of today, I’m a lot closer to 40 than 30. Ick. My dad tells me that it’s no big deal, but it’s all about perspective.

Last night, Kenny and I were walking on the beach and talking about our upcoming 10-year wedding anniversary. As of this August, I will have known Kenny for half of my life, which is mind-boggling in itself. But in the past ten years, we’ve done an awful lot. Had our children, solidified our careers, grown together. It’s been quite a ride. The next ten years are really startling, though. That will produce teenagers and complexities that I don’t even want to think about.

So, are we all agreed? Time will now stand still. Who’s with me?

Summer is almost over, so I’m fighting the gradual ebb by making a totally summery treat. To be honest, I wanted to make these pudding pops of the peanut butter and chocolate variety. But then I thought about my poor son, the one who hates all things chocolate. He really loves vanilla, though. And sprinkles. So these funfetti pudding pops seemed like the right thing to do.

After all, I always want to be the mom who makes the food that everyone loves. It doesn’t always work out that way, but the glory is in the effort. My own mom tried to make me Reese’s peanut butter bars from a mix for my birthday. They tasted good, but looked a little…special. She kept blaming the mix. I think it’s human error. But either way, I loved that she baked for me, and that she picked out my favorite kind of dessert.

Life is about cherishing the moments as they happen, not waiting for something better to come along. I’m not sure how to achieve that delicate balance between anticipating the future with hope and not rushing the present, but I’m going to give it a shot this year. Wish me luck!

My third (and not final, one more Monday) Cinco de Mayo offering are these easy dessert…quesadillas? Tortillas with a rich cinnamon chocolate filling?

Who cares what they’re called? As Shakespeare said, roses are cool even if they’re not called that. That’s exactly the way he phrased it. And while I wish my name had been different, I’m still me.

How many of you feel like you were given the wrong name? Names, no matter what Shakespeare said, matter. And the thing is, our parents never know how we’re going to respond to a name. I hope they do their best and hope in turn that their kids have names they love. But it doesn’t always turn out that way.

As a high school teacher, I have met my fair share of odd names. I can’t share any with you, of course, but let’s just say that parents should probably think hard before naming a child after an evil dictator, giving them a name that sounds like a cuss word, or giving them a number instead of a name. Yes, that has happened.

This dessert might not have a name that fits any specific category, but it’s delicious and not too unhealthy. I used whole wheat tortillas, for instance. That’s good, right? And the rest is simple.

All you do is brush the tortillas with melted butter laced with cinnamon and cook them in a skillet with a cinnamon chocolate filling. The filling is completely addictive and becomes appealingly gooey. Honestly, a scoop of ice cream on top would be perfection. Unfortunately, I ate all my ice cream before the photo shoot. That’s how I do, y’all.

If messing around in the kitchen a lot isn’t your bag, these dessert quesadillas are the answer. They take minutes to put together, and they are ridiculously good. I ate mine for breakfast, but I’m a weirdo with the wrong name. Hey, if I had a different name, I’d still bake sweet desserts. But I still wouldn’t know what to call these!

-How does available space get filled so fast?

-Why doesn’t healthy food taste like brownies?

-If a tree falls in the forest and we think there’s nobody to hear, did it maybe crush the one person who was out for an early morning stroll?

-How do you keep small children occupied on endless snow days when you’re all trapped together in the house?

I have very few answers, but the last one has to be projects, projects, projects. Keep those little hands busy!

Everyone’s different, and here’s my confession of the day: I am a better mom when I do the job part-time. In other words, I love my kids, but I also need my teaching job, and not just for the big bucks. It keeps me sane. Teenagers are fun to work with. And it also helps me appreciate my time with little sticky-handed people at home more.

On a recent series of snow days, I enlisted the help of my gang to make these flowerpots. Don’t be alarmed: these pots have never been used for anything but food! Don’t use ones you find in your garden shed. Did I need to say that?

I chose springy colors because, well, a girl can wish. After that, the fun begins! The cookies and cream mousse is simplicity itself. You melt chocolate and fold it into Cool Whip.

Once that’s done, you mix it up well and add crushed Oreos. Stirring is the fun part!

And you have to let everyone have a turn.

Once the mousse is done, you begin filling your flowerpots. You can fill them as high as you like. I dolloped out generous helpings, but then again,  I had a lot of helpers. Not just my own kids, either. Some other kids showed up at some point. I’m not sure how that happens, but my house is a magnet for crumb-crunchers.

Make sure the mousse in the flowerpot is evened out on top before adding your Oreo “dirt.” It looks just like dirt, by the way. Very appetizing.

Then comes your garnish in the form of gummy worms (many of which were eaten in the process of making these, oops) and some lovely floral cocktail sticks. It’s what I had. You can use the same, or be really ambitious and make edible flowers.

The kids got a little too enthusiastic with their garnishes, by the way. But whatevs.

And when they were done, they were proud. And sugared up. And hyper. And I was a puddle on the floor.

But now, faithful readers, I’m back at work, i.e. the magical place where I can go to the bathroom by myself and even (gasp!) finish a sentence. It’s glorious.

Hey, I don’t have any answers. Life is tough and full of puzzling conundrums. But I do know that doing a project with kids is enough to take down even the best of mothers, so I’m proud to be still standing with cookies and cream mousse in hand. I mean, flowerpot.

Before that starts, though, I wanted to make sure your holiday pie plans are all set. The week of Thanksgiving I shared four pie recipes with you, but there are so many more that I love. Here’s a review of my favorites!

First up is this Peanut Butter Oreo Pie. Honestly, this might be my favorite thing that I’ve made all year. I don’t usually pick and choose, but I couldn’t stop eating this. Instead of giving at least half away, which is my usual modus operandi, I kept this thing and hid it from everyone else. Slice after slice made its way into me, and I missed it like an old friend once it was gone.

Luckily, it’s easy to make! Most of my pie recipes don’t require knocking yourself out. Even the fanciest pies, like this Strawberry Cream Pie, don’t require crazy amounts of effort. I made this at the end of the school year as a celebration, and unfortunately, my fellow teachers destroyed it before I even got a slice. So not cool!

If you’re a food blogger and you want to taste your own food before it leaves your kitchen (which is pretty much a requirement), then the most fun part of the job is taking pictures of a slice and then eating that slice, bit by bit, after the photo shoot is over. With this Peanut Butter Cup Cheesepake (not a typo!), I more shoveled it into my mouth. This pie/cheesecake hybrid had me. I was powerless to resist it, most especially because I melted peanut butter chips directly into the graham cracker crust. Can we say crack, anyone?

Most recently, I’ve been obsessed with my Chocolate Linzer Tart. There are two slices left in my freezer, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be gone by tomorrow. This big guy was the sleeper star of our Thanksgiving table, and the crust is one of the best I’ve ever made. It’s flaky, crumbly, and buttery. You can’t go wrong.

I plan to make a lot more pie, but let’s face it. This time of year is the best for good pie recipes, and then we have a bit of a dry spell until summer pie season, when all those amazing fruits burst forth. If you’re looking for something a little different than the typical winter pie, try one of these!

Any Monty Python fans out there?

Hmm. Anyway, today I’m not posting a recipe. But before you start pulling out your hair in disappointment, I have a perfectly valid explanation. Besides, more recipes (um, awesome ones) are coming fast! But not as fast as I can kayak. No, not really. I almost never kayak.

Have you met Gayle from Pumpkin N’ Spice? If you haven’t, you need to visit her blog right now. Seriously, click away from mine and go to hers. Because that’s how much I heart her. Two of my favorite Gayle recipes are here and here.

Gayle and I have become blog friends. She’s kind, she invents totally original and amazing recipes (and varied ones, too!) and she has been a constant source of support for me. I love hearing about her life, her ideas, and we have a great theme week in development for all of you this coming holiday season! Stay tuned.

Anyhoo, Gayle super nicely nominated me to be part of the Writing Process Blog Tour. All that means is that I get to explain a little about my blogging to you and how it works and nominate fellow food bloggers to do the same. Here goes!

What am I working on now?

I think a better question is what am I NOT working on? Because I do 17 million things a week. But okay, I’ll play!

I’m trying to come up with original ideas constantly. It’s really hard but extremely rewarding. Just when I think I can’t make another miracle happen with peanut butter and chocolate, yet another idea comes along and I’m saved again. Because my all-time favorite thing is PB and chocolate. This PB Overload Ice Cream is one of my all-time favorites in that genre:

My blog needs constant attention. I want a better design, clearer pictures, more fancy bells and whistles. And gradually, my tech guy Kenny (a.k.a. my husband) is getting all that together. But being real, we both have full-time jobs and three small kids. While I’d love to get it all done faster, it’s just not a realistic expectation. So I’ll keep posting recipes I love, and I hope that’s better for now than a prettier aesthetic! Though this Butterscotch Cookie Cake is very pretty:

I’m a big fan of cookie cakes.

And while we’re nitpicking, I need to be better with social media. Honestly, I’m just not that into it, which is a horrible mindset for any blogger. I love connecting with people, but I can’t do it all day. I’m a teacher, which means I spend the whole day being interactive, and then I come home and do the same with my kids. When everyone is finally in bed, the only person I have the energy to interact with is my husband, who lets me melt down on a nightly basis.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I should have named my blog The Lazy Baker. Because as it evolves, I realize that my recipes are geared toward people with no extra time, just like me. If you look through, you’ll notice that a majority of my recipes (even those that look complicated) involve minimal time and effort expenditure. Like this Strawberry Cream Pie:

It looks like it took forever. But it didn’t. Not at all!

In fact, I’m so taken with this unexpected turn on my blog that I’m feeling very driven to make more out of it. Why can’t busy people have homemade treats? They absolutely can. And I want to contribute to that! And maybe even eventually build a book around it. I’m outlining now!

Why do I write what I do?

Writing has always been comfortable for me, as is performing. I don’t mind putting it out there. Sure, I have some cringe-worthy moments (or years) to account for, but you only live once. Being afraid is just not an option. Though fear is sometimes healthy when it comes to eating raw cookie dough. Which is why these bars are a much safer option!

That’s right. It’s egg-free M & M cookie dough topped with fudge. No fear! Eat away!

How does my writing process work?

Sorry to be so annoying with this response, but I can sit down and write anytime. It just comes the second my fingers hit the keyboard or my pen scratches against a notebook. The hardest part of food blogging for me is the idea development itself for recipes. After that, the rest is cake. Or perfect soft-baked caramel cookie.

Speaking of which:

And now, onto my nominees! I’ve enjoyed these blogs for a while now, so it’s time to give shout-outs to…

1) Medha of Whisk and Shout. Medha is amazing. She develops recipes and her persistence is unmatched. Like with this vegan brownie recipe. Medha worked on it until it was perfect. And speaking as someone who tried the recipe, I can attest that it’s incredible. You’d never guess that it was vegan!

2) Ashley of Ashley Marie’s Kitchen. Ashley first won me over with these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes (check out the pretty piping!) and has continued to impress me with her  recipes. She does really fun things with Nutella, too. Her recipes are classy and beautifully presented.

And now that you’ve heard all about these ladies, you can check out their blogs and see what amazingness they have to offer!

Okay, Mir out for now. Stay tuned for a fabulous PB and chocolate recipe on the blog tomorrow! This time I definitely went too far. In a good way!