cowboy calzones

for the last six months or so, i've made homemade pizza about every other week. while relatively easy and oh-so-delicious, i was getting slightly bored with our toppings and was looking for something else to do with my now favorite pizza dough. one night, over said homemade pizza, jason and i were talking about eating pizza as kids and i mentioned that sometimes i would forgo pizza for a calzone and that i couldn't remember the last time i had one. right then and there i knew calzones would be on the menu for the following week. jason had one and only request: add meat. and because i'm not a huge fan of pepperoni, this cowboy version loaded with ground beef and three cheeses was the next best thing.

secret recipe club: old fashioned sour cream donuts

a couple months ago - november 22, to be exact - i was craving a good donut so badly that the next morning, we packed up the kids and headed to downtown rochester for a half dozen. we foolishly thought we would have leftovers. needless to say, my favorite was the old fashioned sour cream donut. like most great foods, i wanted to make them myself at home and immediately tucked the idea in the back of my mind.

creamy mushroom stroganoff

when i first made mushroom stroganoff a mere four years ago, it was good - how can pasta tossed with mushrooms cooked in dry sherry and butter be bad? - it didn't have the creaminess that stroganoff is known for. i tucked the thought of a remake into the back of my mind. where it then sat for years until i was thumbing through cooking light's fresh food fast, a book i picked up in the bargain bin of my local bookstore, thinking it would help reinvigorate my weeknight meals. and that it did. this version did not disappoint - the addition of sour cream added the perfect amount of creaminess i was looking for. the butter and dry sherry didn't hurt either. 

whole wheat banana bread scones

last august we packed up the kids and drove a few hours to pennsylvania where we met up with my side of the family for a good old fashioned camping trip. while the weather was awful - coats & long pants were required wear, like a typical camping trip when i was a child, and it poured rain for a day or two - we had a great time. the kids laughed and played and we adults snuck sips of our "juice", hoping not to get kicked out for drinking adult beverages. it was perfect.

i made a double batch of these scones for the occasion. they came in handy on the car ride down, especially with a two year old scone lover in tow. i didn't mind him eating them multiple times a day since they are full of whole wheat flour, yogurt, and bananas.

your favs of 2014

a lot of old, a few new, these are the 12 most viewed posts in 2014:
1. meyer lemon iced raspberry cake [march 2014]
2. creamy tomato pasta [september 2010]
3. creamy mints [may 2011]
4. brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing [april 2010]
5. holiday shortbread cookies [december 2010]
6. baked's aunt sassy cake [pistachio cake with vanilla honey buttercream] [january 2011]
7. white layer cake with blackberry buttercream [august 2010]
8. dr pepper cake [march 2010]
9. chicken with 33 cloves of garlic [february 2012]
10. coconut lovers cake [january 2014]
11. risotto with peas & chicken [march 2012]
12. creamy barley with tomatoes, chicken, and spinach [march 2011]

past year's favorites: 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.