peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

this is a year of big birthdays. i kicked it off with the last birthday of my twenties. then my dad turned "double nickels" with my mom following a couple months later. and now it's jason's turn.

crockpot dulce de leche

i finally conquered dulce de leche! without boiling cans, tending milk on the stove for hours, or turning on the oven. pour a couple of cans of sweetened condensed milk in your slow cooker, set it to low, stir ever hour or so, and in about six hours you've got rich, creamy dulce de leche. yes, it really is that easy.

easy english muffins

last weekend, between barbecues, fireworks, lazy drives for ice cream in the thing, yardwork, and 90+ degree days, i decided it was time to bake something yeasty. [and check something off the list at the same time!]

strawberry rolls

this is the last post of strawberry week! be sure to check out the other sweet treats here. 

most sunday mornings i get up first, make myself some coffee, pour a bowl of cereal/fruit with yogurt, and watch the food network for an hour or so. last weekend, i caught claire robinson pulling picture perfect blueberry strudels out of the oven to finish her elaborate weekend brunch. as much as i love all things strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry, one berry i've never really cared for was the blueberry. it does absolutely nothing for me. luckily i had a box of puff pastry dough sitting in the freezer and a few cups of fresh strawberries left and the strudel was mine!

strawberry sour cream ice cream

when i visited my parents a few weekends ago to make jam with my mom, she wanted to be sure we tried her strawberry ice cream - made from the same homegrown berries - before we left. not only was it the perfect shade of pink, but it was completely solid. when i was finally able to scoop it, the ice cream had an odd texture, almost brittle. rather than being smooth and creamy, it was harsh and brittle. sure, the flavor was great, but the texture was all wrong.

which brings me to this. sour cream ice cream. yea, it also sounds odd. but let me tell you, i've seen this recipe everywhere. and once you get the first taste, it's understandable why.