Yep, that’s right. Today is National S’mores Day (there’s practically a “day” for every kind of food these days…). So, in honor of the occasion, I’ve put together a list of all my S’mores recipes. They’re all fool-proof and they’re all GOOD! I’m a girl who LOVES her S’mores!

1.) S’mores Cookies- these were a huge hit with the rest of the opera chorus this season. They were gobbled up in no time!

2.) S’mores Truffles- I made these (along with 3 other flavors- scroll down a ways to get to the S’mores ones) around Christmas this past year and sent them to work with Hubby. They were everyone’s favorite! Who can say no to a dark chocolate graham cracker-coated truffle with a marshmallow in the center??? Certainly not me….

3.) S’mores Bars- I made these a looooong time ago! But boy are they good!! I like these a lot because the chocolate-to-graham cracker ratio is in perfect balance- not too much chocolate like so many S’mores recipes out there! YUM!

And lastly, 4.) Ooey Gooey S’more Stuffed Brownies (my personal favorite)- these were right on the money! Amazingly rich, gooey and chock-full of S’mores goodness! How could anybody resist these babies?? That’s right- they can’t! Try these- you won’t be sorry!

I absolutely love it when food bloggers post pictures of their kitchens on their blogs- I love to see other people’s kitchens and get an inside look at where it all happens! It’s so much fun to see personalities come to life through that person’s kitchen style; the way they decorate, what colors they love, what kind of gadgets they like to use, what cookbooks they display, etc. So I decided that after 2 years of food blogging, it was about time you all got to see where it all happens! So……welcome to my kitchen!

Looking in from the entrance to the dining room. The kitchen is right off of the dining room and a lot of the time I end up using the tables as extra counter space or a cookie/cake cooling station.

I love this shelf! This is where I keep all my Fiestaware plates and bowls- and lots of other colorful odds and ends!

This is the dining room. We don’t have a breakfast area, really; just one big area with two small sections (sort of). This is the table I take all my pictures on, and it’s my great-grandmother’s furniture- it’s been in the family a long time!

Close-up of the dining room table. I just painted it- it used to be black and white striped (which you’ve probably noticed in all of my old pictures- there were always stripes in the background!)

The “breakfast area”- sort of. Basically just the other half of the dining room. The kitchen is just off to the left there.

And here we are, finally- the kitchen!

My favorite picture in the house!

The American Woman’s cookbook (the green one) is the first cookbook my great-grandmother bought as a 19 year-old bride over 80 years ago. And in the background is my new apron (the pink one) that hubby gave me for my birthday last week!

The smallest pantry known to man…*sigh*

Looking into the living room from the dining room

And of course, my kitchen wouldn’t be nearly as happy and full of love if these two characters weren’t in it!

So there you have it- my cozy little kitchen (…and dining room)! This is where it all happens- the good, the bad and (definitely), the ugly! I really hope you’ve enjoyed the “tour”!

You remember how I won that cookie contest back in November? And as my prize, my cookies were sold at a well-known bakery for a couple of weeks and the profits went to a local charity? Remember all that?? Well, turns out, the cookies were so successful the bakery couldn’t keep them on the shelves- they were selling out every single day! Wahooooo! And, they brought in over $1,200 for the charity! How awesome is that??!

So here’s the great news: the bakery owner (Catherine Ruehl, who was recently on the Food Network Cake Challenge) loved my cookies so much, they’re going to continue selling them the rest of the year and give the proceeds to charity! I’m beyond flattered… The best part is, they offer nation-wide shipping, so if you want to taste my cookies and decide for yourself if they really are “award-winning” or not you can have them delivered to your house! NEAT!! Or for those of you who live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, just waltz in and pick some up! Here’s the bakery info:

Sublime Bakery
Country Day Plaza
5512 Bellaire Dr. South
Fort Worth, Texas 76109
817-570-9630
www.sublimebakery.com

Anyway, I just wanted to share this cool piece of news with you all- I’m pretty excited! If any of you actually do get to try some of these, please let me know what you think – I’d love to hear from you (unless it’s negative…in which case, just feed them to your cat and keep it to yourself)

I’ve been holding onto a little piece of news for a couple of weeks now – about a month ago, I entered a cookie contest for a newspaper in the DFW area. A week went by and I got an email saying my cookies (Toasted Oatmeal with Golden Raisins, Pecans and Coconut) made it onto the Semi-Finals! Woo-Hoo! Honestly, I never expected them to even get that far. The next step was for me to take a plate of my cookies to the newspaper office for more judging. Shortly thereafter, I got another email – onto the Final round! Oh YEAH! This time, professional pastry chefs and bakery owners would make my cookies following the recipe I provided (um, talk about nerve-wracking!). Then, I got a call from super-sweet Stephanie saying I WON! Holy cow, this was a total and utter shock! What an awesome surprise…my humble little oatmeal cookie won a contest; now that will brighten anyone’s day!

This is an awesome opportunity because my cookies are going to be sold at a bakery in Fort Worth for 2 weeks this month! How cool is that?! They can even be shipped nation-wide; and all the proceeds go to charity – really cool! I got to have my picture in the paper and everything (that’s a big deal for ‘lil ‘ol me!) – the photo shoot was so much fun…the photographer had me make all kinds of fun poses/faces! I’m just glad they chose a semi-normal looking picture for the article!

Just for fun, here is the article, which includes the recipe (sorry, it’s no longer online!). Thanks again, Stephanie, all the other Fort Worth Star Telegram employees and pastry chefs who chose my cookie and gave me a really fun treat this holiday season!!

Toasted Oatmeal Cookies with Golden Raisins, Coconut and Pecans

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (one stick) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 – 1 cup (however much you want, really) shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oats, coconut and pecans and spread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the coconut becomes fragrant, stirring frequently. Let cool. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream both sugars and butter until light, fluffy and smooth. Add egg, half and half and vanilla and blend until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, the toasted oat mixture, then the raisins. Drop dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in rounded spoonfuls (or you can use a cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 -15 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.

Ok, I know I said I was going to post the winner on Monday, but honestly, I couldn’t wait anymore!

Um, wow…..I was really shocked at the number of people who commented this week! I had no idea you were all out there! Hi!!

I really wish everybody could’ve won….I hate having to just pick one person. Especially since everyone’s answers were so good – there’s definitely going to be some FUN Christmas baking going on in all your kitchens this year! That being said, I did indeed have to pick just one winner….and here she is:

Aria! You’re the winner!! Yaaaaaay! Good luck trying your mom’s Pizzelles this year – I bet they’ll turn out beautifully! And now you have a cookie decorating book and a Linzer cut-out set! Enjoy it!!

Thanks everybody, for making my very first giveaway a total success! Hopefully there will be many more to come! Happy baking!

Ok, ok, I know it has nothing to do with food…but I just thought I’d let Izzy show off her Halloween PJ’s! We really get in the Halloween spirit around here, so I thought I’d go ahead and start spreading Halloween warm fuzzies!   Get ready for some fun Halloween-y treats coming soon!!

I won’t be posting anything until after September 3rd because hubby and I will be here:

Don’t be jealous….just kidding, be jealous!  Ciao!

Last week, I was asked to be a member of one of my favorite baking sites – BlakeBakes.com! Today they posted these brownies, my very first post!! Go check it out!!! YAAAAY!!

I’ve been tagged again! Bakingblonde has tagged me to answer a few fun questions!

1. Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?
The Dark Knight (really good!)

2. What Book Are You Reading?
The second book in the Outlander Series

3. Favorite Board Game?
Candy Land!

4. Favorite Magazine?
Bon Appetit

5. Favorite Smells?
Peach cobbler in the oven, bread, a new can of tennis balls, new car smell

6. Favorite Sounds?
a good mixed choir singing a really tight chord

7. Worst Feeling In The World?
knowing somebody hates you

8. First Thing You Think of When You Wake?
Its too early!

9. Favorite Fast Food Place?
Taco Bueno

10. Future Child’s Name?
n/a

11. Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money, I’d…update my kitchen, go on more vacations and share with family

12. Do You Drive fast? Nah, not really

13. Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
No, but I do sleep with a small square pillow that my mom made me a long time ago

14. Storms—Cool or Scary?
Cool.

15. What Was Your First Car?
a purple (ack!) ford explorer

16. Favorite Drink?
At the moment, anything with coconut rum mixed in it

17. Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…
learn a foreign language”

18. Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?
Yes

19. If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?
a pretty red color, I guess – I happen to love my hair color, though!

20. Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived.
just two – both in TX

21. Favorite Sport to Watch?
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football

22. One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You
She always has the most incredible baked goods on her blog – in fact, I just made her smore bars the other night – YUM!!!

23. What’s Under Your Bed?
a lot of boxes full of junk

24. Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?
Um, yeah!

25. Morning Person or Night Owl?
Ew, deffinitely a night person – early mornings make me sick!

26. Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
Over easy

27. Favorite Place to Relax?
by the pool

28. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
oreo or neopolitan

29. Of All the People You Have Tagged, Who Is the Most Likely to Respond First?
Who knows!

I am now tagging some wonderfull fellow bloggers, Please, Please, PLEASE go to their sites, they have great recipes sure to put a smile on your face!! Promise:

Jessica

Kelsey

Jaime

Melissa

If you get tagged, answer the questions in your blog, then tag 4 or 5 other food bloggers by listing their blogs on your own blog, then commenting on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged! Be sure and let everybody know who tagged you!

Hubby and I had a great 4th of July weekend over at my parents’ house with the family! There was TONS of good food, fireworks, and good ‘ol family fun! Here’s a few pictures of the festivities – enjoy!

Here’s my brother-in-law and Hubby (in the blue), trying to blow up a water bottle with a firecracker….hey, that’s what the 4th of July is all about, right? – trying to blow stuff up with fireworks!

Here’s my daddy grillin’ up some brautwurst (yuck!)

My sister and her family! (She’s going to kill me for posting this picture!)

My dad’s smoked brisket…..oh yeah, baby!

My sister’s “Man Catchers” – jalapeno pepper stuffed with steak, wrapped in bacon, and brushed with BBQ sauce, then baked – pretty tasty little devils!

Everybody loadin’ up their plates with brisket, my mom’s baked beans and Nana’s potato salad (no onions, thank you very much!)

Me and my nephew!

Shrimp boil! (Shrimp, potatoes and corn) We were supposed to have this for my birthday party last month, but it ended up getting canceled, so we decided it would be perfect for a 4th of July weekend meal!! And Lordy, was it!! This is one of my absolute favorite meals of all time…

Perfection…..

Me and my family eatin’ shrimps!   It was a great weekend! Hope everyone else had a happy 4th of July!!!