Cranberry-Apple Bread Pudding

In a search for a Christmas dessert, I happened upon this recipe. It was my first time making bread pudding, and the recipe is a keeper. The cranberries, orange zest and brandy added a holiday flair, but it could be made without all the add-ins.

Click here for the recipe: http://foodandstyle.com/2011/12/22/apple-cranberry-bread-puddings-with-rosemary-gelato-and-cider-calvados-reduction/

Blueberry Bars

Blueberry-lemon bars are usually more of a summery thing, but I decided to make some for a holiday party. The lemon flavor in these is pretty faint since it uses zest but no juice.

They turned out pretty and were easy to make using this recipe:
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/lemon-blueberry-crumb-bars/

Homemade Pizza

My family recently started going to a local pizza place to get fresh dough balls and bringing them back to make custom pizzas.

 No plain cheese or pepperoni here. I always like Fresh mozzarella and parmesean cheeses with fresh tomatoes, red onions, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. I topped it off with some balsamic vinegar and arugula. This is pretty similar to my previous post made with a wheat pita. But if you have access to fresh dough, I highly recommend it!

Cheating on Peppermint Bark Brownies

These brownies aren't my finest accomplishment, considering they came from a box and a can. But it's college. And it's finals week. They still taste good.

A recipe is hardly necessary. You can either top the brownies with vanilla frosting (homemade buttercream is better) or melted white chocolate.

More to come from my new kitchen and from home over the holidays!
xo