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Maple Cranberry Sauce

This delicious Maple Cranberry Sauce recipe is quick and easy to make in about 15 minutes, it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and easy to customize with any of your favorite add-ins. Anyone else trying to cut down on refined sugar for Thanksgiving this year? Give this simple maple cranberry sauce recipe a try! ♡ It’s […]

This delicious Maple Cranberry Sauce recipe is quick and easy to make in about 15 minutes, it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and easy to customize with any of your favorite add-ins.

Maple Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Anyone else trying to cut down on refined sugar for Thanksgiving this year?

Give this simple maple cranberry sauce recipe a try!

It’s naturally sweetened with real maple syrup (or you’re welcome to sub in honey, coconut sugar, or any other favorite natural sweeteners).  It super quick and easy to make in just 15 minutes.  And it’s also a great recipe to make ahead of time and reheat on Thanksgiving, if you’d like to prep it days (or weeks) in advance.

I like to keep my cranberry sauce pretty simple and typically just add in the zest and juice of a fresh orange to complement those tart cranberry flavors.  But I’ve included ideas below for lots of other fun ingredients that you can add in.  So please feel free to get creative and customize your own cranberry sauce recipe however you might like!

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Next-Level Rice Krispie Treats

The classic 3-ingredient Rice Krispie Treats recipe is kicked up an irresistible notch with brown butter, toasted marshmallows, a splash of bourbon (if you’d like), and an extra pinch of sea salt. Crazy good! Raise your hand if you grew up loving rice krispie treats! ♡ These 3-ingredient wonders from the back of the Kellogg’s […]

The classic 3-ingredient Rice Krispie Treats recipe is kicked up an irresistible notch with brown butter, toasted marshmallows, a splash of bourbon (if you’d like), and an extra pinch of sea salt. Crazy good!

Raise your hand if you grew up loving rice krispie treats! ♡

These 3-ingredient wonders from the back of the Kellogg’s box were a total family fave in our house growing up, and also one of the very first recipes that I proudly learned to make “all by myself” as a kid.  But while the classic recipe will forever and always be a nostalgic fave — guys, I’m here today to tell you that they can be so much tastier with a few simple tweaks!

First, we’ve gotta brown that butter.  This step only takes an extra few minutes and adds the most delicious, rich and nutty flavor to these treats.  Second, why not toast those marshmallows?!  It literally takes less than a minute to broil marshmallows in the oven, and that extra roasty toasty flavor (as charred as you prefer) tastes just as amazing as you would think in this recipe.  Third, you’ve gotta add some extra sea salt.  In my opinion, it is notably lacking in the original recipe and serves to balance out the sugary-sweet flavor of the marshmallows.  And finally — perhaps most importantly — I’m a big believer that you need to add slightly less Rice Krispies than the original recipe calls for.  I love my rice krispie treats soft and chewy, not hard and dry, which can be solved by adjusting the cereal ratio a bit and lightly pressing (rather than firmly packing) the mixture into your baking dish.

If you would really like to kick these up an extra notch, I also love adding a good splash of bourbon to the melty marshmallow mixture, which is just as delicious as you would imagine but optional if you would rather not.  And, of course, you’re also welcome to add in extra peanut butter, chocolate chips, vanilla or sprinkles if you would like too.

Bottom line — these extra few steps only add about an extra 10 minutes or so to an already speedy prep time for these treats, and kick the flavor up a majorly delicious notch.  So if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to make a batch, give this version a try!

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Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

This classic slow cooker creamed corn recipe is super-easy to make in the Crock-Pot (or on the stovetop), it’s wonderfully rich and creamy, and easy to customize with all sorts of optional add-ins. Last year when we hosted our first-ever Thanksgiving dinner for all of our friends here in Barcelona, there was one surprise dish […]

This classic slow cooker creamed corn recipe is super-easy to make in the Crock-Pot (or on the stovetop), it’s wonderfully rich and creamy, and easy to customize with all sorts of optional add-ins.

Last year when we hosted our first-ever Thanksgiving dinner for all of our friends here in Barcelona, there was one surprise dish that 100% stole the show…

…the creamed corn. ♡

Haha, I know.  Out of the dozen or so traditional side dishes that we passed around the table that night, I have to admit that I never would have expected creamed corn to be the dish that everyone went nuts over.  But this was the first time that most of our European friends had ever tried this throwback American favorite.  And turns out, they absolutely loved it.

I’ve already stocked my freezer with extra bags of frozen corn this year so that we can be sure to make an extra-large batch.  But for any of you who might also be wanting to add this traditional dish to your Thanksgiving table, I thought I would re-share the 5-ingredient classic creamed corn recipe that I make every year.  As the recipe title suggests, I almost always relegate this dish to my Crock-Pot, whose “warm” setting is an easy way to keep the dish warm and creamy for those coming back for seconds (or in the case of our dinner last year, thirds).  But if you would rather make it on the stovetop, I’ve updated this post with instructions for how to make creamed corn in a saucepan in just 10 minutes.  And I’ve thrown in a few new ideas for fun extra ingredients or seasonings that you are welcome to add too.

So whether you’re serving creamed corn for Thanksgiving dinner here or there, or just craving this classic comfort food any other day of the year, here is my tried-and-true recipe for the best creamed corn!

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5-Ingredient Burst Tomato Spread

This 5-Ingredient Burst Tomato Spread recipe is super easy to make and tastes amazing served warm with crusty bread. Oh my goodness, you guys, my mom made the most amazing tomato spread last week. ♡ I happened to be back home in Wichita visiting my family for the weekend.  And per usual, my mom knocked herself out […]

This 5-Ingredient Burst Tomato Spread recipe is super easy to make and tastes amazing served warm with crusty bread.

5-Ingredient Burst Tomato Spread

Oh my goodness, you guys, my mom made the most amazing tomato spread last week. ♡

I happened to be back home in Wichita visiting my family for the weekend.  And per usual, my mom knocked herself out cooking up a gorgeous welcome home dinner for all of us to enjoy together out on the back patio on a warm summer night.  But of all the delicious dishes she made, this magical tomato appetizer ended up being the dish that absolutely stole the show.

I couldn’t quite tell what it was at first glance — was it a sauce, or a spread, or a filling, or a compote, or a dip?!  Technically, I suppose it could be served any number of ways, but Mom introduced it that night as a warm tomato spread.  And we quickly found that when served atop a slice of crusty bread — kind of like a warm bruschetta — this tomato spread was downright irresistible!

Naturally, I immediately asked my mom for the recipe and was surprised to learn that she had made it with just 5 easy ingredients — olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.  The tomatoes are simmered down in a sauté pan until they work their magic and eventually burst to turn into a rich, warm, soft tomato sauce.  Then when seasoned with lots of garlic and a splash of balsamic, and reduced until the sauce has thickened into a luscious spread, I’m telling you — it’s impressive how flavorful these five simple ingredients can be!  That said, you’re more than welcome to toss some fresh Italian herbs into the mixture if you would like.  Or my mom also recommends adding in a teaspoon of sugar if you would like a slightly sweeter spread.  Up to you!

However you make this spread, I can just promise that it is a fantastic way to put a harvest of ripe summer tomatoes to use.  Let’s make a batch!
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