One of my favorite things to snack on is granola. In town, Big Sky Granola is one of my favorites because it’s chunky like this Chunky Nut and Dried Fruit Granola recipe. I made this for a special treat for my friend who just had surgery, and she took one bite and said, “This granola rocks!” It is as good as it looks and full of wonderful ingredients.

Last week, I mentioned I was in a s’mores whirlwind creating s’mores recipes for various projects. I created this recipe for S’mores Milkshakes in my guest blog post on a really fun website “Makes and Takes“. It’s as yummy as it looks and so easy. This version on my site is the “lightened up” version.

I’m shooting 4 television shows this week so my life is beyond nuts. But, look for my upcoming television show on NBC 13 “Daytime Alabama” featuring fun s’more’s recipes coming soon. Date to come…

I’ve been searching for a great crisp recipe using fresh peaches and blueberries that I bought yesterday from the farmer’s market. My sister just recently purchased Emeril’s book “20-40-60 Fresh Food Fast”, and showed me his recipe. I adapted his recipe just slightly reducing some of the butter and using whole wheat flour. It came out great! Enjoy the peak of delicious summertime fruit with this comforting dessert.

I developed this recipe for Lemon-Walnut Bread for National Dairy Month, and it’s wonderful! It’s better than any quick-bread I have ever tasted, and the combination of mascarpone, cream cheese and lemon create wonderful flavor and moist texture. When we tested this recipe, we could not stop eating it-just wait until you try it.

Who doesn’t love lemon squares? I thought for Mother’s Day, these Lighter Lemon Squares would be great, and they are very easy, only 25 minutes of prep time. My kids eat these in a matter of seconds so it’s good that this recipe makes 16 servings.

We love pumpkin in anything at my house, and these Pumpkin Muffins are my kid’s favorite. I modified this recipe from Ellie Krieger’s recipe from The Food Network. I increased the spices a bit and used allspice instead of cloves. Pumpkin Muffins are perfect for an afternoon snack or quick on-the-go breakfast. These have saved me when we are flying out the door to school in the morning and to sports activities in the afternoon. Also, they are as pretty, and delicious, as they look.

Since the buzz is that April 20th is “National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day,” I thought I would celebrate. The recipe for the cake part comes from Cooking Light, but I’m giving it a little twist (which is what I do best). I saw this cool, individual pan  (see below) to make individual Pineapple Upside Down Cakes. It gives this retro dessert new life. This pan is awesome and so fun and simple to use. Retro or not, this is a yummy dessert that everyone loves.

Check this out

When I was coming up with recipe ideas for my “Healthy Baking Cooking Class” for kids, I knew I needed to be creative and offer a few no-bake items since there was only going to be one large oven. These No-Bake Granola Bars were a huge hit! They have wonderful, kid-friendly and healthy ingredients, and adults as well as kids, love them. Feel free to use any of your favorite dried fruits, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc. Enjoy, but beware: they are very addictive!

Over spring break (I can’t believe it has been a month), I had the ultimate pleasure and honor to teach my “Healthy Baking for Kid’s Cooking Class” at Studio B in Alys Beach. It was such a wonderful experience in an incredible venue, Studio B, located at the most beautiful beach in the country, Alys Beach. We had originally planned for 15 kids, but when 24 arrived, we didn’t turn them away. We made all types of wonderful healthy baked (and no bake) treats. I will feature some on the blog this coming week. Below, is a shot of some of my hometown Birmingham friend’s children who attended and some other shots taken from the class by the talented, Colleen Duffley, owner of Studio B.

Every year my sister, Julie, bakes with her college friend, Toby, and they make dozens and dozens of wonderful Passover desserts. I’m in awe when I go see what they have cooked up in the kitchen in just one day. They are always trying new Passover dessert recipes, but some have been passed to them by their other college friend, Elaine. Elaine’s mother, Joan May, told them about this recipe for Crescent Cookies a few years ago. Since then, this recipe has been a staple dessert on Passover in Julie’s and Toby’s homes.  Sometimes they dip them in chocolate, but I personally like them with a small dusting of powdered sugar. They are airy, light and so incredibly addictive. They taste nothing like a Passover cookie (no offense to Passover). They are great and only 5 ingredients. Thank you Toby, Julie, Elaine and Joan for letting me share this recipe with my readers.