Parker House Rolls

The best way to top off an amazing dinner party, other than a decadent dessert would be with some homemade bread. That wow factor can be acheived with homemade rolls, which gives any good dinner party an extra special touch. Making bread is a labor of love, but trust me its completely worth it and once you start, you will instantly fall in love and always want to make your own bread.

Classic's are always supposed to be phenomenal, because how else would they have become so classic? This bread epitomizes the classic dinner roll, with its soft, buttery, fluffy texture. Its easy to make and shape the dough, and even better it freezes beautifully so you can bake from frozen and always look like a superstar when hosting a dinner party.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is one of those things I never grew up eating because its such a southern staple- I live in LA, and I'm Jewish I grew up eating noodle kugel, and more boring pies like apple. I honestly think the first time I tasted it was when I made it a few weeks ago. I came across these bars a while ago, and I absolutely love them and they reminded me what a pecan pie would be like in bar form.

Also, because I love chocolate, it couldn't hurt to add some the pie, and it didn't. The chocolate just adds an even richer quality to the already insanely gooey and delicious filling of this pie. Its suc h a simple recipe, basically everything goes in one bowl. You can always substitute the crust with a store-bought one, but if you are going to take the time to make the pie, you might as well just make the crust too- its always well worth that little extra step. I pretty much followed this recipe straight-forward, since being a novice I didn't want to change anything. I'd say this one is definitely a winner.

Pumpkin Roulade

I've always wanted to make a roulade cake. The idea of rolling up a cake with a delicious filling is just fun. Its so oh so pretty once you slice into it and reveal the pinwheel shape, everyone will think you've worked so hard while all along its such a simple cake.

You can make this cake with any flavor combination but since its the holidays and pumpkin is so widely available, it just seemed fitting. I filled mine with a spiced swiss buttercream that enhances the spiciness in the cake; fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest. These flavors merry so well together.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Biscotti are such lovely little crunchy cookies that can easily be turned into an elegant homemade gift. For the person who enjoys  'not so sweet' desserts, these are be the perfect treat for them. Biscotti can be left plain, but are most commonly found chock full of dried fruits or nuts.

 
Cranberries & pistachios are the perfect green and red representation for the holiday season in a dessert. To dress these cookies up even more, you can dip them in white and dark chocolate and coat them in red & green sanding sugar.

Candy Cane Macarons

I know for some making macarons can be quite the daunting task, but once you get the hang of it you can make them in a snap and for any occasion. For the holiday season, I took these delicate little almond cookies and sandwiched them with a delicious chocolate french buttercream. Because chocolate and mint are a match made in heaven I rolled them in crushed candycanes for a little extra festive touch. 

Since I've made them in the past, here is the recipe for the cookies & the buttercream, and a little how-to. These are a quick little cookie to serve at your holiday get-together

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

This is round two of the pumpkin madness that ensued in my kitchen last weekend and probably my favorite of all the treats that were baked.

Anything with streusel on top is going to be great- because streusel on its own its amazing. I made so much extra streusel while making this, I was forced to make another baked good to top with all of it.

These muffins make a great breakfast, snack, or even dessert - and if you are not a fan of pumpkin, you can leave it out and have a really good spiced streusel muffin as well!

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

This is by far my favorite time of year. I love the cold weather, the holidays, the seasonal foods/desserts and spending time with my favorite people. I think pumpkin is the quintessential flavor for the holiday season. Its so versatile, with sweet and savory applications, like making a great soup or my case ice cream, scones, muffins, macarons, & bars. Right now I'll just be focusing on the ice cream, but I never thought one 30 oz can of pumpkin puree could really stretch out its pumpkin-y goodness to so many delicious treats.

 
If you are fortunate enough to own an ice cream maker, tasting that first freshly made pint in like nothing else and you'll wonder why you ever ate the store bought stuff [although, there are some really great artisanal brands].

Pumpkin pie is such a staple for thanksgiving, and don't get me wrong it is good but can get a little boring. This ice cream tastes like the best pumpkin pie ever but cool and refreshing as well. If you must have pie on thanksgiving, you can always pair this a la mode with a different flavored pie.