As I write this – I’m stranded at Bradley International in Hartford, Connecticut. Thank god for wireless internet. I came home for the weekend to see my mom – and let me tell you – it is officially my favorite time of the year!! It really doesn’t feel like it down in Miami but the leaves are falling, scarfs are necessary and Christmas music is playing in the stores! Fa la la la la… la la la laaaa.

Here’s a great recipe for you to bring into the office to get extra brownie points for your end of the year bonus (haha), make for a holiday party, wrap up and give to the neighbors, bribe someone with… or just eat by yourself with a fork and gallon of milk.

This fruity pear tart has layers of flavors that all come together beautifully to create a pastry that’s not overpoweringly sweet, but definitely hits the spot!

On the drive home from work last night, I remembered that I had a container of raspberries that I bought this weekend and still hadn’t used up!! I haven’t baked in a month or two – and thought I’d get back into it to bring something yummy into work today for my team. We moved into a new cube neighborhood yesterday and thought it would be nice for a “cube warming.” I ran to Publix and picked up some dough and some mascarpone cheese and got to …

This sweet coconut topping hardens and shines – so it’s perfect to top cakes, brownies, chocolate covered pretzels, muffins, anything you want!

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of sweetened coconut flakes
3 tablespoons of milk (not skim if possible)
2 drops vanilla extract (or substitute)
A few shaves off of a block of Gulf Wax (paraffin cooking wax) – you can find it in the baking isle of the grocery store
Optional : 1/2 tablespoon of instant coffee/cappuccino

Put a small skillet on medium heat
Combine milk and brown sugar and stir with a soft spatula …

A while back for Valentine’s Day I baked baby chocolate muffins for my friends at work! They went sooo fast – which was good because I knew that if there were leftovers – they would end up being my dinner for the night! haha!

1 box Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 cup Chopped walnuts
1 can – Betty Crocker Frosting in a Can – petal pink

I made these on the weekday so I didn’t have enough time to make them from scratch. I took a box of Ghirardelli brownie …