Baking and Cooking Blog – Evil Shenanigans

Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Monkey Bread

Happy Leap Day! February has been one bitch of a month for me personally, so to celebrate the end of it I decided to bake something really, really naughty.  I was inspired by monkey bread, a heavenly concoction of cinnamon sugar covered dough that is baked in a sticky brown sugar and butter sauce.  The [...]

Mini-Cheddar Corn Dogs

I know, the ‘Big Game’ is this weekend … but I have a shocking confession to make. I kind of don’t like  football.  We are a hockey family which means we love the quick pace, the action, the inevitable bout of teeth shattering fisticuffs, and the blare of the goal horn when someone tips the [...]

Glazed Yuzu Pound Cakes

Last week I discovered that my local specialty market carries fresh yuzu when they are in season.   I have never seen it fresh before, we usually only get the bottled juice if we are lucky, so I snatched up a few for experimenting.  When I got them home and presented them to my husband, [...]

Four-Cheese Grilled Pimento Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches

I am a sucker for a good grilled cheese sandwich. Not just any grilled cheese, mind.  Yes, growing up I loved grilled cheese sandwiches made from processed cheese slices and that cotton candy white bread.  Let’s just say my palate has matured.  These days I have some pretty strict standards for grilled cheese.  They are [...]

Apple Cherry Oat Bars

So, the New Year is well underway and so many people I know are keen to eat healthy. I have nothing against eating a well balanced diet that incorporates healthy ingredients and cooking techniques with occasional indulgences thrown in to keep cravings in check.  In fact, that is how I try to live my life [...]

Baked Eggs with Homemade Sausage and Grits

There is something magic about food. The last few weeks have been somewhat difficult for me.  Nothing too extreme, but I have had a fair amount of work related stress, the stress of Christmas Day, and I am coming up on my first deadline for the next book.  Needless to say, I have been a [...]

Chocolate Mint Filled Shortbread Snowballs

Get ready, I am going to get my whine on.  I know it is the holidays, but I am not feeling it. First off, my tree is 99% decorated.  I am afraid of heights, and my tree requires the use of a ladder to decorate the top.  I have not screwed up my courage (or [...]

Cranberry Bourbon Christmas Cake

I’m not going to lie … this is a highfalutin fruit cake. Every year I make a fruit cake.  I find I really like them around the holidays.  There is something comforting about a booze soaked slice of cake which has been festooned with fruits and nuts.  (Yes, I said festooned.  It is a great [...]

Chocolate Chip Coconut ‘Awesome’ Bars

I was kind of half joking on Twitter when I said that I would call these ‘Awesome Bars’. It turns out they are really quite awesome so I felt no qualms about adding it to the title.  So, what are ‘Awesome Bars,’ you might ask?.  Well, they are a dense, buttery cake bottom with a [...]

Chorizo Cheddar Potato Puffs

It is almost time for the BEST part of Thanksgiving. If you would guess the big meal itself you would only be half right.  My favorite part of this feasting holiday would be the day AFTER the big event when the left-overs roam free!  I love left-overs more than the actual meal because they can [...]