Surprisingly, I'm into all things cheesy this year.

I want all of the flowers, all of the chocolates and, of course, all of the hearts.

It's no surprise that my mind dreamed up these little bite sized heart-shaped Swiss rolls. They're perfectly adorable and so flavorful. I was so excited to test them out.


Then...I started making the sponge cake, and it flopped. Encouraged by how "easy" the recipe I was following said, I adjusted my technique and tried again. Another flop. I then spent hours researching different recipes, techniques, and ingredients to finally found success in this recipe.

The sponge cake is soft, moist, and pliable. Perfect for rolling, and delicious to eat. Let me let you in on a few secrets that will make your cake perfect as well:

1. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer for no less than 5 minutes. This process beats air into the eggs that will allow your sponge cake to rise correctly. The egg mixture should be a very pale yellow, frothy, and have doubled in size before you're done mixing.

2. You will pour the batter onto parchment paper, but make sure to spray the parchment with cooking spray and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Otherwise, the parchment will stick to the cake when cooled.

3. Roll the cake into one giant roll immediately after removing from the oven, and let it cool while rolled. If you wait to roll the cake until cooled, the cake will crack.

As long as you follow these steps, you're golden!



The filling is super easy, but takes a bit of time to prep. The raspberries need time to cook and cool, so start this process while your cake is cooling.

Now it's time to assemble!

Unroll your cooled cake and peel the parchment off the back. I rolled my cake onto a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar so that the cake wouldn't stick.

Brush one side of the cake with the raspberry simple syrup, allowing it to sink in for a few minutes. Next, add 1/4 inch of buttercream on top of the syrup layer. It's important that the layer of buttercream isn't too thick. A thin layer will allow you to roll your hearts much easier.

With the long side of the cake toward you, cut one inch strips of cake. You should get about 18 strips. To make the hearts, gently fold each each end toward the middle and shape into a heart. The hearts should retain their shape without any additional buttercream.

Repeat with each strip of cake until you have a group of adorable little cake hearts. Share them with your love, your classmates, or yourself!


I hope you all have a rockin' Valentine's Day full of chocolate and all things happy and good.💕

This week is flying by, and I'm truly about it.

My parents and I are traveling to Kansas to meet up with my sister and extended family this weekend and we have a whole week of activities planned. I'm so excited!


Every year I make an extensive gift list complete with corresponding symbols, gift ideas, what was actually purchased, the price for each item, and total spent. I use the symbols to mark if the gift has been bought, received (if ordered online), and wrapped. It's the one thing I count on to make sure I don't forget anything this holiday season.


I know not everyone is as list crazy as I am, so I've got you covered if you're in need of a last minute gift or stocking stuffer.


A few years ago, I made this Vanilla Chai Tea Latte mix for some friends and family, and it was a total hit. My mom has been asking for it ever since, so I decided to make a batch to sneak into some stockings this year.


Aren't they adorable?! Here's how it's done:

You'll need:

• Eight 8 oz. jars
• Recipe Cards <-- Click here for a free printable!
• Twine
• Hot glue gun
• Single hole punch
• Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Mix

1. Once the chai mix is prepared, divide the mix evenly between eight jars. Secure the lids on tightly.

2. Punch a hole in the left corner of the recipe card and feed a piece of twine through the hole.

3. Secure the twine to the side of the lid with a hot glue gun, making sure it is on the opposite side of the recipe card. Allow the glue to cool for 10-15 seconds.

4. Continue wrapping the twine around the lid, overlapping the recipe card as you go. This step insures a secure recipe card!

5. Once you have wrapped the twine 4-5 times around the lid and have reached the side of the lid opposite the recipe card, cut the twine and secure with hot glue. Let dry completely. Become the hero of Christmas.


I love this vanilla chai mix so much that I may end up sneaking one into my own stocking this year... 😏

If you make these for your friends and family, let me know! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

Happy gifting, and happy holidays!

I'm sorry...can someone please tell me how it is almost Christmas??

In one of my recent Instagram posts I talked about how crazy this holiday season has been for me. I moved house the week before Thanksgiving, and have been unpacking and adjusting to a new space ever since. I feel like my holiday recipes have all been pushed aside, and I seriously miss being in the kitchen.

I couldn't let Thanksgiving week come and go without baking something, so I settled on making a traditional pumpkin pie, and...one of the most difficult French pastry recipes there is.

You know, because it's me.


If you've watched The Great British Bake Off, you've probably heard of kougin amann. They're delicious little croissant like pastries with a caramelized sugar coating. We had them when we were in San Francisco over the summer, and I've been wanting to recreate them since.

Now, was it wise of me to begin this recipe at 6pm when the recipe calls for laminated dough? Probably not. Should I have listened when recipe said it would take all day to make? Yes, but I didn't.


Instead, I stayed up until 1:00am and ended with pastries that were passable for kougin amann. They were good, but definitely not quick and easy.

Not like this Two-Ingredient Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

This is not your average hot chocolate. It doesn't come from a powder, and there aren't a ton of ingredients. It's super rich, decadent, and delicious.


Did I mention it's easy, and only has two ingredients? My secret: peppermint ice cream. It does all of the heavy lifting. Mix melted peppermint ice cream with melted semi-sweet chocolate in a saucepan until heated through. Pour into your fav mug (how cute are these snowmen mugs?!), and serve while hot.


This recipe makes enough hot chocolate for two, so grab your bestie or your babe and cozy up to the Netflix fireplace. It's almost Christmas, and you deserve it. 🌟

I loved the Caramel Apple Spice drink at Starbucks long before I ever worked there. But until then, I had no clue what actually comprised the drink. When I realized how simple the recipe is, I knew this was something I could make at home.

You guys.

These margaritas are perfect. I am 100% here for them.

I typically prefer my margs to be as straight forward as possible without any extra twists to them. House margarita on the rocks with salt is my go-to order, but I'm willing to spice it up a bit for the holidays.


These Pomegranate + Orange Margaritas check all the boxes. They're sweet, tangy and perfectly balanced. Perfect for your New Year's Eve celebration!

I honestly haven't had the best luck with making my own margaritas in the past. For my birthday celebration a few years ago, I decided to make blackberry lemonade margaritas that I'd never made before. I added a...bit too much tequila and they ended up being incredibly strong. They have since been known as "red tequila," since you could only taste tequila.


But I promise these are perfectly balanced. Swear.

They're super simple to make too! I made mine in a cocktail shaker, but you can stir yours together if you don't have a shaker.

I also just squeezed the orange juice with my hands, but if you have a juicer feel free to use that!

Add the pomegranate juice, juice of 1/2 an orange, tequila and triple sec into the cocktail shaker over ice and shake for 20-30 seconds to aerate the margarita. Take an orange slice and run it along the rim of the glass, and dip the glass in salt (or sugar if you prefer).

Pour the shaken margarita into the salted glass, garnish with an orange slice and enjoy!

Now, let's make 2018 a friggin great year. 🙌

First thing's first -- MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope that, no matter what your day holds, it's a great one. May your heart be filled with cheer and your mugs be full of hot chocolate.


And marshmallows. Specifically, these Salted Caramel Marshmallows.

If you've never tried to make marshmallows from scratch, let me tell you, it's worth it. I wouldn't say they're "fool-proof," but they're pretty close. And they open up a world of possibilities! A few years ago, I made a peppermint batch that was so fluffy and delicious. This year, salted caramel was calling my name. The flavor combos are pretty much endless.


Before you set off on your marshmallow journey, let me offer you a few words of encouragement. These marshmallows aren't tricky to make at all, and you can totally do it. They're really quite simple as long as you do these two things: 1. Allow the sugar mixture to completely heat to 240 degrees, and 2. Let the sugar and gelatin whip for 12-15 minutes. As long as you do those two things, you should be golden.


Now, I'll be straight with you. Transferring the marshmallow mixture to the pan is a bit tricky. And sticky. If you grease your spatula or spoon it makes the process a lot easier.

Once the marshmallows are in the pan it's time to add the caramel! I melted half a bag of Kraft Caramels (about 20) with a little water to achieve the right consistency. Drizzle the top of the marshmallows with the melted caramel and then drag a butter knife through the mixture to create the swirl effect.


Sprinkle the top of the marshmallows with powdered sugar and let them rest overnight, uncovered.

After you cut into the marshmallows, you'll need to dip the sides in a powdered sugar and salt mixture to prevent the cut marshmallows from sticking to each other. If you prefer your caramel without salt, then you can use just powdered sugar for this part.

When the marshmallows are ready, get a couple into a mug of hot chocolate as fast as you can. And then have a couple on the side, because...it's Christmas and you can.

I've gone FULL Christmas, everyone.

Happy December!!

I can't believe how fast the year has gone by, or that it's already time for Christmas recipes! Since Brandon is finishing up classes, writing too many papers (#englishlitprobs) and studying for finals, I wanted to make him a little treat.

Mint chocolate chip is his favorite ice cream, so I made it for him in cookie form!


These cookies are perfect for a finals care package. They're chewy, not overly sweet and perfect for snacking. Brings me back to my days staying up all night sewing...

My favorite part about these cookies is that they're made with Young Living Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil! I'm a peppermint purist and I can't stand the taste of regular mint extract. Peppermint extract sometimes does the trick, but this peppermint essential oil has me throwing up ALL the praise hands. 🙌

I love using Young Living oils because each of their oils is 100% pure. The orange oil? Made 100% of oranges. The lavender oil? Harvested directly from the plant itself. Young Living ensures that no filler product goes into their oils, which makes me feel good about using them in my daily routines! Getting my own starter kit was the best decision and I use my own oils almost every day.

If you don't have Young Living peppermint essential oil, using 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract will work just fine!


The Junior Mint lover in me was dying over these. They're the perfect balance of mint and dark chocolate, without all of the food coloring and fillers! I was supposed to be saving them all for Brandon, but I may have eaten four in the 24 hours I had them at my apartment...


They're easy to whip up, they're delicious, and you're gonna love 'em. Just trust me.