#kitchen joy

This past weekend may have marked the official end of Summer, but it’s still warm outside and ice cream is never out of season. Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream was my tastiest accomplishment of a weekend filled with fun, food, and family. The flavor is incredible, and you don’t need to have a fancy ice-cream maker to prepare this homemade ice cream for yourself. Pure Michigan maple syrup along…

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Happy Friday, Friends! Please excuse my absence. Life has gotten in the way lately. I’m so happy to be back to the blog after such a long break. I hope everyone has been enjoying summer to its fullest in the meantime. It seems like we have had one party or celebration after another this summer, and a lot of the time we are asked to bring a dessert or a dish to pass. This recipe for Chocolate Chip…

Reclaiming Joy in My Home

A few months ago I ordered a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. The title alone makes quite a claim. Life-changing? What can a person possibly have to say about cleaning and organizing that hasn’t already been said, and how could it possible change my life? It has been nearly 4 months since I read the book and followed it…

Spring has finally arrived, friends. I can’t even begin to express my utter glee after a sunny weekend spent up north at our cabin the last few days. Sunshine + Cabin + Awesome Cookies = Best weekend in a VERY long time. I ate way more of these cookies than I would care to admit, but we did some hiking, so it’s even stevens.

These Butter Pecan Cookies are out of this world. I think I would…

French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus

Despite the name, a French Dip sandwich is not French. It is a California creation, and two restaurants claim to be its inventor. I have eaten a famed French Dip at one of the two, Philippe’s in Los Angeles. It was fantastic, although I didn’t get to do any of the”dipping” because the buns are already doused in the au jus prior to being served. A phenomenal sandwich, for sure. If I can’t be in…

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake. It sounds like such a strange concoction that must have a storied history that involved frugality and ingenuity on the part of the baker. I am not completely sure of its origins despite my research, so I will just continue to enjoy the perfect balance of spiced cake and sweet cream cheese frosting. Not to mention the added crunch from the pecans. This is great cake, friends. Just in…

Spicy Mac and Cheese with Grilled Chicken

There are some things I will never outgrow. Today I get to travel to Walt Disney World in Orlando to attend Food Blog Forum 2015, my first blogging event. I’ve wanted to go to an event for a while, and Kitchen Joy just had its 2nd birthday so this seemed an appropriate way to celebrate.  I am so excited to meet other bloggers, and extremely nervous at the same time. I’m definitely out of my…