Walnut Cookies are tender buttery sweet cookies with a center of chewy brown sugar, walnut, and sour cream filling.

Walnut Frosties

I have no idea where the name Walnut Frosties originated, but my friend Margaret shared a batch of these cookies with us a while back, and with the very first bite, I asked her if she’d pretty please share the recipe with me.

She was kind enough to do so and now I’m willing to bet that you’re going to love these Walnut Frosties every bit as much as we do!

The cookie is a brown sugar drop type of cookie. The brown sugar and butter combination makes for the perfect cookie base for the nutty filling.

The filling combination of walnuts, sour cream, and brown sugar bakes up into a sweet Brulee-like crust on top of the buttery cookie.

To achieve the perfectly filled cookie use your thumb or the back of a melon baller to create a circular indent in the cookie. Then fill the cookie with the walnut filling. Don’t be afraid to overfill just a bit as it will bake down and fill the indentation nicely.

If your cookies spread too much while baking chances are your butter was too soft when you started. If the dough seems too soft to me I like to bake a test pan with 2-3 cookies on it first to see how much they spread. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or so to firm it up if it spreads too much.

My friend shared that traditionally they make these at Christmas. She had no clue why, it was just what they do. However as delicious as they are I am making them year around!

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream tastes like the inside of a peanut butter cup, transformed into cold and creamy homemade ice cream.

Homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream

With a rich swirl of peanut butter and plenty of chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, this is a treat that you’re going to be finding every excuse to make. If you’ve already fallen in love with this creamy peanut butter fudge, I can tell you now that you will love this ice cream every bit as much!

I usually figure a batch of homemade ice cream to be 5-6 servings. However, this is very rich ice cream and we tend to enjoy it in smaller portions.

To make this ice cream, you’ll whisk together creamy peanut butter with milk, heavy cream, and vanilla. This mixture is sweetened with brown sugar providing an added richness.

While the ice cream is churning, you’ll make the sweet peanut butter mixture to swirl into the ice cream. And while you’re at it, you should probably go ahead and chop up some peanut butter cups to sprinkle on top of each serving.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Peanut butter swirled ice cream filled with peanut butter cups in every bite is a guaranteed win. With a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce or a generous spoonful of hot fudge over the top, this is an ice cream treat that few can resist.

I shared this with a friend who was visiting and she immediately asked how soon I’d be sharing this recipe. So, here you go! This one is certain to be everyone’s new favorite.

The chocolate here is optional, but if you love the chocolate peanut butter combination as much as my family does, you’ll want to try it both ways.

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Better Than We Found Them

What if our purpose is merely to leave people and places better than we found them…❤️

I once found myself doing a few simple tasks that should have been a basic part of life but instead began to ignite embers of resentment in my heart.

I had just spent some time inside of our home fixing a few things and then moved on outside to tackle a real mess of a weed situation.

With each yank of a wretched tendril another seemed to appear before my eyes. Medusa’s never ending snakes seemed to be the ground with which I was working and suddenly the nastiness of her was in my heart. I found myself thinking, “could we ever live somewhere that starts out beautiful instead of always a place that needs to be rescued?!”

And then “she” appeared before my eyes.

I pictured the previous home we’d been in.

Rescuing Our Home

I imagined her old and depleted. Her feelings of being forgotten hung with every worn wall and broken hinge.

I felt her ache and depression; unneeded, unwanted, empty and ugly.

And then I saw us.

My little family happily working with small children running here and there as we gently began to love her.

Moving walls and brightening her shadows.

Lifting smudges and beautifying her surroundings with a few more plants here and a little weeding there.

Suddenly she was awakening. She began to straighten herself up when we were around, standing a little taller and almost giving in to a smile and giddiness as the children laughed and played.

Soon enough the gray shadows of nothingness were replaced with confidence and purpose.

There she was, loving us as we were loving her.

She had purpose once again and all because a little family showed her that she still had life left to live and something wonderful to become and offer.

Leave People and Places Better Than You Found Them

My heart completely softened as the sentence rang through my mind and heart with such clarity as the sun breaking forth through the morning haze:

What if your purpose is merely to ❤️Leave people and places better than you found them.❤️

What if that’s what it means to keep your covenants?

What if that’s your noble duty on earth?

People and places… better than you found them. ❤️

READ: Better Than We Found Them

Tender green beans, baby potatoes, smoky bacon, and sweet onions are perfectly combined in this irresistibly classic southern side dish.

Southern Green Beans

It goes without saying we are a meat and potatoes kind of family. Adventurous eaters with tastebuds that favor the southwest, but put a classic, filling meal on the table and my crew of boys are ready to dive in

I served these Southern Green Beans and Potatoes along with our favorite Crispy Oven Baked Chicken. It was the perfect pairing, because the chicken finished cooking just as the potatoes were tender. The meal was a hit with my whole family.

When my friend Melissa (of Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen) told me she was writing a cookbook, I told her I wanted to be first on her list to review it. When I received my advance copy I couldn’t stop flipping through it and drooling over everything.

The cookbook, Melissa’s Southern Kitchen, was released a few years ago and you can find it here on Amazon or countless other retailers. I have loved cooking so many of the family recipes that she shared.

Whether you are looking for a full Sunday dinner or a casual weeknight supper, there is a recipe here for every occasion.

With recipes like Melissa’s unforgettable Buttermilk Fried Chicken, BLT Macaroni Salad, Pecan Praline Baked Brie, and so many others, I have had a lot of fun trying these recipes.

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I’m not exaggerating when I say this Peanut Butter Fudge is one of the best fudges I’ve ever tasted. Rich, creamy, over-the-top fudge that is so easy to make, you might laugh.

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge

My brother tasted this creamy fudge at my house years ago and called us the very next night for the recipe. He couldn’t stop thinking about it and needed to make it right away.

I gave him the recipe and he couldn’t believe this was all there is to it. With just four ingredients, this is one of the best peanut butter fudge recipes I’ve ever tasted, and it is also beyond simple to make.

I’ve been making this fudge recipe now for over 10 years now and it’s a solid keeper. Without fail, everyone who tastes it requests the recipe immediately.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge

I was so excited to find Alton Brown’s recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge almost ten years ago and it’s become a family and friend favorite over the years.

It is an awesome way to impress someone with a gift that takes just minutes to put together. I can’t think of anyone who likes peanut butter and wouldn’t be excited to receive a box full of this during the holidays.

Put this recipe on your Christmas treat list now and skip the baking! It’s perfect to snack on while you’re wrapping gifts or for enjoying next to a crackling fireplace with the ones you love.

Peanut Butter Fudge

With all the attention we give chocolate fudge, I think the goodness of peanut butter fudge gets overlooked.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all kinds of chocolate fudge from Chocolate Almond Fudge  to this Read more