Creamy Artichoke Dip [+ Video]

This is the best creamy artichoke dip we’ve ever had, at home or in a restaurant. Plus, it’s super easy and can be made in the oven or slow cooker.

This creamy artichoke dip comes from my Mom’s best friend. This is definitely one of the most meaningful recipes we have, which is why my mom will be guest posting further down.

I remember everyone raving about it at every gathering we went to growing up. I have never once brought this dip to a party or gathering without someone requesting the recipe. In fact, many times I have quite a few people requesting the recipe. It’s just that good. In fact, out of all the dips I have ever had, including restaurant versions, this one remains my favorite. Is it healthy? Heavens no, but you’ll be quite happy with how delicious it is and let’s be honest, a little applause from your thighs as you walk couldn’t be all that bad, right?

I love how a good recipe can immediately flood you with memories of a person, loved one or event. I sincerely believe that recipes should be shared and passed on between family and friends. They are just as important as stories in our family history.

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Cinnamon Crumb Pumpkin Bread Recipe

The most perfect pumpkin bread recipe topped with a cinnamon crumb streusel topping, which is the best topping imho!

I don’t really have any memories of pumpkin bread growing up. It was always pumpkin roll and I never ate it. But I do have very distinct memories of the smell and warmth of the kitchen. I can see perfectly the warm cake bits and powdered sugar stuck to the kitchen towel as mom rolled up the cake and placed it in the fridge to rest.

It doesn’t feel like the holidays to me unless something is pumpkin and since I tend to lean more towards the quick breads I just knew a pumpkin crumb bread was bound to make it onto the blog one of these days. 

I think I’ve made a million pumpkin bread recipes, but last year when I finally found the best, the most moist, the absolutely most delicious pumpkin bread recipe ever I immediately had to make a crumb topping. And then it flopped and flopped. And flopped. 

Too little butter, too much butter, too heavy a topping for a good rise, and on and on kept me testing away for almost an entire year. But this is it, the recipe that had my entire family begging for slice after slice. 

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Easy Herbed Peasant Bread Recipe

With this easy herbed peasant bread recipe, fresh homemade bread has never been easier! It is golden and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. It is also super versatile and done in a just a few hours.

A few of my friends make peasant bread every Sunday, and when you’ve got three friends who don’t know each other but are all doing the same thing, it’s high time to try it.

We baked it last Sunday for the first time and we are totally sold. It is so simple (you make it all in ONE bowl) and so fluffy, and I love that I can start it after church and it’s ready to bake for dinner. It also scores major bonus points for being a no-knead bread dough! You’re going to love it!

Ingredients Needed for Peasant Bread

The ingredients for peasant bread are simple and likely things that you will have on hand already. We love adding the fresh herbs for extra flavor. You can experiment with your favorite combination of herbs or leave out the herbs altogether. Here is what you will need:

• Flour – just regular all purpose flour works great, or you can use bread flour
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor
• Warm Water – the ideal temperature of water for activating yeast is 105-115 degrees F
• Sugar – feeds the yeast so it can properly activate
• Instant Yeast – I’ve found that instant yeast works best rather than active dry yeast
• Rosemary – fresh is preferred, minced fine
• Thyme – fresh is best, but if you want to use dried, just add a couple of pinches
• Parsley – fresh, and finely chopped
• Butter – used for greasing the bowls that the bread will bake in, and when the bread is fresh out of the oven, brush the top with melted butter (or olive oil)
• Flaked Sea Salt – we love sprinkling a little salt on top for extra flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

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Pao De Queijo Brazilian Cheese Bread

Pao De Queijo Brazilian Cheese Bread is a simple and cheesy gluten free bread from Brazil. It’s made with tapioca flour and a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you make, bake, and then eat them. No yeast. No rising, and no waiting. They also freeze super well to eat on a different day.

They are slightly crispy on the outside and soft, chewy and cheesy on the inside. Pretty much cheesy bread perfection!

Have you ever been to Tucanos? It’s this fantastic Brazilian restaurant that serves Churrasco style. The meat comes around on skewers and you turn your little wooden thingy to green for start the food and red to stop. It. Is. Awesome. Forrizle. Every single year we celebrate Cade’s birthday at Tucanos. It’s tradition.

Anyway, we love taking the kids and letting them experience this Brazilian restaurant. Ok, it’s not the real deal like they have in Brazil, but it’s as good as we are going to get around here. The kids love when the drums come out and everyone sings to Cade. Don’t you just love a good tradition?

They have this bread called Pao de Queijo in Brazil and so, of course, it’s served at Tucanos. I have been tweaking and testing this recipe for years and this is finally IT! I can’t stop popping these little bundles of joy into my mouth!

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Best Pizzeria Pizza Dough Recipe at Home [video]

Crisp on the bottom, chewy all over, air bubbles and flavor, Pizzeria Pizza Dough Recipe at Home is no joke to achieve, but this recipe is perfection. I promise. 

The thicker you make the crust edge, the more bubbly it will be.

The Secret?

It’s all about heating the pizza steel or stone for 30-45 minutes at 550, well and allowing the dough to ferment for 12-24 hours. But let’s start at the beginning.

Fermenting Pizza Dough

As that yeast is hanging out in the dough it’s creating gas bubbles (remember watching the yeast get bubbly?) from carbon dioxide. Bubbles in pizza crust make it more chewy! So think, pizza dough I want the bubbles whereas sandwich bread I want it all soft and dense, so no bubbles and I don’t want it to hang out and ferment as pizza dough does.

Picture this, a pizza gets slid onto the table in front of you and your friends and instantly you see those big bubbles, slightly blackened and softly calling your name. That’s due to perfect fermentation and perfect heat.