Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Quesadilla

Photo Compliments of kevinandamanda.com

Mexican has to be one of my favorite types of food.  It’s so simple, quick, and easy to make yet its deliciousness is worth hundreds of hours of cooking.  So imagine how eager I was to combine that with my absolute favorite food of all, bacon.  My hopes were high for an amazing new twist on my usual veggie quesadillas and these were phenomenal!  The taste of bacon burst through in every bite and the avocado chunks were the perfect fresh and light ingredient to balance out the flavor.  Paired with a margarita, this is the perfect summer meal.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Last Friday for my boyfriend’s birthday, I treated him to homemade red velvet cupcakes, as neither of us are crazy about typical birthday cakes.  Even though they’re baked the same way, there’s something about having a personal-sized miniature cake in adorable little wrappers that tricks my taste buds into thinking that cupcakes are so superior in taste to cake.  I tried out this amazing and simple recipe, and did I mention that the cupcakes are topped with homemade cinnamon cream cheese icing.  It was the most genius union of sweetness and decadence, making it the perfect birthday treat!

Liege Waffles

After last week’s vacation and a wonderful weekend visit from my parents, my boyfriend and I were sad to see such an amazing and memorable week come to an end.  But rather than dive back into reality and the hustle and bustle of our lives we decided to end the weekend with a perfectly lazy Sunday.  We had all the makings for our favorite Liege waffle recipe, paired that with bacon and mimosas, stuffed our faces and watched Travel Channel’s best beaches marathon (just to make the end of vacation sting a little more). 

If you’ve ever been to Belgium then you know a good Liege waffle when you taste one, and this recipe delivers.  The waffles turn out light and fluffy on the inside with a caramelized coating from the pearl sugar on the outside.  They are reminiscent of the waffles you pick up on street carts in Belgium and could just as easily be served as breakfast or dessert.  No maple syrup needed. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate is such a perfect complement to so many other flavors...peanut butter, caramel and peppermint, just to name a few.  While these flavor combinations are seen every day in candy bars and coffee beverages, one of my favorite chocolate pairings is much harder to come by.  I have loved the banana and chocolate combination ever since my first banana split.  The fresh beachy flavor of super ripe bananas paired with the silky smooth sweetness of chocolate just cant be compared to anything else.  So when I found this banana chocolate chip cookie recipe on my favorite food blog, I couldn't wait to make them.  Not only were these quick and so easy to make, the banana flavor really stood out just how I like it.  These would make a great dessert in the summer after a long day in the sun, but I guarantee I'll be making them again before the warm weather hits.

Apple Pie Muffins

Ever since my boyfriend received a KitchenAid Stand Mixer as a Chanukah gift, I’ve been on a baking spree that’s bound to make my waist size expand.  Thankfully though, it has brought back my long lost love for baking and trying new recipes.  This past weekend I made these apple pie muffins and they did not disappoint.  I used Pacific Rose apples, but the reviews suggest a variety of apples from Granny Smith to MacIntosh so just about any type of apple should work.   And the crumb topping was the perfect final touch to compliment the sweet apple flavor and the moist texture of these muffins.

What are your favorite baking recipes?