Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

Perfect vanilla cupcakes with a white chocolate ganache filling, tart cranberry frosting, and sparkling cranberries!

Hear me out on this little "story"...when I was a kid, I had only experienced cranberries through the jellied cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I just assumed that I didn't like cranberries. As an adult, I have tried new foods and foods that I previously thought I didn't like to see if I changed my mind. So now that I know I like cranberries, I'm trying to make all the cranberry things. These cupcakes are so great because they have the candied cranberries AND a white chocolate ganache filling. Honestly, what more could you ask for for a festive holiday treat?!

Eddie's Award Winning Chili

The long list of ingredients is worth it to make this insanely delicious chili - it's easy to see why it's award winning!

Since seeing Kevin drop a big pot of chili on The Office, I've wanted to make a big batch of chili that is like Kevin's chili and when I found this recipe, I knew I had the winner. Binging with Babish has a recipe for Kevin's chili that I do want to try but this recipe had more accessible ingredients for me, so I wanted to make it first. There are so many ingredients (most of them spices), but they all come together so well and it's worth all the gathering and measuring!

Menu Plan Monday - December 9, 2019

I'm ready for this week and I think it's mostly because of the poke cake. I don't think I'm going to have much of an opportunity to make a lot of Christmas foods what with me not planning ahead since Thanksgiving was so late in November. I'm trying to get at least a few treats in before Christmas week.

Monday - Turkey Parmesan Pasta
Tuesday - Chicken Fajitas with fixings
Wednesday - Swirled Nutella Muffins // Mexican Meatball Soup
Thursday - Cheesecake Factory Cashew Chicken Copycat
Friday - Five Guys Little Style Burgers
Weekend - French Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Rolls // Melt in Your Mouth Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken // Peppermint Poke Cake

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

Loaded Blackened Chicken

No boring chicken dinners - load it up with the best seasoning mix, cheese, bacon, and onions!

Out of the many chicken dishes I've had lately. This is definitely one of the tops. I didn't know you could just buy blackening seasoning but it's one of my favorite mixes ever. If you want to make your own, I recommend this Best Ever Blackening Seasoning from A Spicy Perspective.  The rest is just the perfect storm of deliciousness that is onion, bacon, and cheese.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Pancakes

These pancakes are perfect for the winter season - and especially Christmas morning!

For the first time in a long time, I don't have a plan for Christmas morning breakfast. Sometimes I wake up really early and make cinnamon rolls. I've made donuts and casseroles. Last year, I made these pancakes. They were a huge hit and super quick. The kids enjoyed them after opening presents and I have to say that they were pretty fantastic. All the elements work together so well!

Menu Plan Monday - December 2, 2019

December is going to be a crazy busy month with lots of school activities, doctor appointments, and then traveling in the end of the month. I tried to pick a lot of recipes that were easy, quick meals. I'm also trying to stick to the new diet where I'm not only counting calories but trying to limit red meat and eat lots of foods that are good for my cholesterol level. I've seen some improvement over the last few months with the change.

Monday - Four Cheese Garlic White Cream Pasta with Chicken
Tuesday - Carne Asada Street Tacos
Wednesday - PB&J Muffins // Chicken Pot Pie Stew
Thursday - PF Chang's Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Friday - Spicy Chicken & Jalapeno Pizza
Weekend - Blueberry Cornbread Muffins // Sunday Meatloaf // Butterscotch Pie

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!