Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

These simple gingerbread cupcakes are light and tender and topped with a flavorful orange buttercream frosting!

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and got to spend some time relaxing with family and friends. This is my first post of 2018, one that I had hoped to have done much sooner. The holidays were so busy and this past week was absolutely nuts at work. I feel like I didn't have much time to breathe! The last few weeks I've really been reflecting on this past year and wanted to share a little bit with you. 

I had much success and many wonderful opportunities in 2017. Cooking, baking, sharing my recipes with you, connecting with and building relationships with some wonderful brands. I went on a few amazing trips and got to meet new friends and see old friends as well. If you follow me on social media then you may have seen my posts about my trip to Cleveland with the American Dairy Association Mideast back in October. It was definitely one of the highlights of my year and I had so much fun learning, playing, and eating tons of good food!

Mini Orange Glazed Cranberry Loaves

These Mini Orange Glazed Cranberry Loaves are tender and moist and bursting with flavor. 

It's the perfect recipe to share with friends and family this holiday season!

I just love the holiday season. I love everything about it, from the decorating to the twinkling lights to the baking to the time spent with family and friends. It truly is a magical time of year. One of my most favorite things is the joy of giving. At this point in my life I enjoy giving much more than receiving. I think that happens to us all as we grow older, especially if we have children. There isn't anything quite as special as watching your kids open gifts and seeing their faces light up! But giving doesn't always mean buying gifts. You can give homemade gifts, edible treats, and give the gift of your time to help others. 

Simple Glazed Orange Bundt Cake

This Simple Glazed Orange Bundt Cake is full of delicious citrus flavor and is perfect for 

dessert, afternoon tea, and even breakfast!

There's just something amazing about citrus flavors in the summer. As much as I love berries, I have an equal amount of love for citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons and limes make me think of sunshiny days and being outdoors. Taking a bite out of an orange or drinking a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade just makes me smile and my heart happy. Do you know what I mean?

One of my favorite ways to use citrus is in baked goods. There are so many things you can make and although I tend to see a lot of lemon desserts, orange desserts are just as delicious. Take this Simple Glazed Orange Bundt Cake for example. This cake gets its wonderful orange flavor from Indian River Select® Brand Orange Juice, fresh orange zest, and orange extract. Plus there's a simple orange glaze that's drizzled  over the cake after cooling. One bite of this cake and you'll be all smiles!

Orange Popovers

Crispy on the outside, soft and eggy on the inside, these sweet Orange Popovers are a cinch to make, 

and they're oh so beautiful. 

Popovers, my friends. Popovers are a thing of beauty. You can make them so many different ways. Sweet. Savory. For breakfast. For brunch. Alongside your dinner. And the best part is they are so simple to make. It's amazing how a few ingredients can turn into something so delicious. Not only are they delicious, but they are gorgeous, too. Don't you think your family and friends would be impressed if these beauties were on the table?

I couldn't let #BrunchWeek pass me by without including these decadent treats. They are crispy on the outside and light and eggy in the inside. Is eggy a word? I think so. At least I'm going with it for now. You get what I mean.

Orange Hazelnut Cookies

These deliciously crispy hazelnut cookies are hinted with orange and ginger and are definitely gift worthy!

I'm super excited to be participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap again this year!  This is the 5th annual swap, and my 3rd year to participate. It's seriously one of my favorite things about the holiday season! The swap partnered up with Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer. I love being able to get in the kitchen and bake AND support this great cause! 

The swap is simple – I baked 3 dozen cookies to send to three of my fellow food bloggers (one dozen to each), and in return I received one dozen cookies from 3 other food bloggers! I got Peppermint Pinwheels from Michele of Alwayz Bakin', Peppermint Pretzel Toffee Bark from Erica of Nommable, and Double Chocolate Cookies from Jessica of Jessica is Baking. Every single one was amazing, and my family loved them all! 

Orange Cream Shake

Thick, creamy, and citrusy, this shake is the perfect treat on a hot summer day!

When my kids were little, I loved taking them to the mall to walk around and let off some steam. One of their favorite stores to go to was Gymboree. My mom and I went nuts over their clothes (I'm pretty sure we owned stock in that place!) and the back of the store had a little play area with toys and a TV playing their videos. I can still envision it like it was yesterday, my boys sitting in those little rocking chairs, singing and clapping along to the video, watching and listening intently. Seems just like it was yesterday.

Sorry, I'm getting a little teared up here! Anyway, during our little outings we often went to Olga's to have lunch. My mom and I have always loved their Greek salads and pita sandwiches, and the boys loved their three cheese Olga's, curly fries, and the orange cream coolers. The cooler is like an orange shake, and my boys could suck them down in the blink of any eye! They literally drank every last drop.

Orange Date Cake

This simple bundt cake gets its burst of flavor fresh fresh oranges and dates!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! It seems the weeks of preparation to get ready for the big day are all behind us now. Buying gifts, wrapping, decorating, cooking, eating, laughing, spending time with our loved ones; in one short day it's all over!

Thankfully I was able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my parents and boys and we had a wonderful time. My boys and I still have all next week off and plan to play games, watch movies and eat lots of good food. I will be savoring every minute of our time!