There are very few things that make me as happy as a freshly baked homemade Cheddar Caramelized Onion Sourdough Loaf. This bready gem is worth feeding your starter for month after month, year after year. I wrote this recipe down in hopes you will enjoy it this holiday season, as I know my family will be.

This post has been sponsored by NESTLÉ® LA LECHERA® and NESTLÉ® ABUELITA. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m not one to toot my own horn, but these Mexican Chocolate Tres Leches Cupcakes are so divinely delicious, they deserve to be celebrated by ALL this holiday season! I was shopping the Hispanic aisle at Walmart and spied a box of NESTLÉ® ABUELITA sitting next to NESTLÉ® LA LECHERA® . It was like all the pieces of the puzzle came together at once in my mind and I thought I should make a batch of Abuelita Chocolate Tres Leches cupcakes.  I wanted that unmistakable taste of authentic Mexican hot chocolate with a unique cinnamon touch for my Tres Leches cupcakes. Then I quickly thought of the creamy consistency, and sweet, luscious texture of La Lechera sweetened condensed milk and knew this would be my milk base. I made individual cupcakes for easy packaging and sharing with loved ones over the holidays, because ultimately that’s what it’s all about!

I was racking my head on how I could make Thanksgiving 2020 a nice experience for my family. My son is obviously disappointed that our annual trip to my cousin’s house for a feast is cancelled this year. I told him it’s a small sacrifice the whole country is making to save lives. I also promised him I would organize a zoom or facetime dessert meeting on Thanksgiving with the rest of our family. For some reason that still didn’t feel good enough for him. Then I suggested I write a recipe for a Dulce De Leche Pumpkin Pie and send it to all my family members so they could make it in their homes and we could eat our pies together virtually. My boy and extended family loved that idea and we are going to bring it to life this Thanksgiving.

These Calavera Conchas came to me in a dream. I was setting up my alter for Dia De Los Muertos and kept saying I wanted something that would pop. A voice with no face suggested conchas. I’m not sure if it was a subconscious element that suggested conchas since that is what my Grandfather used to eat with his coffee or if it was my grandfather paying me a visit in dream form. I woke up and knew I had to bring them to life. I hope you will make them and let them pop on your alter…. not to mention they are absolutely delicious!

The biggest adjustment for my son’s  distant learning BACK TO SCHOOL route has been the lack of in-person social interaction with his friends. He’s told me he misses recess and the conversations they had as they dug into their lunch boxes. I heard what he said and came up with a way to make his lunch time special here at home. I decided I would make a deluxe dessert every week and during his mid–day break away from the screen,  him and I would have daily heart to heart chats (where no topic was off the table) while eating our dreamiest sweet treat.

This is the first time I’ve ever made a galette. I wasn’t sure what to call it but settled on Peach Berry Almond Galette. Love how easy it came together and the fact that I was able to use up the last of the summer fruit I bought a few days ago. I didn’t have all the ingredients I wanted for my galette, but I made due with what I had on hand. HOT DIGGITY DOG it was insanely delicious.

Sugar Top Blueberry Muffins – Making my sun rise from the highest heights.

Since the pandemic, I started hiking a few times a week in a place where I virtually see hardly anyone else. It’s a great way to unload some anxiety and replace it with endorphins. It elevates my mood, allows a little bit of adventure to my life which was once upon a time jam packed with experience, AND it gets my heart racing. <3