For my son's 17th birthday, I decided to make him a confetti cake. Honestly, it's a lot easier than it looks y'all. 

• Bake cakes per recipe & let cool in fridge overnight
• Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out the center of one cake layer. Reserve the center cut outs.
• ​Place the cut layer on top of an uncut cake layer, and use it as a guide to cut out the second circle. This ensures that each cut out is in the same position for each layer. Repeat for each layer.
• Spread a generous amount of buttercream frosting in between each cake layer, being careful not to overflow into the center.
• Fill the center of the cake with different size sprinkles and candies, layering as you go. Leave about a 1/2 inch of space from the top of the cake. For this cake I used:
  • Nonpareils (small sprinkles that will roll into every nook & cranny of your kitchen)
  • Jimmies (large sprinkles)
  • Jelly Beans
• ​Take one of the center cut outs and cut it in half lengthwise. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the bottom of the cut out. Then place it, frosting side down, on top of the cake filling the hole.
• Frost the cake & refrigerate overnight.
• Cut the cake... wait for the ooooo's and ahhhhhh's.

Champagne Granita... one of my favorite ways to end a meal. It's the perfect dessert at the end of a nice meal. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It's light, and not heavy on your tummy. And it's beautiful.

I've also made this with strawberries and grapefruit instead of lemon, but they're all delicious. Peach would also be really refreshing, like a bellini slushy!

Granny Guynell made the best red velvet cake I’ve ever had. Every year at Christmas time our family would pile in the car and make the 8 hour drive to North Georgia to see Granny. When we arrived at Granny’s house, there would be a huge display of desserts in the formal dining room. Red velvet cake, orange cake, tea cakes… There were so many desserts. The red velvet cake, though, was always my favorite. The vibrant red color of the cake, the decadent cream cheese icing, and the glass plate it was displayed on. It felt so fancy to me, and y’all know this country girl loves all things fancy.
 
Granny’s recipe is a classic southern red velvet cake. There’s no cocoa in her recipe, which would make some sticklers say it isn’t a true red velvet cake. As far as I’m concerned, though, Granny’s red velvet cake is the best I’ve ever had. Now, I continue her tradition and make this cake every year for my family.

​Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, whisk the oil and sugar together until blended.

​Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk and flour mixture alternately to the batter in the mixer.

​In a small dish, mix the vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring. Carefully add this to the batter. Mix on low or by hand until the coloring is consistent throughout the batter. 

Be very careful with the red food coloring. It will stain EVERYTHING. Your hands, your nails, your countertops, etc. I like to wear gloves & work over a plate or cutting board when handling it.

Butter & flour 3 9” round cake pans. Pour the batter equally into each pan.

I like to use Bakers Joy nonstick baking spray instead of buttering and flouring the pan. It works like a dream, and is a big time saver.

​Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

​Let the cakes rest for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Line cooling racks with paper towels or parchment paper, then turn out the cakes onto the racks to cool completely.

FOR THE ICING
Add the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to a mixer. Start on the lowest setting until everything is blended to prevent the powdered sugar from spilling out of the mixer. Once the icing starts coming together, slowly increase the speed to medium, then whisk on high for 60 seconds until light and fluffy.

​Everyone loves a good milkshake, but these are not your mamma’s milkshakes! These are epic milkshakes!
 
For anyone concerned about keeping a spotless kitchen, keep on scrolling, this isn’t for you. These things are super messy, but that’s part of the fun! So, if you’re ok with sprinkles on the floor and milkshake drips everywhere, let’s have a little fun.
 
OK, step one, make your milkshake. Find your favorite flavor ice cream, add a little milk, and blend it up in the blender until smooth. 
 
Now for the fun part… toppings! The more toppings, the more epic the milkshakes!
​Get all the usual toppings:
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Cherries
Sprinkles
 
Aaaaand now for the epic toppings:
Cookies
Candy Bars
Nerds (these are great because they’re like jumbo sprinkles)
Pirouettes (the chocolate filled wafer cookie straws)
Cotton Candy
Bubble Gum
SweeTarts
Peanut Butter Cups
And pretty much any other candy you can think of.
 
Roll the top part of the glass in (or brush on) chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or peanut butter. Then roll it in sprinkles, nerds, cookie crumbs, chocolates, etc.
 
Decorate the inside of glass by swirling chocolate sauce or caramel sauce inside.  Add your milkshake, and top with all the toppings you want. Go crazy!
 
It’s going to spill over onto the counter. It’s going to get messy. Embrace it. Go nuts and have fun!

​These smoothie bowls are delicious, healthy, and have been the secret to beating my sweet tooth lately. We make them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and sometimes we make small ones for an after dinner snack.
 
I love fruit, so I top my blueberry smoothie bowls with lots of different fruits. Granola and dried coconut give it great texture, and a fun crunch. Big Strong Handsome is pretty picky when it comes to fruits and veggies, so I typically just put granola, dried coconut, or an apple on top of his.
 
TIP:  If you’re worried it won’t be sweet enough for you, you can always add in some honey.
 
These are so good y’all. You’ve got to try it.

Sometimes in this Florida heat, all we want is a fun frozen drink to sip on. Put an umbrella in it, and I mean, come on. Vacation in a glass! This drink is sure to help you beat the heat, and feel like you’re on a tropical island somewhere living your best life.
 
It’s not too sweet, not too tart, and if you add a little rum floater to the top…
​whooooooooo mamma! It’s good!

I made this chocolate banana bread during COVID-19 quarantine, because apparently that’s what we were suppose to do during quarantine. Make bread.
 
My Big Strong Handsome is gluten free, so I have to get creative when I’m in the kitchen. This recipe was a big hit! He and my stepson devoured it in one night!