Pumpkin is the flavor of the season right now, and we’re totally embracing it! First we shared some Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and today I’ve got another great recipe for Pumpkin Magic Bars.

If you’ve ever had traditional Magic Bars, then you know what they’re all about, but if you haven’t then you’re in for a treat! Magic Bars are one of the easiest things you can make, they’re customizable to your specific tastes, and they are sinfully delicious.

Pumpkin Magic Bars on a Jars Ceramics Tima Dessert Plate over a Chilewich Bamboo Placemat

Magic Bars start with a cookie crust, traditionally graham cracker crumbs and butter mixed together, and pressed into a pan. The crust is then layered with a myriad of toppings, starting with condensed milk, then assorted chips (chocolate, white chocolate, etc.), chopped nuts, and coconut. Continue Reading

These cupcakes were such a sweet ending to a wonderful meal. At first glance, you’d think the strawberries are missing – but fear not, they’re just tucked inside! To pull together our strawberry-themed affair, I figured we needed a really fantastic dessert that would blow everything else out of the water. And so became these cupcakes!

The recipe begins with a basic chocolate cupcake recipe. The cupcakes baked up beautifully, but within minutes of being removed from the oven, they all collapsed! I am partial to cupcakes with nicely round domed tops, so this was a bit disappointing at first sight – but after tasting one that had accidentally broken, all doubts were gone. The cupcakes were great! Ultra soft and tender, with a generous crumb, and a smooth chocolate flavor. Continue Reading

After we enjoyed a lovely appetizer spread of bread and cheese, fresh and dried fruits, and spiced nuts at our most recent Dinner Series event, we moved onto this salad. Summer salads are often on the lighter side – given the season, it’s just not practical to load tons of hearty ingredients onto a bed of greens. This salad had the wonderful balance of being fairly light, while still packing a serious flavor punch.

Continue Reading

Today is an exciting day here on Dinner Series — we have a new Dinner Series event post to share! This is a particularly special Dinner Series, because it was the first one I ever got to take part in. I haven’t formally introduced myself, but my name is Taryn and I am the (new) voice behind Dinner Series. I started writing for this blog a couple of months ago, but this was my first Dinner Series so it seemed the appropriate time to introduce myself to you.

I was fortunate enough not only to attend this event, but to cook all of the food for it – and what a smashing success it was! I’ll recap the event and the recipes over a series of separate posts, but today I’ll be sharing an overview of the stunning setting and the delicious menu.

Continue Reading