Serve them over this Chinese Chicken Salad for a premium salad upgrade!

Wonton Strips or Cinnamon Sugar Chips!

If you want a highly satisfying pop-able snack that actually has so many other uses I highly recommend you enter the world of homemade wonton strips!

They are the ultimate salad topping, an excellent appetizer to Chinese food, and they even double as a dessert when tossed into cinnamon sugar after frying.

This is a semi-homemade recipe because they begin with the shortcut of store-bought wonton wrappers (and you can even use egg roll wrappers just as well). The process is super simple, you just cut them into strips and deep fry in pre-heated oil until golden brown. Then you drain them on paper towels and season them with salt or cinnamon sugar.

It's also a great know how recipe for when you make wontons or egg rolls and have extra wrappers to use up so they don't go wasted. And you don't have to cut into strips, you can cut squares or rectangles as well and just use them like you would tortilla chips for dipping (in salsa, hummus, beans, guacamole, etc.).

The cinnamon sugar version would make a highlighting finish to the meal paired with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for a real splurge, it's too good!

Like this Winter version? Also try my go-to classic fruit salad recipe filled with summer fruit.

Winter Fruit Salad Recipe

Typically we think of fruit salads as a summer side dish but there's still an abundance of fruit in season during winter so why not take advantage of that and make a healthy winter fruit salad?

I first shared this recipe eight years ago and we've made it several times each year since. It's so good it almost passes as a tempting dessert!

This is a great dish to add to a holiday menu because there are often lots of heavy sides served but this is a light, refreshing and nutritious option to help balance those out a bit.

You'll find this inviting fruit salad is so easy to make and it adds so much festive natural color to your table.

Just keep in mind the most important thing about a fruit salad is the quality of the fruit. You want the fruit to have a sweet ripe flavor and firm enough texture that it won't get mushy.

From there the honey and lemon will just balance and highlight all of it's natural, fresh fruity goodness.

Southern Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

A family favorite Southern cornbread recipe! This made from scratch, savory cornbread is undeniably satisfying especially when served warm from the oven. Even it's browned, buttery, appetizing aroma will have everyone anticipating its goodness and asking how soon it will be ready.

It's likely to become the highlight of any meal! Plus it's a no fuss recipe that is so easy to make (much faster and easier to prepare than dinner rolls).

It begins with the humble, simple ingredients but it's consistently reliably delicious. Often it's those old fashioned classics like grandma made that are the best.

This cornbread recipe is fitting to pair with just about any meal any day of the year, and yes it's most definitely company worthy.

Many people serve it with a chicken dinner of sorts, but you'll find doubles as a delicious breakfast as well. Slather it with homemade jam or a simple honey butter, then serve it with eggs and sausage or bacon and it will become a new frequently requested weekend breakfast!

Decorated Halloween Cupcakes

There are so many ways to decorate halloween cupcakes but I wanted to share something easy and a little more practical. You don't need frosting piping skills to decorate these and they are made with treats we all love!

And you have two choices of frosting flavors here. You can go for the standard vanilla or my personal favorite was the orange (that chocolate orange combo is quite delicious).

The cupcake batter is made in one bowl using a whisk, then you just need a hand mixer for the frosting. So it's a basic recipe with simple tools that makes delicious results! It may just become your go-to cupcake recipe in general and just change up the tint and decoration according to the holiday or occasion.

These are such a tempting Halloween treat in so many ways and they are the perfect thing to bring along to a party. Everyone will want to savor every chocolatey bite!

Homemade Spiced Zucchini Cake

Vegetables are delicious...when they are blended into a cake right? Plain sautéed zucchini is good but zucchini is taken to a whole knew level when it's blended into an old fashioned, perfectly spiced, sweetly delicious cake and covered in a decadent cream cheese frosting!

This homestyle zucchini cake tastes very similar to carrot cake, which is why I love it so much (carrot cake is one of my favorites)! Plus it's got to be one of the moistest cakes you'll ever make. Not a dry crumb in site.

It's easy breezy to make (you don't even use a mixer for the cake portion), and it's sure to satisfy those cake cravings.

I highly recommend finishing it with pecans or walnuts for some textural contrast. I haven't ever been a big fan of nuts swirled into cake but I love them as a finishing touch on a spiced cake like this. They complement it beautifully.

Store the cake in the fridge and from there you can even enjoy it cold.

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

I've had a different blueberry muffin that's been a favorite for years. But I decided I don't always have time for the blueberry crumble so I wanted to simplify and make a faster recipe.

So a few months ago I created these and we've been making them all summer long with the delicious sweet blueberries in season.

These easy blueberry muffins are fast to make, they don't require a mixer, and they're basically foolproof. And I should mention they are a generous sized muffin with towering domed muffin tops and beautiful golden brown edges. The best kind of muffins!

Perfect for a weekend breakfast, a celebratory brunch or they could even pass for a tempting birthday treat. They are  an excellent way to use up the blueberries in season!

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I’m a big fan of making cake recipes from scratch. While box mixes are convenient, you just can’t beat the taste of a dessert that is truly homemade. They’re just so much better!

Soft and amazingly tender, perfectly sweet, deliciously indulgent, this cake is everything you could want in a yellow cake and more. Plus it's easy to prepare!

Its tantalizing flavor will leave you convinced this homemade cake is the only way to go. No matter the occasion, this moist yellow cake recipe is always a crowd pleaser.

With its homestyle sweet vanilla flavor, paired with that sophisticated rich chocolate flavor atop, it is destined to impress. This cake proves that sometimes it's the simplest things that are the best!

Homemade Fried Bread

This fry bread recipe is a family favorite recipe! It's one of those comfort foods that reminds me of my mom's dinners growing up since we always had these in the rotation and I always looked forward to them.

Some people refer to these as "Indian fry bread" but there's a bit of confusion around this and they are more correctly known as Navajo fry bread since they were a created by Native American's.

These are very quick and easy to make from scratch, and they use ingredients you likely already have on hand. The dough is a breeze to mix up, you only need a shaggy rough dough here. No mixer and no kneading required.

You'll love how fluffy they are, and even though they are made with the simplest of ingredients they have undeniably delicious flavor!

What I recommend is making a double batch because people will be wanting them for the main dish for Navajo tacos and extras for dessert finished with honey butter.

I think everyone will agree they are completely irresistible in every way - especially when they are still warm!

Crispy Onion Rings

When the craving for onion rings strikes sometimes you just don't want to leave the comfort of home to get them. Or perhaps you have a hungry crowd to feed and want to impress with this crave-worthy appetizer or side dish.

Luckily making onion rings at home is easier than you may think and once you learn the method it's a breeze from then on out.

You follow a simple breading process to coat the onion rings, then deep fry in hot oil in batches until beautifully golden brown and crisp. You'll just need a little patience to work in batches.

From there serve with your favorite sauces. Excellent choices are fry sauce, ketchup, ranch dressing, or bbq sauce. Then just prepare for them to disappear as quickly as you put them out!

Note that I've shared other options to cook them if you'd prefer not to deep fry. You can bake in the oven or cook in an air fryer as well.

With any of the three options though you'll end with something completely delicious!

Perfect Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

We all love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but have you tried pumpkin whoopie pies yet?

They are very similar but rather than being dotted with dark chocolate chips two cookies are layered and meld together with a rich cream cheese frosting in the center. So it's like an irresistible cake but in single serve cookie form, and they're easier to make!

These soft and fluffy cookies are delicious rolled in chopped pecans or walnuts which also adds a light crunch. Or you could try adding some chocolate chips to the cookie dough for an extra decadence.

Try them at least once this fall, you won't regret it!