Hey, friends!

Good gracious, it has been a while since my last post! No, I haven’t stopped baking or developing recipes, I have just been busy. It turns out I am in what is called the “Sandwich Generation.” Squished between layers of motherhood and “daughterhood,” I am piled high with responsibilities and sizzling hot with stress more often than not. With that being said, this season of life, as challenging as it may be, is a blessing. I am the luckiest mother and daughter I know, and my husband Chris’ support has only re-confirmed the love I’ve had for him since we were teenagers.

For those of you who don’t know, my mom, “Bobbie” fell and broke her pelvis last spring. Since her fall, she has been on the road to recovery, regaining mobility, flexibility, and strength. And believe it or not, one of the most critical goals of my mom’s healing journey has been weight GAIN. Apparently weight loss is a common issue for hip/pelvic fracture patients as they are immobile during their recovery and lose significant muscle mass. This weight loss reduces energy and strength, creating a larger gap between injury and full-recovery. So what did that mean for me as her caregiver over the holiday season?

WE ATE REALLY WELL!

My holiday baking strategy was filled with no-nonsense, high-calorie comfort foods that could satisfy a range of ages and preferences, EASILY! From quick cinnamon rolls and egg casseroles, to spaghetti and crockpot lasagna, our holiday “comfort food challenge” was a success. However one of the best dishes to feed my holiday crowd was this classic (and very Southern) baked ham and cheese slider recipe. These simply sweet sandwiches combine Hawaiian rolls, ham, cheese, and a buttery poppyseed glaze that any group, regardless of age will devour.

If you too are smothered within the Sandwich Generation, maybe it is time to celebrate the fact that we can spend time with our parents and children. And during your time together, these classic ham and cheese sandwiches, while calorie-centric and nap-inducing, make and day and any season of life, feel like a celebration. A time to make memories, have fun, and in our case, heal. Let me know what y’all think!

Love,

Emily

Steamy Ham Sliders

Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes | Makes 1 dozen sliders

Take one bite of these unfussy ham sliders and you will see why variations of this recipe are in every community cookbook down South . A punchy Worcestershire based drizzle adds a tangy zap to stacked ham and cheese on a hot buttery roll.  For a twist, try with thinly sliced roast beef or pulled pork.  No matter where you are from, this recipe will make you feel like you are sitting on a front porch under the oaks in your favorite southern city.

Ingredients

12 Hawaiian-style rolls, sliced

1/2 pound ham, thinly sliced

1/2 pound sharp cheddar, sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons poppyseeds

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spread the bottom half of your sliced rolls across a 9×11 baking dish and layer the ham and cheese on each roll.
• Cover with the top half of the rolls and pop in the refrigerator while preparing butter sauce.
• In a small skillet on medium heat, add butter, mustard, honey, Worcestershire, and poppyseeds.
• Slowly stir until melted together and bubbly.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Carefully pour the butter sauce generously over the rolls.
• Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until melted and golden brown.

Enjoy!

P.S. My aprons have SOLD OUT in pink and blue! I am working with my manufacturer and will keep you posted!!

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When it comes to holiday florals, one may think exclusively of the Poinsettia.  However for many of us throughout the South, we are gifted with another floral variety that is equally as festive and fabulous.  Camellias are found in many species, and those late fall/winter bloomers such as the Camellia japonica or the Sasanqua are worthy contenders for the centerpiece of your holiday dining table, or dessert table!

For a colorful twist on your typical holiday desserts try whipping up a batch of Camellia cupcakes.  Begin by baking your favorite flavor of cupcakes.  For this recipe we will be using a red velvet cake recipe.  Next pipe your cream cheese or buttercream frosting into a piping bag with a Wilton tip #104 or #123.  Once your cupcakes have completely cooled, begin piping the frosting in a rainbow shape, starting at the outer rim of the cupcake.  This curved “rainbow” of frosting will form your first petal.  Once piped, turn the cupcake and continue piping the petals from the outside edge of the cupcake, inward until a full flower has formed.  This basic process will allow you to form camellias such as the beautiful Crimson Candles, Royal Velvet, or even the stunning Grace Albritton variety.

Given the variety of colors among camellias, there are a couple of frosting techniques you can use to achieve the perfect shade for your petals.  For a deep red petal found in many Sasanquas, use a good quality gel food coloring found from Wilton or Americolor.  These types of food colorings are highly concentrated, making for a richer, more realistic hue.  If you are making a pink and white bloom similar to the Lady Vansittart camellia,  add both pink and white frosting to a single piping bag.  When piped, the two colors will swirl together, giving a beautifully variegated look.

Camellias remind me so much of my lovely mother, and the hundreds of camellias she grew and cared for through the years.  When my daughters, Molly and Madison had the idea of piping camellias on top of cupcakes, I thought it would be a wonderful way to honor their grandmother, while celebrating the natural beauty found around the South this time of year. Whether it be for your next holiday event, or just doing some holiday baking with family, this recipe, like the camellia itself, is bound to become a seasonal favorite.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

Emily Mingledorff

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Hey friends,

This week, my daughter Molly decided to bake Gingerbread cookies with “melted” marshmallow snowmen on top. The concept of the cookies isn’t new, as she got the idea from a video she saw on TikTok. What was new about this recipe, however, was that it was the fist baking project my daughter facilitated from end-to-end without (much) help at all. Go, Molly!

The recipe is simple, use a gingerbread cookie recipe or any of your favorite cookie recipes for that matter. Once baked, allow the cookies to completely cool. While cooling, use royal icing or store bought decorator icing to decorate the faces of each snowman. Set aside.

Cover each of your cooled cookies with a tablespoon of royal icing. Next, stack one of your decorated marshmallows on top and set aside. Continue with the other cookies and continue decorating each cookie as you see fit! For an extra “melted snowman” look, pop the marshmallow in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Molly did this with a couple of her cookies and they turned out GREAT!

After years of baking with my kids, it was so great to see Molly take on a project (safely) on her own. Seeing her confidently work through a recipe makes me think that one day she just might be baking memories with her own kids, just like we have been doing for so long.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

Emily Mingledorff

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Hello sweet friends,

I am updating this cookie post for Christmas, 2020.  Last week I posted a cut- out cookie recipe that is great for the holidays.  That recipe, along with those published in this post are just about all you could need for holiday baking.  Also, all of these recipes are perfect for boxing up and gifting.

If you have any fun cookie or holiday treat recipes you recommend, let me know!  I would love to publish your recipe with credit in a future post.

The kitchen was a total disaster this week, but we had a great time baking and boxing a variety of Christmas cookies for teachers, friends and family.  From Lemon butter, to gingerbread, to chocolate mint, Snickerdoodle and fudge, we wanted to ensure there was something for everyone in this crazy  Christmas cookie collection.

These cookies are some of our most tried and true, battle tested, beloved and requested desserts.  If you have a gift to give, a party to attend or just a sweet tooth, we truly hope you will find a family favorite or two in the cookie recipe round-up, below.

Have a blast baking memories with your kids this winter break.  Let us know what you create!  Happy baking and Merry Christmas.

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Happy holidays, you guys!

If you have been reading our blog for a while, then you know how obsessed I am with this one particular gingerbread cookie recipe.  I just love it.  I love this recipe because like a good husband in a Hallmark Christmas movie,  it’s stress-free, dependable, easy to deal with, great looking, and FUN!

Last year I built a replica of a store called Candy Shop Vintage here in Charleston, made entirely out of gingerbread from this recipe.  Here is a peek…

Candy Shop Vintage Gingerbread “Shop”

This past week, we used the same gingerbread recipe to create two different cookies.  The first was a batch of “Happy Camper Christmas Ornaments,” which we made to go on gift bags for teachers. Also, I do not have a cookie cutter for Airstream trailers, so I just rolled out the dough and used a sharp knife to create the general shape of trailers.  It worked so great, that I started to think about all of the other shapes you could cut out without an actual cutter.  Leg lamps?  Christmas Sweaters? I could go on and on….

To decorate these gingerbread ornaments, we used royal icing, as it is so easy to make, tasty, and it holds up really well.

DIY Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments with Royal Icing

With the same batch of gingerbread, we made these (oh-so-fancy) Christmas cut-out cookies.  My eight year old daughter and her best buddy did a lovely job on the decorating.   To top the cookies we used royal icing and tons, and tons, and tons of sprinkles, of course!

Also, see those round gingerbread cookies in the photo below?  I hate to admit it but those are gingersnaps that came from a box at the grocery store.  The girls were having so much fun decorating that we used the store bought cookies to keep the gingerbread decorating going once our homemade dough was all gone.  They were really delicious as well!

Basic Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

What kind of fun are you having this year with gingerbread?  Please share photos and details of your holiday creations – I would love to post them on the blog!

Happy holidays!

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Hey sweet friends,

Do you need to bring a dessert to a holiday party that doesn’t have a bar code or price sticker on it?  Well, hold onto your jingle bells, because I have the perfect recipe for you.  Warning to all fancy pie people….. LOOK AWAY, NOW.  We have hacked your traditional pie recipes, and you may get a little woozy!

Cutie Pie Recipe:

One box of Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts

One can of Duncan Hines Comstock pie filling (cherry or apple)

One egg white

Sugar for sprinkling on top

Now, put a little flour on your cleaned kitchen counter and roll out your Pillsbury pie crusts.  Using a cookie cutter, cut two of the same shapes.  These will serve as the top and bottom of your pies.  I used a large heart cookie cutter.

With a knife or small cookie cutter, vent one of your shapes for the top of your pie.  We used a little heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a few hearts on our pies to allow them to properly vent.

Open your can of Duncan Hines pie filling and spread on top of one of your large shapes.

Place the other large (vented) shape on top, and use a fork to seal the edges of the pie.

Brush the top of the pies with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

I kid you not, writing out this recipe took longer than actually baking these pies.  You basically roll out pre-made dough, dump a can of filling on your pies, and bake. It truly is as easy as pie. AND, the best part about this recipe, is that the pies are so tasty and cute that the people at your holiday party are going to think you are one of those fancy pie people.    You’ve got this!

Happy Holidays!

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Happy Holidays!

School is out and many of us are planning on (attempting to) build gingerbread houses with the kiddos.  To make the process easier on everyone,  I have gathered up our favorite gingerbread house recipes, as well as a few helpful tips that will make building your gingerbread houses a whole lot easier.  Here is your guide to everything gingerbread!

The Gingerbread recipe we love the most:

No need to reinvent the wheel on this one.  We use a gingerbread recipe from foodnetwork.com that works every single time. One thing to keep in mind with this recipe is that it will seem very crumbly at first.  Don’t worry, just keep kneading the dough until it starts to combine.  If it is taking too long, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of warm water to help speed up the process.  It will come together.  As with any cookie dough, It really helps to let the dough chill for at least an hour before you start cutting your shapes.

GINGERBREAD RECIPE HERE

The Royal Icing Recipe we love the most:

For adhering your cookie cut-outs and decorating the gingerbread house, try our no-drama go to royal icing recipe.  You will find the recipe at the bottom of the post within the link, below.

FIND OUR ROYAL ICING RECIPE HERE

Top 5 Tips for building gingerbread houses:

1.  Build the basic structure of your gingerbread house out of paper prior to baking so you will know how big your gingerbread cut-outs need to be.
2. When baking gingerbread for a house, you may want to slightly over-bake your dough.  This will ensure that your gingerbread house is strong enough to hold together.
3. Consider building your gingerbread house on a piece of board.  This will allow you to move the gingerbread house easily once it’s constructed.  You would hate to do all that work just to have the house fall apart when you move it!
4. Use a cheese grater to smooth out the edges of your gingerbread cookie pieces to help them fit together just right.  I learned this trick from Chef John Cook at The Grove Park Inn and it has been a game changer.
5. If you are building a gingerbread house that WILL NOT BE EATEN, you can support your house walls with foam board and use hot glue to hold together your bigger pieces, (no hot glue for kids, of course).  You can see that we used plenty of non-edible components in the gingerbread house featured in this post.  No shame in my game!  This is all about baking memories and having fun.

Decorations:

Here are a few sources to find fun and totally unique candy for your gingerbread houses.  Remember, great candy decorations can turn even the most messed up gingerbread house into a really charming piece of art.  There are no rules, think outside the box and don’t take the process too seriously!

• Old Time Candy
• IT’Sugar Candy Charleston
• Sweet Julep’s Mount Pleasant

We hope this post will serve as a print-worthy source for your fun and festive family gingerbread traditions.  I will continue to add to the post moving forward as I learn from my own mistakes, as well your tips and feedback!

Merry Christmas,

Candyshop Vintage Gingerbread Shop:

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Earlier this week, I was lying in bed late at night thinking (slash stressing, slash panicking) about my holiday to-do-list. If you are like me, this time of year your mind runs on a continuous loop around teacher gifts, cookie trays, class parties, elves, family gifts, and school performances.  But just as I was lying in bed with visions of sugar plum fairies stomping in my head, I had a sweet memory just float right in.  I started thinking about what Christmas mornings used to be like when I was little.  What I wouldn’t give to have one more of those Christmas lunches with all of those family members that we’ve since lost.  Wait, wait, don’t let me get sappy, let’s move quickly to the chocolate pie stuff.

Okay, so one great memory of those Christmas mornings was that my grandmother always brought outrageously delicious pies to our house as part of our Christmas day lunch.  She brought lemon pies, pecan pies, and of course classic southern fudge pies.  That fudge pie you guys, was absolutely legendary.

So in the spirit of the Christmas season and my sweet Nana, I decided to bake fudge pie, but this time with a whimsical holiday twist.  We added one simple ingredient (hint, *kisses) to my Nana’s old recipe, and turned classic fudge pie into Peppermint Bark Fudge Mini Pies. OH MY, YOU MUST TRY THIS RECIPE!!

I think you will fall in love with these little pies because they are EASY, great for feeding a crowd, and absolutely delicious.  If you serve these babies up warm with peppermint ice cream, whipped cream, and a few sprinkles on top, like my Nana, your recipe will be one that your family will always remember around the holidays.

We hope you love this holiday recipe and send feedback and photos of your pies!  For more holiday dessert ideas, continue through the holiday section of the blog, and be sure to follow us @piecrustandpixiedust on Instagram.

Happy Holidays,

Print

Peppermint Bark Fudge Pie

Easy Peppermint Bark Fudge Pie

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa-powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 dozen frozen pre-made mini pie crusts

Toppings

• peppermint ice cream
• fresh whipped cream

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine eggs, granulated sugar and butter
• Add cocoa-powder, flour and vanilla to the mixture and combine
• Add chopped Kisses and chocolate chips, combine.
• Spoon about two tablespoons of batter into each mini pie shell and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pies have risen and cracked on the surface. Serve warm!

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You will fall in love with this Five Minute Fudge!

This is an easy recipe for kids, and makes a great treat for parties, bake sales, or just to satisfy a serious chocolate craving.  For the fudge, we used one of our favorite chocolate brands, Sharffen Berger, and for the topping we used Andes White Chocolate Peppermint Pieces.  Here is the scoop!

Happy Holidays,

Emily M.

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For the last 25 years, the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina has hosted the National Gingerbread House Competition.  The competition began as a community gathering, and over two decades has become one of the most noteworthy holiday baking events in the country.  This year, our family was lucky enough to visit the Omni Grove Park Inn to celebrate the competition and sit down with recently awarded “Top Pastry Chef in the United States,” and Executive Pastry Chef at the Grove Park Inn, Chef John Cook. The purpose of our interview was to learn about the competition as well as Chef Cook’s top tips on building gingerbread houses of our own.

The opportunity to learn tips on building gingerbread houses from one of the best pastry chefs in the nation was great.  However, without even intending to, Chef cook served up advice that would inspire the children and me far beyond the four walls of a gingerbread house.  He gave us a recipe for success.

——-

If you haven’t visited the Omni Grove Park Inn, you must plan a trip!  We love the hotel at any time of the year, but there is something magical about this place during the holidays.  The Inn is over a century old, and sits perched in a historic Asheville neighborhood, with panoramic views of the  Appalachian mountains.  The outside as well as the lobby of the hotel is constructed with massive boulders, and is an amazing example of original Arts and Crafts architecture perfectly preserved in time.  During the holidays, the lobby is filled with families sipping hot chocolate from a full-sized cocoa “shop” made entirely of gingerbread.  Yep, the shop is made of gingerbread!  The visitors sit around the huge Christmas tree, in rocking chairs around the two enormous fireplaces, or out on the heated back portico watching the sunset over the mountains.

If you visit The Grove Park Inn during the holidays, you will literally feel like you are in your very own Hallmark holiday movie.  You know you love those movies, we won’t judge.

The hotel has a 40,000 square foot subterranean spa as well as several shops, restaurants and a coffee shop.  We met with Chef Cook and Director of Public Relations, Tracey Johnston-Crum outside the coffee shop.  When Chef Cook sat down, he explained that he was taking a break from baking thousands of gingerbread cookies with his team for the holiday guests.  After learning all about the pastry program at the hotel, I asked Chef Cook what it took to build a great gingerbread house?  I explained that for many of us, the idea of creating a gingerbread house from scratch is a huge challenge, especially when baking with kids.  With ease, Chef Cook said the following:

How to build a gingerbread house from scratch:

1. Establish a Goal:  What do you want your gingerbread house to look like?
2. Create a Visual Strategy: Create the gingerbread house you want to make out of paper  before you begin baking.  This will allow you to know what size your walls, roof and other components need to be.
3. Be Patient:  Bake your gingerbread low and slow.  Additionally, once your gingerbread is baked, let it dry out like a Biscotti.  Although this requires patience, it’s worth it to ensure your gingerbread are strong enough to build upon.
4. Teamwork: Having a good team in place will help you once all of the pieces start coming together.
5. Prepare for Mishaps:   You don’t want to be defeated if a wall of your gingerbread house collapses.  Consider preparing extra pieces, just in case things go off course.  Remember, proper preparation prevents poor performance!
6. Consider the Long Term:  How the gingerbread house will hold up over time? What do you need to do to make sure your creation doesn’t all fall apart over time?

It didn’t take long for me to see the metaphor in all of this!  I hope my children remember this recipe for success if they ever decide to start a business or when they are faced with a personal or professional challenge in the future.  We whole heartedly accepted Chef Cook’s advice as it relates to baking and as it relates to life in general.   Here is how our gingerbread house turned out after following the advice from Chef Cook.

Our Goal: Rainbow Row House

Paper Strategy:

Patience:  We used this EASY recipe and baked it low and slow.

Teamwork and a good plan for keeping it together!  Our Charleston inspired Gingerbread House.

We had such a blast celebrating the 25th Annual National Gingerbread Competition at The Grove Park Inn.  The gingerbread houses were so inspirational, and the beauty and hospitality of the resort was unforgettable.   We hope you give building your own gingerbread house a try.  I truly believe that by way of these six tips to building (anything) gingerbread houses, you will find it to be a fun family tradition.

Many thanks to Director of Public Relations, Tracey Johnston-Crum, Chef John Cook, and the kind staff of the Omni Grove Park Inn.

Happy holidays,

Emily

Snapshots from the 25th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition:

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