Dessert First

Meet Anne Thornton.  Host of Dessert First with Anne Thornton on the Food Network.   Not only is Anne my new favorite cooking show host, her recipes are to die for.  I recently discovered her show this weekend (where have I been??) while catching up on some weekend television.  As soon as I saw that she was making Salted Caramel Banana Macarons, I was sold.  

Make sure you tune in to the Food Network on Saturdays at 12:30pm/11:30 Central for her fabulously delicious show.

Here are some of my favorite recipes by Anne:

Salted Caramel Banana Macarons

Couture Caramel Apples

Deepest Darkest Chocolate Cheesecake

Almond, Pear and Cherry Pocket Pies

Cookie Dough Truffles with Sea Salt

Sweet Trends: Homemade Pie

We're continuing this week's series featuring the hottest trends in sweets for 2011.  And today's sweet warms my soul just thinking about it.  

Homemade pie.  

Pies are an American tradition, dating back to the early Pilgrim settlers who brought their pie recipes with them to America.  Their first pies were based on berries and fruits and today, not much has changed.  Some of the most popular pies remain to be the fruit-filled pies: Apple pie, Berry Pie, Cherry Pie, Peach pie...  The list can go on and on.  

Pies are becoming the new "it" dessert at wedding receptions, bridal showers, baby showers and family gatherings.  They signify love, home and tradition, something each host hopes to express to their guests.    

There's something so sweet and so special about a homemade pie.  The simplicity of the dessert and the love put into making it will surely touch a special place in anyone's heart.

{Images courtesy of Sparkle & Hay, Bustle, Ruffled, and Elizabeth Anne Designs}

Be Sweet.

-Kristy