Cherry Cheesecake Dip

Super delicious & fast!!!

You need:

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 box of Jello no bake cherry cheesecake 

1 1/2 cups milk

Honey graham crackers

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the milk & cheesecake filling mix together for 3 minutes until stiff. Fold the tub of cool whip in. Refrigerate at least an hour. 

To serve place a big amount of the cheesecake mix in the center of a serving plate, then top with the cherry pie filling. Place the graham crackers all around the dip and serve. 

Notes: 

- you can throw away the crust mix that comes in the box or save it in your pantry & use it for a pie crust another time.

- it makes A LOT of dip, so if you want to use it all, you will need to also buy a can of cherry pie filling (or you could buy a different pie filling like blueberry and have two dips) 

Spooky Pancakes

Here is one more fun Halloween meal for your kids! Just prepare your pancake mix, place on preheated skillet in the shape of a ghost, use chocolate chips as the eyes & mouth. Cook according to your pancake mix's directions. My daughter LOVED these!!!

Jack-O-Lantern Quesadilla

Here is another easy Halloween meal for your kids!! 

You need 2 tortillas, some cheese & a knife

Cut the jack-o-lantern face out of one of the tortillas. In a large pan place the other tortilla, then top it with a thin layer of cheese, cook over medium heat until cheese is melted then top with the jack-o-lantern tortilla & enjoy!! 

Monster Goo Parfait

Super simple Halloween treat your kids will enjoy!!

Layer pudding (I did vanilla and used food coloring to turn it green) & crushed Oreos in a clear cup. Draw a silly monster face on it and watch the screams (yes my 2 year old screamed when she saw it haha) and giggles! I also put a fake spider on the cup. You could use sprinkles not Oreos or other colors of pudding too! 

Sugar Cookies

I made these "monster" sugar cookies for a Halloween party we had. They didn't turn out as cute as I thought they would but they were delicious!!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups shortening 

1 1/3 cups butter

3 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. almond extract 

7 cups flour

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1) preheat oven to 350

2) in a bowl cream together the butter, shortening & sugar. Stir in the eggs and almond extract. Stir in the flour, baking powder powder & salt until dough comes together. 

3) bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Remove after baking and let cool on a wire rack, then first & decorate! 

Pumpkin Muffins

I found this on Pinterest and it's such an easy and yummy fall treat. All you need is a box of your favorite cake mix (any brand - any flavor) and a can of pure pumpkin. Dump them together in a bowl, mix and back at 350 for 20-25 mins. You can sprinkle them with powder sugar once they are cooled. Enjoy!! 

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I had these cookies at a event I recently went too and they were amazing, I can't wait to make them this fall!! 

Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

*Recipe from: Nayibe Hanson

Snickerdoodles

My friend Ruth is the Princess of the kitchen and makes hands down THE BEST cookies ever ... every cookie I've seen her make, looks like it was store bought and taste amazing!!! I was lucky enough to get her snickerdoodle recipe ... I ate at least 5 ... of them just tonight. I will be making these soon!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter - softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
3. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks. *Ruth's secret to getting flat not puffy cookies is you take the cookie sheet out of the oven and drop it on the counter 1 to 2 times and it immediately makes the cookies flat.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Costco had a sale on strawberries ... 4 pounds for $6.49, so my friend Jessica and I made some freezer jam! This is seriously SO easy, SO fast and SO yummy - you'll never want to buy jam again because now you can make it! You can get your canning supplies almost any where but Lowes (yes the home improvement store) always has a huge selection and good prices. This recipe is on the back of the Ball No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin. The package and says it will make enough to fill five 8oz. freezer jam jars (like in the picture) however this  recipe made 5 jars + 2 small Ziploc Twist ’n Loc Containers ... so I'd buy 2 of the 5  packaged freezer jam jars for this recipe.

Ingredients:
(5) 8oz. Freezer Jam Jars
1 ½ Cup Sugar or Splenda
1 pkg. (1.59oz.) Instant Fruit Pectin or No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
4 pounds of fresh strawberries

Directions:
1. Stir sugar and pectin in a bowl.

2. Wash and cut the stems off the strawberries. Place in a blender and puree. Then transfer to a large bowl.

3. Add sugar mixture to fruit and stir for 3 minutes.

4. Ladle jam into clean jars & let stand 30 minutes.

You can freeze for up to 1 year or refrigerate up to 3 weeks

Cinnamon Honey Butter {like Texas Roadhouse}

Recipe From: Fly Through Our Window via Melissa

You’ll need:

2 sticks of butter at room temp

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 cup of honey

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Directions:

I used the whisk attachment for my mixer and whipped the butter {make sure it’s soft and room temp}. I added to it the powdered sugar, then the honey, then the cinnamon. Whip it good. Scrape the sides. Whip it again.

Then spoon it into your precious little 4 oz jars {I found ‘em at Wally World}. If you can’t find the small ones, your friends and neighbors would be more than happy to receive a larger jar of it! The measurements above yielded 6 small jars. You can doll them up with a fabric scrap and tag!

 

I put my jars in the fridge but it spreads easier at room temp! You can eat it by the spoonful or serve it on English muffins, bagels, biscuits, rolls, or toast… or sweet potatoes… or oatmeal

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trifle

I found this on 100 Layer Cake via Pinterest and I don't even need to taste it to know I'm in love with it! Happy Valentines Day fellow bloggers and readers ... enjoy!! {click on picture and it should play a slide show of directions}

Bottom Layer: Strawberry Cake
Next Layer: Chocolate frosting
Next Layer: Fresh sliced strawberries
Next Layer: Whipped Cream
Top with chocolate dipped strawberry YUM!!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

This is my favorite winter treat from Starbucks! My sister Bridgette tried this recipe on Christmas and she said everyone loved them! Enjoy :D

Recipe From: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Blondie Layer:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the blondie layer: In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave or until melted; stir in brown sugar. Pour the butter and sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).

3. Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with chopped cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Let the frosting set (speed this up by throwing them into the fridge) then cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Award Winning Chocolate Ritz Cookies

Recipe From: Amanda

Ingredients:
100 Ritz crackers
1 1/2 Cup peanut butter
1 Jar marshmallow cream
1 package of almond bark - melted

Directions:
Microwave peanut butter and marshmallow cream for 30-45 seconds and stir well. Put into a Ziploc baggie and cut off the corner. Squeeze about a TBS of mix onto Ritz cracker then top with another cracker and dip in melted chocolate

Makes 50 cookies

{Sneaky} Sugar Christmas Cookies

Ones of the best childhood Christmas memories I have is making what seems to be hundreds of my Mom's delicious sugar cookies. She would let us help decorate them and it was so fun doing that with her. I wanted to make some goodies for Eric's boss and secretary but with a busy 8 month old and no babysitter I didn't have time to make the real deal like my Mom would - I had to cheat and go the easy route once again! But I have to say they taste exactly the same and it saved me time and money so I will definitely be doing them this way again!

Makes approx. 20 cookies

You Need:

1 package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
Almond Extract {this is what makes them SPECIAL!!}
1 Egg
1 Stick of butter or margarine - softened
1 Tablespoon of flour
Plus some extra flour (see below)
Christmas Cookie Cutters
Cute Christmas Sprinkles
Red and Green Food Coloring
Rolling pin
Cookie Sheet
Frosting ... you can use THIS recipe (it's more of a glaze) or I just wanted to be super lazy today so I bought the kind in a tub - 1 tub was enough to frost all my cookies and more!

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375°F.

2) In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, soft butter, 2 cap fulls of Almond extract, flour and egg until soft dough forms.


3) On floured surface (this is that extra flour you needed above - you just need enough to cover the surface), roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. If your dough is sticky just work some more flour into it and roll it back out. If it's still sticky do it again. You can't hurt it. Do it until it's not sticky. Make sure you dust your rolling pin with flour before you roll the dough out or it may stick to your dough. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, about 1/2 inch apart.

4) Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

5) Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Decorate as desired with icing, sprinkles and sugars.

Note: I added food coloring and 1 1/2 cap fulls of Almond Extract to my tub of frosting!! Then placed it in a ziploc baggie, cut a small hole in one of the corners and used it as a pastry bag (get an idea of what it should look like here) because that is how my Mom does it :D I also put crushed candy canes on some cookies and not sprinkles.

SUPER EASY & FAST Peppermint Bark

I seem to just be making things up today - I have never made peppermint bark - I didn't use a recipe so I have no idea how other people would make it, but this worked for me and it was delicious!!! Not to mention it took less then 5 minutes!! You'll see below I used candy melts - for a couple reasons - I then didn't have to buy peppermint extract (because they are candy cane flavor & like I would ever use that whole bottle, plus it's spendy!) and the candy melts have red flakes in them, which was an added cuteness!

What You Need:

Baker's White Chocolate (4 squares - the box has 6)

Candy Canes (as many or little as you like)

Candy Cane Colorburst Candy Melts (You can find these at Target & JoAnn Fabrics)

Small cookie sheet

Aluminum Foil

Pam cooking spray

Directions:

1) Cover the top of your cookie sheet with the foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray - set aside.

2) Place the candy canes in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin :D - transfer to a small bowl.

3) In a medium pan - over medium heat - add the Baker's white chocolate squares and the candy melts. Continuously stir the pot until melted. Be careful to not over cook it because it will burn and turn colors. It will melt very fast! If you think they are cooking you can remove the pan from heat, continue to stir and they will still melt.

4) Dump the chocolate onto your cookie sheet. With a rubber spatula spread the chocolate thin - about 1/8" thick - Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy cane.

5) Place in fridge until hardened. Break the bark into pieces. Store in airtight container.

Christmas Rolo Pretzel Sandwich

First to make these you need my original Rolo Pretzel Sandwich recipe {* CLICK HERE TO GET IT *}

To make these extra special for Christmas you also need some milk chocolate cooking chips and some cute Christmas sprinkles, in addition to the original ingredients.

You follow the original recipe but once they are cooled off you melt your milk chocolate (I just put mine in a pan over medium heat because it's fast that way). Once the chocolate is melted drop your pretzel sandwiches in (I did 3 at a time) and with a fork make sure they are covered with chocolate. Remove and set on wax paper. Immediately put sprinkles on them. Cool again and enjoy ~ they are sooooo GOOD!!

Copycat Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice

What you need:
12oz. (1 1/2 cups) Apple Juice
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Dolce Syrup (from Starbucks!) bottles run about $7
Whipped Cream
Carmel Sauce- you can pick this up at Starbucks too!

Directions ~ For a single serving:
Combine apple juice and syrup. Warm to desired heat (I did mine in the microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds & it was perfect drinking temp - not too hot) Top with whipped cream and caramel topping.

**Note: I think the caramel is the best part but I wasn't able to get any before I made me my drink, but it was just as fabulous with out it :)

{Starbucks picture} ... yum!!

Peppermint Popcorn Bark

I know Halloween will be here in a few days, but I'm already thinking Christmas! I found this cute/yummy idea from a website called Plain Chicken ... Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 bags microwave popcorn, popped (18-20 cups)
1 6oz box candy canes, crushed
1 package Almond Bark
1 tsp peppermint extract or a few drops of peppermint oil


Directions:
Place popcorn in a very large bowl - the biggest one you have. Pour crushed candy canes on top of the popcorn. (I crush my candy canes in the food processor - it is quick and it pulverizes the candy canes!) Melt almond bark according to instructions on the package. Add the peppermint extract or oil to the almond bark and pour over popcorn. Stir until all the popcorn is coated. Pour popcorn on wax paper and allow to harden. Once the popcorn has hardened, break into pieces and enjoy!

Holiday Cookie Frosting

Ingredients:
2/3 Cup unsalted butter, softened
2 2/3 Cups confectioner's sugar
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
Food coloring (red, green or just leave it white)


Directions:
Beat butter, sugar, milk & almond with a mixer until smooth. (If frosting is too thick add a little more milk.)

Divide frosting into several small bowls. Add a different color of food coloring into each bowl. Mix. Glaze cookies!

Festive Fruitcake Cookies

Recipe From: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 24

Ingredients:FOR THE COOKIES:
3 teaspoons Milk
3 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 stick (1/2 Cup) Regular (salted) Butter, Softened
1-⅓ cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Brandy
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Flour
¾ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
8 ounces, weight Candied Pineapple, Roughly Chopped
4 ounces, weight Candied Red Cherries, Roughly Chopped
4 ounces, weight Candied Green Cherries, Roughly Chopped
½ cups (additional) Flour
_____
FOR THE GLAZE:
½ cups Brandy
½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine milk and baking soda and stir. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and mix lightly. Add milk/soda mixture and mix. Add 2 cups flour and mix until just combined. With mixer on low, pour in brandy and vanilla and mix until combined. Add nuts and combine.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup additional flour over the chopped fruit. Toss to coat. Add fruit and any excess flour to mixing bowl Mix until just combined. *Batter will be very wet*

Spray baking sheet with baking spray (or use baking mat.) Drop heaping tablespoons of batter, then bake for 20 minutes or until just golden brown. Do not overbrown!

Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl, then spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of glaze over each warm cookie. Allow to cool. These cookies get better with age! (Well…within reason.)