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Thursday night is Grandkids Night. No matter what other hubbub and chaos are happening the rest of the week, I know that Thursday night is just going to be smiles, hugs, fun and laughter and I never get tired of it. I love having this established tradition and feel so blessed to have the grandchildren [...]
Thursday night is Grandkids Night. No matter what other hubbub and chaos are happening the rest of the week, I know that Thursday night is just going to be smiles, hugs, fun and laughter and I never get tired of it. I love having this established tradition and feel so blessed to have the grandchildren living nearby. There are certain things that are a given about going to Grandma’s — playing Barbies or watching movies with Aunt Rissa, snuggling with Grandma and Grandpa, playing hide and seek around the dining room-kitchen-front room “loop” with Uncle Michael AND dessert! :) It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular to impress and dazzle, but when it IS something out of the ordinary, the oooohhhs and aaahhhs and happy giggles put Grandma’s Thursday night fun over-the-top.
Our local Walmart carried the Vanilla and Chocolate flavors of new Cool Whip Frosting.
Tonight, I decided to take everyday cupcakes and make them something special using the new Cool Whip Frosting I found at Walmart. You can check out my Google + album if you want to see my whole shopping trip. Cool Whip Frosting comes in three varieties: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cream Cheese and wow! is it delicious! I discovered that it is comparably priced to other pre-made frostings, but the light, whipped cream texture, with the delicious creamy flavors is sensational and very different from others we’ve tried. You can pick it up in the freezer case, right next to Cool Whip. I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight, since I didn’t need it until the next day, but I’m sure it would thaw much more quickly on the counter. With my favorite chocolate cake recipe, Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting and a few sliced strawberries our everyday dessert for Thursday Night with the Grandkids made Grandma a rock star!
I took my favorite cake recipe and used it to create these simple, but delicious, Chocolate Strawberry Cloud Cupcakes with new Cool Whip Frosting. Were they a hit? You bet!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tubs Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, vanilla and milk and beat hard to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. (Batter will be very thick and fluffy.)
- Beat in the boiling water.
- Grease or line 24 muffin tins and use the batter to fill cups about 2/3 full. This recipe should make 24 cupcakes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
- When cupcakes are cool, slice off and set aside the tops.
- Place a generous dollop of Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting on the bottom portions of the cupcakes.
- Arrange strawberry slices over the frosting.
- Using a small amount of frosting as "glue", attach the cupcake tops over the strawberries.
- Frost the tops and decorate with more strawberry slices.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
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If you’d like more information about Cool Whip Frosting or ideas for making your own everyday dessert something special, be sure to check out these recipe ideas from Kraft and like Cool Whip on Facebook.
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kraft Cool Whip. #CoolWhipFrosting #CBias #SocialFabric. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
How did I ever miss that August 10 is National S’mores Day?!!! I shudder to think of the marshmallow chocolatey graham goodness I’ve been missing by being so uninformed. No worries, though! We’ve marked it on the calendar and I promise to consume one or two extra to make up for previous years. :) You [...]
How did I ever miss that August 10 is National S’mores Day?!!! I shudder to think of the marshmallow chocolatey graham goodness I’ve been missing by being so uninformed. No worries, though! We’ve marked it on the calendar and I promise to consume one or two extra to make up for previous years. :) You probably should, too. Just sayin’…
The indoor "campgrounds" and s'more building central at BlogHer 2012, sponsored by Hershey's.
I got to meet with the great people from Hershey’s while I was at BlogHer, in New York, last week. I had a blast visiting their “Bondfire” Camp Out in a Suite on the 43rd floor of our hotel! Today, I received a fun basket of tasty ingredients to be sure we didn’t miss out on this sweet national holiday. It’s hard to beat going to the mailbox and finding a basket of Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and Hershey Bars. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it — right? That basket also included the coolest pair of adjustable length marshmallow toasting forks, that I have ever seen. Love it! Even better news? One Busy-at-Home reader will win their own handy dandy S’mores Kit, to kick off all their fall bonfire, marshmallow-toasting revelry in style!
The basket I received had marshmallows, Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallow roasting forks. A giveaway winner will receive the same great prize!
Whether you make them inside, under the broiler, or outside roasting the marshmallows over a flame, s’mores are a universal treat that transcends all generational barriers. Everybody loves the ooey, gooey, chocolatey yum smooshed between two graham crackers! It’s the perfect balance of taste and texture and s’mores are super simple to make.
Just fire up the grill, set a bonfire ablaze, or heat up your broiler while you assemble the short list of ingredients.
I rounded up the ingredients and headed for the grill. I'm loving those adjustable length marshmallow roasting forks!
There are no special tricks to roasting the perfect marshmallow. ”Perfect” is directly related to the preferences of the roaster. Some aren’t happy until their marshmallow is a flaming orb of molten sugar, gradually cooling to an ashy, burnt mass. I’m more of a golden brown and gooey kind of marshmallow roaster. If you insist on flaming orbs, though, it’s okay with me. It’s just yuck — that’s all. :)
The adjustable forks allowed me to get the marshmallow near the flame without toasting my hands!
Once your marshmallow is cooked to suit your particular fancy, place a square of Hershey chocolate on top of a graham cracker square. Then slide the toasted marshmallow onto the chocolate, so the heat from the marshmallow can begin to soften and melt the chocolate.
It’s only a matter of seconds after you put the second graham cracker square on top, that the heat of the marshmallow really begins to melt into the chocolate and meld the flavors. One bite of the sweet, crunchy sandwich will send the gooey chocolate and marshmallow oozing out the sides (and probably down your chin) and you will have achieved the perfect s’more. Enjoy!
Happy National S'mores Day!
Entering the giveaway is EASY. As the mandatory entry, leave a blog post comment telling me whether you like your Hershey Bars plain or with almonds, then hit the DO IT button in the Rafflecopter form below, and you’ll be entered, as well as opening up additional optional entries. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a basket of s’mores making supplies from Hershey’s to test in my own kitchen and to use in the collection of info for this post. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. Giveaway prize will be shipped directly to the winner by Hershey’s.
Some people have favorite sports teams and others work as a member of a team for their jobs. Since I don’t work outside my home and I don’t play sports, often, I rarely think of myself as “part of a team”. The reality, though, is that I am blessed to be part of an extraordinary [...]
Some people have favorite sports teams and others work as a member of a team for their jobs. Since I don’t work outside my home and I don’t play sports, often, I rarely think of myself as “part of a team”. The reality, though, is that I am blessed to be part of an extraordinary team of men and women who are committed to giving their free time to the youth in our community — leading small groups, cooperating to coordinate and lead youth groups, and even to travel and participate in short-term missions with the kids they lead and mentor. These generous and giving people are willing to make tremendous sacrifices to be sure they are available to support and encourage the teenagers in our church and community, once, twice or even several times a week, year-round. They share their faith, their enthusiasm, wisdom and encouragement. They invest the time to build relationships and give kids a place where they are safe to be themselves, to share and work through difficulties and to give a voice to their dreams and aspirations. They care so much about “their” kids they’re willing to ask the hard questions, walk with them through life’s lessons and encourage them along the unique path God has set them upon. They will jump right in beside the youth of our community and work and serve beside them. I have so much love, respect and appreciation for this fantastic team of men and women, and it’s a privilege to be able to work and serve with them.
Ready to check out, at Walmart, with my TCBY surprise for "the team"!
Every Wednesday and/or Sunday night, my team shows up at the church thirty minutes before youth group, to plan, organize and discuss, to pray for the youth group, each other, and the needs of individual kids. They give up their family time, and sometimes, their dinners, in order to show up early enough to participate in these important organizational times. Then they spend the rest of their evening worshiping, teaching, counseling, and interacting with the kids they love so much. These same team players give up at least one more afternoon or evening per week, to lead a small group, usually in their own homes. Their devotion to youth, to inspiring and teaching the next generation how to live, serve and share in their communities and to be a light for Christ in everything they say and do is a great inspiration to me. It’s an honor to work alongside them.
Enjoying TCBY Fudge Bars
TCBY provided me with a unique opportunity, this week, to “celebrate” my team and provide them with a tasty treat during our Wednesday night leader’s meeting. I wasn’t able to attend youth group, this week, since I made my trip to BlogHer in New York, but with a little help from my daughter, I was still able to surprise the team with TCBY Frozen Yogurt Sandwiches and Chocolate Fudge Bars. With the triple-digit temperatures we have sustained over the last several weeks, in Nebraska, frozen treats are always a big hit! The team really enjoyed TCBY’s frozen yogurt sandwiches and fudge bars, though one of my partners in chocolate-loving crime, felt that the fudge bars appeared to be much more chocolatey on the packaging than in real-life. Packaging aside, the cold treats were a refreshing pick-me-up and a great surprise on a hot Nebraska evening. Yum!
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TCBY Frozen Yogurt, in pints and quarts; as well as a variety of frozen novelties, like Fudge Bars, Orange and Vanilla Bars, Frozen Yogurt Sandwiches and Strawberry Swirl Bars; are available in the freezer case at your favorite grocers. I picked mine up at our local Walmart, (Be sure to check out my Google+ album to see my entire shop.) and if you want to see which stores in your area are carrying these tasty yogurt treats, just plug your zipcode into the search box on TCBY’s website. I would also recommend that you follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to stay up-to-date on new products, creative recipe ideas and coupons or promotions.
Pick up your favorite TCBY flavors and novelties at your local grocer's freezer case!
So, whose the greatest team in your life? Would they pose with frozen yogurt treats, for you!!??? Mine did! They’re awesome! :) TCBY frozen novelties would be a simple way to celebrate the team you love working with and let them know you appreciate all they do and how much you enjoy being part of such an awesome group. Go ahead! Surprise them! And enjoy the cool, refreshing satisfaction of TCBY Frozen Yogurt!
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and TCBY. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. #TCBYGrocery #CBias #SocialFabric
Have you ever eaten Red Velvet Cake? Or baked one? As a Midwestern girl, who has been baking for more than 40 years, you would think that I would have run across one. But yesterday, I baked, and tasted, my very first. I read websites and recipes that claimed Red Velvet Cake for “the south”, [...]
Have you ever eaten Red Velvet Cake? Or baked one? As a Midwestern girl, who has been baking for more than 40 years, you would think that I would have run across one. But yesterday, I baked, and tasted, my very first. I read websites and recipes that claimed Red Velvet Cake for “the south”, but then there were some northern-folk who felt that their formula was probably the original. I never did discover where the idea actually started, but after a little research, their was no question people felt very personally attached to the memories Red Velvet Cake evoked and the recipes are handed down in families like a precious heirloom. Interestingly, they all come with their variations and quirks, making each unique and a custom creation. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I took bits and pieces from the different recipes I found and baked one for myself, which I think probably turned out to be pretty traditional, other than the fruity twist.
Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries
Isn't it gorgeous! This would be so pretty at Christmas time or add some blueberries to the raspberries and it would be perfect for the Fourth of July!
My interest was first piqued with the idea of baking a Red Velvet Cake, because of the new air freshener scents I received from Renuzit, this week — Chocolate Covered Cherries and Red Velvet Cake. I have shared with with you, before, how strongly I feel about certain scents and fragrances, (whether it be in laundry detergent, dish soap or air fresheners), to create a mood or set the tone in a home. Memories and experiences just seem to be so vivid and fresh when they are evoked by a smell that takes you back to the moment you experienced it. In my childhood, Chocolate Covered Cherries were the ultimate delicacy and the gift my dad received for every birthday, Father’s Day and Christmas. They were one of his favorites and if we were allowed to sample one — well that was just next to heaven. :) Cakes and cookies baking were common scents in our home, growing up, and a memory that I have spent years recreating for our own kids. I so enjoy being in the kitchen and expressing my love for my family through the foods I create for them there. Nothing is so welcoming, comforting and homey as a house filled with the smells of baking. These new Renuzit fragrances capture those warm, welcoming memories in deliciously extravagant scents. Check out Renuzit’s Facebook page to hear even more about their Tempting Indulgences air fresheners. You’re going to love them! And, when you smell them, and see these pictures, you’re going to want to eat Red Velvet Cake, too! But, I want to tweak this recipe some more. You can read about it in my notes, below. I just want it to be PERFECT for you and I don’t think it’s there, yet! Not a baking-fail, per se, but not yet, special. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, check out what I did and these gorgeous pictures!
It's amazing! The air freshener smells exactly like the cake I baked. It's uncanny how they can create those fragrances!
Since baking happens at our house on a very regular basis, I had nearly everything, on hand, that I needed to whip up a Red Velvet Cake; but, I was out of buttermilk. I decided to make a quick run to Walmart to get some and to grab a couple ingredients for some other recipes that were swirling and gelling in my brain over the last couple of days. It was going to be a quick “in and out”, so I did a very dangerous thing. (Insert crazy, sinister, oh no, not that, music here.) dun–dun–dun– I went in without a list! Please, do not try this at home! A trained professional navigated the store, without a list, and still came home with items not needed and neglected to purchase things they were planning to get. Actual dings were put in the budget in the making of this list-free shopping trip, both at the store and in the needed gas to repeat the trip for the unpurchased items. This is never a good idea for the family budget. So, don’t follow my bad example. Always shop with a list. :) If you want to see my entire shopping trip, check out my Google+ album.
Buttermilk. The original reason for entering the store and necessary for my cake. I bake with it often enough to need to keep it on hand, but not often enough to go through fresh buttermilk, every week. This powdered buttermilk is a fantastic option for me and always handy in the baking aisle.
I buzzed the air fresheners and end caps at our local Walmart to see if they were stocking the "yummy" new Renuzit scents. Not yet. 
If making this recipe, again, I would eliminate the vinegar and baking powder, (even though every Red Velvet recipe I found did use them.), increasing the baking soda to 2 teaspoons. Activating the baking soda with the vinegar, rendered it useless as a leavening agent, and seemed to contribute to the dryness of the cake. I prefer baking soda to baking powder in cakes, as I prefer very moist, dense cake. Baking powder creates more of a dry, airy, "box-cake crumb", in my opinion. I would also add an extra 1/2 cup butter, another 1/4 cup of cocoa and 3/4 cup of boiling water, as well as using all-purpose, instead of cake flour. . -- lol -- So basically, I would rewrite the recipe, again, and it would be nothing like a traditional Red Velvet Cake, but it WOULD be gorgeously red PLUS stupendously delicious. Once I have a chance to test those changes, and be better satisfied with the result, I will update this post with the new measurements.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 oz. red food coloring
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- fresh mint leaves
for the Cake
for the Frosting
for decorating and garnish
Instructions
- Grease and flour 3 eight-inch pans or 2 nine-inch pans.
- Sift cake flour into a bowl. Add cocoa, baking powder and salt to flour.
- Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time and then add the vanilla and food coloring.
- Add 1/3 of dry ingredient mixture.
- Mix in 1/2 of buttermilk.
- Add 1/3 dry ingredients.
- Last half of buttermilk.
- Last 1/3 of dry ingredients.
- Mix baking soda and vinegar together in a small bowl and quickly stir the mixture into your cake batter.
- Divide batter, evenly, between prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (May need up to 30 for 9 inch pans)
- Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.
- Cool, in the pans, on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to finish cooling completely.
- Use your favorite cream cheese icing to assemble the layers and frost the cake.
- Decorate with raspberries and mint leaves.
- Enjoy!
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I wanted to step outside the beverage category when I created my second recipe for International Delights and I had a pretty good idea what I was going to try, but even I didn’t realize how fabulously this would turn out. As you know, we’re a hard-core chocolate cake kinda family and my go-to, favorite [...]
I wanted to step outside the beverage category when I created my second recipe for International Delights and I had a pretty good idea what I was going to try, but even I didn’t realize how fabulously this would turn out. As you know, we’re a hard-core chocolate cake kinda family and my go-to, favorite recipe is hard to beat. International Delights just helped me take that up a notch, though, and it was a rich and fudgey dream! This is a super-moist, deeply dense and delicious cake. It doesn’t raise super high, so don’t worry that you may have messed something up. You didn’t. It will be heavenly! Enjoy!
International Delights Vanilla Iced Coffee and International Delights French Vanilla Coffee Creamer are the secret ingredients in this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup International Delights French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup International Delights Vanilla Iced Coffee
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Beat in coffee creamer, eggs and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Batter will be VERY thick and creamy. (Don't eat it! :))
- Add the coffee.
- Pour batter into a greased 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Cake will be set, but still somewhat soft in the center. Toothpick test will not be a good test for this cake. If the cake has pulled away from the sides of your pan and the center is set, it's done. You don't want to overbake it.
- Place on a cooling rack to cool.
- Use your favorite frosting to cover the cake, once it has cooled. I had canned chocolate frosting in the pantry, so that's what I used, today. And just in case that wasn't awesome enough, I topped it with some fresh, homemade whipped cream! Pure decadence!
- For the optimum flavor and deliciousness, I like to chill this cake before serving. It is so moist and fudgey and good, cold from the refrigerator.
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Do you have a fabulously creative recipe for using coffee? I’ll bet you could incorporate the delicious flavors of International Delights Iced Coffee and Creamers into many of your recipes, to create a fabulous new treat. I’d love to hear your ideas! Be sure to follow their Facebook and Twitter pages, to stay up to date on any news and to collect great ideas to try in your own kitchen!
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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and International Delight. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own. #IcedDelight #CBias #SocialFabric
I’ve been in recipe creation mode, lately, and have come up with several that I’m excited to share with you. Sometimes, creating new recipes is awesome. Sometimes, it’s a laboratory concoction gone awry. :) My indulgent family participates in my experiments with patient smiles and sometimes, a deep breath and closed eyes. I’m so grateful [...]
I’ve been in recipe creation mode, lately, and have come up with several that I’m excited to share with you. Sometimes, creating new recipes is awesome. Sometimes, it’s a laboratory concoction gone awry. :) My indulgent family participates in my experiments with patient smiles and sometimes, a deep breath and closed eyes. I’m so grateful for their pioneering spirits.
Have you ever gone to the pantry to get some inspiration for a guestworthy-dessert, only to be left staring at basic pantry staples and kids’ snacks? It happens to the best of us. -lol- But, if the snacks happen to be Dole Fruit Cups, you may be able to save a trip to the grocery store and have everything you need to create something simple, but elegant; and your guests won’t be able to get enough! This was such a fun recipe to create; and has been dubbed Mandarin Orange Delight. I couldn’t be more pleased with the reviews from my favorite critics, so I know it will definitely be a hit for summertime parties. Whether you choose to serve it simply, or style it for more elegant entertaining, this easy to prepare dessert will make you famous (or at least a familiar face in the neighborhood)! :)
- Luckily, Dole Mandarin Orange fruit cups were the kids’ snack I found in my pantry. I can’t wait to show you how easy it was to transform them into a wonderful dessert!
View my shopping trip to purchase the recipe ingredients in my Google+ Album.
This is a two phase recipe, but both phases are super easy. Mix and bake a simple crust, then whip up the filling, fill the crust and let it chill, leaving plenty of time to prepare for and enjoy your guests. When you see it, you’ll know it was worth it. When you taste it…oh man, just wait ’til you taste it! :)
- Mandarin Orange Delight – Delectable citrus, creamy perfection!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 3 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups mandarin orange segments, drained
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon fiori di sicilia * (see below)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
For the Crust
For the Filling
Instructions
- Melt the butter and combine, thoroughly, with the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. The mixture will be coarse and moist, and easily pressed together.
- Press the crust into the bottom of a large spring form pan (Mine is 10 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches deep.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Cool.
- With your mixer, cream together the softened cream cheese, sugar, condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and Fiori di Sicilia. (*A Note About Fiori di Sicilia: This recipe could certainly be prepared without it. But this lovely extract that is a combination of citrus, Sicilian flowers and vanilla is a perfect complement to the mandarin oranges. If you don't have Fiori di Sicilia, you can use orange extract. It just won't have quite the same mellow citrus sumptuousness.)
- Your filling will be thick, creamy and delicious, but still pretty heavy. If you lift some on your spoon or spatula, the weight will immediately cause it to begin sliding back into the bowl.
- To get the airy, smoothness that is perfect for summertime citrus desserts, you are going to whip the heavy cream into the filling at your mixer's highest speed.
- It will only take a short time, less than 60 seconds, to whip the volume into your dessert. Don't overbeat it as it will actually begin to lose volume and eventually lose its thickness and texture. It should whip up and fill your bowl. You will be able to tap a spatula or spoon across the surface, lift it quickly and see soft, peaks form in the filling.
- Gently fold the mandarin oranges into the filling, by hand, not with the mixer.
- This is the point where you will want to sit in front of a good chick-flick with the bowl and a big spoon and just enjoy your creation, but trust me, it's going to be even better.
- Restrain yourself, as best you can and pile the mandarin orange dessert filling into your spring form pan with the cooled graham cracker crust.
- I used about 2 teaspoons of fresh orange zest to sprinkle the top and then refrigerated the dessert to give it a chance to set up. I left it to chill, somewhere between 5 and 6 hours.
- Once set up, the mold can be removed from your spring form pan and your gorgeous dessert is ready to serve.
- Pretty AND delicious!
- Dress it up with some extra mandarin orange segments or serve it as is. Either way, you'll be greeted with ooohs and aaahs at how pretty it is. I used lemon leaves,from our Meyer lemon tree, on the plate for a couple of these pictures.
- Regardless of how you serve it, you won't be able to resist digging in, for long. Enjoy!
For the Crust
For the Filling
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/mandarin-orange-delight-simple-elegance-from-a-familiar-kids-snack/Dole Fruit Cups make fantastic, quick and healthy snacks for your favorite on-the-go kids. They’re just fruit — that’s it — 100% fruit, packed in it’s own juice. The fruit is packaged in easy-to-take containers, that are perfectly portioned and they have varieties to fit the preferences of all the “individuals” that you cook for. Toss them in a lunch box, offer them after school as a snack; OR when you’re in a hurry to make something fabulous for guests, get creative and let them be the inspiration for a delicious new dessert! Be sure to follow Dole on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on new products, and to be the first to hear about promotions and coupons. I’m guessing that Dole Fruit Cups will be as well-liked in your house, as they are in ours!
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. #CBias #SocialFabric
Lucky Leaf was a new brand name to me, until I realized they are owned by the same company that produces Musselman’s products. They started out in 1949, making fresh applesauce, eventually adding apple pie filling and finally a full line of premium pie fillings. They also make apple juice, cider and apple butter, as [...]
Lucky Leaf was a new brand name to me, until I realized they are owned by the same company that produces Musselman’s products. They started out in 1949, making fresh applesauce, eventually adding apple pie filling and finally a full line of premium pie fillings. They also make apple juice, cider and apple butter, as well as some specialty products. One of the first things I noticed, and that made a HUGE impression on me, is that Lucky Leaf’s pie fillings were not OVERLY sweet. YAY! They had sweetness, but it was more like slightly-sweetened fruitiness. I could taste fruit, not just the sugar. I love that!
While pies, cobblers and crisps are the obvious baking options with pie filling, there are other delicious recipe options that will add a special touch to your summer celebrations. With Father’s Day, the Fourth of July, summer birthdays, barbecues and church picnics on the calendar, it’s fun to be able to create something a little different and unexpected. The Lucky Leaf Pinterest boards are loaded with fun ideas.
I was able to whip up two recipes, this week, that utilize Lucky Leaf pie filling. With just a couple of minutes of simple prep work I made Strawberry Pie Pops and Peach Dump Cake with Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Both were my adaptations of recipes included in my review pack from Lucky Leaf; and both were scrumptious!
The Lucky Leaf products I reviewed this week and the prize that one lucky Busy-at-Home winner will receive -- popsicle molds set and an assortment of Lucky Leaf pie filling.
Ingredients
- 1 can (21 oz.) Lucky Leaf pie filling (I used strawberry, but other flavors would definitely work.)
- 2 cups milk
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
- Fill popsicle molds and freeze. ( I filled the molds I received from Lucky Leaf and made 4 pops in my Zoku Quick Pop Maker and then filled an entire ice cube tray with the filling that remained. The frozen cubes, added to a glass and then covered with Sprite or 7-Up, make a refreshing beverage and looks very festive!)
- However, you serve them, these are a fast and easy treat that will be happily received by kids and adults!
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For some reason, that completely escapes me, I didn’t get pictures of the steps, when making this yummy dump cake. Since, you simply put everything in a bowl and mix, however, I’m pretty sure you will replicate this simple treat, with ease.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 (21 oz) can Lucky Leaf Peach Pie Filling
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixture.
- Mix just until all ingredients are moistened and incorporated.
- Bake in a greased 9x13 pan, at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes.
- Cool in pan and refrigerate until serving time. This cake is even more delicious and super moist after being chilled. The note of nutmeg is extraordinary and butter pecan ice cream is the perfect accompaniment.
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THE GIVEAWAY
Mandatory Entry: Visit the Lucky Leaf website and find a recipe you would like to try. Leave a comment on this post, telling me the title of the recipe and the flavor of pie filling you would use. Click DO IT and then Enter! You’re done! You can also fill out the optional additional entries that are unlocked, when you submit this mandatory entry, if you’d like even more chances to win. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I received an assortment of Lucky Leaf Pie Fillings and a popsicle mold set to test them out in my own kitchen and collect information for this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products. The giveaway is being administered by Busy-at-Home and the prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Lucky Leaf.
. Thank you COOL WHIP for sponsoring this post. Join us on Facebook for inspiration and recipes for everyday treats. What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms … Thursday is one of the sweetest days of the week, at my house. It’s “Grandma Day”. I am certainly blessed to live so near to, and be able [...]
Thank you COOL WHIP for sponsoring this post. Join us on Facebook for inspiration and recipes for everyday treats. What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms
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Thursday is one of the sweetest days of the week, at my house. It’s “Grandma Day”. I am certainly blessed to live so near to, and be able to spend time with, my grandkids, often; but Thursday’s are special. Every Thursday afternoon, the three of them race through the front door with hugs, paper presents and excited stories about everything I’ve missed since we last saw each other. Our daughter hurries off to work and the kids settle in for our visit. Since our youngest daughter is only 10, SHE is usually the center of attention for playing and games; but after some time for fun and frolicking, Grandma in the kitchen, pulls the little ones in like a magnet. Before I know it, there are chairs around my kitchen counter and I have a fresh set of curious fingers to help me with a new recipe. Sometimes, it’s all three at once; but more often, I find that only one is drawn close to learn and experiment and ask questions. I love those times with them!
Smiles to melt a Grandma's heart!!
Tonight, my “one”, was our two-year-old grandson who had to help me dredge, dip and bread the chicken strips for our supper. We were a grand mess of sticky, floury fingers when we were done, but what a glorious time we had in the process.
“Gramma, who dat?” “That’s flour.” “Oh.”
“Dat’s milk.” “Mmm hmmm.”
“Who dat?” “Those are bread crumbs.” “Those are bread crumbs?” “Mmm hmmm.”
“I wanna do it!”
He definitely wanted to be very hands-on with this project and I got such a kick out of working with him and talking to him in the kitchen. I was surprised that his attention had been captured to spend as much time with me as he did, because our time together had actually started about thirty minutes earlier, making dessert. He was content to just watch that process, asking the names of ingredients and telling me random stories about his sisters as I mixed everything together. However, the moment someone else would wander into the kitchen, he would announce in his most excited I-know-something-B-I-G-big voice, “Gramma’s makin’ pudding! Gramma, I yike pudding!”
I love having dessert on Thursday nights, because the kids get so excited, but it doesn’t always fit my schedule to make something elaborate. Fortunately, something as simple and “everyday” as pudding, is still exciting. It’s all about presentation, when it comes to making “simple”, something special. What could make eating pudding more exciting than eating it from Great-Grandma’s china teacups and maybe adding a surprise ingredient. The finishing touch, to take it from “everyday” to something special, would be a dollop of COOL WHIP whipped topping. As I mulled over a dessert recipe, I knew exactly what I was going to do and it was going to score me big points on the Gramma-meter. 
Homemade Chocolate Mint Pudding served in Great Grandma's teacups with a dollop of COOL WHIP whipped topping and a mint leaf. Chocolate mint candies melted into the pudding were the special "secret ingredient" in the pudding and COOL WHIP was the "dress up" to make it over the top!
This is a simple homemade pudding recipe, that brings delectable, creamy, chocolate delight every time it’s served. You could certainly dress up canned pudding or a boxed mix with COOL WHIP and make a quick, yummy dessert; but for not much more effort, you can create something truly remarkable. You’ll come back to this recipe, again and again, when you need a delicious dessert in a hurry.
Delicious served just as pudding, or used as filling for cream puffs, pies, tarts or other pastries. This recipe is quick, easy and creamy chocolate satisfaction!
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 9-12 ounces semi-sweet, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate (your preference)
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together.
- Add the milk and stir until the sugar and cornstarch are completely dissolved.
- Stir in the cream, egg yolks and vanilla.
- Over medium heat, and stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it just comes to a full rolling boil and has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, whisking until it is completely melted and combined. (You can use the greater or larger amount of chocolate depending on your own particular tastes. If only adding the chocolate, I would normally add the 12 oz, but tonight, as a special treat, I decided to make chocolate mint pudding. I used 9 oz of the semi-sweet chocolate I had on hand and added 2-3 oz (about 1 cup) of Andes mints, as well. The results were spectacular, so I can highly recommend this variation.)
- Once the chocolate has been thoroughly incorporated into your pudding, transfer it to a bowl or container to cool.
- Lay plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding, to prevent a skin from forming on the top and then refrigerate the pudding until you are ready to serve it.
- Spoon into serving dishes and add toppings and garnishes to taste. Serve and enjoy!
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This is a sponsored post, for which I was compensated, as a member of Clever Girls Collective. Sponsored posts are editorial content I have composed myself, which I am happy to present on behalf of a sponsor. None of the content was written by the advertiser. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts how much I love Eggland’s Best and you often see their signature logo stamped on the eggs in my recipe tutorials. I am over the top excited to hear about this recipe contest!!! What will you enter? I’m making my list! EGGLAND’S BEST EGGS ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL RECIPE CONTEST Eggland’s Best [...]
I’ve mentioned in previous posts how much I love Eggland’s Best and you often see their signature logo stamped on the eggs in my recipe tutorials. I am over the top excited to hear about this recipe contest!!! What will you enter? I’m making my list!
EGGLAND’S BEST EGGS ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL RECIPE CONTEST
Eggland’s Best “Your Best Recipe” Contest Provides At-home Chefs A Chance to Win $10,000
May 7, 2012 (Cedar Knolls, NJ) – No longer relegated to only breakfast fare, eggs are taking center stage in dishes across the country, being featured in inventive ways that showcase its versatility and ability to bring new tastes and textures to everything from soups and salads, to pastas and burger toppings.
Eggland’s Best (EB), the No. 1 brand of eggs in the country known for its superior nutritional profile, freshness and quality, wants to recognize the culinary talents of at-home chefs with the announcement of the brand’s first-ever national recipe contest.
Call for entries to the Eggland’s Best “Your Best Recipe” contest is open now through August 12, 2012 and at-home chefs can submit their best original recipe featuring at least two EB eggs online at www.egglandsbest.com/yourbestrecipe. A $1,000 prize will be awarded in each of the following four categories: Breakfast, Appetizer, Main Course, and Dessert and one at-home chef whose dish showcases the most creative use of Eggland’s Best eggs will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize.
Helping to judge recipe entries are chef and cookbook author Candice Kumai, who also serves as a judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, as well as Elizabeth Ward, a nationally recognized registered dietitian. Both experts will be evaluating each recipe based on the criteria of taste, presentation, availability of ingredients and creativity.
“The test of a true chef is in knowing how to cook eggs properly, and selecting the best ingredients to cook with,” says Chef Candice Kumai. “I personally use Eggland’s Best eggs because not only are they more nutritious than ordinary eggs, but the yolks are also plumper, creamier and brighter in color. Their freshness and quality ensure my egg dishes turn out consistently every time.”
For official contest rules and to submit your original recipe, visit www.egglandsbest.com/yourbestrecipe or https://www.facebook.com/egglandsbesteggs/app_251842034899170.
Did you know you could make that “magic shell” ice cream topping at home? And that it only takes two ingredients? And that it’s incredibly easy? Me. either. But, you can and now, I’m going to tell you how. Get your ice cream ready! Plus, I’m going to show you how to use it to [...]
Did you know you could make that “magic shell” ice cream topping at home? And that it only takes two ingredients? And that it’s incredibly easy? Me. either. But, you can and now, I’m going to tell you how. Get your ice cream ready! Plus, I’m going to show you how to use it to make chocolate covered bananas. Your kids will hug you and then your neighbor’s kids will hug you. Just sayin’.
Ice cream topped with delicious homemade "magic shell". This is like those dip cones we loved as kids, only better, because it's right in the kitchen. lol See how it hardens as it hits the cold ice cream?
Chocolate covered bananas take me way back to elementary school. Isn’t it funny how food has the power to evoke memories and carry you back to another place and time? It was a HUGE deal if we could manage to scrounge up a dime to take to school with us on Fridays, because one high school club or another would be waiting outside the doors of the elementary building, after school, with trays full of frozen chocolate covered bananas. This simple recipe has only three ingredients and can be prepared in only minutes. Plus, by using Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I was able to put a whole new taste-twist on this old classic — sort of like Mounds candy bar wrapped around a frozen banana. Trust me! It’s fantastic!
Did you realize that coconut oil is actually just the clear liquid that separates from coconut milk, after about 24 hours? I always wondered how it was possible to squeeze oil from a coconut! Seriously, though – not all coconut oils are created equally – literally, they are produced in very different ways. There are all kinds of refined coconut oils on the market, usually made by machine, from dried coconut. And all coconut oils are healthy and a great option for cooking and baking. But, if you want a truly organic, pure and natural product, you need to find one that is made by simply grating the fresh coconut, extracting the milk and then allowing the fresh milk to sit in a covered container and separate. That’s exactly how Tropical Traditions produces their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. It is certified organic and I can tell you from personal experience that the taste is amazing!
Coconut oil has been used as a cooking oil, in tropical climates, for thousands of years. It will be a solid, sitting on your shelf, at temperatures lower than about 80 degrees. In the warmer days of Nebraska summers, I will note it melting into its liquid form. Coconut oil can just be kept on a shelf in your pantry. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Plus, coconut oil can be used in all kinds of cooking — baking, frying, condiments and dressings. There are some great recipes to try in the Recipes section on the Tropical Traditions website. It was great to use the coconut oil, hands-on, and realize I didn’t have to do anything different from the way I use any other vegetable oil. It was an easy switch and I’m loving it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips
- 4 bananas, peeled and cut in half
- wooden popsicle sticks
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and cut them in half.
- Insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana half.
- Place on an ungreased baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours until they are frozen through.
- Now, it's time to make your "magic shell" topping. While the bananas are freezing, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish in the microwave. It will only take a minute or two.
- Stir the oil and melted chocolate together.
- Dip a frozen banana in the melted chocolate mixture. It will harden on the outside of the banana in a matter of seconds, so just hold it until the coating is dry. Lay the covered banana back on the sheet and repeat the same process until all 8 banana pops are coated.
- You can pop these back in the freezer until you're ready to enjoy them, or pass them out, immediately. The chocolate will harden as soon as it hits the frozen banana, so there's no reason to have to wait.
- The cool thing about this recipe is that after dipping all 8 bananas, I still had around a cup of the magic shell left over. I put it in a squeeze bottle and kept in on the shelf in the pantry. It stayed liquid, just like the magic shell products you buy at the store.
- It was DELISH on ice cream! And the kids loved the banansas!
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- Ooooh! Grandma, it's cold!
- The coconut flavor really does come through in this recipe, using the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. Everyone remarked that it was like eating a Mounds candy bar. Hmmm.... I'll bet it would be amazing to use in brownies!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/homemade-magic-shell-topping-and-chocolate-covered-bananas/I have two more pieces of AWESOME news! Tropical Traditions has their one quart size Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil on sale, until March 29, Buy One , Get One FREE. Fantastic Deal!!! PLUS, a lucky Busy-at-Home reader is going to get the chance to add coconut oil into their cooking routine, too! Tropical Traditions is sponsoring a giveaway for one quart of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! Woohoo! You know the easy routine. Leave a comment on this post telling me something new you learned about coconut oil or another Tropical Traditions product you would like to try and then use the Rafflecopter form, below, to enter. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a quart of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil to test in my own kitchen, so I could collect information to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
