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Fiesta Fudge Cookies Recipe

by 10 Comments

We made Fiesta Fudge Cookies when Zoe was a little girl and I’m quite tempted to make them again today. I NEED a good chocolate fix.

fiesta Fudge Cookies

Fiesta Fudge Cookies

by Betty Crocker

1/3 cup butter or margarine
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60 white and chocolate-striped candy drops or pieces, unwrapped

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter and chocolate on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave on High 1 minute longer or until butter is melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.
2. Stir condensed milk into chocolate mixture. Stir in cookie mix and cinnamon until well blended.
3. Using 1 level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, shape into 60 balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not overbake). Immediately press 1 candy into center of each cookie. Cool cookies on cookie sheet 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. To get candy to spread slightly on top of cookie, tap edge of each cookie lightly. Cool completely. Store covered at room temperature.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 8 to 9 minutes.

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Zoe always loved baking with me

Zoe always loved baking

Do you cook with your kids?

Wine and Jelly Bean Pairings & A Frozen Rosé Recipe

by 5 Comments

We received samples from Barefoot Wine and Gimbal’s Fine Candies.

June is national candy month and June 10th was one of the greatest wine holidays, National Rosé Day, the perfect way to kick off summer.

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California Rosé, Barefoot Wine surveyed Americans to find out just how much they love drinking pink. Below is a snapshot of all the different ways we love Rosé!

· The majority of Americans who drink Rosé (91%) prefer it slightly sweet

· Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) feel drinking Rosé marks the official start of summer

· The majority of Americans enjoy Rosé for the refreshing taste, and in fact, more than half (53%) would find a glass of Rosé more refreshing than a popsicle on a hot summer day!

· Rosé and Chill? 58% of respondents said they drink Rosé while binge-watching TV. So bring on the Game of Thrones, House of Cards and OITNB – we’re ready for it.

· Nearly half (47%) of respondents said they would rather give up the “Final Rose” on The Bachelor/The Bachelorette than give up drinking Rosé for a whole year – which speaks volumes to its popularity!

Barefoot’s Rosé is the newest addition to its portfolio. In addition to gathering these fun facts, Barefoot encourages wine fans to have FUN with their vino!

Try their easy recipe for the delightfully sweet Frosé for a cool twist.

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Ingredients
  • 750 mL Barefoot Rosé Wine
  • 2/3 cup cranberry raspberry juice
Directions
  1. Freeze Rosé in large ice cube tray
  2. Pour juice in blender, add Rosé cubes, blend and serve

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Then maybe you would enjoy these wine and jelly bean pairings from Gimbals.

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Grilling with Weber Baby Back Ribs Recipe & Giveaway

by 78 Comments

We are working with Weber to give you an ultimate Father’s Day Giveaway. They are providing us with this amazing BEST-ON-THE-BLOCK BABY BACK RIBS recipe from Weber’s Greatest Hits Cookbook and a giveaway for you guys that you are sure to love!!!

BabyBackRib

To qualify your baby back ribs as best on the block, the seasoned bark (crust) and natural flavors of the pork ribs must complement the hickory smoke and the sweet-tart sauce.

You can feel free to adjust the recipe if you’re afraid of a little spice. 

BEST-ON-THE-BLOCK BABY BACK RIBS recipe

PREP TIME 30 MINUTES

STANDING TI M E

30 MINUTES TO 1 HOUR

Grilling time about 3 hours

SERVES 8 TO 10

RUB RECIPE 

2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pure chile powder
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 racks baby back ribs, each 21/2 to 3 pounds

SAUCE RECIPE 

4 slices bacon
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hot-pepper sauce (optional)

MOP RECIPE

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1: Have ready a rib rack. In a small bowl combine all the rub ingredients and mix well

Using a dull dinner knife, slide the tip under the membrane covering the back of each rack of ribs. Lift and loosen the membrane until it breaks, then grab a corner of it with a paper towel and pull it off. Season the ribs evenly with the rub, pressing it into the meat. Arrange the racks in the rib rack, standing each rack up and facing them all in the same direction.

Let the racks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling.

2: Soak 4 large handfuls hickory wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.

3: Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat (300° to 350°F).

4: Brush the cooking grates clean. Drain 2 handfuls wood chips and add them to the charcoal or to the smoker box of a gas grill and close the lid. When smoke appears, place the rib rack with the ribs over indirect low heat and cook, with the lid closed, for 1 hour.

Maintain the temperature of the grill between 300° and 350°F.

5: While the ribs are cooking, make the sauce. In a medium skillet on the stove, fry the bacon over low heat until browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Let the bacon drippings in the skillet cool to room temperature. Eat the bacon or save for another use. In a medium saucepan combine all the remaining ingredients except the hot sauce, if using. Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and whisk until smooth. Place over low heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you prefer a spicy sauce, season with the hot sauce. Remove the pan from the heat.

6: Combine the mop ingredients in a small spray bottle. After the first hour of cooking, drain the remaining handful of wood chips and add them to the charcoal or smoker box. Lightly spray the racks with the mop, particularly the areas that are looking a little dry.

Close the lid and cook for 1 hour longer. Maintain the temperature of the grill between 300° and 350°F.

7: When the second hour of cooking has finished, lightly spray the racks with the mop, particularly the areas that are looking a little dry. If any of the racks are cooking faster than the others or look much darker, swap their positions for even cooking. Close the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.

8: After 21/2 hours of cooking, the meat will have shrunk back from most of the bones by 1/4 inch or more. If it has not, continue to cook the racks until it does. When the racks are done, remove the rib rack from the grill. Close the lid of the grill to maintain the heat. Remove the racks from the rib rack and lightly brush each rack on both sides with some of the sauce.

9: Return the racks to the grill over indirect low heat. At this point you can pile all the racks on top of one another or stack the racks two to a pile. Continue to cook over indirect low heat, with the lid closed, until tender and succulent, 15 to 30 minutes. To test if the racks are done, one at a time, lift them, bone side up, at one end with tongs; if a rack bends so much in the middle that the meat tears easily, it is ready. If the meat does not tear easily, continue to cook until it does. When the racks are ready, transfer them to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

10: Just before serving, lightly brush the racks with sauce again. Cut the racks into individual ribs and serve warm.

Now you may be wondering how do I get those perfect temperatures? Well that’s where the Weber Giveaway comes in, but even before that let’s talk about a few products..

Weber’s Greatest Hits Cookbook—(where this amazing steak recipes came from) Written by New York Times best-selling author, Jamie Purviance, this cookbook is a compilation of Weber’s favorite select recipes that were chosen to be the best of the best. The book contains 125 recipes, each with stunning new full-page photos. It’s a perfect gift for the dad who wants to grill like a pro with a huge range of recipes for every griller. $24.99 MSRP.

iGrill 2Weber iGrill 2—Weber’s Bluetooth-enabled digital thermometer is the right gift for dad’s looking to improve their grilling skills. The iGrill 2 takes the guesswork out of grilling by delivering alerts and data directly to users smart phones. $99.99 MSRP . Image of iGrill 2:  https://tinyurl.com/mx2zhx4

2017 Weber Charcoal Briquettes

Weber Briquettes—The new 20-lb. bags of Weber Briquettes, made from 100 percent all-natural hardwood, provide a long, consistent heat—requiring less need to refuel during grilling. It’s the perfect fuel for charcoal grilling enthusiasts.  $24.99 MSRP.

Father's Day Giveaway

Now for the giveaway,

Enter to Win:

All three products… $150 Value

To Enter:

Tell us what your dad likes to grill

Extra Entries:

Use the rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pear Quinoa Muffins With Truvia Baking Blend

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Truvia Quinoa Apple Pear Muffins

Muffins made with Truvia, Truvia Quinoa Apple Pear Muffins

I was a Truvia Brand ambassador and compensated for my time, opinions are always my own.

We decided to come up with a mostly healthy recipe using Truvia. We made some muffins, Truvia Quinoa Apple Pear Muffins using whole wheat flour and of course some quinoa. Substituting Truvia in the place of sugar in recipes is a great place to start. Truvia baking blend is designed for easy, at-home baking, and is a blend of Truvia® natural sweetener and sugar. Truvia® Baking Blend provides sugar-like taste and texture in recipes, but with 75% fewer calories and twice the amount of sweetness than sugar. Truvia® Baking Blend is available at retail stores nationwide in a 1.5 pound bag with a closeable, easy-to-use pour spout. I love how easy it is to store and pour.

Truvia Quinoa Apple Pear Muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cinnamon applesauce
4 cups diced unpeeled pears
3/4 cup quinoa
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

1 Whisk together eggs, milk, and apple sauce until completely blended.
2 Stir in diced fruit.
3 Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl.
4 Add dry to wet ingredients and stir just until blended.
5 Let batter sit for 15-20 minutes
6 Divide batter into greased muffin cups and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Then Enjoy!

Snack Time with Partners Crackers: Making A Snack Tray

by 9 Comments

We received samples from Partners Crackers.

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We are often looking for different snack options for the kids. They try something , fall in love with it and then get tired of it. So I work really hard to rotate some healthy, wholesome and good for you snacks in between some other things that they love.

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Partners Gourmet Snack Crackers

Thin, crispy, flavorful. PARTNERS Gourmet Snack Crackers complement everything from traditional cheeses and soups to the most exotic dips and spread. These smaller cut crackers are great for party appetizers, snacks, or part of a full meal.

When I received samples from Partners Crackers I was quite happy with what I received. They sent me so many samples I had to share them. So we donated some to the nurses at the hospital which I’m sure they also enjoyed. Because we sure did. We received one of every flavor.

Traditional

Traditional


Black Pepper

Black Pepper


Sweet Onion

Sweet Onion


Olive Oil & Herb

Olive Oil & Herb

Olive Oil & Sea Salt

Olive Oil & Sea Salt

 

HOW TO MAKE A SNACK TRAY

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Cut Cheese

Put out Crackers

Put out some deli meats or pepperoni

Add Veggies

Enjoy

 

About Partners Crackers:

The company employs around 85 people in a 50,000 square foot eco-friendly facility outside of Seattle. PARTNERS offers six different tasteful choice brands and more than 35 varieties of crackers, cookies and granola, including organic and low-fat options. PARTNERS’ award-winning products are sold in all 50 states and around the world. Through it all, Marian, Cara and Greg have remained committed to sourcing wholesome, high quality ingredients, and when they can’t find just exactly what they want, they make it themselves.

Mint Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies Recipe

by 9 Comments

Thanks to Truvia® Baking Blend, you can now enjoy sweet and tender sugar cookies with 75% less sugar* than the sugar-sweetened version. I decided to take the recipe and change it up a bit, I added some mint instead of vanilla and some mint chocolate chips for a yummy variation.

Truvia® Baking Blend Conversion

· When baking, use ½ cup of Truvia® Baking Blend in place of one cup of sugar.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Truvia® Baking Blend
2 eggs
2 tsp mint extract
1 Tbsp skim milk
4 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 12 oz. bag of mint chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and Truvia® Baking Blend until smooth. Beat in eggs, vanilla and milk.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add the flour to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

3. Gently stir in the mint chocolate chips

4. Preheat oven to 350°F.

5. Scoop out with a cookie scoop and place cookies 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned.

Thumper’s Purple Clover Cake Recipe

by 11 Comments

Clover Cake

Bambi is being re-released on blu-ray., it’s the 75thanniversary Walt Disney Signature collection Bambi will be available on Digital HD May 23rd and Blu-ray June 6th! In honor of the re-release we made a cake for Thumper since his favorite part is the clover anyway. See the video…..

 

Fun Facts about Bambi:

*Bambi was originally supposed to come out after Snow White but came out 5 yrs later.

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*The filming studio moved, WW2 happened, and there was even a strike during the process of filming!

*The movie was cut down to what Disney could afford at the time.

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Purple Clover Cake

Ingredients:

· 1 White Cake Mix

· 2 Containers White Frosting

· 2 Cups Fresh Purple Clovers

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Directions:

1. Prepare and bake your cake according to the directions on the box. Prepare the cake in a round pan.

2. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, dump it onto a plate and make sure the top of the cake is facing up when you leave it to cool.

3. Once the cake is cool, run a knife along the top to make the top flat rather than slightly dome shaped.

4. Now, cut the cake perfectly in half, set the top aside.

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5. Take your purple clovers and make sure the steps and leaves are cut off. Use the purple clover tops only.

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6. Place them in a strainer and rinse them well then let them sit to dry for a bit or pat them dry. Once slightly dry, place them in a food processor and grind them down to where there’s no large chunks.

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7. Sprinkle the ground clover into both tubs of frosting. Frost the first layer of the cake and try to use at least ¾ of the first tub of frosting.

pc 88. Place the second portion of the cake (the top) on top of the layer you just frosted. Apply frosting to every portion of the cake you can see.

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9. Sprinkle the remaining ground clover all over the cake. For the sides of the cake, lightly press some of the clover against it and the frosting will catch it. pc 10

10. For more garnish, take 4 complete clover tops and place them in a bundle in the middle of the cake.

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Lime Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Chocolate Dusted Vanilla Icing Recipe

by 4 Comments

Zoe made amazing cupcakes last week. We received these Scottie  Licorice Dogs to use and they inspired Zoe to make these cupcakes. (THEY ARE QUITE DELICIOUS)

lime poppy seed cupcakes.PNG

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter
2 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
2 Tablespoons lime juice
Zest of two limes
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

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Icing:

1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

shaved chocolate

Gimbals Licorice dogs

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time mixing well.

Mix in half of the sour cream to the butter mixture.

Then add half the flower mixture

Add the rest of the sour cream

Then add the rest of the flour mixture.

Slowly add lime juice and zest. Then fold in the poppy seeds.

Bake at 350 for 20 – 25 minutes.

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Let cool

Make icing

Decorate

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Chocolate Almond Butter Bowl

by 6 Comments

We have another recipes from Julian Michaels to celebrate her new app. See below for more details about the app. For now, we are going to be giving  you the amazing recipe she created for the Chocolate Almond Butter Bowl. We hope you enjoy this amazing chocolate almond recipe!

Chocolate banana smoothie with walnuts and chia seed.

Chocolate Almond Butter Bowl

300 Calories

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

¼ tsp vanilla extract

½ banana, sliced

1 cup ice

½ cup almond milk

1 tbsp almond butter

1 tsp cacao nibs

1 tsp unsweetened coconut, shredded

1 scoop egg-based protein powder

1 tsp paleo granola, no dried fruit (use gluten-free paleo granola to be gluten-free)

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

PREPARATION

1. Blend the almond milk, banana, ice, almond butter, cocoa powder, protein powder, vanilla extract until smooth.

2. Transfer to a bowl and top with the cacao nibs, granola and coconut.

Jillian Michaels just launched a brand new app this year that includes recipes like the chocolate almond butter so you can have access to the most renowned personal trainer in your back pocket! Not only does the app offer you custom workout plans based on your specific fitness level and goals, but it also includes customizable meal plans for you to follow throughout the training period regardless of dietary restrictions. Here are two of Jillian’s favorite recipes straight from her app co-created with professional chefs and registered dietitians.

More information on the Jillian Michaels App can be found on her website: https://www.jillianmichaels.com/app

3 May the Fourth Cocktails Be With You Recipes

by 4 Comments

Star Wars Day is tomorrow so we’d love to have you celebrate with us with these movie-inspired cocktails from Sparkling Ice. May the Fourth Cocktails be with you……

star wars pinterest cocktails

 

Try the…

Vader2

Fancy Vader

Vader

INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz of dark rum

0.75 oz of cold coffee

0.5 oz of vodka

3 oz of stout

Spash of Sparkling Ice Black Cherry

Marashino Cherries (garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Add dark rum, coffee, and vodka to shaker. Add ice. Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Add stout. Add splash of Sparkling Ice Black Cherry. Garnish with one maraschino cherry.

C3PO

Next Up is the

C3PO Caipirinha

C3PO-2

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Cachaça

2 tsp sugar

½ lime, cut into wedges

Splash of Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime

Candied ginger (garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Muddle sugar and lime in an Old Fashioned Glass. Add ice and cachaça. Lightly stir. Add splash of Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime. Garnish with candied ginger.

Leia Fineapple

Oh these look so good!!!

Leia Fineapple2

And finally the best for last is the Leia Fineapple

INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz white rum

3 oz of pineapple juice

Sparkling Ice Coconut Pineapple

Nutmeg (garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Add white rum and pineapple juice to shaker. Add ice. Stir and strain into chilled Old Fashioned glass. Top with Sparkling Ice Coconut Pineapple. Garnish with pinch of nutmeg.

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Enjoy the Fourth!