Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Are Better Than Gift Cards

Alright, not everyone will agree with me about dipped strawberries being better than gift cards, but they sure change up the gift giving game. And let's be honest, they are a pretty perfect gift for any occasion, be it Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, or Teacher Appreciation Day. When it comes to teacher appreciation gifts I never really know what a teacher needs.  I know that no teacher NEEDS chocolate or strawberries, but I know that indulging in a delicious treat helps calm my nerves, and lets be honest, we are nearing the end of the school year.  If kids are going crazy, teachers are too.

If I were a really awesome blogger I would have written up teacher appreciation gift ideas in February, but I can't even be considered a blogger at this point.  So, I thought I'd just share this for next time, or a last minute Mother's Day gift idea.

Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Slush) - A Summertime Favorite

I'll be honest, I've never been a huge fan of watermelon. The flavor is fine, but I've never loved the texture. So I was amazed how much I love a good watermelon drink.  Agua de Sandia is one of my all time favorite summer drinks, and it is so easy to make.

If you have part of a watermelon that needs to be used immediately, this is a great way to use it up.  Scoop the watermelon out of the rind using a spoon, or my favorite, an ice cream scoop.  Place it in a blender with a bit of sugar (1/4-1/3 Cup) , and 10-14 ice cubes.  Blend on high until all of the ice cubes are ground, and enjoy.  It's such a refreshing summertime drink.

Agua de Melon (cantaloupe), mango, and pineapple are  also delicious. If you have extra drink, throw it in some popsicle molds, and enjoy the next day as a refreshing fruit-sicle.

Vanilla Cake Mix Cookies: Recipe

I have a sweet tooth, it is no secret.  I love pretty much anything with sugar and fat (which might explain the 30 lbs I've already gained this pregnancy). Sometimes though, I just don't have the ingredients on hand to make something sweet.  So, I love recipes that can be made with just a few ingredients.  Cake mix cookies are one of those things.

Today I mixed up a batch of these cookies so that my husband would have something to throw in his lunch tomorrow.  They mix up so quickly, and don't require any extras.  Cake mix, oil, and eggs.  Pretty basic.

Vanilla Cake Mix Cookie Recipe:

Betty Crocker Super Moist Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
Powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Using an electric mixer, mix on medium speed until combined.  The dough will be soft and a bit sticky.  If overly sticky, and flour 1 tbs at a time.  Form 1" balls and roll in powdered sugar.  Place on  parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

These cookies are nice and soft on the inside.  They really are delightful, even though they aren't filled with all of the extras.

I've even had success with Betty Crocker's Gluten Free cake mix.  You can find their recipe for gluten free cake mix cookies on their website.

Also, you can use any flavor of cake mix: red velvet, devils food cake, etc.

Do you have a favorite simple recipe?  Do share.

St. Patricks Day Desserts

Excuse the full sun photos.  I had to take what I could get.

So I'm a day late.  But desserts are great any time, so I'm sharing anyway.

We spent yesterday afternoon with family, and were put in charge of making dessert.  I couldn't just make any dessert, after all, I have a four year old.   St. Patrick's day deserves something special.

I ended up making two different items: (Three Ingredient) Mint Chocolate Fudge, and Lime Jello Poke Cake.

Three Ingredient Mint Chocolate Fudge

1 can Sweet and Condensed Milk
1 bag of Chocolate chips
1 box of chopped Andes Mints

Chop up Andes Mints, and sprinkle a thin layer at the bottom of a foil covered pan.  Melt the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a sauce pan over low heat.  When smooth and melted remove from heat, and pour in the pan and even out mixture with an offset spatula.  Sprinkle any additional mints on the top of the fudge.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Done and delicious.

Source: tasteofhome.com via Tricia on Pinterest

My four year old doesn't like mint right now, so he needed something that was kid friendly.  I found this lime jello poke cake recipe on Pinterest, and decided it was a good choice.  To be honest, I still haven't tried a jello poke cake, but everyone seemed to like it.

I was lazy, and used the whole egg recipe on the cake mix.  So our cake wasn't quite as lovely to look at.  I also mixed up my topping using the green milk that I colored for our breakfast cereal, resulting in a lovely light green topping.

Do you have any favorite St. Patrick's Day desserts?

Coconut Almond Candied Popcorn

It's no secret that I love candied popcorn.  It is simple, delicious, and inexpensive to make.

Recently I changed up my Cinnamon Vanilla Popcorn Recipe a bit, and added some sliced almonds and shredded coconut.  It was delicious.  I also replaced a bit of the white sugar with brown sugar.  

My almonds and coconut were straight from the package, but you could toast them in the oven to heighten the flavor even more.  I recommend adding the almonds and coconut to the popped popcorn prior to covering with the candy.  

Zucchini....Tis The Season

You don't have to have you're own garden, this time of year, to be bombarded with zucchini.  Our dear sweet neighbors, that we have had limited interaction with, kindly knocked on our door, to deliver several zucchini.  This, on the same day that I'd decided to dehydrate some of the zucchini that we picked from my parents garden.  I'm not complaining though, I love zucchini, and it can be turned into a number of delicious treats. 

First up: Zucchini bread.  I used Betty Crocker's recipe, and make a couple of loaves for the gluten eating men in my life.

I was in a chocolate cake kind of mood, so rather than make it from scratch, I found a box of gf chocolate cake mix, and added a cup of shredded zucchini to the batter.  I omitted 1/2 cup of liquid from the recipe, and the cake come out nice and moist.  Bonus, I ate my vegetables (and a full cake).

 We also dehydrated some zucchini.  I had a really large zucchini that we cut into 1/4" slices, and then in halves.  These will be great in the winter to throw in a pot of soup.

We threw some shredded zucchini on the top tray.  We'll use this in spaghetti sauce.

It feels great to put the zucchini to good use.  I like it when I don't have to throw food out. 

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Zucchini Brownies

Source: vegalicious.org via Tricia on Pinterest

Mexican Zucchini Soup

Source: curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: youtube.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Dehydrating Sliced and Shredded Zucchini

Lemon Lemon

Source: marthastewart.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Little Lemon Souffles

I love a little lemon, especially in the spring and summer.  The flavor is fresh, and light, and delicious.  I just thought that I'd share some pin-spiration from the flavor boards.  

Source: sophistimom.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Cookies

Source: ivillage.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake

Source: foodpluswords.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Source: tasteofhome.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Meringue Cake

Source: foodgawker.com via Tricia on Pinterest

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Source: coconut-desserts.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Coconut Lemon No Bake Dessert

Two Ingredient Nutella Cake

I pin far more recipes on Pinterest than I ever get around to making.  On occasion, I'll remember to add the ingredients to my grocery list, and make a recipe that I've found online.  This recipe was especially tempting because it only requires two ingredients, and it's gluten free-woot woot!

You can find the recipe here, at kirbiecravings.com  Eggs and Nutella make up this flourless cake.  I've had flourless cakes before, and they are usually quite dense and rich.  If you get overwhelmed by intense chocolate and dense texture, then this cake is probably a better choice.  The nutella has a pretty light flavor, and the eggs make it quite fluffy, but eggy (imagine that).

Source: kirbiecravings.com via Tricia on Pinterest

I added a homemade raspberry syrup, and it added a nice flavor to it.  The best part of this recipe was how quick it was to make.  The flavor isn't going to blow your mind, but it is really easy to mix up, and perfect when your pantry is a bit bare.

Tried and Tested Favorite Soups

We just recently got hit by some major wind and snow.  I don't mind the snow, but I really don't like the cold and wind that so often accompanies it.  Since winter has finally decided to visit us, I decided to share some of my favorite recipes from the internet. They're just perfect to warm you up on a cold and yucky day.  Do you have a favorite cold weather recipe?

Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Roasted Corn Chowder

Source: ourbestbites.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Black Bean Soup, much more flavorful than it appears (there are vegetables hiding in that soup).

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Tomato Basil-Parmesean Soup for the crock-pot.  I love this one, and just made it on Tuesday.  It's great reheated.

Source: allrecipes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Cream of Pumpkin Soup.  Great with added spices, and perfect for fall.

Satisfy My Cravings: Muffins

This pregnancy has been a bit odd when it comes to cravings.  With Clark it was ice cream, potatoes, and Taco Bell.  With this little guy it was  pickles early on, Starbursts for the first two trimesters, and then just recently I've had some crazy cravings for muffins and homemade caramels.

I rarely make muffins due to my celiac disease. Although recipes can be altered, and I do it on occasion, the gluten free versions rarely meet my expectations.  So rather than disappoint my taste buds, I've been baking for my boys, and enjoying seeing Clark devour the muffins.

So...should you be in the mood for a muffin, here is a quick little round up of some delicious looking recipes that I've collected on Pinterest. Enjoy them for me.

Source: chocolateandcarrots.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Source: annies-eats.net via Tricia on Pinteres Orange Muffins

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Source: scalingbackblog.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Oatmeal Peach Muffins

Source: howto-simplify.com via Katie on Pinterest

Cinnamon and Sugar French Breakfast Puffs

Source: acooksquest.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Blueberry Muffins

Enjoy!  Thanks for reading.

Holiday Recipe Round Up

I have really enjoyed drooling over the links that were submitted to the Holiday Recipe Link Party.  There are so many fun and festive ideas for holiday treats, and I just had to feature (quite) a few of them.  I decided to break down some of my favorites into a few categories:  Holiday Candies, Dressed To Impress Desserts, and Justifiable Treats.

Holiday Candies

And I can't leave out a holiday staple in our house, toffee.  Jo, from Smile Monsters made up this delicious batch.

Meghan, from the Domestic Sugar Bake Shop, will show you how to make these festive peppermint patties.  

Make Homemade Almond Roca with Ashlee at I'm Topsy Turvy.

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Me and My Pink Mixer, shares their recipe for these festive Gingerbread Truffles.  I love the smell of Gingerbread around the Holidays.

Dressed to Impress

These desserts are sure to impress all of your guests at your next holiday party.

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These Oreo Truffle Surprise Cookies are all dressed up.  Visit Inside Bru Crew Life for the recipe.

Ela, from Life in My PJ's, will show you how to make this candy coated red velvet cake.  I love how festive and fun this cake is.

Our Journey To A Simpler Life, shares this recipe for a pumpkin roll.  A pumpkin roll is a fun and impressive variation of more traditional pumpkin desserts.

Justifiable Treats

No one wants to bulk up during the holidays, but I hate when people deprive themselves of great holiday food.  Small portion sizes, and a justifiable treat is the way to go.  I have a personal belief that if a dessert has fruit, nuts, or dark chocolate, that I can justify having a small portion (or two).  These recipes look so fantastic, and have some health benefits as well.

These protein packed sweet and spicy almonds are sure to curb any cravings that you might be having.  

You can find the recipe at  The Pretty Bee. 

This Pomegranate and Cranberry Cream Tart is full of antioxidants, and it's gluten, dairy, and sugar free to boot.  Ashlie and Alfred of the Delshad Duo will teach you how to make this great holiday recipe.

Lisa's Cranberry Upside Down Cake has been making me salivate all week.  You can find the recipe at her blog, The Pursuit of Happiness.

Be sure to check out the other recipe submissions for some great holiday ideas.  The other links look just as delicious. I'd loved to have featured them all.