Sweet Treats for the 4th

Kim

Yesterday I posted a few salad options (the Apple Snicker Bar Salad should probably go in this list instead!) and today I wanted to put together a few dessert options, since dessert is my favorite food group 🙂

You can’t go wrong with chocolate! This bark also has pretzels, and I am a sucker for the sweet and salty combo. You can find the easy recipe here.

Boston Cream Poke Cake – always a crowd pleaser! And hey, you could always add some colorful sprinkles on top.

This is not your average strawberry shortcake…it has sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese, along with angel food cake. Add some blueberries, and you’ll be looking very patriotic!

Need something low in sugar and carbs? Try this Low Sugar, Low Carb Chocolate Eclair Cake. Or you can make the full sugar version…either way, it’s soooo good!

Want something to sit out for the kids? You could make this Snack Mix with red, white and blue M’s…maybe add in some dried blueberries too. Snack mixes are always a hit around here, for children and adults!

For several super cute and festive treats, check out my holiday …so many things I want to make!

Sweet & Savory Salad Ideas for the 4th

Kim

I was just thinking about menu options for July 4th, which is already practically here (how?!) and thought I would round up a few, but I had so many that I am starting with salads! Here are a few of my faves…

‘Lightened Up’ Loaded Potato Salad – I could eat this every day

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ Salad – you will never miss the pasta in this dish, healthy AND delicious!

Quick Chicken Salad – with apples and grapes

‘Lightened Up’ Apple Snicker Bar Salad – it’s a salad, with cool whip and chocolate! My kind of salad 😉

I also have a few pinned that I am anxious to try, like…

Are you serving any kind of salad at your next cookout? I’m always looking for new ideas!

Beyond the fence! Adventures with a fur baby.

Kim

Summer is an excellent time to discover the great outdoors with your fur babies. encourages exploration beyond the fence! They have sponsored this post, but all content is my own.

There is a reason so many people love dogs. I mean, seriously, just look at that face!

Not only are they super duper cute, dogs make such good companions. They love unconditionally and are always glad to see you…even if you have only been gone for a few minutes! We welcomed this little pup into our family a little over a year ago. He weighed in at about 4 pounds at the time! He is now a whopping 14 pounds, and full grown.

My kids fell in love with him immediately.

It has certainly not been an easy time…he has given me my share of headaches, not to mention put quite a dent in my pocketbook. However, when you take on the responsibilities of a pet, you have to take care of them, no matter what. So, even though he wakes me up at 5 in the morning, and even though it took almost a full year to get him potty trained, and even though he will eat ANYTHING…when he “says” hold me, and gives me doggy kisses, I have to admit that he has my heart.

He has also been a great companion to our older dog. They are pretty much inseparable.

(You can see where he started eating the dog bed! We have been through several.)

Taking care of your pet is more than just giving them food and water. It also includes spending time with him or her. They need to have cuddle time, play time, and time to run around and explore. Now that it is nice and warm (but before it gets too hot for little paws on the asphalt!) we take our dogs for walks around the neighborhood. We take the little one more often than our large dog because the dachshund doesn’t get the opportunity to run around our yard as much. Since he will eat absolutely anything and everything, he has to go out on a lease or be closely supervised at all times, whereas our big dog can roam around and hang out outside as much as he likes (which isn’t all that much. He has gotten very lazy in his old age!)

Our neighborhood is on the sound, so we will walk down to the dock and let him check out the new sights and smells. (You never know what might be down there…crab shells, leftover bait, swimmers, other dogs!) It’s a great opportunity for him to {safely} explore Beyond the Fence! Isn’t he a pretty boy?!

It doesn’t take too much walking for these little legs to get tired!

Once Tuck is all tuckered out :-), we head back home so he can get a drink and usually take a nap. He prefers to take a nap in someone’s lap. He likes to be held A LOT!

Spoiled much?!

What about you? Do you have pets? What kinds of adventures do you go on?!

Cini-Mini Pull Apart Rolls {4-ingredients!}

Kim

I have a confession. I hate making cinnamon rolls. There, I said it.

But these little gems can be whipped up in a matter of minutes! Even the kids could do it!

My girls said they reminded them of the cini-minis from Burger King, so head over to and see my post there for this easy 4-ingredient version!

Baby Proofing your life with HUGGIES® {#ad}

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of . All opinions are 100% mine.

HUGGIES® has invited me to share a baby proofing story with you, because we all know that once little ones get active, they can get into just about anything! With three kids, I have several stories about my , some funny (like the time one of them decided to color all over themselves with red marker and I almost had a heart attack thinking they were covered in blood…okay, maybe that wasn’t all that funny, but another good reason to keep plenty of HUGGIES® Triple Clean Wipes around!), some are gross (like the time my crawling baby ate a large dead bug and I almost vomited when I fished a leg out of her mouth…yes, I told it was gross), and some stories are downright frightening, like the one and only time *knock on wood* that I had to call Poison Control. I figured that is the one to share, because it could have had dangerous consequences and maybe it will help someone else not make the same mistake I did.

When my girls were about 1 and 3 years old I think, they were in their playroom just playing away. This was back when they actually got along really well instead of fighting constantly…but that’s a different post altogether. It was a Friday evening and my husband and I had decided to cook dinner together (a rarity) and we were both in the kitchen. This was a one level house, so the kids were not all that far away, but I couldn’t see them. I had been at work all day, and when I came in I had just dropped my work bag on the floor in the office, which was across from the playroom. I didn’t think anything about it, since my girls never messed with my bag before. I traveled a lot during the day with my job, so I kept all kinds of stuff in my bag…it was kind of like my pocket book/slash brief case. I had candy (of course) but I also had some sinus medication in there. They were little red pills in a blister type package. Attention: they are NOT child proof! As my husband and I were preparing dinner, I had that moment of panic, as all parents do, when they realize their children are suddenly being very quiet. I ran back to see what they were doing, and yes, they had gotten in my work bag and pulled out the one thing that could hurt them. The sinus medication. Why they didn’t go for the candy is beyond me, but they decided to pull out the sinus pills. My oldest had been popping them out of the blister pack, and my youngest had red stuff on her mouth. My heart fell to my feet! I couldn’t remember how many had been left in the package, but there were a few pills on the floor. I could tell one of the kids had attempted to eat one and spit it out (thank goodness). The pills didn’t have any kind of coating and were bitter (another thank you) but still, I had no way of knowing how many they may have ingested. I called Poison Control, and they were very calm and rational (which I wasn’t at this point). It ended up that most of the pills were accounted for, and with what they could have possibly ingested, it wasn’t dangerous. They told me what to look for, but the kids did fine and I learned a very valuable lesson. I routinely kept all the medicines out of their reach at home, but I didn’t think about what was in my work bag. I had forgotten all about those. You can bet I didn’t forget again! It was a scary evening, and I thank God for looking over my babies!

HUGGIES® Little Movers Diapers Bonus Packs Diapers, HUGGIES® Triple Clean* Wipes, and HUGGIES® Snug & Dry Diapers are . They can’t baby proof your life, but they can keep your happy and dry!

Southern Iced Fruit Tea

Kim

For

Southern Iced Fruit Tea

from

2 family-size iced tea bags
6 cups boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
1 can (48 ounces) pineapple juice
1 can (12 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
optional: fruit slices and/or mint, for garnish (I omitted)

Bring water just to a boil, remove from heat, then add tea bags and the cinnamon stick.
Steep for at least 15 minutes (longer for stronger tea).
After steeping, remove tea bags and cinnamon stick. Pour tea in a large pitcher (I used a sun tea pitcher).
Stir in the thawed orange juice and lemonade. Stir until blended.
Add the pineapple juice, stir well.
Refrigerate until fully chilled, and stir before serving (the juice tends to settle, so you will need to stir every so often,)

I think you could add in some rum for a delish grown up beverage too!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , ,,, , and , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , Cherished Handmade Treasures, (Thursday) ,, , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , (Sunday)

Yay! This recipe was featured at !

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

DIGIORNO pizzeria! {Warning:mouthwatering pics ahead} #ad

Kim

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/DiGiorno. Opinions and pics are my own.

Y’all know I love pizza, and it would be easy for me to just tell you about how good the new pizzeria! pizza is from …but you know what they say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’!

This antipasto inspired combination takes frozen pizza to a whole new level. I’ll admit I was skeptical about the addition of Genoa salami to my pizza, but it was SO good!

The more cheese the better, and this blend of mozzarella, fontina, parmesan and pecorino romano is divine.

This is a classic combo that doesn’t disappoint.

And my personal fave…Supreme! Check out those peppers, and I LOVE the idea of caramelized onions. They lend a slight sweetness, combined with the savory meats…it’s delish. Not to mention it is all on top of a crust that is unlike other frozen pizzas that I’ve had.

Crisp and crunchy on the outside –

Soft and chewy on the inside. It’s drizzled with olive oil, has no artificial flavors and is preservative free. Everyone in my family commented on how good the crust was!

Not only is this a delicious pizza, but this Supreme Speciale was a treat, just for me! As a mom of 3 kids, it is seldom that I cook something just for me, and it is even more rare to have the opportunity to eat it ALONE. As much as I love them, sometimes it’s nice to have some time to myself, in a quiet house, where I can watch my soaps on DVR if I want, or listen to the music I like, or fix a SUPREME pizza and eat it without anyone saying ‘ewww, I don’t like peppers’, ‘I’m not eating that’, ‘why didn’t you fix cheeeessseeee’, etc. Just recently, I somehow managed to have such a day – just me and the dogs were home! As I stopped to listen and absorb the absolute bliss of silence, I realized I was starving. Since I was by myself, my first thought was to have a sandwich or something. Then I saw the DIGIORNO in the freezer. YES!! I had a glorious, relaxing meal….all.by.my.self. I was able to savor every bite without any commentary from little ones 🙂 I have decided to call this my “grown-up” pizza, to be enjoyed while watching my “grown-up” TV shows (like Young and the Restless, Grey’s Anatomy, and soon…Big Brother) or maybe next time I’ll share it with the other grown-up in the house!

What I will share is how you can enjoy Digiorno pizzeria! too…check out Digiorno on and , and get a to save on your next purchase of your very own grown-up pizza! That’s not all, there is a great going on right now – enter to win four full value coupons, a pizzeria style wooden pizza peel, a pizza cutter and a chef’s quality apron!

So I’m wondering, do you make time just for you?! What do you do?

{egg free} Lemon Curd

Kim

I L-O-V-E me some lemon curd. Creamy, sweet, tart, lemon-y deliciousness. Of course, as with most things I adore, it isn’t all that good for you. I have wanted to try an egg free version for a while, and I have to say, I was quite pleased with my first attempt at homemade lemon curd! I guess I should point out, this version isn’t healthy either, it’s just eggless. Oh well..can’t win them all.

Egg Free Lemon Curd

adapted from

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup heavy cream (can also use Half and Half creamer)
3/4 cup lemon juice (I used meyer lemons)
4 tablespoons cornstarch (Update: I now make this with 3 Tablespoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
lemon zest (from squeezed lemons *optional)

Zest lemons (about 3 large or 5 Meyers – depending on size), then juice.

Whisk together lemon juice, almond milk, cream, cornstarch, and sugar in a medium saucepan.

Continue to whisk while heating on high heat until mixture is hot, but not boiling.

Reduce heat to medium, and whisk until mixture thickens.

Once it has thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla and lemon zest.

Remove from saucepan immediately and allow to cool. Once cool, store in refrigerator in a sealed container.

I used some of mine to make these…Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Curd, which I have deemed the best muffins ever. I love, love, love them.

The muffins pictured above were made with store bought lemon curd (with eggs)…you can see how it is much more yellow, but other than that, the flavor was very close. The only thing about my homemade version, is once it was refrigerated, it got thick and pasty/lumpy looking. I am guessing due to all the cornstarch? But it still tasted delicious and when heated in the muffins, it was nice and smooth. I will definitely be making my own lemon curd again!

Zucchini Round Up {sweet, savory, I’ve got it!}

Kim

Once upon a time, I had a garden. It was glorious. I also had more zucchini than I could possibly dream of, and was determined to use.it.all. I thought with the summer veggies starting to come into season, I would do a little round up…

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

Lemon Basil Zucchini Bread

Stuffed Zucchini

Strawberry Zucchini Marmalade

Zucchini Yeast Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (egg free)

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Zucchini ‘pasta’ (delicious!)

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies with dried fruit

Amazing Zucchini Muffins

Feel free to add to the recipes in the comments!

Linking up with ,

Shake your booty with Scott®

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of . All opinions are 100% mine.

We all know that can CLEAN your booty, but right now, with the special savings going on at Dollar General, Scott® can help you shake your booty too! For FREE! Dollar General is THE place to get your Scott® products for a steal of a deal! See, right now when you purchase $6 worth of Scott® products at Dollar General, you’ll receive 3 FREE Music Downloads! That’s right, FREE.

You can choose from any of these Scott® products:

– Scott® 1000count bath tissue, 9 pack
– Scott® 1000count bath tissue, 4 pack
– Scott® Towels (Mega Roll, Choose-a-Size) 6 pack
– Scott® Extra Soft Bath Tissue, 12 pack (Big Roll)

With summer here, and the kids out of school, our paper product usage is going to double. I take that back…it’s going to triple. I mean seriously, with 3 kids at home all day, there are going to be triple the spills, triple the toilet tissue usage, triple…everything! My kids will use paper towels for everything…if there is a tiny spill, they get 10 paper towels (I am so glad they came out with choose-a-size rolls!), if they want a snack…they put it on a paper towel, and don’t even get me started on how many paper towels we go through with our not-so-potty-trained dog. Yep, I think you get the picture! With all that, getting a great deal on paper products sounds good to me. Not to mention, we go through a ridiculous amount of TP. Not just for the obvious reasons either…we all have allergies, and 9 times out of 10, one of us is grabbing toilet paper to control the sniffles and drips. TMI? Probably so.

Thankfully, I have a Dollar General nearby and the prices can rarely be beat, but now they have the added bonus of free music too! The free music offer is only availabe in-store, so you should head on over to take advantage. I know I will be stocking up on toilet paper and paper towels to get us ready for the summer. At least now, I can sit back and listen to some free music…that is unless my tween daughters find out that I have free downloads available. They would have their boy bands downloaded faster than I could log on to my computer!