quick and easy Archives - Page 3 of 8

Copycat Trader Joe’s Cowboy Bark

Kim

If you have not visited a Trader Joe’s grocery store, then you may not be familiar with their ‘Cowboy Bark’.

I have no idea why it’s named that, but I can tell you that it’s pretty darn awesome. It has that sweet and salty combo that I loooovveee. Luv. Lurve. Just imagine (or read on the above package) – dark chocolate, loaded with toffee, pretzels, chocolate sandwich cookies, peanuts, almonds and a little salt. Holla. (Anyone else watching Big Brother?!)

This is SO easy to make at home, and as you can see, the girls and I loaded our chocolate down with toppings. That’s the great thing about making this at home, you can be as generous with the toppings as you like. You can also substitute ingredients to whatever you like best or have on hand.

The only difference is that I used Oreo’s instead of Joe’s O’s and I used Heath Bar pieces instead of just plain toffee pieces, because, seriously…can you have too much chocolate?

Copycat Trader Joe’s Cowboy Bark

1 lb. dark chocolate (I used , it’s not bitter at all!)

10 chocolate sandwich cookies, roughly chopped

1/2 cup pretzel pieces

1/2 cup Heath toffee bits

1/2 cup chopped peanuts and almonds

sea salt, for sprinkling – too taste

*measurements are approximates – you may want more or less, and there was an awful lot of ‘sampling’ going on while my girls helped me make this!

Have your cookies, pretzels, toffee, and nuts chopped and ready for placement on the bark
Line a baking dish, plastic container or cookie sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap

*I used a plastic container that was a little too small and my bark came out a bit thicker than I wanted. I would recommend a cookie sheet, then you can spread it out to your desired thickness

Melt chocolate per instructions on bag/bar/etc.
Pour melted chocolate on parchment paper and spread to desired thickness.
While chocolate is hot, quickly add cookie and pretzel pieces. Then sprinkle on toffee, peanuts and a little sea salt.
Allow chocolate to set. (I placed mine in the fridge for a few minutes)
Break into pieces and enjoy your copycat creation!

Chocoley sent me a sampling of their products to try. No compensation was received for posting.

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Delicious 5-Minute Chocolate Frosting

Kim

Over the years I’ve tried several different variations of frosting. Most are the same basic ingredients with slightly different sugar to cocoa ratios and varying amounts of added liquid (some call for milk, some cream, etc.). Finally, I think I’ve found THE one. This will be my quick and easy go-to recipe from now on because of its great chocolate flavor and super creamy, easy, spreadable consistency.

I love that it whips up in just a few minutes, with just a few ingredients.

And it’s creamy and spreadable..but not so soft that it slides right off!

You can take 5 minutes to whip this up with butter, sugar, vanilla, cocoa and milk or you can buy the canned version with palm oil, high maltose corn syrup, distilled monoglycerides, polysorbate 60, and the list goes on.

The key to a great frosting is not only the texture/consistency, but even more important…the flavor! The amount of desired chocolate flavor is going to vary from person to person. I love dark chocolate, but some of my family prefers milk chocolate. For us, I found the perfect compromise by combining regular and dark cocoa powder.

5 Minute Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa (I used 3/4 cup regular Hershey’s cocoa and 1/4 cup Hershey’s Dark)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup half and half (mine was fat free, can also use milk of choice)

In a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and vanilla. Mix until creamy.
Add cocoa. Mix until blended.
Add 2 cups powdered sugar and half of the creamer (or milk). Slowly mix together (to prevent having sugar all over your entire kitchen!) Mixture is going to get thick.
Add remaining 2 cups powdered sugar and remaining milk. Stir until well blended and creamy.

If frosting is not at desired consistency:

-too thick? add small amounts of milk until desired consistency is reached

-too thin? add small amounts of powdered sugar or cocoa until desired consistency is reached

Recipe adapted from

NOTE: I made a double batch to frost this 4 layer cake, however, I had a lot leftover. It freezes great! Place leftover frosting in a sealed container in the freezer, when ready to use again allow to thaw and then mix well to “fluff” it up again!

My son was very specific on what kind of birthday cake he wanted for his 6th birthday. He wanted four layers, chocolate cake, chocolate icing, with M&M’s and Kit Kats on top! He also picked out his Lego candles. Nothing fickle about this kid…he knows exactly what he wants! What can I say…my boy has his mama’s heart and generally gets what he wants!

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3-2-1 Skinny Mug Cake

Kim

Many of you may have seen this before…I’ve seen it several times on various blogs. I first tried this out about a year ago, and I have no idea why I haven’t written about it before.

I think it’s because I can never get a good picture…mug cakes are generally ugly. I’m also usually in a hurry to stuff something sweet in my face if I am making a cake in a coffee cup in the microwave! You know, desperate times and all.

I can’t say that I love these cakes, or that they are anything gourmet, but I can say that when you are craving something sweet in a hurry, and do not want to totally bust the calorie bank, these fit the bill. I really like them for the convenience…my children love to make them, and my girls can make them by themselves. That way, when they want a sweet treat, and I don’t want the temptation staring me in the face, they can go make themselves a cake. They are satisfied, and there are no leftovers sitting on the counter torturing me with their existence.

(See…the photos aren’t very good. Gotta work on that I suppose…which you know, means making more cakes!) My kids have had a good time coming up with variations…adding hot fudge (pictured, which is why it looks so gooey), peanut butter, nutella, etc.

The “skinny” part comes in because they are low in fat..you are combining a pack of regular cake mix (any flavor) with a box of angel food cake mix…that’s it! Store the combined dry mix in a container or plastic bag and use “as needed”…which is often in my house. It gets the name 3-2-1 because you need 3 T. of mix, 2 T. of water, and 1 minute in the microwave. Super fast, super easy.

3-2-1 Skinny Mug Cake

1 box of cake mix (favorite brand and flavor)

1 box of angel food cake mix

Combine 2 cake mixes in a large container or gallon size bag. When you want a cake, get a coffee mug or microwave safe bowl, add 3 Tablespoons of cake mix, 2 Tablespoons of water. Stir until just combined. (Can also add in a tablespoon of hot fudge sauce, peanut butter, chocolate chips, etc.) Microwave for 1 minute. Add cool whip or frosting if desired.

*The best I could calculate, the mug cakes were approximately 4 Weight Watchers Point Plus points without any additional add-ins.

Do you have any single serving treats that you enjoy? Feel free to leave links or a recipe!

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One Dish Chicken Dinner

Kim

Talk about winner, winner, chicken dinner! This is going to sound too good to be true, at least it did to me. It’s a meal – meat, potatoes, vegetable (yes, I know potatoes are technically a vegetable…but let’s just go with it) all thrown into a dish and baked in the oven with very little ‘hands on’ time. Oh! And it taste good! Four out of five food critics that reside in my house enjoyed this meal, and that’s sayin’ something around here. (And by food critics, I’m not even kidding…my girls have seen way to many episodes of Chopped. They will literally critique my meals sometimes. Gotta love it.)

When I first saw this on , I was skeptical. I expected my potatoes and green beans to be swimming in chicken ‘juice’ and that my green beans would end up mushy and overcooked. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case at all. There was very little grease in the pan, the green beans were just fine (I used canned green beans) and the potatoes and chicken were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. The original post I saw used an entire stick of butter, which would have produced more grease, but I only used a few pats…I didn’t see the point in a whole stick, but others seem to really like it that way too. It’s up to ya.

One Dish Chicken Dinner

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

8-10 small red potatoes (I’ve used Idaho potatoes as well); halved

1 can of cut green beans

1/4 cup butter (more or less as desired)

spices of choice (I sprinkled on some dried basil, oregano, onion powder, parsley, herbs de provence,)

*original recipe calls for a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix. I’m not a big fan of ranch seasoning, so I did my own thing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place raw chicken down center of 9 x 13 dish.

Dump green beans (drained) down one side as pictured.

Place cut potatoes down the other side.

Season as desired (entire dish), and place pats of butter randomly over entire dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

That’s it. One hour and remove the foil and viola! Dinner is served!

Recipe adapted from

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Bubble Up Garlic Cheese Bread

Kim

Quick, easy, and cheese-y. That makes it quite popular in this house. All you need is a few basic ingredients-

My kids love all of the “Bubble Up” or “pull-apart” recipes we have tried, and this was no exception. I have made Bubble Up Pizza, Bubble Up Taco Casserole, Ham and Cheese Biscuit Pull Apart Casserole, and Blueberry Maple Pull Apart Breakfast Bake…what can I say, we like biscuits.

Just cut up biscuits and cover them in butter, cheese and a little garlic powder.

And watch how fast it disappears! At least it went away quick here. My kids love some bread and cheese!

Bubble Up Garlic Cheese Bread

1 can Grands Big Biscuits – cut into 1/8ths (could also use the Grands Jr and cut into 1/4ths)

2 T. melted butter

1 cup shredded cheese

garlic powder and oregano, too taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease an 8 x 8 pan and place cut biscuit pieces in the pan. (They will be overlapping)

Brush biscuits with melted butter.

Sprinkle with garlic powder per desired taste (can also be omitted for plain cheese bread)

Top with cheese.

Sprinkle with oregano (optional)

Bake for 20-25 mins, or until the edges are browned and the center is done. (It takes longer for the center to cook through.)

Carrrbs! So good.

This recipe was featured at:

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Graduation Oreo Truffles

Kim

Time for this mommy to grab the Kleenex. My baby is graduating Kindergarten! I know that when my oldest graduates high school, I will need an entire box. Time is just flying by much too fast. Of course, I say that all the time (but it’s true!). I was also emotional last year when my baby graduated preschool but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he is the baby and this will be the last of the “firsts”, if that makes sense. Thankfully/joyfully, I have a in a few months and I just can’t wait *insert big cheesy grin*.

Not only is my son graduating Kindergarten, but my middle child is ‘graduating’ to middle school. So, in honor of their accomplishments, I wanted a special dessert. Because I like to celebrate every special occasion with dessert. (Which is why I have to spend a lot of time at the gym.)

Last year I made these Brownie Graduation Hats…

I was planning on making them again, but I got attacked by the Oreo bug. You know the one…the one that attacks your brain with constant ‘EAT OREOS, YOU WANT OREOS’…and the only cure is to eat the damn Oreos. It’s a nasty little bug.

So…I decided to make Oreo Truffles, with the same concept of the brownie graduation hats, with the chocolate covered graham cookies as the top of the ‘hat’. I decided to use melted white chocolate for the tassels.

(This nifty made it SO easy!)

You can also personalize them with names, year, etc.

I thought they turned out pretty delicious. I mean cute. You can serve them on a stick, like cake pops…great for little hands –

Or you can serve them on a platter –

If you can find candy in the graduate’s school colors, it makes a cute presentation I think. You could also place them on top of cupcakes!

The best part, these are very easy to make. The truffle itself is only 2 ingredients, and I throw everything into a food processor and blend it up, then dip in chocolate. Now that I’ve discovered , it’s so much easier to make chocolate covered treats, making things like this much more fun for the kids and I.

Graduation Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos (I used regular, but could use different flavors to change it up)

4 oz. (1/2 package) cream cheese

8 oz chocolate, melted (I used )
1/2 package of chocolate covered graham cookies
white chocolate for decorating (optional) I used

Add package of Oreos to bowl of food processor. Pulse a few times to chop into pieces.
Add cream cheese to processor. Blend Oreos and cream cheese until well blended.
Mixture will be thick (like a cookie dough).
Roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
Chill in freezer while preparing chocolate.
Melt chocolate per directions (microwave or double broiler method).
Dip chilled oreo truffles into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Top with chocolate covered graham cookie. Allow chocolate to set.
Decorate tops with white chocolate drizzle or as desired.

Having these little gems will make Kindergarten graduation a little easier 🙂

Chocoley Chocolate sent me samples to try. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Pimento Cheese “Caviar of the South”

Kim

First, let me clear up a dilemma…the pimento vs pimiento dilemma. Why different spellings? Is it like doughnuts vs donuts?! These are question I ponder. Well, worry no more. You can spell it either way, it means the same thing, the variation in spelling has to do with the country of origin (and, you know, if you really want to know more…Google is your friend). Pimento/pimiento is a cherry pepper that can be mild or spicy depending on the variety. The ones I buy in the jar from the grocery store are pretty mild.

If you are from the South, you probably are very familiar with pimento cheese. It’s kind of a Southern staple found at picnics, potlucks, baby showers…you name it. Little pimento cheese sandwiches on white bread cut into little triangles or shapes…a tradition 🙂 They are also delicious. However, my favorite way to eat pimiento cheese?

On crackers, topped with pickled jalapenos! Yummm! It’s also good, as I’ve mentioned before, on top of a burger…

Or, you can make a grilled cheese with it. Now, there are a couple of different ways to make pimiento/pimento cheese. The easiest method…

Pimiento Cheese

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or you can mix sharp and mild)
1 jar of pimientos (I use the large jar, but if you are not a huge fan, you may want to use the small jar)
light mayo – enough to bind it all together. I never measure this, and the quantity will vary based on which jar of pimientos you use, if you use the juice of the pimientos (I do) and personal preference.

Add cheese to a medium size mixing bowl. Dump in the entire jar of pimientos (juice and all). Mix well. Add enough mayo to bind it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of pepper!

This is how I have made mine for years…until recently. I recently made Bobby’s version. If you are thinking Bobby who? Well, Bobby DEEN of course! Paula’s beloved son. Regardless of your feelings towards Paula and her ‘I said a bad word 20 years ago that used to be socially acceptable, however ugly it is, and now it’s not for a certain segment of the population but okay for others’ drama; the woman can cook. Albeit not the healthiest of meals, but she has a lot of recipes that are pretty awesome. Her son Bobby has come along and often times will ‘healthify’ some of his mama’s recipes, or make his own. Anyway, this is my version of which I originally found through .

Bobby’s Pimento Cheese

6-ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 cups grated Monterey Jack
1/4 cup light mayonnaise (or too taste)
1 large jar pimentos, undrained
Salt, Cracked black pepper, Onion Powder – too taste

Mix cream cheese with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
Stir in both cheeses, and entire jar of pimentos (juice and all).
Mix well (I do this by hand, but you can use a mixer if you want a smoother/creamier spread).
Stir in enough mayo to reach desired consistency – you may want a little more or less than I use. Cheese mixture will thicken up a little the next day.
Add a little salt, plenty of pepper and a little onion powder to reach desired taste.

Serve with crackers, veggie sticks or as a sandwich filling.

Are you a pimento cheese fan?

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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Dessert Pizza

Kim

What’s better than chocolate covered strawberries?

Chocolate covered strawberries on top of a chocolate chip cookie crust that’s what.

With a layer of chocolate “sauce”…

And a little extra chocolate drizzled on top, because seriously, can you have too much chocolate? I think not.

A little Cool Whip on top doesn’t hurt either –

Are you on board the dessert pizza train? If not fully convinced, let me just share how easy this is to put together. Like done in 30 minutes easy. Seriously! The secret is pre-made cookie dough and chocolate that melts like buttah. (This was my first time trying chocolate from , and it is awesomely easy to work with. I usually have so many issues when working with melted chocolate and get quickly frustrated, but not this time! And no, I’m not getting paid to say that! I really had the easiest time EVER.)

The kids and I made this (as evidenced by the little fingerprints in my chocolate!) as a special (last minute) Memorial Day treat, and it would be great for any chocolate and strawberry loving father or special man in your life this Father’s Day. Which is coming up VERY soon! June 15th to be exact. How does time fly past me so quickly?! I’ve yet to figure that out. Not to mention strawberry season is in full swing so you can have nice, sweet and ripe berries.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pizza

1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (I used Pillsbury, could also use homemade)

2 lbs. fresh strawberries

1/2 lb. chocolate (I used )

Vanilla Cool Whip (optional)

Preheat oven according to directions of cookie dough you are using.
Spread dough out into desired shape on a baking pan (I used my pizza pan lined with parchment paper since it has holes in it). Press into about 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake cookie dough as directed or until lightly browned and fully cooked. Remove from oven and let cool.
While cookie ‘crust’ is baking, slice strawberries, reserving a few whole ones for dipping in chocolate.
Melt chocolate as directed.
Dip whole strawberries into melted chocolate and place on wax paper to cool.
Spread remaining melted chocolate onto cooked cookie dough crust, reserving a couple of tablespoons for drizzling if desired.
Place sliced strawberries onto chocolate ‘sauce’, leaving the center open for whole berries.
Drizzle remaining chocolate over sliced berries and place the set chocolate covered strawberries in center.

Slice with a pizza cutter and top with whipped topping if desired. Enjoy!

As a funny side note – when my son saw the chocolate chip cookie crust, he asked what I was making. I said “I’m making pizza!” He looked very skeptical and said, “well, I will try cheese on it, but I don’t think I want (pizza) sauce”. I laughed so hard, and explained that it was a dessert pizza and would only have chocolate and strawberries on it. I think he was relieved! He was also quite happy with the results.

sent me some of their products to try, no other compensation was received. Boy am I having fun using them 🙂 Expect to see more chocolate covered goodness!

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Citrus Blueberry Loaf with Meyer Lemon Glaze {quick and easy version!}

Kim

Krusteaz provided me with complimentary product to help facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

I don’t know about where you are, but Spring was here. It was awesome! And then it left….but hopefully by the weekend it will be back. (Fingers crossed!) The warmer temperatures and amazing sunshine really put me in the mood for everything citrus! Lemon, lime, orange…you name it, and I’ve probably pinned it in the past couple of weeks. The only problem with having a huge list of things on my “to bake” list is finding the time to actually make them. The kids have had sports, then they got sick with all the pollen and stuff floating around, my little guy’s asthma acted up…the list goes on. SO, enter the quick and easy recipes that I love so much – like this one!

This bread starts with a mix and has a hint of citrus from lemon and orange zest. Then it is topped with a glaze made with Meyer lemons that really gives it a pop of sweet lemon flavor that makes your taste buds do a happy dance!

Glaze is good. Am I right, or am I right?

Look at that gorgeous color! Mother Nature may not be screamin’ spring where you are, but this is! It gets the rich yellow color from the eggs, and I used farm fresh eggs (for the first time ever) and was amazed at their vibrant color. If you follow me on you probably saw a pic.

Citrus Blueberry Loaf with Meyer Lemon Glaze

1 package Krusteaz Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix (you will need the pouch of mix and the can of blueberries that comes in the box)
1/3 cup water*
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (I used the zest of one orange and one Meyer lemon)

*I used the juice of my orange, plus enough water to equal 1/3 cup

Meyer Lemon Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar
approx 1 T. Meyer lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease or spray an 8″ loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, blend together the muffin mix, water, oil, eggs and zest.
Drain and rinse blueberries and gently fold into batter.
Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then place on wire rack.

Glaze – Mix powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to reach desired consistency. Pour over warm cake.

Recipe adapted from

The only thing I would do different is to add some additional fresh or frozen blueberries. You could also skip the glaze or use orange juice in the place of the lemon juice. For more quick and easy recipe ideas, check out the website. They have several recipes using their mixes as a base, which is pretty darn convenient. They even have a special section for ! Next on my list… made with their Country White Bread mix. My kids looovvveee cinnamon rolls!

Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs {Recipe Repeat}

Kim

Even though Easter is coming later this year, it is still coming too fast for me! I think the weather is partly to blame for my lack of Easter prep…it hasn’t felt like Spring! But with the Easter Bunny arriving this weekend, I better get myself in gear. One thing that is a ‘must have’ around here, as far as Easter candy goes, are peanut butter eggs. Chocolate covered, peanut butter filled, shaped like eggs….yes, please.

Lucky for us, (lucky being a relative term here), I discovered how to easily whip these up at home with just a few ingredients, and no BUTTER. Don’t get me wrong, butter is awesome. However, I don’t want to eat it when it’s not necessary…you know, the whole ‘moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips’ thing. I’m not saying these peanut butter eggs are healthy, but there are no weird ingredients, no added butter, and they taste awesome.

The filling is only 3 ingredients and then it’s dipped in chocolate. In my experience, regular peanut butter works better than natural peanut butter, but natural peanut butter can be used if you chill the dough well (the filling get’s soft and hard to dip otherwise.) I also recommend doubling the posted recipe, because they are that good! HERE is the link to the original post. Enjoy!