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Ultimate Valentines Day Round-Up

Are you still looking for the perfect Valentines gift? Recipes, crafts, printables, parties and more can be found on this Round-Up from some of my favorites bloggers around the web!

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is around the corner and the Social Fabric Community has put together the Ultimate Valentine’s Day Round-Up to help you prepare for the season of love. From tutorials to crafts to delicious recipes, we have something for everyone. We dare you not to fall in love with these ideas!

Craft/DIY/Tutorial

Friendly lentine Candy Jar – Creative Ramblings

Valentine Felt Envelopes – Good Morning Loretta

Valentine’s Day Candy Filled Mason Jar – Savvy Saving Couple

Valentine’s Day Love Bug Craft – Maryland Momma’s Rambles

Last-Minute Quick, Cute Cut-Out Cards – Our Daily Craft

DIY Heart Shaped Massage Bars – Thriftanista in the City

Valentine Memo Chalkboard – Southern Couture

Valentine’s Day Chalkboard Decoration – Pretty in Pigment

Flower Vase Craft – Polka Dotted Blue Jay

No-Sew Ribbon Embellished Cocktail Napkins – Atta Girl Says

Macaroni Art Lace Hearts – ABCs and Garden Peas

Cupid’s Arrow Valentine’s Day Favors – Home. Made. Interest.

Hand Lettered Valentine Notecards – One Artsy Mama

Instagram Magnetic Bookmarks – Happy Go Lucky Blog

Birdseed Heart Valentines – Made with Happy

Valentine’s Day Burlap Wreath – The Farm Girl Gabs

Cute Flower Valentines for Kids – Jaime

DIY Valentine Flower Corsage – Suburban Wife, City Life

DIY Valentine’s Snowglobes – Woods of Bell Trees

Valentine Envelop Chair Backers – 2Paws Designs

Reversible Valentine’s Day/St. Patrick’s Day Banner – Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Mini Bubblegum Machine Valentines – Bubbly Nature Creations

DIY Button Heart Picture Collage – Our Piece of Earth

Kids’ Valentine’s Day Gift with FREE Printable – A Cowboy’s Life

Easy Mesh and Ribbon Valentine’s Day Wreath – My Pinterventures

Snickerdoodle Sugar Scrub Recipe – Sunny Sweet Days

Valentine’s Day Verse on Burlap – Life with Captain Fussybuckets

12 Days of Romance Scavenger Hunt – The Mama Zone

Candy Kiss Ring – So TIPical Me

Valentine’s Day Hand Print Craft – As Cute as a Bug’s Ear

How to Make a Valentine’s Day Ribbon Banner – Aprons and Stilletos

Date Night with a Romantic Treasure Hunt – The TipToe Fairy

Chalkboard Gift Box – Organized Island

Easy Valentines Felt Pillow Cover – Creative Southern Home

Polar Fleece Ruffle Heart Wreath – Joy’s Life

Making A Valentine’s Day Rag Wreath with Fabric Scraps – Third Stop on the Right

Washi Tape Bubble Valentines – Moneywise Moms

Homemade Candles in 5 Easy Steps – Lemon Peony

DIY Felt Ornaments for Valentine’s Day – 3 Little Greenwoods

Butterfly Valentine’s Day Craft – Sarah in the Suburbs

Epsom Salt DIY Valentine Candles – A Day in the Motherhood

I “DOVE” You Printable with Candy – Newlywed Survival

Rainbow Heart PomPom Garland – Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Wishes

Valentine’s Day Printed Burlap Subway – Occasionally Crafty

Pom Pom Cupcakes Valentine Craft – Cute as a Fox

Valentine’s Wooden Door Hanger – We Got the Funk

Hearts Aplenty: Valentine’s Day DIY Decor – Woman in Real Life

Love Letters Simple Valentine’s Day Craft – Craving Some Creativity

Valentine’s Day Coffee Cup Sleeve – Cynchronicity

How to Make a Great Loves Print – My Sweet Sanity

Cross Stitch Heart Pillow – Cutesy Crafts

Free Valentine’s Day Cards Kids Can Make – Happy and Blessed Home

Recipes

Valentine Cupcakes – Home Maid Simple

Valentine’s Day Cakes – Charleston Crafted

Red Velvet Pudding Cups – Mostly Homemade Mom

Blood Orange Panna Cotta – Mooshu Jenne

Candy Cane Chocolate Hearts – Drugstore Divas

Cranberry Bliss Bars – Swanky Recipes

Valentine Rice Crispy Treats – Midwestern Moms

Chocolate Valentine Sandies – Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

M&M’s® Red Velvet Brownies – Julie is Coco and Cocoa

Nutella Filled Conversation Hearts – A Million Moments

Conversation Hearts Martini – JVKOM Chronicles

Valentine’s Day S’mores Dip – Our Mini Family

M&M’s® Red Velvet Blondies – The NYC Talon

Valentine’s Day Cheesecake Brownies – West of the Loop

Red Velvet Cheesecakes – Houseful of Nicholes

Chocolate Kiss Valentine’s Day Cookies – Moscato Mom

Chocolate and Candy Valentine Popcorn – Made by a Princess

Easy Valentine’s Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies – Janine Huldie

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe – Scrappy Geek

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce – Graceful Order

Love Dipped Wafers – Sparkles to Sprinkles

Valentine’s Day Bento Lunch – Diana Rambles

“Blackened” Seafood Medley for a Low-Calorie Valentine’s Dinner – Broken TeePee

Sweet Salty Fudge – Foody Schmoody Blog

Valentine’s Day Covered Pretzels – Texas Type A Mom

Valentine’s Popcorn – Mommy’s Bundle

The Easiest Valentine’s Day Fudge Recipe – Young at Heart Mommy

Valentine’s Day Butter Cookies – Ilona’s Passion

Valentine’s Day Blondies – Saving You Dinero

Super Healthy Pomegranate-Cranberry-Almond Smoothie – Easy Cooking with Molly

Brownie Cut-outs – Tramplingrose

Puppy Valentine’s Day Cookies – Staying Close to Home

Valentine OREO Brownie Bar Recipe – As Mom Sees It

Strawberry-Vanilla Ice Cream Pie – Johanny’s Kitchen

Strawberry Filled Chocolate Cake – Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles – Food Lovin Family

Honey Bee My Valentine Cakes – I Don’t Have Time for That

Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Parfaits – Living a Sunshine Life

Homemade Strawberry Syrup – Day by Day in Our World

Cranberry Hootycreek Cookies – Momma DJane

Red Velvet Donuts – Frugal Family Tree

Strawberry Mocha Granola – Strength & Sunshine

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Tales of a Ranting Ginger

Chocolate Shot Glasses – The Bewitchin’ Kitchen

Chocolate Pretzel Kisses – Just 2 Sisters

Valentine’s Candy Bark – Life with the Crust cut off

Chocolate Kiss Shooter! – Housewives of Frederick County

Super Simple Valentine’s Day Candy Hearts – My Real Food Family

Easy Strawberry Crinkle Cookies – Meatloaf & Melodrama

3 Ingredient Strawberry Brownies – Fun Things to Do in Central Mass

Nutella Baked Brie – Basil and Bubbly

Easy Cupid Crinkles – Creative Southern Home

Valentine’s Day Edible Tic Tac Toe Game – A Frugal Friend

Valentine’s Day Ombre Sweet Treat – Tastefully Frugal

Party

How to Throw a Budget Friendly Valentine’s Day Party – Amber Nicole Blogs

Valentine’s Day Party for Tweens – Soiree Event Design

Love is in the Air Valentine Table – Not Just a Mommy

Valentine’s Day Tea Party – The Peanuts Gang

Printables

Easy Valentine’s Printables – I am the Maven®

Printable Valentine’s Day Lunch Box Notes and Coupons – Gluesticks Blog

“I Love You Like” Valentine’s Free Printable – C’mon Get Crafty

4 Free Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages – Saving More than Me

Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt Clues – Mom on the Side

Valentine Gift for Kids {Free Printable} – Fun on a Dime

Crayon Valentines Printable – Mom’s Messy Miracles

Tic Tac Toe XOXO Valentine with Free Printable – Housewife Eclectic

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids – Simple Living Mama

2 Free Printable Valentines (Owls) – Altamonte Family

Love is in the Air Valentine Card – Making of a Mom

Matchstick Valentine Free Printable – Frenchie

Valentine’s Day Lunch Box Notes & Jokes – Coupons are Great

I “Wheelie” Like You Car Valentine Printable – Artsy Momma

Round-Up

Valentine’s Day Guide – The Ranting Latina!

24 Frugal Valentine’s Ideas – Real: The Kitchen and Beyond

7 Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day – Downshifting PRO

5 Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts for Bloggers – That Chic Mom

Top 5 Romantic Restaurants to Eat at in East Greenwhich, Rhode Island – Mama Luvs Books

Other

War Room Movie Night – A Beautiful Exchange

Pairing Chocolate with Wine & Spirits – In Good Taste

Valentine’s Day Make-up Tutorial – Glam Hungry Mom

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Home – Natasha Byrd

Can you feel the love tonight with all these great Valentine’s Day inspired activities?

January 25, 2016
Yellow Sticky Rice for a Minions Movie Night
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsMovieNight #CollectiveBias

The Minions movie is here! We didn’t have a chance to see it in theater so we were counting down the days to it’s DVD release. I surprised the kids with Minion Yellow Sticky Rice for our pre-movie dinner excitement, and Donut Goggles to eat during the movie.

The day had come. I sent the girls off to school, and Lincoln and I ran over to Target to pick up the Metalpak Minions© 2015 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. With 40 minutes of extra Target exclusive content!, movie night was about to get serious! Since we had the day, we did a little browsing and found a load of other minion inspired products to add to the excitement. Minion bowls, a Minion card game, Minion Imagine Ink (love that Dollar Spot!) and Lincoln’s favorite, Archer Farms Donuts to act as Minion Goggles.

We headed home to start prepping for our movie night. Lincoln had a hard time waiting for sisters to get home, so he may have gotten his own little pre-screening of the movie before anyone else – but shh, don’t tell the girls!

Fried rice is one of our favorite meals. It has a little bit of something all my kids will eat. I wanted to shape the rice to look like our little minion friends though, so I slightly changed our recipe to sticky rice, but with the fried rice components. Yellow Sticky Rice is surprisingly easy to make. All you have to do is combine all your ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then let simmer covered until the rice is cooked.

While the rice cooked, I whipped up some Minion Goggles with eggs and a purple onion. To do this slice your onion 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Fry in a little butter on a non-stick cooking pan, on both sides for about 30 seconds per side. You still want them stiff, but not raw. Crack an egg into each onion slice, cover, and cook through.

It’s perfectly OK if some of the egg spills out the onion, just try to keep the yolk intact for an eyeball effect. Once the rice and eggs are done cooking, it’s time to start assembling. The kids were all surrounding me, telling me just how to shape a minion. “MOM, it needs arms! Where are the feet? Wait, it’s NAKED!”

Once I had the Minion shaped, we added it’s Goggle eye, and then some clothes. For the overalls, we fried up a couple pieces of ham as the last component and added them on top. Voila! The kids were ready to dig in!
Minion Yellow Sticky Rice

2015-12-15 06:55:04

Make it a Minions Movie Night with Minion Yellow Sticky Rice.

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Ingredients

2 cups Market Pantry Jasmine Rice

1 1/3 cups Water

1 1/3 cups Coconut Milk

1 Archer Farms Bay Leaf

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Lime Juice

Purple Onion Sliced

Eggs

Sliced Ham

Instructions

Combine rice, water, coconut milk, bay leaf, salt, turmeric and lime juice in a medium pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low.

Let simmer until rice has absorbed the water and milk.

Shape rice like a Minion. A small slice on the sides for arms, and 2 little knobs for feet.

For Goggles

Fry onion slices in a little butter for 30 seconds each side.

Break egg into each onion slice.

Cover and cook until egg is done.

Lay one egg on top of minion rice. Serve the rest on individual plates.

Fry ham slices. Cut to form overalls and lay on top of minion rice. Serve extra slices with individual eggs.

Notes

Periodically stir the rice to keep it from sticking and burning on the bottom of pan.

By Home Maid Simple

Adapted from WikiHow

Adapted from WikiHow

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
After we finished our Minion Yellow Sticky Rice, we moved to the family room to watch the Minions movie, eat donut goggles, and have some good family fun with the extra goodies I picked up at Target – my one-stop-shop for the perfect Minions movie night.

The kids and I just adore the new Minions movie from Illumination Entertainment. They thought I had tricked them with the Metalpak from Target, because it looks like no other movie case in the house. At first glance, one of the girls gave me a look and said “That’s not a movie, it’s just the book”. Oh it was sweet when they finally figured out the case and their excitement just kept on growing.

Have you seen the Minions movie yet? Get more ideas for your watch party.
December 15, 2015
Creamy Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa
Creamy Milk Chocolate combined with Pumpkin Spice make the perfect mug of Hot Cocoa to warm up with this season.

I’m sitting on the couch right now, watching my son play Just Dance, and notice that it appears to be half snowing half raining outside. I start to feel the chill in my bones that cold brings and the excitement just builds from there.

I LOVE SNOW! It’s cold, it’s wet, the sun rarely shines during these months – what could there possibly be to love about this weather? Perhaps most of my childhood memories are rooted around winter time. Building forts with my brothers, throwing snowballs with friends, and sledding down the hill into the forest with my parents.

Maybe it’s the clean beauty white adds to our world. From a green summer, to a colorful fall – winter brings us a fresh canvas to restart and refresh. I may not spend as much time outdoors as I did as a kid these days, but my ideal spot would be curled under a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa next to a window facing a winter wonderland.

Enjoy this Creamy Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa, and smile at the beauty that comes with winter. All you need is your favorite chocolate bar, some Pumpkin Spice Syrup (affiliate), milk and whipped cream for a delicious warming drink.
Creamy Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

2015-12-02 08:40:27

Serves 1

Your favorite chocolate bar + Pumpkin Spice lead to a cozy mug of this Creamy Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

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Ingredients

2.5oz favorite chocolate bar

1 cup milk

Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Instructions

Over low heat, mix the milk and chocolate bar until chocolate is completely melted.

Pour into your favorite mug.

Top with Whipped Cream and Pumpkin Spice Syrup.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
December 2, 2015
Blueberry Cheesecake
This post is sponsored. Product was exchanged for an honest review. All thoughts are 100% my own.

I LOVE cheesecake. You all knew that by now though I’m sure. It’s the one recipe I make, and make well. When I was given the assignment to bring dessert to Thanksgiving this week, of course Cheesecake was the first thing on the menu! Thanks to a fun blueberry picking outing earlier this year, this quickly became a Blueberry Cheesecake.

When we moved here, I didn’t realize just how much Mark’s family was going to love my cheesecake. While I normally make 2 or 3 a year, I’ve now made about 3 or 4 in the last 5 months! I can’t blame them of course, rather I rejoice. After cutting into the Blueberry Cheesecake last Thursday Mark’s nephew sat and just stared at it – hoping for a second piece, but knowing he had to wait for everyone else to get dessert.

While talking with my sister-in-law’s friend who joined us for the Thanksgiving feast, she told me cheesecake is hard to make – or at least sounds intimidating. I used to think the same thing! Then I started making it, and found it’s really not all that bad. Truth be told, I actually find no-bake cheesecakes to be a little harder to get right. I’ve had some that were more like a pudding then a cake. My baked cheesecakes on the other hand, always turn out.

To make cheesecake even easier, I got a new pan from The Love Cooking Company. The Push Pan is similar to a spring form pan, but without the spring. With a silicone lined removable base, taking the cheesecake out of the pan was so simple. You can watch me do it in the slideshow above! Ahh, how cool was that, huh?

Enjoy this recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake. Make sure to share it with your friends!
Blueberry Cheesecake

2015-11-28 19:49:18

Serves 8

Easy Blueberry Cheesecake with a Shortbread crust you can wow your family and friends with

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Cook Time

45 min
Cook Time

45 min

Ingredients

Crust

1 package Shortbread Cookies (or about 16 cookies)

5 TBS Butter, melted

Cheesecake

2 packages Cream Cheese

1 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

Blueberry Topping

2 cups Frozen Blueberries

3 TBS water

1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 of 1 lemon, squeezed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F

Crush the shortbread cookies, and mix with the melted butter. Press down into your pan and up the sides. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, sugar until smooth. Add eggs, and continue to beat until smooth. Pour on top of the shortbread crust. Bake for 45 minutes.

While Cheesecake is baking, make your blueberry topping. Combine 1 cup blueberries, water, sugar and lemon in a medium saucepan. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring periodically. Add 2nd cup of blueberries, and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Let cheesecake cool and top with blueberry topping.

Notes

Bring cream cheese to room temp to get a smooth cheesecake filling.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
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November 29, 2015
Pecan Apple Trifle + KitchenAid Sweepstakes
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInThefun #CollectiveBias

How would you like to win a KitchenAid Mixer? Just in time for fall baking you have 2 chances each week through 10/1/2015 to win!

Fall weather is here. For me that means apple picking and baking are about to be all I can think about – actually it’s already all I can think about. When M&M’s® Pecan Pie flavors hit the shelves, baking was not far away. This Pecan Apple Trifle takes everything I love about fall and layers it in a delicious treat fit for company.

One of my favorite treats to bake in the fall are pies. I run into the problem though, that Mark loves Pecan Pie and I prefer Apple Pie. As pies, they don’t really mix, but in a trifle! Now we’re talking. By combining the fall flavors we both love in a cake and then layering it – truly a fall treat we can all agree on.

This trifle is so easy to make! With a few key ingredients, and a little bit of time, you’ll be ready to impress any fall guests with this trifle. Starting with M&M’s® Pecan Pie 9.9oz bags, you’ll also want to pick up some Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Cake Mix and Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing, Mott’s® Applesauce, and Snapple® Apple. I found all the ingredients at my local Walmart.

Enter here to win a KitchenAid Mixer

MARS Bake In The Fun Sweepstakes
To make the trifle, start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Mix up the cake mix according to the Pillsbury directions – only leave out the oil! Exchange the oil straight across for some Mott’s® Original Applesauce – 1 to 1 ratio here.

Pour the cake mix into a 9×13 pan (or larger), and bake for 30 minutes. The larger the pan, the thinner the cake, and better it lays in the trifle.

While the cake is baking, get the cream part of the trifle ready. One thing we all agree on, is cream cheese icing. I had been looking for Snapple® Fall Spice, but couldn’t find any, so grabbed my favorite Snapple® Apple instead to give a little more apple flavor to the trifle. Opening the Snapple® was like transporting me straight to the apple farms.

Whip those all up, then set it aside while you wait for the cake! I was in a bit of a hurry, because who isn’t in the fall? So rather than waiting for the cake to cool on it’s own, I tossed it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. The cake cooled enough to cut and start layering on the trifle.

Star the trifle with a layer of Snapple® infused Pillsbury™ icing. Next add a layer of cake. Follow it by more icing. Then add a layer of M&M’s® Pecan Pie and chopped pecans. You could also add a layer of chopped apples here, which I fully intended to do…but when I went to grab them there was one lone apple sitting in my bowl. Whoops! At least I know someone’s making good snack choices.

Continue layering until the bowl is full. I got 3 layers of cake in my bowl. Top off the trifle with the last of the Pillsbury™ icing, and a good heaping display of M&M’s® Pecan Pie – the real star of this dessert.
Pecan Apple Trifle

2015-11-14 08:30:13

Find all your fall favorites in this Pecan Apple Trifle

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Ingredients

2 9.9oz packages M&M’s® Pecan Pie

1 box Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® cake mix

1/4 cup Mott’s® Applesauce original

3 eggs I used brown solely because they look more fall-ish

1 cup water

2 16oz tubs Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese icing

5 TBS Snapple® Apple

chopped pecans optional

chopped apples optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix cake mix, applesauce, water, and eggs. Pour into 9×13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Whip icing and juice together. Set aside.

Cool cake completely. Cut into 1/2 – 1 inch squares.

In the bottom of a large bowl, layer icing, cake, then icing again. Add M&M’s®, pecans and apples. Layer more cake, icing, then M&M’s® pecans and apples again. Continue until bowl is full.

Top trifle with a final layer of icing, a heaping handful of M&M’s®, apple slices, and pecans.

Enjoy with company.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
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What are you favorite fall flavors? Find more Fall-inspired treats.
September 18, 2015
Snowflake and Olaf FROZEN Grapes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyFROZENGoesFresh #CollectiveBias

If you’re kids love Disney’s FROZEN, they will love eating healthy with these Frozen Snowflake Grapes and Yogurt Olafs. They are so easy to make, and of course fun to eat! My kids are asking for snowflakes after school every day now!

Years ago, or so it seems, when Mark was teaching band he introduced me to frozen grapes. The night before their first parade march found us skewering grapes and sticking them in the freezer. I was skeptical to say the least, but 24 hours later on a hot summery day – frozen grapes ya’ll! They’re amazing!

Jump a couple years, and without marching band, I kind of forgot about our frozen grape treats until walking through Walmart and I saw FROZEN Grapes! They were obviously just calling to me to freeze as an after school snack. I then found myself wandering all around the store dreaming up all kinds of ways to make frozen grapes a bit more fun for the kids – Snowflakes! Olaf! drink toppers!

These were super simple to put together one afternoon while the kids were at school. Little Prince and I pulled out a clamshell of FROZEN grapes, vanilla yogurt and our trusty toothpicks. I got to work skewering grapes to look like snowflakes, while the little prince turned his into “Cars! See mommy, I made a car”.

I used 6 toothpicks in total for each Snowflake. Taking 1 grape insert 4 toothpicks on each side. Skewer 2 grapes onto each toothpick. Taking 2 more toothpicks skewer diagonally all the way through the center toothpick, and add 4 more grapes, one to each side end sticking out. While not terribly hard to create, perhaps you want something simpler – in that case skewer 2 grapes to a toothpick, and dip it in vanilla yogurt to create your own Olaf.

Once all the grapes are skewered and covered in yogurt as desired, I toss them on parchment lined cookie sheet, and place in the freezer. Do not forget the parchment paper! Otherwise the grapes will freeze to the pan, and then you’ll have sad kids with no frozen grapes, and no one wants that.

After about 2 hours you’ll have sufficiently frozen FROZEN grapes, but I like giving them a good 24 hours for a nice freeze. I served our frozen snowflakes and yogurt Olaf’s alongside a bowl of vanilla yogurt for extra dipping fun.

Yesterday was probably the hottest and most humid day we’ve had since moving to Indiana. Despite that, I still walked the kids to and from school. When it’s right around the corner I have a hard time justifying putting them on the bus. It was so nice to have this cool treat waiting when we got home from our afternoon walk. Princess R was not expecting just how cold and delicious these would be though. She let out lots of Ohh’s and Yum’s – Mommy Success!

Have you seen the new FROZEN packaged Grapes? Months ago we saw them on apples, and now my kids LOVE eating apples and grapes! What fresh produce would you like to see Disney help market next?

September 4, 2015
Sausage and Egg Puffs
*This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Daily Meal and @Johnsonville. Opinions and recipe are all my own #backtoschoolbreakfast

The first week of school is behind us, and so is a cupboard full of cereal. I use to be a morning person, and I love breakfast, but our mornings are a rush with 3 of the kids now in school, and me staying up wicked late to get work done. I’ve been trying to find something that’s quick, easy, and can be made the night before and I found a winner! These Sausage and Egg puffs are great for a lazy morning, or can be made and frozen ahead of time to be warmed up in the morning. Plus they’re just delicious!

Anything is better in the morning than cereal – at least I think so. Something a bit more hearty, that can fill me up fast without having to eat a ton. I was a little unsure at first if these would fit that requirement for me, but after 2 puffs I was perfectly satisified. The kids all stopped at just one.

As every good New Englander knows, breakfast is just better when accompanied with maple syrup. I was excited to see that Johnsonville had a Vermont Maple Syrup breakfast sausage, and of course couldn’t leave the store without it. I couldn’t stop there though. After the mini beauties came out of the oven, I couldn’t resist pouring a little more syrup over the top. The crescent rolls soaked up the syrup so every single bite was filled with the delicious flavor from either the sausage or the actual syrup.
Sausage and Egg Puffs

2015-12-16 11:18:26

Serve a quick and delicious breakfast with these Sausage and Egg Puffs

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Ingredients

4 Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup breakfast sausage links

2 eggs

2 TBS green onions

3 TBS Swiss Cheese, chopped

1 pkg crescent rolls dough

Maple Syrup

Instructions

Chop sausage links into medallions. Cook in a frying pan over medium heat.

Add eggs, and scramble. Set aside.

Lay crescent rolls over a mini muffin tin, with the thicker side mostly in the pan.

Fill each dough with egg mix, onions, and cheese.

Pull thick end of dough over the top, and wrap the skinny end around the edge.

Bake at 350 F for 10-11 minutes

Let cool for a minute. Dip in Maple syrup, or enjoy on the go.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
August 20, 2015
Panlevi: Aruba sponge cookies
This month’s Food of the World has us visiting Aruba. I’ve been pretty excited about all these tropical places we’re visiting this year, when of course life got ahead of me. Way ahead of me! Thankfully, Mireille from The Schizo Chef, has an Aruba heritage and was able to help me out with a recipe this month, saving me time digging through recipes. Bonus, it was the perfect first day of school snack as well.

Mmm don’t those look great?! You know what’s really awesome, though, these cookies mix up and bake real simple. Texture wise, it’s not your normal cookie – crispy outside, but semi spongey inside. I can’t really tell you how mine compare to others though, since there are only 2 other online recipes for Panlevi and they are exactly the same as the one I used, and have no pictures!
Panlevi

2016-02-01 10:02:08

Aruban Sponge Cookies

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Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F

Beat eggs until frothy. I’d even venture to try whisking them for a more frothy and light texture.

Add in sugar and mix. Add nutmeg and vanilla. Mix well.

Sift flour and salt. Fold into egg mixture.

Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned.

By Home Maid Simple

Adapted from Asina Nos Ta Cushina by Jewell Fenzi

Adapted from Asina Nos Ta Cushina by Jewell Fenzi

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
Please visit their blogs and follow their sites!

Diane: http://www.simplelivingeating.com

Adelina: http://www.homemaidsimple.com

Shey: http://justnotthecakes.blogspot.com

Mireille: http://www.theschizochef.com/

Usha: http://www.myspicykitchen.net/

Pavani: http://www.cookshideout.com/

An InLinkz Link-up
August 12, 2015
A Whole Grain Challenge and Nature’s Harvest Giveaway
The information and coupons have been provided by Nature’s Harvest® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Nature’s Harvest® bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Nature’s Harvest®.

Did you know that it’s recommended adults eat 48 grams of whole grain a day, and kids should be getting a minimum of 40-48 grams? I didn’t, and when I first read that I thought “gosh that’s a lot of whole grains daily!”.

I started reading my food labels more to see just how many of those whole grains I was consuming, and turns out I’m doing pretty good. Thanks to a few good choices of cereal, and Nature’s Harvest® bread, I get a fair amount of Whole Grains into my diet. With at least 8 grams of whole grains baked into every serving, Nature’s Harvest® makes it easy to incorporate into our diets.

I went through a phase in middle school, where toast was all I wanted for breakfast every single morning. It’s not the most filling choice, but it was quick and easy. I still love toast, but as an adult I know the importance of a balanced meal – especially in the morning. This Almond Blueberry French Toast has everything to start your mornings off right.
Almond Blueberry French Toast

2015-11-11 13:18:20

Almond and Blueberries give French Toast a light flavor that’s perfect for the mornings.

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Ingredients

12 slices Nature’s Harvest® bread

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tsp Almond extract

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs ground cinnamon

fresh or frozen blueberries

whipped cream

maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat.

Whip eggs, milk, almond, sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow dish.

Dip bread in mixture and place on skillet. Cook until browned, flip and continue cooking until browned.

Serve with whipped cream, blueberries, and syrup.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
Try any one of these varieties of Nature’s Harvest®
- Nature’s Harvest® 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread
- Nature’s Harvest® Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread
- Nature’s Harvest® Butter Top Made With Whole Grain White Bread
- Nature’s Harvest® Butter Top Made with Whole Grain Wheat Bread
The Challenge

Nature’s Harvest® bread is baked with at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving. Nature’s Harvest® 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread has 25 grams whole grains per serving (and is what I used for the French Toast)! That’s a fantastic amount to start your day with. Natures Harvest® wants to help moms feed their families 48grams of whole grains daily, so has put forth the Whole Grain Challenge. From now until August 13th, you can enter to win weekly prizes just by taking the challenge to feed your family whole grains!

You can find more information on Whole Grains, get tips, and recipes by visiting Nature’s Harvest® online.

The Giveaway

CLOSED

In addition to the weekly prizes you can win from Nature’s Harvest®, I’m also going to give away a $25 visa gift card and 1 $5 coupon for Nature’s Harvest® bread – provided by Natures Harvest®.

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open to US residents 18+

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July 30, 2015
Patriotic Recipe RoundUp

While you’re reading this, I’m most likely in a car, driving into more humid temperatures, with 4 kids. Possibly listening to an audio book, but it could be veggie tales blasting through the speakers as well. We’re on our adventure to a new home in Indiana! Lucky for us, we get to enjoy our first holiday, and one of my favorites, just a few days after moving in. Who doesn’t love fireworks to celebrate a new chapter in life?

So come on, let’s celebrate! Life, Love, Country, and Family! Enjoy these patriotic treats from some of my fave bloggers around.

Red White and Blue Italian Ice Champagne Floats from The Kitchen is my Playground (with a kids version too!)
4th of July Marshmallow pinwheels from Home Cooking Memories
Patriotic Pudding Popsicles from Kennary
Patriotic Poke Cake from Diana Rambles
M&M’s Caramel Popcorn from Summer Scraps
4th of July Breakfast Bagels from The Jenny Evolution
Red White and Blue Strawberry Cheesecake bites from The Kitchen is my Playground
Inside Surprise 4th of July Cupcakes from The Crafting Foodie
Patriotic Mixed Berry Pie from This Silly Girl’s Life
4th of July Yogurt Parfait from The Jenny Evolution
Red White and Blue Dessert Skewers from Made with Happy
Red White and Blue Tarts from Summer Scraps
Red White and Blue Swirl Cupcakes from Butter with a side of Bread

June 30, 2015