Monster Cookie Pudding Parfaits

Daliege's hosted us tonight to kick off Spring Break, so I decided to make a fun treat for the kiddos!!  This was delicious (I am told since I don't like dessert) :)  Super easy to make too!!!

I put the cutie stickers on them too :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup mini M&Ms
• 2 cups milk
• 3.9 oz instant chocolate pudding mix
• 13 oz whipped cream , aerosol can
• 1/3 cup mini M&Ms

1. Pour oats, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine.
2. Add 2/3 cup mini M&Ms to the bowl and stir into the dough.
3. In a separate mixing bowl combine milk and pudding powder using the electric mixer on low speed until the pudding is nice and thick.
4. Take half of the cookie dough mixture and spoon it into the bottoms of 6 ten ounce cups.
5. Take all of the pudding and spoon it into the cups on top of the cookie dough.
6. Spoon the remaining cooking dough on top of the pudding.
7. Right before serving top off each cup with some whipped cream and sprinkle mini M&Ms on top. Do not add the whipped cream too soon before serving because it will deflate over time.
8. Serve and enjoy!

BAE and Caprese Toast

 I'm a fan of a good ole Toast Party so we introduced a couple new ones to our par-tay tonight!!  These were SO good!!  You could easily do this as an appetizer too :)

BAE Toast

• 3 pieces of crispy bacon, chopped
• 1 small-medium avocado, peeled/pitted/scooped
• 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes
• 4 hard boiled eggs, halved
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoon Sriracha

1. In a bowl smash the avocado with the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; set aside.
2. 
   
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and sriracha
4. 
   
5. On each slice of toast spread some of the smashed avocado. Add 2 halves of the egg on top, some chopped bacon and finish with a drizzle of sriracha honey sauce

Caprese Toast

• 1 small-medium avocado, peeled/pitted/scooped
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper
• 16 small bocconcini cheese balls (or mini fresh mozzarella)
• 12–16 halved grape tomatoes
• Garnish/Drizzle – micro basil and extra virgin olive oil
• Seasoning – pinch each of dried basil/oregano/kosher salt/pepper

1. In a bowl smash the avocado with the dried basil, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper; set aside
2. 
   
3. On each slice of toast spread some of the Italian smashed avocado. Place 3-4 bocconcini balls, 2-3 grape tomato halves.
4. 
   
5. Finish each toast with a pinch each of dried basil/oregano/kosher salt/pepper, a garnish of micro basil and a drizzle of evoo.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Genva made us this yummy bfast up at the cabin this winter, so we got the recipe from her and Rossy made it this weekend!!  Boys just KILLED it!!!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits

• 1 (9.6 ounce) package Jimmy Dean® Original Hearty Pork Sausage Crumbles

• ¼ cup flour

• 2 ½ cups milk

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange biscuits 1 to 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 13 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently, about 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Stir in flour until well combined. Gradually add milk, stirring continuously, until the gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer and stir for 2 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Split biscuits in half. Place 2 halves on each of 8 plates; top with about 1/3 cup gravy.

Pup birthday cake!!

 YES I celebrate my dogs Birthday!!!   :)  Mads LOVES this recipe!! I decorate it with peanut butter and dog treats and she inhales it!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

• 1 Egg

• 2 Tablespoons of Honey

• 3 Tablespoons Bananas (mashed)

• 2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree

• 1/2 cup Applesauce

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour

• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

• 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

  
  

  Directions:

  Preheat a conventional over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

  Using an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop batter into a cake pan or muffin tin. When using a muffin tin, the cake will bake for approximately 20 minutes. The cake is done when it “springs back’ slightly when touched.  Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating.

Ranch Beer Cheese Dip

I was having the 2nd grade boy moms over and was looking for a yummy app that people would actually eat....AND this was it!!!  Super yummy and easy to put with both veggies and salty treats :)

INGREDIENTS

  

• 16 ounces cream cheese 2 bocks, softened to room temperature
• 1 ounce Ranch seasoning 1 packet
• ⅓ cup beer favorite light beer
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Cream together the softened cream cheese, Ranch seasoning packet, and beer.
• Then, gently mix in the shredded cheddar cheese. Dip with Doritos, pretzels, and/or celery. Enjoy!

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich

B an is sick of the same old lunches when we are home on the weekends, so trying to find some new alternatives to mix it.  This was DELICIOUS!!!  and it's super quick and easy!!!

Ingredients:

4 slices sourdough bread

Pesto

4oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

1 large tomato, sliced

2oz roasted red peppers, jarred

Spread the pesto equally on the 4 slices of bread and place two slices of bread on the panini maker or in a toaster oven for 2 minutes.

Then place the mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and roasted red peppers on top of two bread slices and allow the cheese to melt and the veggies to soften, keeping the panini maker open.

Once the cheese starts to melt, add the second slices on top to close the sandwiches, then close the panini maker for 2-3 minutes. Remove, slice in half and serve immediately

Caramelized Onion Dip

It was Lori's 50th Birthday party tonight and we each brought an app!!  I always scarf this down when my neighbor makes it, so had to try it for the party!!!  It was a HUGE hit!!!!

Makes 12 servings - great for party!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium size yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 teaspoons each salt and sugar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 12 ounces sour cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 clove fresh garlic, grated (optional)
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced, to taste
• a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (!!) to taste
• 2 bags Ripple Potato Chips

1. Prep: Peel the onions and slice them very thinly.
2. Sauté: Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and sugar, and saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Pour a little bit of wine in and let it sizzle out. Stir, add wine, sizzle, etc. After about 30 minutes, your onions should be deeply golden brown and fragrant.
3. Chop the onions: Transfer onions to a cutting board and chop coarsely into small pieces – or just use a kitchen scissors and snip them up right in the pan.
4. Mix: In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and sour cream with a hand mixer or a spoon (depending on how soft the cream cheese is). Stir in the onions and a handful of fresh parsley. Taste and season – if you want just a little sumthin extra, add a small splash (like, a tablespoon or less) of soy sauce and/or Worcestershire, or a clove of freshly grated garlic. YUM. Creamy and so flavorful! You can serve this warm-ish or cold – I love it both ways!

NOTES

I also like this with a mayo base, so sometimes I’ll swap half of the sour cream or cream cheese for an equal amount of mayo!

I used Sauvignon Blanc for the wine. If you don’t have wine or don’t want to use it, water works fine, too. The goal is to deglaze the pan as you go and keep the onions from getting overly dried and browned. The liquid helps them stay juicy and caramely. If you use water, you might find that you want to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to get a little bit of acidity in there.